»i 


IH»N.    .lOSKI'll    M.    MOKKOW 


HISTORY  OF 


MONROE  COUNTY 

WISCONSIN 


PAST  AND  PRESENT 

Including  an  account  of  the  Cities,  Towns  and 
Villages  of  the  County 


EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

RANDOLPH  A.  RICHARDS 


ILLUSTRATED 

t   > 

*        >    ».     <     0    o        # 

■      ■ 

)        3       '  .  '        '               ^       ' 

1912 

C.  F.  COOPER  &  CO. 

CHICAGO 

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H 


•    *  •  •    »      « 

«       *  ■      •      >  . 


INTRODUCTION 

After  more  than  half  a  century  of  growth  since  its  organization 
as  a  county,  it  seemed  fitting  that  an  historical  account  of  its  set- 
tlement, development,  its  people  and  institutions  should  l)e  made 
at  this  time  and  preserved ;  its  primary  importance  is  the  placing 
in  book  form  and  for  all  time  the  earlier  historical  incidents  sur- 
rounding the  settlements  of  the  various  towns,  cities  and  villages, 
and  that  the  time  was  almost  too  late  and  the  work  too  long  neg- 
lected became  very  apparent  to  the  editors  when  the  search  for 
material  began,  for  with  the  passing  of  the  early  settlers,  com- 
paratively few  of  them  still  live  in  different  parts  of  the  county, 
have  gone  forever  the  opportunity  to  get  early  facts  in  some 
instances. 

To  properly  and  adetiuately  Avrite  the  History  of  ]\Louroe 
County  has  been  a  task  encompassed  with  tremendous  difficulties ; 
it  has  been  accomplished  after  laborious  research  and  the  co-opera- 
tion of  many  of  its  oldest  citizens,  whose  aid  the  editors  acknowledge 
most  gratefully,  for  without  it  some  parts  of  this  work  would  have 
been  impossible. 

Despite  its  difficulties  its  preparation  has  been  fraught  with 
mucli  interest,  which  grew  as  the  work  progressed;  INEonroe 
County  from  its  humble  beginning  having  been,  through  the 
untiring  energy  and  perseverance  of  its  pioneers,  brought  to  be 
one  of  the  finest  counties  in  the  State  of  AVisconsin,  holds  indeed 
a  wonderful  story  of  progress ;  its  two  cities,  built  to  stay,  whose 
schools,  churches  and  institutions  are  equal  to  any  in  the  state, 
whose  people  are  progressive  and  possess  a  fine  sense  of  civic 
pride  are  alone  w^orthy  of  the  efforts  of  the  historian ;  in  addition 
to  that  its  beautiful  little  villages,  its  rich  agricultural  resources 
and  dairying  interests  place  it  in  the  front  rank  in  many  respects. 

In  preparing  the  account  of  the  Indian  tribes  the  editor  wishes 
to  acknowledge  the  valuable  material  secured  from  Lawson's 
'* History  of  Winnebago  County";  the  uniform  courtesy  and  help- 
fulness of  the  various  newspaper  editors  of  the  county  has  been 
of  immense  value. 

In   gathering  the  great  mass  of  material  necessary  for  this 

3 


267800 


4  liJSTUliV  (}[•    MONKOK  (01  XTY 

important  work  the  editors  have  liad  to  jii-range,  sort  out  and 
select  such  as  was  of  historical  interest  wliicli  couhl  be  regarded 
as  correct;  tluit  there  are  omissions  ou  some  subjects,  there 
can  l)e  no  doubt  l)ut  the  instances  of  this  arc  almost  Avholly 
brought  about  by  tlie  neglect  of  parties  called  upon,  and  in  whose 
possession  facts  alone  were,  have  caused  such  omissions,  l)ut  the 
editors  believe  that  nothing  of  important  historical  value  has  been 
left  out  and  have  endeavored  to  cover  every  representative  sul)- 
ject  and  the  stoi-y  of  every  interest  has  Iteen  related  impartially. 

R.  A.  RICHARDS, 
1912.  Editor-in-Chief. 


EDITOR'S  NOTE 

All  the  biographical  sketches  published  in  this  history  were 
submitted  to  their  respective  subjects,  or  to  the  subscribers  from 
whom  the  facts  were  primarily  obtained,  for  their  approval  or 
correction  before  going  to  press,  and  a  reasonable  time  was  al- 
lowed in  each  case  for  the  return  of  the  typewritten  copies. 
Most  of  them  were  returned  to  us  within  the  time  allotted,  or 
before  the  work  was  printed,  after  being  corrected  or  revised, 
and  these  therefore  may  be  regarded  as  reasonably  accurate. 

A  few,  however,  were  not  returned  to  us,  and,  as  we  have  no 
means  of  knowing  whether  they  contain  errors  or  not,  we  cannot 
vouch  for  their  accuracy.  In  justice  to  oiTr  readers,  and  to  render 
this  work  valuable  for  reference  purposes,  we  have  indicated 
these  uncorrected  sketches  by  a  small  asterisk  (*)  placed  imme- 
diately after  the  name  of  the  subject. 

C.  F.  COOPER  &  CO. 


Chapter 

I. 
II. 

in. 

IV. 

V. 

VL 

VII. 

VITI. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Menomonee  Tribe 9 

The  Winnebago  Tribe 12 

The  Winnebago  Chiefs 33 

The  Black  Hawk  AVar 45 

Early  Settlement 63 

Making  a  County 66 

The  Legend  of  Castle  Rock 79 

Railroads 82 

West  Wisconsin  Railroad 87 

Monroe  County  Newspapers 91 

]\Ionroe  County  in  the  Civil  War 99 

Enlisted  Men  in  Rebellion 116 

Commissioned  Officers 132 

Died  in  the  Service 139 

Henry  W.  Cressy  Post,  G.  A.  R 147 

John  W.  Lynn  Post,  G.  A.  R 162 

The  Soldiers'  Monument 171 

Government  Military  Reservation 175 

Circuit  Judges 188 

Agriculture  and  Dairying 204 

Apple  Industry 209 

The  County  Seat  AVar 214 

The  Country  Schools 227 

The  Insane  Asylum  and  Poor  Farm 240 

The  City  of  Sparta 244 

Sparta  Schools 287 

Banks  of  Sparta 301 

Lodges  and  Societies  of  Sparta 306 

Sparta  Free  Library 312 

Sparta  Fair  Association 316 

Manufactures  and  Business  Enterprises  of  Sparta  319 

Churches  of  Sparta 325 

Tomah,  Menomonee  Chief 333 

City  of  Tomah 339 

Tomah  Schools 363 

7 


8 

Chapter 

XXXVI. 

XXXVII. 

XXXVIII. 

XXXIX. 

XL. 

XLI. 

XLII. 

XLI  [I. 

XLIV. 

XLV. 

XLVI. 

XLVII. 

XLVIII. 

,  XLIX. 

L. 

LI. 

LII. 

LIII. 

LIV. 

LV. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Churches  and  Lodges,  Tomah 372 

Helping  Hand  Society,  Tomah 377 

Toniah  Library  379 

Civic  Improvement  Chib,  Tomah 381 

^lanufactnring  Interests,  Tomah 386 

Banks  of  Tomah 389 

Tomah  Indian  School 392 

State  Public  School 395 

Villages 398 

Berry  Culture 411 

The  Spanish- American  War 414 

The  Military  Companies 429 

The  Legal  Profession 440 

The  County  Court 473 

The  Medical  Fraternity 482 

Township  History 503 

Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union 539 

German  Lutheran  Churches 543 

Norwegian  Churches 579 

Biography 582 


History  of  Monroe  County 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  MENOMINEE  TRIBE. 

Perhaps  not  as  closely  identified  with  the  earlier  days  in  this 
section  of  the  state  as  the  AVinnebago  Indians,  still  the  Menomi- 
nee tribe  played  its  part  in  the  history  of  the  territory  in  which 
Monroe  county  is  situated,  especially  as  members  of  the  tribe 
in  large  numbers  crossed  the  state  from  the  eastern  side  fre- 
quently to  trade  and  from  this  tribe  came  the  noted  chief,  Tomah, 
whose  name  the  city  of  Tomah  now  bears. 

The  "Winnebago  and  Fox  tribes  were  the  first  Indian  nations 
in  this  section  of  the  country  and  as  they  gradually  withdrew 
before  the  advance  of  civilization,  the  Menominee  tribe  followed 
them;    by   the  treaty   of  1836   this  tribe   came   to   the  territory 
around    Neenah    and    occupied   Winnebago    county   for    a   long 
number  of  years.     They  were  there  when  the  first  settlers  came 
and   left   numerous   traces   of  their   occupancy   in   that   county; 
they  were  of  great  assistance  to  Marquette,  the  explorer  on  his 
visit  to  the  AVestern  Territory  and  were  not  as  warlike  a  tribe 
as  the  AVinnebago,  but  were  said  to  have  been  good-natured  but 
selfish  and  avaricious ;   although  they  did  not  steal  or  lie  and  the 
men  made  brave  warriors. 

Their  Avar  parties  traveled  far  and  aided  the  French  in  the 
battle  of  Detroit  against  the  Fox  and  other  tribes,  they  assisted 
in  the  ambush  in  Monongahela.  They  were  with  Langlade 
fighting  under  the  banner  of  the  French,  when  IMontealm  fell  on 
the  plains  of  Abraham;  they  fought  under  Burgoyne  at  his 
invasion  from  the  North  and  at  Bennington,  so  that  their  exploits 
for  a  long  series  of  years  had  made  them  a  tribe  to  be  reckoned 
with.  After  the  A^^ar  of  1812  the  Americans  maintained  an  Army 
Post  at  Prairie  du  Chien  where  the  Menominees  often  camped 
and   frequently    wintered   in   the   Mississippi    valley.      The    first 

9 


30  IllSTolJV  OF  MOXROK  COT'XTY 

missionary  ainoiif;  them  was  a  Frenchman  ])y  the  name  of  Allouez 
in  1«)<;!>  and  since  that  time  they  liave  been  under  the  teachings 
of  many  good  priests,  among  whom  liave  been  Andre  and  Mar- 
<|iictte,  and  they  now  liave  their  churches,  schools  and  missions 
at  Keshena.  but  to  them  cling  some  of  their  weird  songs  and 
customs  and  they  still  propitiate  the  Manitou  of  the  red  man  with 
offerings  of  tobacco  and  jn-esents  and  make  provision  for  the 
journey  of  the  dead  to  the  "IIapj)y  Hunting  Ground.'" 

In  1848  the  Menominee  tribe  had  to  cede  all  their  lands  in 
AVisconsin  ;ii  llic  treaty  of  Poygan  and  they  were  removed  to 
Minnesota,  but  the  district  assigned  them,  not  being  found  suit- 
able to  their  wants,  they  were,  with  the  consent  of  the  AViseonsin 
Legislature,  allowed  to  remain  in  this  state. 

In  1H')2  they  were  removed  to  their  reservation  on  the  Wolfe 
river,  nine  miles  north  of  Shawano,  containing  27f),480  acres  of 
timber  lands.  This  removal  caused  them  much  distress  and  the 
next  year,  Oshkosh,  the  renowned  chief  of  this  tribe,  represented 
to  the  Government  that  his  tribe  had  never  been  so  poor  and 
destitute  of  provisions. 

Perhaps  the  most  celebrated  of  the  chiefs  was  ''Old  King," 
who  died  in  ]821  at  tlie  age  of  100  years.    This  old  fellow  had  a 
varied  career.    His  village  was  situated  north  of  Green  Bay  and 
he  resisted  all  attempts  of  the  Government  to  move  him  west  of 
the  Mis.sissippi.  and  in  1852  led  most  of  the  tribe  up  the  AVolfe 
river  to  their  present   reservation  within   a    few   miles  of  their 
ancient   home.     His   grandson   was   Chief   Oshkosh,   after  Avhom 
the  city  of  Oshkosh  was  named.     The  Americans  had   a   small 
garrison  in  the  old  fort  at  Mackinac  Island  at  the  outbreak  of 
the    AVar    of    1812.      Col.    Kobert    Dixon    organized    a    band    of 
AVi.sconsin  Indians,  including  the  ^Nlenominees  under  their  then 
chief,   Tomah:     with    Oshkosh   in   the   party   they   proceeded  by 
boats    and    canoes    fi-om    Green    Bay    and    there    captured    the 
stockade  without   any  loss  on  either  side.     During  the   war  the 
Americans  could  not  rei)osse.ss  the  fort.     Colonel  Dixon  with  the 
Fox  river  Indians,  including  the  Menominee  tribe  under  Tomah, 
defended  the  f(.rt  in  a  hard  luittle  with  the  Americans  to  capture 
the  stronghold  in  1814. 

Major  Holmes  was  kiih-d  an<l  a  chief  named  AVee-kah,  of  the 
Ar.Miominec  tribe  was  killed  neai-  the  same  spot.  In  1813 
Oshkosh  went  on  the  warpath  with  Tecumseh  against  Fort  Meigs 
and  later  under  Proctor  and  Dixon  attacked  Fort  Sandusky;  this 
chief  was  no  doid)t  with  the  .Menominee  war  parties  which  fre- 
quently went  out   against  the  Chippewa   Indians  in  the  northern 


THE  MENOMINEE  TRIBE  11 

aiul  western  portions  of  the  State.  He  died  at  Kesliema  Aug'ust 
20,  1858,  and  a  few  days  before  his  death  liis  picture  was  painted 
hy  the  artist  Brooks,  and  it  now  han<>s  in  the  room  of  tlie  his- 
torical society  at  ^Madison.  Succeeding  Chief  Oshkosh  came 
Neopope  Oshkosh  and  Old  Carron,  the  latter  being  said  to  be  a 
son  of  a  French  trader ;  he  was  a  fierce  old  warrior  and  served 
in"  all  of  the  French  wai's  and  was  with  Montcalm  on  the  plains 
of  Abraham.  Then  came  Glade  or  Connote,  the  son  of  Old 
Carron ;  he  was  said  to  be  an  orator  and  a  fine  speaker  who 
made  sensible  remarks  and  to  the  point. 

Tomah  was  the  most  noted  son  of  Old  Carron,  born  in  1752 
in  Old  King's  Village  opposite  Green  Bay;  his  life  and  character 
are  given  in  a  subsequent  chapter  in  this  work  and  will  not  be 
extended  here.  lometah,  the  main  war  chief,  was  a  brother  of 
Tomah  and  a  son  of  Old  Carron,  was  born  in  1772.  He  was  an 
honest,  quiet  Indian  who  died  at  Kenosha  in  1861.  These  are 
the  names  of  some  of  the  old  chiefs  of  the  tribe  and  it  would, 
indeed,  be  an  extensive  chapter  to  attempt  to  follow  out  the 
succession  down  to  the  present  time.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that 
this  tribe  has  followed  the  usual  course  of  Indian  tribes,  degener- 
ated somewhat  from  the  tine  physique  of  the  earlier  Indians  and 
cursed  Avith  the  usual  appetite  of  the  Indians  for  the  "fire- 
water," as  they  term  it.  Some  of  the  children  have  been  sent 
to  the  schools  at  Carlyle,  Pennsylvania,  made  good  progress  and 
the  average  number  of  them  became  good  citizens;  gradually 
the  tribe  is  undergoing  that  change  which  will  bring  them  from 
their  partial  state  of  ignorance  into  that  of  education  and 
civilization. 


THE  WINNEBAGO  TRIBE  13 

at  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  now  Louisville.  As  early  as  1701,  Gravier 
said,  the  Ohio  was  known  to  the  Illinois  and  ]\Iiaini  as  the  ''river 
of  tlie  Arkansa."'  The  name  of  the  tribe  is  now  Kansa  or 
Quapaw  of  the  AVinnebago  branch  of  the  Siouan  stock,  living 
then  on  the  lower  Arkansas  river.  Traditions  of  tli(>  Osage, 
]\Iandan  and  almost  all  the  tribes  confirm  this.  Two  of  the 
plains  tribes,  the  Kansa,  cherish  sacred  shells  which  they  assert 
were  brought  with  them  "from  the  great  river  of  the  sunrise.'' 
It  is  possible  that  the  Winnebagos  also  brought  the  sea  shells 
with  them.  They  have  been  found  in  large  numbers  in  Wiscon- 
sin. ]\Ir.  Clarence  Olen,  of  Oshkosh,  has  several  picked  up  in 
Winnebago  County.  When  the  migration  took  place  is  not  known. 
Doubtless  it  was  of  gradual  progress  during  several  centuries. 
When  De  Soto  looked  over  the  broad  Mississippi  from  the  Chaska 
mounds  at  ^Memphis  in  1541  he  found  these  "Capaha,"  or  Kwapa, 
the  southern  branch  of  the  AVinnebago,  already  established  on  the 
western  bank,  though  still  a  considerable  distance  north  of  their 
later  location  "down  the  river,"  the  converse  of  Omaha,  which 
means  "up  the  river."  In  their  slow  march  towards  the  setting 
sun  the  Kwapa  prol)ably  brought  up  the  rear,  as  their  name 
lingered  longest  in  the  traditions  of  the  Ohio  tribes,  and  they 
were  still  near  that  stream  when  encountered  by  DeSoto. 

The  principle  reason  of  this  movement  from  Virginia  was  the 
presence,  both  North  and  South  of  powerful  and  hostile  tribes 
leaving  them  only  one  way  of  retreat  across  the  mountains.  As 
late  as  1728,  as  mentioned  by  Byrd,  the  Iroquois  had  "an  implac- 
able hatred''  for  "the  Siouan  tribes  of  the  Soutli,"  who  still 
clung  to  their  ancestral  domain.  From  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio 
the  Winnebago  worked  their  w^ay  up  the  Mississippi.  As  they 
are  first  known  from  Champlain's  map  (1632)  as  located  on  Lake 
Winnebago  it  is  supposed  they  made  the  journey  by  the  Wiscon- 
sin river  to  the  Portage  into  the  Fox  river,  where  they  descended 
to  the  spot  on  the  Doty  island,  under  wide  branching  oaks  and 
elms,  which  they  occupied  so  many  years.  There  is  evidence  in 
their  traditional  wars  with  the  Illinois,  the  Alenominees,  the 
Potawatomi,  Sauk  and  Foxes,  that  the  maintenances  of  this 
Siouan  wedge  in  the  beautiful  region  of  lake,  forest  and  prairie, 
occupied  very  soon  for  hundreds  of  miles  in  all  directions  by 
Algoncjuin  tribes,  was  attended  by  constant  and  bloody  warfare. 

The  oldest  map  of  the  region,  now  known  as  Lake  Winnebago 
and  the  Fox  river,  is  Champlain's  map  of  1632,  on  which  he 
names  the  "Nation  des  Puans''  on  a  lake  named  "Lac  des 
Puans, "  which   discharges  itself  through   a  long  river  to  Lake 


U  IlISToin'  OF  :\I()XKOK  (OrXTY 

Superior.  'J'luit  tlu'  ma[)  \v;is  intended  to  rv'present  Lake  AVinne- 
l)ago  and  the  Fox  rivci-  is  now  aceepted  and  seems  tiie  correct 
interpretation  from  th<'  laltcr  known  habitat  of  ihc  Winnebago. 
Tlie  map  is  said  to  !)«'  made  up  from  information  furnished  by 
AVestcrn  Indians  visiting;  <^u<'b('c.  h  fuiiiislies  the  evidence  that 
both  Lake  Wimicbago  and  Ihc  Fox  river  were  the  earliest  names 
of  all  the  i)hysi('al  ol)jeets  in  Wisconsin,  and  the  lake  has  ever 
since  retained  the  name  «riven  it  by  ('hamj)lain.  two  years  before 
any  white  man  had  been  within  several  hundred  miles  of  the 
state. 

]t  was  two  years  after  the  date  of  this  map  that  Nicolet 
visited  "Wisconsin  in  1()34,  ''delegated  to  make  a  journey  to  the 
nation  called  'Gens  de  mer, '  People  of  the  Sea.  and  arranged 
peace  between  them  and  the  Hurons,  from  Avhom  they  are  distant 
about  three  hundred  leagues  westward.''  The  account  of 
Nicolet 's  journey  was  not  published  until  1()43.  nearly  ten  years 
after  his  visit,  and  then  only  mentioned  as  an  incident  in  Avestern 
travel,  giving  sucli  vague  description  of  places  and  topograpliy 
that  it  Avas  not  until  over  two  hundred  years  afterward  that 
John  G.  Shea  discovered,  in  1(S.')2.  that  "Gens  de  mer."  the 
People  of  the  Sea.  referred  1o  the  Winnebago,  and  lhat  Nicolet 
visited  Wisconsin;  and  the  year  (1634)  of  his  coming  Avas  not 
settled  until  ]87*).  In  1()43  Jean  Boisoeau's  map  Avas  published, 
in  Avhich  he  folloAved  the  main  topography  features  of  Cham- 
])lain"s  nui{).  ])lacing  "La  Nation  des  Puans"  on  "La  des  Puans" 
and  named  the  river  from  Avhieh  it  discharged  "H  des  Puans.'' 

C'hai-levoix,  Avho  visited  tlie  tribe  in  1720.  names  them  "tlie 
Otchagras,  Avho  are  commonly  called  Puans.''  Father  Hennepin 
in  his  map  1()97  has  this  same  name  spelled  Ocitigan  placed 
against  Lake  AVinnebago.  The  name  by  wliicli  ihe  AVinnebago 
are  best  known  1o  all  the  old  French  Avi-iters  is  "Puans"  or 
"Puants."  This  is  said  1o  liave  been  an  en-oneous  retranslation 
by  the  Fi-eiich  of  the  AlgoiKjuin  name  for  the  tiibe.  Avhich  Avas 
Ovenibigoutz.  It  is  from  the  English  spelling,  and  the  French 
Oui  being  ])ronounced  as  "Ave."'  and  the  free  pronunciation  of 
the  Algoufpiin  name,  handed  doAvn  in  the  .lesuit  Kelations,  that 
the  modei-n  name  is  derived;  and  the  Bureau  of  American 
Ethnology  have  determined  that  the  plural  of  AVinnebago  shall 
be  the  same  as  the  singular. 

Alost  Avriters  have  amused  themselves  by  giving  the  reason 
Avliy  tlie  AVinnebago  Avere.  called  Puans.  The  French  Avord  for 
Ouenibigoutz  of  their  Indian  neighboi-s,  the  meaning  of  Avhich 
Avas  feted  or  putrid  or  foul-smelling  as  variously  given.     It  has 


THE  WINNEBAGO  TRIBE  15 

been  noticed  that  as  early  as  1632  and  1613  tlie  ti'il)c  and  Lake 
AVinnebago,  where  they  lived,  and  the  Fox  river  had  all  been 
named  Puans.  No  one  knows  why  their  neighbors  gave  them 
this  name.  As  long  as  1720  Charlevoix  had  said  they  were  called 
"Puans,  for  what  reason  I  do  not  know."  Yet  he  did  try  an 
explanation:  "They  seated  themselves  on  the  border  of  a  kind 
of  lake  (Winnebago),  and  I  judge  it  was  there  that  living  on  fish 
which  they  got  in  the  lake  in  great  plenty  they  were  given  the 
name  of  Puans,  beqause  all  along  the  shore  where  their  cabins 
were  built  one  saw  nothing  but  stinking  fish,  Avhich  infected  the 
air.  It  appears  at  least  that  this  is  the  origin  of  the  name  which 
the  other  savages  had  given  them  before  us,  and  which  has  com- 
municated itself  to  the  Bay."  John  G.  Shea  says  their  name 
Ouenibigoutz  given  them  by  the  Algonquins,  means  "feted," 
therefore  the  French  translated  it  by  the  "Puants. " 

The  name  of  Puans  was  frequently  more  roughly  translated 
"stinkards,"  as  used  by  Augustin  Grignon  as  late  as  1857.  In 
1816  Mr.  Biddle  mentions,  "the  Winnebago,  a  bold  and  warlike 
tribe,  who  lived  at  Lake  Au  Paimt  or  Stinking  Lake,  now  Lake 
AVinnebago";  and  the  eccentric  student  of  English,  Radisson, 
wrote  of  them  in  1659,  as  at  "the  great  lake  of  the  Stinkings"; 
while  Allouez,  before  his  visit  to  them,  mentions  their  lake  of 
"the  Stinkards"  in  1666,  so  that  this  "ill  smelling"  name  has 
clung  to  the  tribe  through  all  the  centuries  down  to  the  present 
moment. 

The  explanation  of  their  name  is  simple  when  relieved  from 
the  numerous  explanations  that  have  been  given,  for  the  most 
l)art  erroneous.  Dr.  Dorsey,  a  student  of  the  Siouan  language, 
says  the  Siouan  root  Changa  or  Hanga  signified  first,  foremost, 
original,  ancestral.  Thus  the  W^innebago  call  themselves 
Hochanga-ra,  "the  people  speaking  the  original  language." 
The  student  of  dialect  can  easily  trace  in  the  various  spelling 
quoted  above  the  attempt  to  reduce  the  gutteral  sounds  of  the 
AVinnebago  name  to  a  written  language,  though  their  explana- 
tion and  definitions  have  often  gone  far  afield.  Their  name  as 
known  to  the  whites,  however,  is  not  so  easy  to  understand.  The 
migrating  Algonquin  tribes  despised  the  AVinnebago,  as  they 
were  of  a  different  stock,  speaking  a  different  language,  and  tried 
at  once  to  drive  them  out ;  but  these  savages  were  no  match  for 
the  Winnebago,  who  had  the  power  by  numbers  or  prowess  to 
maintain  their  place  in  their  new  home.  If  the  name  by  which 
they  were  called  by  these  Algonquin  neighbors,  Ouenibigoutz. 
liad  been  translated  at  Quebec  when  first  heard  by  the  French, 


IG  HISTORY  OF  ]\IOXROE  COUNTY 

as  iiU'aii.  base  or  vik'  in  ])lac('  of  riiaiis.  il  would  Jiave  more 
correctly  expressed  as  intended  the  extreme  disfavor  of  their 
neighbors,  .nid  ihis  is  the  rational  explanation  of  the  name  which 
has  come  down  to  us  as  AVinnebago. 

Perrol.  as  rclatetl  hy  La  Polhcric  as  Ihe  eai-liest  traditions 
of  the  tribe,  gives  the  circumstances  of  their  fall  as  their  dis- 
regard of  others'  i-ights.  lie  says  the  nation  was  poj)ulous,  very 
I'cdoubtable.  s|)ared  no  one  and  \iolated  all  the  laws  of  nature, 
as  they  wei-c  Sodomites,  and  c\<-\\  had  intercourse  Avith  heasts. 
If  any  stranger  came  among  tiiem  he  was  cooked  in  their  kettles. 
They  declared  war  on  all  the  other  nations,  though  they  had 
only  stone  hatchets  and  knives.  When  the  Ottawa  sent  envoys 
to  Ihi'iii  Ihey  \V('re  eaten;  and  then  the  n;itions  formed  an  alliance 
against  them,  which  occasioned  ciNil  war  among  themselves. 
They  finally  united  all  their  forces  in  one  village  of  five  thousand 
men;  but  an  epidemic  occurred  which  reduced  them  to  one  thou- 
sand five  Inmdred.  "Despite  all  these  misfortunes  they  sent  a 
party  of  five  hundred  wai-i-iors  against  the  Foxes,  Avho  dwelt  on 
the  other  shorc^  of  the  lake,  but  they  perished  in  a  tempest."  It 
is  supposed  this  was  on  Litlle  i^ake  Butte  des  Morts.  as  it  had 
been  stated  the  Puans  resided  on  an  island  whidi  it  is  supposed 
was  Doty  island,  where  they  had  lived  from  the  earliest  times; 
and  the  Fox  tribes  resided  on  the  op])osite  side  of  tiie  lake  from 
very  early  lime.  Ixeduced  to  despair  and  famine  the  other  nations 
took  pity  on  tlieiii.  ceased  to  make  war,  and  the  Illinois  sent  five 
hundred  men.  including  "fifty  of  the  most  prominent  persons  in 
their  nation."  to  carry  them  a  su]iply  of  pi-ovisions.  "Those 
man  eaters  i-ecei\('d  them  with  the  utmost  gratitude.""  but  at 
the  same  time  meditated  sacriticing  the  Illinois  to  the  shades  of 
their  dead.  A  large  cabin  was  erected  to  lodgi'  their  guests,  but 
while  the  Illinois  Avere  dancing  their  lutw  sti-ings  were  cut  and 
the  "Winnebago  "threw  themselves  on  the  Illinois  and  massacred 
them,  not  sparing  one  man,  and  made  a  general  feast  of  their 
llesh.""  In  a  few  years  the  Illinois  assembled  a  large  army,  com- 
posed of  all  the  nations,  and  came  to  avenge  their  dead. 
"Having  reached  the  island  (Doly  island)  over  the  iee  they 
found  oidy  cabins — the  AVinnebago  had  gone  to  their  hunt — 
traveling  in  a  body — that  they  might  not  be  surprised  by  the 
Illinois."  The  hostile  army  followed  the  hunters  in  the  dead 
of  winter,  coming  up  to  them  on  the  sixth  day.  and  laid  siege  to 
theii-  camp.  "So  vigorous  was  tlieii-  attack  that  they  killed. 
wounded  or  made  i)risoners  all  the  Puans  except  a  few  who 
escaped,  and   who  reached  the   Menominee  village,  but  severely 


THE  WINNEBAGO  TRIBE  17 

wounded  by  arrows. ' '  He  again  refers  to  these  traditional  events 
as  those  of  "the  ancestors"  of  the  tribe  as  he  knew  them,  and 
which  refers  to  "ancestors  of"  the  Puans  of  possibly  1660. 
There  is  no  record  to  say  how  many  years  before,  though  it 
is  doubtless  several  score,  for  fifty  years  before  La  Potherie  was 
published  Rev.  Jean  Claude  Allouez  had  told  this  same  story 
of  the  massacre  of  the  AYinnebago  by  the  Illinois  as  "about 
thirty  years  ago, ' '  which  would  be  in  the  year  1640 ;  "all  the 
people  of  the  nation  were  killed  or  taken  captive  by  the  Illinois, 
with  the  exception  of  a  single  man,  who  escaped,  shot  through 
the  body  with  an  arrow,"  and  adds  that  when  the  captives  were 
permitted  to  return  to  their  homes  this  one  was  made  a  chief  as 
having  never  been  a  slave.  John  G.  Shea,  commenting  on  this 
disastrous  defeat  of  the  AYinnebago,  says,  if  this  strange  event 
took  place  at  all  Ave  must  ascribe  it  to  an  earlier  date  than  1634, 
when  visited  by  Nicolet,  who  found  them  prosperous,  and  we  can 
hardly  suppose  a  tribe  almost  annihilated  and  then  restored  to 
its  former  numbers  in  thirty  years. 

NICOLET  COMES  TO  DOTY  ISLAND. 

Jean  Nicolet  was  the  first  white  man  to  visit  the  AVinnebago. 
He  was  sent  over  these  ^^nknown  lakes  and  rivers  by  Governor 
Champlain  to  make  a  treaty  of  peace  between  the  AA^innebago 
and  the  Hurons  of  Canada.  He  visited  them  with  seven  Huron 
savages  in  the  summer  of  1634,  returning  home  the  next  year. 
As  he  approached  their  village,  word  was  sent  in  advance  to 
announce  his  mission,  and  the  AViunebago  sent  out  envoys  to 
meet  him,  who  gave  him  a  Avarm  welcome  and  carried  his  bag- 
gage. AA^ord  was  sent  out  to  the  surrounding  savages,  and  a 
great  council  was  held  with  five  thousand  men,  who  indulged 
themselves  in  a  barbaric  banquet,  in  which  the  choicest  dish  was 
six  score  beaver  tails.  This  was  the  first  council  held  Avith  the 
Indians  in  the  region  erected  into  the  State  of  AA^isconsin.  There 
is  no  contemporary  narrati^'e  inspired  by  Nicolet  which  gives 
a  hint  of  the  place  at  Avhich  this  council  was  held,  or  the  location 
of  the  AA'innebago  village,  Avhich  was  the  objective  point  of 
Nicolet 's  voyage.  The  habitat  of  the  AVinnebago  during  this 
period  must  therefore  be  sought  from  other  narratives  and  maps, 
and  these  clearly  show  the  AA^innebago  village  of  1634,  and  for 
two  hundred  years  thereafter,  to  have  been  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
AYinnebago,  and  from  the  later  accounts,  which  give  a  more  exact 
locus  in  cpio,  on  Doty  island,  on  what  is  now  the  cities  of  Menasha 


18  HISTORY  OF  :moxroe  county 

and  Nec^'iiali,  ou  tlie  Fox  river,  yet  on  I  lie  shore  of  Lake 
Winnebago. 

It  lias  been  therefore  stated  that  Cliaiiiplain  "s  map  of  1632, 
made  two  years  before  Nicolet's  visit  named  the  "Nation  des 
Piians, "  on  "Lae  des  Piians.*'  Also  the  map  of  Jean  Boisseau's 
of  ]t)43  Avliich  is  found  in  Jjciinox  lji])rary  in  New  York,  and 
published  in  "Jesuit  Relations,"  has  "La  Nation  des  Puans, " 
on  "Las  des  Puans, ''  wliieh  discharges  through  "R.  des  Puans. " 
The  next  map  to  mention  the  tribe  is  that  of  Marquette.  His 
.iournal  of  the  famous  voyage  through  tli<^  river  valley  was  pu))- 
lislied  in  Paris  by  Thevenot  in  1681.  Avitli  his  real  map  of  the 
voyage.  It  ])laees  tlu^  "Puans"  village  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
AVinnebago.  The  master  of  this  voyage  was  Joliet,  and  his  map 
also  places  the  "Puans"  village  at  the  foot  of  Lake  of  the  AVinne- 
bago.  Father  Hennepin  also  places  the  word  "Ocitagan"'  against 
Lake  AVinnebago  on  his  map,  dated  ]698.  He  also  was  a  traveler 
among  them  and  this  is  his  attem])t  to  spell  their  own  name, 
rendered  by  the  Nicolet  century  while  those  of  the  next  century, 
which  show  the  village,  all  place  it  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  which 
always  bore  tlieir  name. 

There  is  no  historic  reference  narrative  of  travel  or  maps 
Avhich  i)laces  the  AVinnebago  at  any  location  other  than  Lake 
AVinnebago  during  the  century  in  wliich  Nicolet  visited  the  re- 
gion, nor  until  1760  when  they  seem  to  have  divided  into  three 
villages  with  their  head  village  still  on  Lake  AVinnebago. 

Perrot  visited  the  Fox  river  region  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
took  some  of  the  AVinnebago  Avith  the  otlun*  tri])es  to  the  great 
council  at  Sault  Ste.  Alarie  Avhen  Sr.  Lusson  took  formal  posses- 
sion of  the  AVest,  in  the  name  of  the  French  king.  In  1690,  while 
in  this  valley,  the  Fox  tribes  who  resided  on  the  west  shore  of 
tile  Little  l^ake  l^utte  des  Alorts,  contemplated  treachery  to 
Perrot,  and  he  was  informed  of  their  intentions  by  the  "chief  of 
the  Puans,"  who  acted  as  his  messenger  and  remained  his  stead- 
fast friend.  He  advised  and  helped  to  prevent  the  Foxes  making 
an  alliance  with  the  Iroiiuois  of  New  A'ork.  which  they  contem- 
plated, and  Pen-ol   was  detcrmiiUMl  to  pi'cxciit. 

IN  THE  FOX  AVARS. 

Later  in  the  long  Fox  war  they  formed  a  thii-d  party  in  an 
alliance  between  the  Foxes  and  Sauk,  and  were  ever  present  with 
the  Foxes  in  that  long  battl(»  which  they  raged  against  the 
French  throughout  the  Fox  river  valley  and  the  prairie  of  the 


THE  AVINNEBAGO  TRIBE  19 

Illinois.  This  was  the  war  to  save  the  region  of  the  golden  fleece 
to  the  fur  trade  of  France,  in  which  the  war  whoop  of  the  Foxes 
was  heard  around  the  world;  "a  dreary  half  century  of  spas- 
modic conflict,  which  absorbed  the  attention  and  helped  to  drain 
the  treasury  of  New  France,  contributing  not  a  little  to  her 
downfall'';  meanwhile,  as  Bancroft  remarks,  the  ''Foxes  were 
a  nation,  passionate  and  untamable,  springing  up  into  new  life 
from  every  defeat,  and  though  reduced  in  the  number  of  their 
warriors,  yet  present  everywhere  by  their  ferocious  enterprise 
and  savage  daring."  Throughout  those  long  years  of  frontier 
warfare  the  AVinnebago  were  everywhere  the  silent  allies, 
wearing  the  livery  of  the  forest  and  committing  the  terror  of 
their  name  to  strike  dismay  to  the  border  post.  And  though  the 
Foxes  are  mostly  mentioned  the  French  were  aware  of  close 
friendship  to  their  allies,  the  AVinnebago.  As  early  as  1714 
Ramezay  had  reported  the  Winnebago  as  friendly  to  the  Foxes, 
which  date  the  colonial  office  at  Paris  had  determined  on  the 
extermination  of  the  Fox  tribe.  At  this  time  Father  Marest 
writes  the  governor  that  "the  Puans  were  sixty  brave  men,  all 
boatmen. ' ' 

The  long  enmity  between  the  AVinnebago  and  the  Illinois  was 
a  part  of  the  French  war,  and  a  relic  of  ancient  days  when  the 
AVinnebago  had  been  almost  destroyed  by  the  Illinois.  The  AVin- 
nebago were  with  the  Foxes  in  their  raids  against  this  tribe  in 
1723.  Captain  DeLignery  was  sent  up  the  river  in  1724,  and 
called  a  council  of  the  tribes  at  the  old  French  fort  at  Green 
Bay.  Those  present  were  the  AVinnebago,  Foxes,  and  Sauk.  The 
council  to  induce  the  tribes  to  cease  their  war  on  the  Illinois  was 
fruitless,  as  the  AVinnebago  declared  the  Illinois  retained  some 
of  their  tri])e  prisoners^  and  an  exchange  must  be  efi^ected  before 
a  treaty.  However,  the  difference  seemed  to  have  been  compro- 
mised, as  at  a  council  held  by  the  same  officer  June  7,  1726,  with 
the  AVinnebago,  Foxes,  and  Sauk,  a  treaty  was  settled  by  which 
these  tribes  consented  not  to  fight  the  Illinois  again.  Very  soon 
after  this,  however,  war  broke  out  afresh  and  the  frontier  rang 
with  the  savage  war  cry. 

The  French  had  sent  an  army  against  the  Fox  palisade  or 
Fort  village  on  the  west  shore  of  Little  Lake  Butte  des  Morts, 
under  cle  Louvigny,  in  1716,  opposite  the  AVinnebago  village  on 
the  eastern  shore.  The  three  days'  battle  and  siege  had  resulted 
in  a  treaty  of  peace,  but  in  which  the  French  had  no  confidence. 
They  determined  to  establish  a  post  in  the  border  of  the  Sioux 
country  to  prevent  an  alliance  with  the  Foxes  and  that  powerful 


20  HISTORY  OF  MOXROP:  COUNTY 

tribe  of  the  plains,  'i'liis  (,-(jiii])iu(nt  witii  soldiei-s  and  j^oods  for 
trado  made  llicir  way  over  Fox  river  towards  the  head  of  Lake 
Pepin,  to  ('sta))lisli  tliis  post.  The  journal  of  the  voyage  was  made 
l>y  Father  Guignes.  As  tliey  passed  the  Fox  ri\('i-  lie  says  of  the 
visit  to  the  "Winnebago,  August  14.  ]727:  "The  chief  im-l  him 
there  three  leagues  from  their  village  Avitli  peace  calumets  and 
refresliments  of  l)ears'  meat,  and  escorted  them  into  their  village 
mid  dischai'ge  of  musketry  and  great  demonstrations  of  joy, 
requesting  Ihem  to  remain  some  tinu'.  There  were  sixty  to  eighty 
num  in  the  village.  Both  men  and  women  are  tall  and  well  built. 
They  are  located  on  the  borders  of  a  pretty  lake  at  thirty-five 
miles  from  LaBaye  and  eight  leagues  from  the  Foxes."  The 
Foxes  seem  to  have  been  on  the  uppci'  Fox  river  at  this  season. 

AVhen  Captain  DeLignery  arrived  at  LaBaye  with  liis 
expedition  against  the  Foxes,  composed  of  four  hundred  fifty 
Frenchmen  and  one  thousand  two  hundred  savages,  in  the  month 
of  August.  1728,  he  captured  three  AVinnebago  Avhom  he  handed 
over  to  the  tribes.  They  put  them  to  death  with  slow  torture 
and  ate  them.  He  then  pushed  on  up  the  Fox  river  to  the  village 
of  the  "\Vinnel)ago  on  the  Doty  island,  which  had  been  abandoned 
several  days  hefore,  and  burned  the  wigwams  ami  fort,  and 
ravaged  their  fields  of  Indian  corn,  which  is  tlieir  principal  article 
of  food. 

In  pursuance  of  their  policy  to  combine  all  the  tribes  against 
the  Foxes,  the  French  in  some  manner  bought  over  the  Winne- 
bago, the  lifelong  friends  of  the  Foxes  and  Sauk.  So  we  read 
that  in  the  autumn  of  1729  Avord  was  l)rought  to  (Quebec  by 
information  given  by  the  Indians,  of  an  attack  by  llic  Winne- 
bago, Ottawa  and  Menominee  on  a  Fox  village,  in  which  thera 
were  killed  one  hundred  Fox  warriors  and  seventy  women  and 
children.  Among  the  killed  of  the  assaulting  party  were  four 
of  the  AVinnebago.  The  Winnebago  having  Itroken  up  their 
neighbors  and  friends,  the  Foxes,  by  the  treacherous  and  un- 
provoked slaughter,  were  now  in  tei-ror  fi>i-  the  conseciuences  of 
their  misei-able  acts.  Further  attempts  against  the  Fox  tribe  were 
projected  from  (Quebec  and  by  the  fall  of  1725)  Sieur  Captain 
]\Iarin  appeai-ed  at  the  old  Freucli  foi-t  at  Green  Bay  and  repaired 
its  fallen  roofs,  lie  had  with  him  ten  Frenclunen.  On  Septem- 
ber 10  the  AVinnebago  returned  from  their  hunt  aiul  went  to 
]\rarin  to  assure  him  that  they  still  renuiined  faithful  to  the 
French,  presenting  him  Avith  three  slaves.  They  were  rewarded 
by  powder,  bullets,  hatchets,  guns  and  knives.  Some  days  after, 
having  ascertained  that  the  Foxes  were  not    in  llie  country,  the 


THE  WINNEBAGO  TRIBE  21 

Winnebago  took  their  families  and  camped  on  Dendo  island, 
where  "their  former  fort  stood."  But  very  soon  the  Foxes  and 
Sauk  surprised  some  AVinnebago  fisherman,  and  then  began  a 
long  siege  of  the  Winnebago,  by  erecting  on  the  Doty  island  water 
side  two  forts  to  command  the  water  in  all  directions.  The  siege 
lasted  two  months ;  but  was  finally  abandoned  after  IMarin  came 
with  the  Menominee  to  aid  the  Winnebago. 

Before  1739,  after  being  at  enmity  with  the  Foxes  for  ten 
years,  the  old  friendship  was  revived,  and  at  a  council  in  Quebec, 
held  that  year  with  the  Avestern  savages,  the  W^innebago  chief 
spoke  for  mercy  for  the  Foxes,  some  representatives  of  whom 
were  present.  The  following  year,  at  a  council  held  in  Montreal, 
the  Winnebago  chief  again  spoke  for  the  good  will  of  the  French 
for  "their  kinsman,  the  Foxes  and  Sauk."  The  next  year  they 
appeared  in  Montreal  again  and  reported  they  had  returned  to 
their  home  on  Doty  island.  AVhile  at  a  council  at  Quebec  the  next 
year  the  Mayoba,  chief  of  the  Alascoutins,  whispered  to  Beau- 
harnois  that  the  AA^innebago  sought  refuge  in  their  village  the 
year  before,  as  they  feared  the  Foxes.  At  this  council  the 
Winnebago  said  half  of  their  village  had  returned  to  its  old  home 
and  half  was  at  Rock  river.  The  Rock  river  band  were  notified 
to  join  the  Fox  river  band  and  form  one  village.  Serotchon  and 
Chelanois  were  AVinnebago  chiefs  present  and  promised  medals 
by  Beauharnois ;  but  he  had  none  then  to  bestow,  they  must  wait 
until  next  year.  Sieur  de  Clignaucoiirt  had  sole  right  in  1747 
to  trade  at  Green  Bay  with  the  AA^innebago. 

IN  OTHER  BORDER  WARS. 

By  some  very  ancient  maps  in  possession  of  Mr.  Hames  B. 
Albrigt,  of  Milwaukee,  which  bear  dates  of  1755,  1756,  1757,  the 
"Otchagras"  village  is  marked  against  Lake  Winnebago.  About 
this  time  the  De  Langlades  had  settled  in  AVisconsin  as  the  first 
pioneers,  and  in  a  few  years  the  great  M^ar  between  France  and 
England  has  its  influence  on  this  farthest  frontier,  where  the  bold 
warrior.  Captain  Charles  de  Langlade,  was  appointed  to  command 
the  western  tribes.  With  his  motley  throng  of  savages  there 
were  about  one  hundred  AA^innebago,  and  midst  the  din  of  Brad- 
doek's  defeat  was  "mingled  the  blood  curdling  screech  of  the 
Winnebago."  They  were  at  the  council,  with  Montcalm,  on  the 
banks  of  Lake  George ;  and  at  the  massacre  of  Fort  AVilliam 
Henry,  and  at  the  fall  of  Quebec. 

After  the  Fleur  de  Lis  was  hauled  down  from  Quebec  and 


22  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Kiiy:laiul  took  all  ('aiiada  undt'i'  her  autliorily,  coiuiiiantlaiit.s  and 
soldiers  were  seiil  west  to  assume  eoiniiiaiid  of  the  aneient  border 
posts,  wliieli  had  been  iiiub'r  the  irenllc  sway  of  Franee  since  the 
first  white  iiicii  ciniic.  liy  17()2  Liciit.  .lames  (Joi'i'cll  was  in  com- 
iiiand  III  ihc  ii'iiin.inis  of  tin-  old  l-'iviidi  t'oii  al  Green  Bay,  and 
licid  ;\  coiiiicil  with  ilic  \\'iiin"l>a^<»  chief,  who  |)i-omis('(l  to  send 
the  bell  hr  lia<i  received  to  the  otht-r  1  wo  chiefs  of  his  nation, 
lie  reports  soon  after  that  ''a  chic^f  belon^ino:  to  a  second  Puans 
town  arrived."  In  Aujiusl  Ihe  WinnebajLro  chief  fi-om  the  third 
town  came  and  declared  he  had  Jiever  foujilit  ajrainst  Ihe  Fnfrlisli. 
They  all  i-ecjuc^sted  a  gunsmith,  a  trader  and  I'um.  The  following 
summer  (17H8).  Avhen  Captain  Etherington,  after  the  massacre 
at  Old  ^Mackinaw,  sent  woi-d  1o  Gorrell  to  go  to  him  willi  the 
gai-i'ison,  the  Winnebago  were  among  the  four  Indian  tril)es 
which  formed  his  escort. 

In  his  Journal  Lieut.  James  Gorrell  reports  of  the  "Indian 
warriors.  l)esides  Avomen  and  children  dei)ending  on  the  i)ost  at 
Green  Bay,"  there  were  "Puans,  loO  al  the  end  of  Puan's  lake 
(AVinnebago)  and  over  against  Louistonant."  It  was  in  17(i() 
that  the  celebrated  Capt.  Jonathan  Carver  mad"  his  voyage  up 
the  historic  Fox  river  and  pased  four  days  enjoying  the  hos- 
pitality of  the  Winnebago  village  on  Doty  island,  then  presided 
Dver  l)y  their  ((ueen,  Glory  of  the  ^loi-niug.  or  Ilopokoekau.  who 
had  married  Kebrevoir  De  Carrie,  an  officer  of  the  b'l-cnch  ai'uiy, 
Avlu)  after  ]'esigning  in  172!)  Ix'canu'  the  first  trader  among  the 
AVinnebago.  Three  sons  and  one  daughter  Avei-e  boi'u  to  the 
iniion.  He  reentered  the  army  and  died  for  his  flag  before  Que- 
bec, April  28,  1760.  Captain  Carver  called  the  village  "the  great 
town  of  AVinuebago,"  and  said  it  contained  fifty  houses  which 
were  strongly  built  Avith  i^alisades. 

During  the  war  of  the  l\e\()lution  there  was  iu)t  a  friend  of 
the  colonists  in  all  Wisconsin,  and  Capt.  Charles  de  Langlade, 
now  in  the  red  uniform  of  a  British  officer,  recruited  his  dusky 
troops  from  among  the  Winnebago  to  join  Burgoyne's  invasion. 
bnt  all  had  abandoned  the  English  geiu'i-al  befoi-e  his  surrender. 
The  Winnebau'o  recei\-ed  a  wai-  belt  from  De  Peystei-.  in  command 
at  Old  .Mackinaw,  and  liad  notice  to  be  ready  to  go  to  Hamilton's 
aid,  at  Vincennes.  in  the  autumn  of  1778.  In  the  ]>arty  of  savages 
who  went  down  the  ^Mississippi  in  the  spring  to  aid  Hamilton,  l)ut 
I'ejni'iu'd  on  receiving  woi'd  ol  iiis  sui'i-ender  to  (reorge  Roger 
Clark,  tliei'e  were  Winnebago.  On  theii'  return  to  old  Mackinaw 
witii  (Joutier  the  Winnebago  were  at  once  sent  (in  .Inne.  177!^ 
south   thi'ongh   ^lichigan  to  commit    depredations  and   "bring  in 


THE  WINNEBAGO  TKIBE  23 

some  prisoners."  The  AVinnebago  repaired  to  Montreal  with 
other  western  savages  under  De  Langlade,  and  returned  on  news 
of  the  operations  of  George  Roger  Clark  in  Illinois.  When  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Sinelair  sent  the  army  of  savages  under  Captain 
de  Langlade  to  the  massacre  of  St.  Louis,  there  Avas  a  band  of 
AVinnebago,  as  usual,  in  his  party.  The  assault  on  the  embank- 
ment at  the  stone  warehouse  was  made  by  the  AVinnebago,  Avho 
left  one  chief  and  three  warriors  dead  on  the  parapet,  Avhile  four 
others  were  badly  wounded,  the  only  casualty  of  the  expedition. 
Governor  Sinclair  reports  in  July,  1780,  sending  sixty  AVinnebago 
and  a  party  of  other  Indians  south  to  the  Ohio  and  AVabash 
rivers  to  intercept  convoys  of  provisions  intended  tor  Americans 
in  the  Illinois  region. 

After  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  the  British  fur 
trader  had  no  intention  of  giving  up  the  rich  fur  bearing  region 
of  AVisconsin,  and  began  at  once  to  keep  the  savages  in  good 
feeling,  by  a  liberal  distribution  of  presents,  an  annual  favor 
which  was  accorded  llic  AVinnebago  and  others  for  many  vears 
and  until  after  the  close  of  the  last  war  in  1815.  At  the  instance 
of  the  merchants  of  Alontreal  in  1787,  after  the  cession  of  the 
region  now  AVisconsin,  the  British  sent  ]Mr.  Ainsee  up  the  Fox 
river  to  the  Alississippi  with  a  "canoe  loaded  with  thirteen  bales 
of  goods"  for  presents  to  AVisconsin  savages.  At  the  Portage  he 
"assembled  all  the  Puants  to  give  them  a  speech  and  made  them 
presents  of  goods,  rum  and  tobacco."  In  the  same  report  Ainsee 
gives  the  number  of  Puants  as  310  men  in  "the  village  of  the 
Puants  altogether." 

The  principal  or  head  village  of  the  AVinnebago  was  still  on 
Lake  Winnebago,  as  it  had  been  since  long  prior  to  the  coming  of 
Nicolet  in  1634.  The  first  record  of  any  other  village  was  the 
reference  given  from  Gorrell  in  1762.  During  the  Revolution, 
when  Goutier  took  to  the  woods  on  snowshoes  to  rouse  the  clans 
for  the  spring  campaign  in  1778,  he  mentions  "the  great  village 
of  the  Puants  of  the  lake.  Avhich  was  the  strongest  one." 

Antoine  LeClaire,  a  trader  who  settled  in  Alilwaukee  in  1800, 
mentions  sending  out  "engages"  to  trade  Avith  the  Indians,  "on 
AVinnebago  lake  to  the  AVinnebago."  The  merchants  of  ^Montreal 
reported  to  the  agents  of  the  croAvn,  in  1786,  that  the  AVinnebago 
numbered  six  hundred  men,  and  had  their  first  Anllage  only 
twelve  leagues  (thirty  miles)  fi'om  "LaBaye,"  and  being  on  the 
road  to  the  Mississippi,  they  are  frecpiently  troublesome  to  the 
traders  passing.  This  system  of  claiming  to  own  the  river  and 
exacting  presents  for  the  right  to  pass  had  been  practiced  for 


24  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXROE  COUNTY 

many  years  by  the  tril)e,  and  had  been  a  frequent  cause  of  strife 
between  the  "Winnebago  on  Doty  island  and  the  numerous  traders 
obliged  to  stem  the  tides  of  the  Fox  river  to  reach  their  posts 
along  the  ^Mississippi  river. 

The  frontier  discpiict  of  the  Indians,  inspired  by  l^ritisli 
agents,  finally  resulted  in  sending  ^Nlad  Anthony  AVayne  into  the 
border  huuls  of  Ohio,  where  he  fought  several  successful  battles 
■with  the  savages,  the  most  desperate  and  successful  one  being 
that  near  Maumee  City,  in  Ohio,  on  ilie  ;Wth  day  of  August.  17i)4. 
The  Winne])ago  hud  been  liil  into  these  border  troubles  and  were 
among  the  savages  defeated  in  tli;i1  disastrous  battle.  Mr.  Wil- 
liam J.  Snelling  relates  that  he  remembers  a  AVinnebago  at  the 
AVisconsin  portage  who  met  travelers  Avith  a  human  hand 
dangling  on  his  breast,  which  he  had  taken  from  a  Yankee  soldier 
at  Tip})ecanoe,  and  says  sixty  AVinnebago  were  killed  in  that 
battle.  The  last  war  with  England  was  declared  on  June  19. 
1812,  by  the  President's  proclamation.  Before  it  was  possible  to 
reinforce  the  small  garrison  at  Fort  IMackinaAv,  on  the  island  of 
that  name,  it  Avas  surprised  and  captured  and  held  during  the 
Avar  as  a  rally  outpost  of  the  British,  from  Avhich  the  saA'ages  of 
AVisconsin  Avere  constantly  recruited  to  add  to  the  frontier  hor- 
rors of  that  Avar.  It  is  said  that  after  the  capture  of  Proctor's 
camp  in  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  bales  of  scalps  Avere  discovered 
on  Avhich  had  been  paid  a  bounty  by  the  British  agents.  The 
"Winnebago  took  part  in  many  of  the  important  movements  of  the 
British  on  the  Avestern  border.  AVhen  Col.  Robert  Dickson,  the 
"Red  Head,"  gathered  the  tribes  for  the  English  in  1812.  he  ran 
into  (}i-eeii  Bay  Avilli  100  Sioux,  and  enlisted  Tomah  and  the 
Grizzly  Bear  Avith  100  Alenominee,  and  a  large  body  of  "Winne- 
bago led  by  Teal.  One-eyed  Decorah  and  other  chiefs.  They 
A'oyaged  over  to  ^NFackinac  island  and  captured  the  fort  from  the 
Americans,  July  17,  1812,  Avithout  a  bloAv,  after  Avhich  the  AVinne- 
bago  and  Sioux  returned  home.  Jn  the  spring  of  1813,  Avhen 
Colonel  Dickson  rallied  the  clans  again  for  the  AA'ar.  there  sailed 
out  of  tlie  Fox  river  on  his  train,  beside  the  Sioux  and  IMenom- 
inee,  a  considerable  band  of  AYinncbago  under  their  chiefs.  Old 
Decorah,  Carrymaunee.  AYinnocheek,  Pesheu.  or  the  AYild  Cat, 
Sausamaunee,  Black  AYolf,  Sarcel,  or  the  Teal,  and  Neokautah, 
or  Four  Legs.  Avith  AFichael  Brisbois  as  their  interpreter.  Arriving 
at  Fort  Meigs  too  late  for  the  action,  they  retired  to  Detroit, 
from  AA-hence  they  sailed  under  Proctor  and  Dickson  to  Sandusky 
and  attacked  the  fort  so  gallantly  defended  by  the  young  Afaj. 
George    Croghan,   Avhere   they   Avere    defeated.      In   June,    1813, 


THE  WINNEBAGO  TRIBE  25 

Colonel  Dickson  emerged  at  ^Mackinac  from  a  lon^  sojourn  among 
the  Wisconsin  tribes,  bringing  with  him  600  savages  and  their 
families,  to  be  sent  to  General  Proctor  as  a  part  of  his  force. 
There  were  130  Winnebago  in  the  party.  After  eating  nearly  all 
of  Proctor's  available  provisions  and  committing  wanton  depreda- 
tions on  the  settlers'  live  stock  tlie  AYisconsin  Indians  returned 
home.  During  the  winter  of  1813-14  a  delegation  of  AVisconsin 
savages  visited  Quebec,  where  they  were  warmly  welcomed  by 
Sir  George  Prevost.  The  AVinnebago  were  represented  by 
Lassamic. 

The  expedition  under  the  British  Col.  AVilliam  AtcKay,  which 
surprised  and  captured  the  American  fort  Shelby  at  Prairie  Du 
Chien,  July  17,  1814,  had  with  them  a  band  of  100  AVinnebago 
under  their  chiefs,  Pesheu  or  AVild  Cat,  Sarcel  or  Teal,  Carry- 
maunee,  AVinnocheek,  Sar-ra-chau,  Neokautah  or  Four  Legs,  and 
Black  Wolf.  As  McKay's  fleet  of  barges  and  canoes  floated  down 
the  Wisconsin,  a  AVinnebago  was  in  the  party  of  scouts,  who 
went  under  cover  of  night  into  the  to-\vn  and  captured  a  citizen, 
whom  they  carried  away  to  get  information.  In  deploying  before 
the  fort  the  AYinnel)ago  took  post  above  the  fort.  Two  of  the 
AVinnebago,  discovering  some  hams  in  a  house,  mounted  to  the 
roof  and  began  to  tear  off  the  shingles  to  gain  an  entrance  and 
were  both  shot  in  the  thigh.  On  the  second  day  of  tlie  siege 
Colonel  AIcKay  assembled  the  Indian  chiefs  and  requested  their 
consent  to  an  assault,  but  the  AVinnebago  chief,  Sarcel  or  the 
Teal,  demurred,  saying  he  and  his  people  remembered  taking  part 
with  the  English  in  assaulting  an  American  fort,  when  they  were 
beaten  back  with  terrible  slaughter.  Sarcel  proposed  to  dig  a 
trench  in  the  sand  and  blow  up  the  fort,  to  which  Colonel  McKay 
agreed;  but  after 'a  few  hours'  labor  the  Indians  tired  of  the 
Avork  and  refused  to  go  ahead.  After  the  surrender,  and  just 
before  the  time  appointed  for  the  Americans  to  give  up  their 
arms,  a  AVinnebago  cut  off  the  finger  of  a  soldier  whose  hand 
was  thrust  through  a  port  hole  in  friendly  greeting.  In  his 
reports  Colonel  McKay  mentions  the  AVinnebago  as  in  the  Indian 
contingent,  and  says  of  them  that  they  were  ''perfectly  useless 
to  him,"  and  severely  criticises  them.  They  would  not  receive 
officers'  orders  unless  he  "held  a  blanket  in  one  hand  and  a  piece 
of  pork  in  another." 

Col.  Robert  Dickson  on  his  way  to  the  British  garrison  at 
Prairie  Du  Chien  in  the  fall  of  1814,  caught  by  the  freezing  of 
Lake  AVinnebago  at  Doty  Island  and  forced  to  remain  the  winter, 
writes  in  the  spring:     "I  shall  move  from  this  as  soon  as  I  can. 


26  IIISTOK'V  OK  .MONKOK  COLXTY 

;is  the  Puaiits  an'  lic^iiiniim  !(•  draw  aritiiiid  inc.  and  one  liad  as 
well  l)('  in  lu'll  as  with  tlirm."'  Al'tt'i-  llic  peace  the  Hritish  lield 
a  council  June  .'5.  isi.'t.  at  .Mailxinaw,  helween  Sau-sa-niau-nee, 
Black  Wolf,  Xeokautaii  or  Four  iiC^s.  and  ioi-ly  waj-riors.  Sau- 
sa-niau-nee  was  tlie  orator  foi-  liis  people  and  liis  s|)eecli  is 
recorded.  .Jud,u:e  LocUwood  rc|)(»i'1s  their  number  in  liSlG  as  i)()() 
warriors,  from  estimates  of  tlie  traders  best  ac(iuain1eil  with 
them.  The  treaty  made  with  a  portion  ol  the  Fox  tril)es  Novem- 
bei'  ;},  1804.  whiih  caused  so  much  dissatisfaction  amon^  members 
of  that  tribe,  was  confirmed  a1  a  council  h^ld  at  SI.  Louis.  May 
18.  181(1.  at  which  those  Wiiiiicba'-o  present,  residents  of  Wis- 
consin, coniirmetl  tliat  part  of  the  ti-eaty  wliich  was  sui)posed  to 
tri'ant  their  rights  in  the  lands  of  the  b'ad  reuion. 

THE  NEW  YORK  INDIANS. 

The  AVinneliago  were  involved  in  the  iiiimigration  of  the  New 
York  Indians  by  the  range  of  their  hunting  gi-ounds.  Tiie  Winne- 
bago and  JVIenominee,  August  IS.  1S21,  tii'aiited  to  tlie  Xew  ^'oil< 
tribes  a  ribl)on  of  land  diagonal! \'  across  the  state  five  miles  wide, 
the  strij)  crossing  the  Fox  river  at  Little  ('hut(\  At  this  tinu' 
the  jMenominee  claimed  all  Green  Bay  and  the  shore  of  Lake 
^lichigan  to  tlu^  mouth  of  the  ]Milwauk(M>  lixcr  and  west  to  the 
.Mississippi  imnct  in  a  northwest  direction.  The  Winnebago 
claimed  all  the  balance  of  the  state  north  and  west  of  the  Fox 
river  and  Lake  Winnebago.  The  following  summer  the  Xew 
York  Iiulians  returned  to  urge  a  larger  grant  :  but  on  coming 
into  a  council  the  AVinnebago  refused  to  concede  any  further 
grants  and  left  in  a  body  to  go  on  their  hunt.  Before  leaving, 
however,  they  were  induced  to  favoi'  the  visitor  with  an  exhibi- 
tion of  their  war  dance,  pipe  dance  and  begging  dance,  which 
are  grai)hically  described  by  (Jeneral  Willis,  who  adds:  "The 
AViuTiebago  exhibited  the  largest,  most  perfectly  formed  men  aiul 
women  ever  seen  anywhere.  The  display  of  action  and  muside 
in  the  dances  stru(dv  the  Ixdiolder  with  admiration  and  terror. 
The  ring  around  the  dancers  of  several  thousand,  all  singing  in 
chorus  to  the  chief  drunnner.  the  voices  of  the  AVinnebago  women 
pi-evailing  in  clarion  tone  above  the  whole."  August  11,  1827. 
was  a  treaty  concluded  at  tlie  Little  P.ntte  des  Morts.  "the  Hill 
of  the  Dead,"  on  the  west  bank  of  the  lake  of  that  name,  now 
in  the  town  of  Alenasha.  betAvecMi  the  AVinnebago.  .Menominee 
aiul  Xew  A'ork  Indians,  by  which  the  above  lrii)es  ceiled  their 
lanils  in  the  Fox   vallev   to  the   I'nited  States.     Lewis  Cass  and 


THE  ^YINNEBAGO  TRIBE  27 

Thos.  L.  ^Mc'Kinney  were  the  commissioners.  This  council  was 
lickl  during-  the  Winnebago  war,  so  called.  It  was  attended  by 
live  thousand  savages.  Colonel  AVhistler,  while  on  his  journey 
up  the  Fox  river  from  Fort  IIoAvard  to  join  General  Atkinson  at 
Portage,  remained  with  his  regiment  at  the  Little  Butte  des  Morts 
as  the  Governor's  guard  until  the  close  of  the  council,  when  he 
resumed  his  journey  uji  stream.  During  the  council  the  Winne- 
bago were  notified  that  they  must  give  up  the  murderers.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  due  to  this  council  that  brought  the  surrender 
at  Portage  the  next  month  on  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Whistler. 
There  is  a  painting  of  the  Little  Butte  des  jMorts  council  made  by 
Lewis,  "painted  on  the  spot,"  in  his  rare  portfolio  of  frontier 
scenes. 

Tlie  AVinnel)ago  war  took  place  in  1827.  It  was  not  a  war, 
but  only  a  widespread  scare  to  the  few  pioneers  who  had  come 
to  settle  in  the  far  aAvay  lands  of  the  Avest.  Those  who  mention 
the  events  of  that  day  generally  agree  that  the  energetic  move- 
ments of  Governor  Lewis  Cass,  and  the  promptness  of  the  militia 
under  Gen.  Henry  Dodge,  and  the  dispatch  of  General  Atkinson 
witli  the  United  States  army  into  the  field,  inspired  the  AVin- 
nebago  with  such  respect  for  the  poAver  of  the  United  States  that 
the  incipient  disturbance  was  quelled  before  it  was  barely  com- 
menced. As  there  were  at  that  time  nearly  nine  thousand  Winne- 
bago, they  could  have  set  the  torch  to  the  whole  frontier  before 
being  conquered.  At  that  period  there  was  a  small  settlement  of 
whites  at  Green  Bay,  another  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  and  possibly 
seven  hundred  people  in  the  lead  region  south  of  the  Wisconsin 
river.  Fort  Winnebago  was  then  erected  at  Portage  as  a  protec- 
tion to  the  frontier  from  any  Winnebago  treachery. 

IN  SETTLEMENT  DAYS. 

I>y  this  time  the  trilie  had  very  nuich  increased  in  numbers, 
and  were  scattered  all  along  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers.  Mrs. 
John  Kinzie  reports  in  ''Wau  Bun,"  in  1880,  two  divisions  of 
Winnebago  Indians,  "one  paid  l)y  the  agent  at  Portage  and  the 
other  at  Prairie  du  Chien."  "The  Portage  division  numbered  be- 
tween four  and  five  thousand."  At  the  Winnebago  annuity  pay- 
ment in  1884,  jNIr.  Henry  ]\lerrill  says  there  asseml)led  at  Portage 
upwards  of  three  thousand  men.  women  and  children.  Mr.  Mc- 
Call  reports  in  1830,  "Four  thousand  Winnebago  in  the  nation." 

The  smallpox  scourge  broke  out  in  the  tribe  in  1834  and  raged 
a  fearful  epidemic,  from  Avhich  nearly  half  the  tribe  died.     The 


28  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COT'XTY 

inodiciiic  men  a])aiul()iir(l  ilicii'  ftitilc  attciiipts  to  stay  its  I'avages, 
ami  1li('  post  sw('])t  through  the  \illajr('s,  and  sur\i\'()rs  fleeing 
before  i1.  Icaxin^'  tlicii'  dead  uiiliiii-icd. 

The  delegates  wlio  visited  Washington  in  1837  to  make  a  treaty 
liad  no  anthority  to  eonelude  a  treaty,  and  so  declared.  That  was 
the  treaty  (Nov.  1,  1887.)  by  whieh  all  the  lands  of  tiie  Winne- 
bago east  of  the  ^Mississippi  were  eeded  to  the  Ignited  States. 
It  Avas  loudly  jiroelaimed  by  the  tribe  to  be  a  fraud.  Chief  Yel- 
low Thunder,  whose  village  was  near  Eureka,  in  AVinnebago 
county,  and  two  others  were  of  this  party,  and  all  declared  they 
had  no  right  to  make  a  treaty.  The  first  allrnipl  to  remove  the 
tribe  was  begun  in  1840.  when  a  considerable  band  wei-c  induced 
to  remove  to  the  Turkey  river  in  Iowa.  In  1837  the  AVinnebago, 
headed  ])y  One-eyed  Dekaury,  Ijittle  Dekaury,  AVinnosheek, 
AVaukon  Dekaury,  and  six  other  chiefs,  went  to  AVashington  and 
ceded  all  the  land  still  claimed  by  them  east  of  the  Alississippi 
river,  reserving  the  privilege  of  occupying  until  18-40.  That  year 
the  troops  came  to  Portage  to  remove  them.  Yellow  Tlninder 
and  Black  AVolf 's  son  were  invited  to  Portage  to  get  provisions, 
l)ut  as  soon  as  they  arrived  at  Portage  they  were  put  in  the 
guardhouse  Avith  l)all  and  chain  on  their  ankles,  which  Inirt  their 
feelings,  as  1lie\-  luid  done  no  harm.  The  Genei'al  liad  understood 
they  were  going  to  revolt,  and  i-efused  to  emigrate;  but  as  soon 
as  Governor  Dodge  came  to  Portage  they  were  released.  They 
all  promised  faithfully  to  be  in  Portage  in  three  days,  ready  for 
removal,  and  they  Avere  all  there.  Two  large  boats  Avere  pro- 
vided to  take  doAvn  the  Indians  Avho  had  no  canoes.  At  the  head 
of  Kickapoo  creek  they  came  to  some  AvigAvams,  Avhere  Iavo  old 
Avomen,  sisters  of  Black  AA^olf,  fell  on  their  knees,  crying  and  be- 
seeching Captain  Summer  to  kill  them  :  Ilie\'  wei'e  old  and  would 
rather  die  and  l)e  l)uried  Avith  their  fathers  and  mothers  and 
children  than  he  taken  aAvay.  The  Captain  let  them  remain,  and 
left  three  young  men  to  hunt  for  them.  Further  doAvn  they  came 
to  the  camp  of  Ke-ji-que-Ave-ka ;  the  people  Avere  told  to  ]>ut  tlunr 
things  in  the  wagon  and  go  along.  Depositing  their  l)elongings 
they  started  south  from  Avhere  they  Avere  Avhen  the  Captain  sent 
to  ask  Avhere  they  Avere  going.  They  said  they  Avere  going  to  bid 
good-bye  to  their  fathers,  mothers  and  children.  The  interpreter 
folloAved  lliem  and  found  them  on  Hieii'  knees,  kissing  the  ground 
and  crying  very  loud  Avhere  their  relations  Avere  buried.  This 
touched  the  Captain,  Avho  exclaimed:  "Good  God,  Avhat  harm 
can  these  poor  Indians  do  among  the  rocks." 

After  being  removed  at  difftM-ent  times  to  locations  in  loAva, 


THE  WINNEBAGO  TRIBE  29 

Minnesota  and  Dakota,  they  Avere  finally  located  on  one  hundred 
twenty-eight  thousand  acres  of  the  northern  part  of  the  Omaha 
reservation  in  eastern  Nebraska,  containing  some  of  the  best 
timbered  lands,  by  May,  1866.  There  still  reside  in  the  pine  bar- 
rens of  Jackson  and  Adams  county  stragglers  who  have  returned, 
reported  in  1887  to  number  one  thousand  six  hundred.  Most  of 
these  have  homesteads,  where  they  live  by  picking  berries,  fishing 
and  hunting,  with  ever  increasing  families.  Large  families  are 
the  rule  among  the  Winnebago.  Green  Grass,  son  of  Kayrah- 
maunee,  came  to  the  payment  at  Black  River  Falls  to  draw  for 
fifteen  children;  but  could  not  count  or  name  them.  Major  Hal- 
leck,  the  agent,  had  him  bring  them  in  and  stand  them  in  a  row. 
''The  AVinnebago  as  a  tribe  has  due  them  $883,249.58  under 
their  treaties  of  1837  and  the  act  of  July  15,  1870,  which  has  not 
been  capitalized  and  placed  in  the  treasury  as  a  trust  fund.  Con- 
gress annually  appropriates  5  per  cent  interest  on  the  principal, 
amounting  to  $1:4,1 62.47.  The  AA^isconsin  band  received  $18,- 
026.13  of  that  amount,  whicli  is  paid  them  in  cash.  They  also 
receive  $7,000  each  year  from  that  amount  to  ecpialize  their  pay- 
ments with  the  Nebraska  branch  under  the  act  of  1881.  Under 
that  act  they  have  reecived  $147,000  and  $73,969.91  is  yet  due 
them  in  yearly  installments  of  $7,000.  The  Nebraska  branch  re- 
ceives yearly  $10,000  cash  for  per  capita  payments,  and  after  this 
and  the  amounts  due  to  the  AVisconsin  branch  are  deducted  the 
remainder  is  subject  to  expenditure  for  supplies  for  the  Nebraska 
branch.  Eventually  the  Wisconsin  branch  will  receive  their  share 
of  the  principal  after  it  has  been  capitalized  and  segregated." 

THEIR  HABITS  AND  DOMESTIC  LIFE. 

There  are  at  this  writing  1,180  AVinnebago  listed  in  Wisconsin 
and  2,613  in  Nebraska,  making  a  total  of  3,793  or  about  4,000 
Winnebago  now  living.  This  shows  an  increase  in  200  years  of 
700  per  cent,  due  to  enforced  peace ;  and  notwithstanding  the 
natural  decimation  due  to  smallpox,  famine,  habits  and  whisky. 

Rev.  Cutting  Marsh  crossed  Doty  island  in  1832,  and  found 
still  there  a  small  village  of  AVinnebago.  This  was  the  remnant 
of  Four  Leg's  tribe.  He  was  dead  two  years  before.  Three  years 
later  the  Alenomonee  mission  was  established  at  Neenah,  before 
which  time,  it  is  presumed,  the  last  of  those  who  had  made  this 
ancient  village  famous  in  border  annals  had  moved  up  the  river 
and  away. 

The  totems  of  the  AA^innebago  were  the  lynx,  catamount,  wild- 


30  HISTORY  OF  :moxroe  county 

fat  and  stajr.  'J'lu'v  drosscd  in  the  earlier  days  much  as  tlie 
]ii-iniitiv('  tribes,  in  the  tanned  skins  and  lurs  of  the  wild  animals, 
as  also  in  woven  cloth.  The  special  manner  of  doin^  their  hair 
was  to  shave  llie  sides  of  the  head  and  do  tlie  liaii-  in  two  square 
cushions  on  tlie  t)ack  of  the  head.  The  artist  in  ihe  Nieolet 
landfall,  i-eceiilly  hiin»i  in  the  i-ooms  of  the  State  Historical 
Society,  has  taken  llieii-  nakedness  too  literallv  ami  made  a  eari- 
cature  of  their  nudeness.  There  is  no  authority  for  such  literal 
nak(>dness.  They  were  an  industrious  and  thrifty  people,  having 
at  all  theii"  villa^res  wide  fields  of  corn  and  ve<?etal)les.  Some  of 
these  fields  were  several  hundred  acres  in  extent.  They  trathered 
wild  rice  for  food  also.  Sat.  Clark  told  Dr.  Lapham  that  General 
Atkinson  purchased  6,000  l)ushels  of  corn  from  the  AVinnebago ; 
and  in  1848  he  had  (lii\('n  over  half  a  mile  of  old  Indian  corn- 
fields in  Columbia  county,  Avhich  a  pioneer  had  told  him  the 
AVinnebago  had  cultivated.  Their  villages  contained  Avell  con- 
structed, warm  cabins  or  Avigwams,  and  they  appeared  to  enjoy 
])rosperity,  notwithstanding  their  history  contains  so  much  war. 
pestilence  and  whisky. 

AVhatever  may  have  l)een  tlu'  truth  of  the  mattci-.  they  seem 
to  have  the  universal  hatred  or  disfavor  of  all  their  neighbors 
aud  the  whites.  The  whites  write  them  down  invariably  filthy. 
It  is  such  a  general  charge  that  one  might  be  incdined  to  suppose 
it  to  be  repeated  by  suggestion.  AVhether  any  one  took  the 
trouble  to  inquire  if  this  was  a  domestic  infirmity  or  only  came 
from  the  supposed  derivation  of  their  nann^  we  cannot  learn.  One 
hundred  years  ago  Capt.  Thomas  A.  Anderson  Avintered  on  Kock 
river,  at  tlu^  foot  of  a  precipice,  ;W0  feet  above  the  river,  trading 
with  the  AVinnebago.  and  long  afterward  said.  "They  are  the 
nu)st  tilthy,  most  obstinate  and  bravest  people  of  any  Indian 
tribe."  As  an  instance  of  their  independence,  Hon.  Alorgan  L. 
Martin  relates  of  the  guide  he  i)rocured  at  Taycheedah,  who, 
after  leading  tlieiii  into  llie  prairie,  lay  down  and  refused  to  ju-o- 
ceed.  saying  ''he  had  never  yet  been  the  slave  of  a  white  man  and 
never  would  be." 

The  nunu'rous  missionaries  who  had  gone  among  the  AVis- 
consin  savages  seein  to  hMV(>  made  little  progress  Mith  the 
Winnebago.  The  first  to  devote  himself  specially  to  one  of  tlie 
bantls  was  Kev.  Father  Ma/zuchelli,  who,  April  Iti.  1  >■!:!.  visited 
the  AVinnebago  at  the  old  Decorah  village,  eight  miles  up  the 
AVisconsin  river  tVoiii  Portage.  Two  hundred  converts  were 
made,  and  he  translated  Father  Harago's  Catechism  from  Ottawa 
to  AVinnebago,  going  7(10  miles  to  Detroit  to  get  it  printed,  ami 


THE  WINNEBAGO  TRIBE  31 

returned.  Pietre  Paquette  assisted  liim  in  talking  to  the  savages. 
The  Catechism  when  returned  had  eighteen  pages.  The  intluence 
of  the  missionary  was  such  that  on  ^Mrs.  Kinzie's  offering  wine 
to  one  of  the  Indian  women  she  pointed  to  the  cross  about  her 
neck  and  refused  to  drink. 

BRANCH  IN  MONROE  COUNTY, 

From  the  earliest  settlement  hands  of  AVinnebagoes  had,  at 
different  times,  established  their  villages  temporarily  in  several 
parts  of  the  county;  no  permanent  location  w^as  made  until  right 
after  the  Avar  of  the  rebellion,  when  a  considerable  number,  under 
the  chief,  Ah-oo-cho-ka  oi'  "Blue  AVing, "  settled  near  Water  Mill, 
a  few  miles  north  of  Tomah. 

"Blue  AVing"  Avas  the  head  of  this  branch  of  the  tribe  and 
was  its  chief  spokesman  in  the  councils  of  the  tribe  held  at  the 
original  settlement  near  Winnebago  Lake.  He  was  a  quiet,  peace- 
ful man,  who  ruled  his  tribe  Avith  justice,  whose  good  qualities 
made  him  many  friends  among  his  Avhite  neighbors  and  the  busi- 
ness and  professional  men  in  Tomah  Avith  Avhom  he  had  dealings ; 
he  lived  to  the  age  of  103  years,  and  at  his  death  he  Avas  held  in 
such  esteem  that  a  public  funeral  Avas  held  in  the  Methodist 
church  at  Tomah,  largely  attended  by  the  town  people  and  his 
neighbors;  a  striking  illustration,  indeed,  of  the  transition  from 
saA^agery  to  civilization,  a  modern  funeral  serA'ice  held  over  the 
remains  of  a  savage  attended  by  his  own  people.  After  the  death 
of  "Blue  Wing"  there  Avas  no  succession  as  chief  as  the  band  had 
gradually  taken  up  land  and  Avere,  and  are,  getting  away  from 
the  tribal  relations.  They  in  common  Avith  other  members  of 
the  tribe  Avere  moved  to  Nebraska  at  the  time  mentioned  in  this 
chapter,  but  this  band  of  about  200  came  back  and  settled  again 
at  AVater  Alill,  Avdiere  they  among  them  oAvned  quite  a  tract  of 
land.  They  enlisted  the  services  of  Harry  Lea,  of  Tomah,  Avho 
had  traded  A^dth  them  for  j^ears,  and  he  diA'ided  the  land  into 
ten-acre  pieces,  assigning  one  or  more  to  the  head  of  each  family 
so  that  they  became  land  OAvners  and  could  not  then  be  taken  back 
to  Nebraska. 

In  this  band  Avere  tAvo  Indians  avIio  Avere  in  the  army  during 
the  rebellion,  an  old  felloAV  familiarly  knoAvn  in  later  years  as 
"Sherman,"  because  he  served  in  the  Third  AVisconsin  and  Avas 
under  General  Sherman,  and  also  a  son  of  Chief  "Blue  AVing, " 
known  as  "Thunder  Chief." 

Among  them  exists  a  secret  religious  organization  Avhich  has 


32  IIISTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

IxH'ii  ill  existence  no  one  knows  liow  long.  It  lias  an  otter  skin 
lia<l<re,  to  lose  which  is  said  to  invoke  a  death  penalty;  they 
indulge  in  strange  and  fantastic  rites  and  ceremonies,  and  no 
Avhite  man  has  ever  been  able  to  discover  any  of  their  secrets. 
The  squaws  of  different  branches  of  the  tril)e  in  general  are 
known  by  the  kind  of  work  they  turn  out.  This  particular  branch 
was  noted  for  the  beautiful  bead  work  turned  out  by  its  women, 
everything  from  moccasins  and  hair  liands  to  entire  suits  of  buck- 
skin, beautifully  decorated  in  most  elaborate  patterns.  Some  of 
the  children  are  sent  to  the  Government  Indian  School  at  Tomah, 
although  it  seems  to  be  the  case  that  only  a  small  percentage 
take  advantage  of  the  education  thus  acquired,  but  go  back  to 
the  indolent  tribal  life. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  WINNEBAGO  CHIEFS. 

The  Sachems  of  the  great  Winnebago,  who  have  become  inti- 
mately associated  with  the  beginning  of  the  history  of  Wisconsin, 
were  either  residents  of  Winnebago  county  or  were  sired  by  its 
ancient  lords.    The  mother  and  grandmother  of  that  noble  line  of 
Decorah  chiefs,  who  met  the  pioneers  of  the  state,  was  the  beauti- 
ful queen  of  the  Winnebago,  "Glory  of  the  Morning,"  sister  of 
the  head  chief  of  the  Winnebago  tribe  on  Doty  island,  now  in 
Menasha  and  Neenali,  on  the  Fox    river,  at   the    foot    of    Lake 
Winnebago.    Her  Indian  name  was  Hopokoekau,  also  spelled  by 
LaRonde,  AVahopoekau.    Her  birth  was  not  of  record.    She  mar- 
ried Sebrevior  De  Carrie,  who  was  an  officer  in  the  French  army 
in  1699  under  De  Boisbraint.    He  resigned  his  commission  in  1729 
and  became  the  first  trader  in  Indian  goods  in  the  county,  living 
and  trading  with  the  Winnebago  on  Doty  Island.     During  the 
French  and  Indian  war  De  Carrie  reentered  the  French  army 
and  was  mortally  wounded  before  Quebec,  April  28,  1760.     In 
some  of  the  almost  daily  assaults  made  by  Wolfe  upon  some  part 
of  the  long  defenses  on  the  bluffs  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  being 
taken  to  Montreal,  died  there  in  the  hospital,  and  two  weeks  later 
France  lost  Canada  forever.    Three  sons  and  two  daughters  were 
born  to  this  union.     Glory  of  the  Morning  refused  to  go  to  Mon- 
treal with  her  husband,  and  remained  on  her  island  home  with 
her  family ;  but  De  Carrie  took  with  him  one  daughter,  who  mar- 
ried there  Sieur  Laurent  Fily,  a  merchant  of  Quebec,  who  subse- 
quently removed  to  Green  Bay,  where  they  have  descendants  still 
living  in  the  valley.     Capt.  Jonathan  Carver,  who  visited  the 
queen  in  1766  on  Doty  island,  mentions  the  pleasure  his  atten- 
tions to  the  queen  gave  her  attendants  as  well  as  herself.     She 
received  him  graciously  and  sumptuously  entertained  him  during 
the  four  days  he  remained  in  her  village.    He  writes  of  the  town 
that  it  "contained  fifty  houses."     "The  land,"  he  says,  "was 
very  fertile ;  grapes,  plums  and  other  fruit  grew  in  abundance. 
The  Indians  raised  large  quantities  of  Indian  corn,  beans,  pump- 
kins, squash,  watermelons  and  some  tobacco."    Mrs.  Kinzie  gives 

33 


34  TiisToKV  (W  MosPxin:  corxTV 

a  long  clKiraclcr  sketch  of  the  ancient  queeii  in  August,  1831. 
"No  one  could  tell  iici-  age:  Iml  .ill  agreed  sin'  imist  have  been 
upwards  of  100.  llcr  diiiimed  eyes,  ahnost  Avhite  with  age;  her 
face  dai-ki'ii('(|  ;iii(l  wil  licrcd.  like  a  hakcd  appli':  \\r\-  voice 
tremulous  and  Icihlt'.  exce]»t  when  raised  in  I'ury — she  usually 
went  on  all  fours,  iiol  having  strength  to  stand  upi-ight.  On  the 
day  of  the  payment  she  received  liei'  nu)ney  and  ciawled  to  the 
agency  door  to  count  it."  ^Ir.  lleni-y  Merrill,  wi-iting  in  the  year 
IS.'S-l,  says  that  she  ""was  pointed  out  to  uie  several  years  after 
(1884),  and  I  was  told  she  iiiusi  lie  1].'!  yeai's  old.  She  was  then 
ahle  to  walk  si.\  oi-  eight  unles  to  Poi'tage.  She  lived  several 
years  after,  and  was  linall\'  hui-ned  to  death  hy  the  huruing  of 
'uer  Avigwain. "' 

As  she  then  lived  in  the  \illage  of  her  late  grandson.  Old 
Gray  Headed  Decoi'ali,  eight  niiles  hclow  P(uiage.  on  tln^  west 
side  of  the  AVisconsin  i-i\'er.  she  was  prohahly  huried  there.  She 
is  said  hy  some  Avriteis  to  have  l)een  a  daughter  of  the  head  chief. 
It  has  been  said  of  liei-  descendants,  the  Deeorah  chiefs,  that 
"they  were  generally  good  Indians,  and  frequently  urged  their 
claim  to  the  friendship  of  the  whites  hy  saying  they  were  them- 
selves half  white."  They  ai-e  said  to  have  been  " '  iutiuent  iai  men 
in  the  nation.""  and  Augustin  Grignon  says,  in  1801,  the  "Deco- 
ralis  are  among  the  most  infiueiitial  of  the  AVinnebago.''  Of  this 
marriage  there  were  two  sons,  wiH)se  names  hav(>  Ixh'U  reported. 
The  oldest  was  Chou  Ke  Ka.  oi-  Spoon  Deeorah  or  Ladle;  the 
other  was  Chah])ost  Kaw  Kaw.  or  the  Buzzard,  who  settled  with 
his  l)and  at   LaCrosse  about  1787. 

Chou  Ke  Ka.  also  spelled  ('hau  Ka  Ka.  called  S])oon  Deeorah  or 
Ladle,  Mas  the  eldest  SOU  of  Seltrevior  l)e  ('aiTie.  says  LaHonde. 
Augustin  Grignon  I'endeis  the  name  ( 'hongai'ali.  .Vs  he  knew 
the  chief  in  the  wint<'r  of  1801-2.  he  reports  him  then  as  head 
chief  of  the  Winnehago.  and  ""he  was  then  a  very  old  man  and 
died  at  Portage  in  1808.  IJy  his  i-iMjuest  he  was  buried  in  a  sitting 
posture  in  a  coffin,  jtlaeed  nw  the  sui'face  of  the  ground,  with  a 
low  cabin  alio\e  it.  surrounded  with  a  feiu-e."'  His  death 
occurred  in  1810,  according  to  LaRonde.  when  he  was  "quite 
aged."  It  also  appears  that  Chan  Ka  Ka  signed  the  treaty  of  St. 
Louis,  Alay  18,  181().  and  therefore  could  not  have  died  until 
after  that. 

Old  Gray-IIeaded  Decoi-ah.  or  Old  Deeorah.  or  Gray-IIeaded 
Deeorah,  or  AVhite  AVar  Eagle,  whose  coimiion  Indian  luune  was 
Schachip  Ka  Ka  and  Avhose  AViiniebago  name  was  AVarrahwi- 
koogah,  or  Bird  Sj)irit.  was  a  son  of  the  Ladle  and  a  gi-andson  of 


THE  AYINNPZBAGO  CHIEFS  35 

Glory  of  the  ^Morning.  He  died  at  Petenwell,  t!u'  lii<^li  rock  on 
the  Wisconsin  river,  April  20.  ISi^H.  said  to  have  been  ninety 
years  old.  He  fought  under  the  British  General  Proctor  at  San- 
dusky, twenty-one  years  of  age,  gallantly  held  the  frontier  fort 
Avith  l)ut  one  cannon.  The  AVar  Eagle  also  fought  with  Proctor 
and  Teciimseh  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  where  the  British 
army  was  mostly  slai^i  or  captured  and  Tecumseh  shot,  October 
5;  1813,  by  the  Americans  under  AYilliam  Henry  Harrison.  The 
War  Eagle  was  held  as  a  hostage  at  Prairie  du  Chien  in  1827  for 
the  good  behavior  of  the  AVinnebago  during  the  so-called  AVinne- 
bago  war.  and  for  the  delivery  of  Red  Bird  to  justice.  It  was 
Avhile  Alaj.  Zachary  Taylor  was  located  at  Prairie  du  Chien  that 
he  received  from  Old  Gray-Headed  Decorah  his  "peace  pipe," 
and  during  the  AVinnebago  war  it  was  he  who  gave  assurance  to 
General  Atkinson  at  Portage  of  the  peaceable  intentions  of  the 
AVinnebago.  Soon  after  Laurent  Barth  purchased  the  right  from 
the  AVinnebago  over  the  Portage,  1793,  Old  Gray-Headed  Decorah 
moved  from  Apuckawa  lake,  on  Fox  river,  in  Green  Lake  county, 
and  formed  a  village  with  his  tribe  on  the  AVisconsin  river,  about 
two  miles  above  Portage.  JjaHonde  says:  "Schachipkaka  De 
Kawry  died  April  26,  1836,  aged  ninety,  at  his  village,  the  locality 
in  1876  known  as  the  Caffrey  place  in  the  town  of  California, 
AVinnebago  county,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluft",  between  the  Wiscon- 
sin and  Baraboo  rivers.  Schoolhouse  district  No.  5  occupies  the 
spot  where  the  old  chief  died.  This  town  contained  over  100 
lodges.  He  was  a  Catholic  and  was  buried  in  their  cemetery,  near 
the  site  of  the  present  courthouse  in  Portage  City."  He  signed 
the  treaties  of  1828,  1829,  1832.  Airs.  Kinzie  described  him  as 
"the  most  noble,  dignified  and  venerable  of  his  own  or,  indeed, 
of  any  other  tribe.  His  fine  Roman  countenance,  rendered  still 
more  noble  by  his  bald  head,  with  one  solitary  tuft  of  long,  silvery 
hair  neatly  tied  falling  back  on  his  shoulders."  Old  Gray  Headed 
Decorah  came  over  to  Portage  from  his  village  during  the  famine 
in  1831  and  reported  his  people  as  starving.  He  was  oflfered 
enough  food  for  his  own  family.  "No,"  he  said,  "if  my  people 
could  not  be  relieved  my  family  and  I  wnll  starve  with  them." 

Chah  Post  Kaw  Kaw,  or  the  Buzzard  Decorah,  was  a  son  of 
Glory  of  the  Morning  and  Sebrevior  De  Carrie,  so  One-Eyed 
Decorah  told  Judge  Gale.  He  settled  at  LaCrosse  in  1787  with  a 
band  of  AVinnebago,  and  was  soon  after  killed  by  his  own  son  in 
a  drunken  row. 

One-Eyed  Decorah,  whose  Indian  name  was  AVadge-hut-ta-kaw, 
or  Big  Canoe,  was  a  son  of  the  Buzzard.     He  died  at  Channel 


36 


IIISTOHY  OF  MOXKOK  ("OlNTY 


(near  the  Tumicll),  ]\Ionroe  County.  Wis.,  in  August.  1864.  at  an 
advanced  age,   as  Grignon   says,   of  iiinet>-t\v().      Ills   village   in 
1832  and  later  was  at  the  nioulli  of  the  Bla<-k  livcr.  or  some  say 
near  tlie  village  of  SaltMii.  on  LaOosse  river,  in  Onalaska  town- 
ship,   LaCrosse   county.      Also    said   by   Rev.    T^runson   to    be   at 
Prairie  LaCrosse  in  1832.    In  1(S2()  he  was  said  by  Gen.  11.  L.  Dots- 
nuin  to  have  his  village  on  lilack  i'i\<M-.     Thomas  P.  Burnett,  in 
1832,  when  he  went  up  the  river  lu  keei»  the  Winnebago  eanoes 
from  Black  Hawk,  says  he  "found  One-Eyed  Decorah  and  Little 
Thunder   at    the   lower  mouth   of  the   Black   river."     One-Eyed 
Decorah  was  born  about  1772,  and  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when 
his  father  settled  at  LaCrosse.    He  aided  in  the  capture  of  Mack- 
inac (July  17,  1812),  and  was  out  with  the  British  in  the  attack 
on  Fort  Stephenson,  August  2,  1813,  and  was  with  IMcKay  in  tlu' 
capture  of  Prairie  Du  Chien;  and  signed  the  treaty  of  1825.    The 
act  for  which  he  became  celebrated  was  the  capture  of  Black 
Hawk  and  the  Prophet  in  1832.     The  daring  warrior,  his  band 
and  followers,  broken,  slain  and  scattered  by  the  murdered,  the 
picturesque  and  rugged  valley  of  the  Lemonweir  river,  and  then 
toward  the  LaCrosse  river,  where  Big  Canoe  was  hunting  near 
Bangor,  l)elow  Sparta,  and  found  Black  Hawk,  who  consented 
to  go  with  him  to  Prairie  Du  Chien,  where  he  delivered  the  cap- 
tives. 

A  brother  of  One-Eyed  Deeoi-ah  Avas  AVa  Kon  Han  Kaw.  or 
Wa  kon  Decorah,  or  Snake  Skin,  commonly  called  Washington 
Decorah,  the  orator  of  the  AVinuebago.  The  name  is  also  rendered 
AYau  kon  caughaga.  His  likeness  was  painted  by  J.  0.  Lewis  in 
1825.  AYhen  Mr.  Burnett  steamed  up  the  Alississippi  river  on  the 
"Enterprise"  to  secure  the  AYinnebago  eanoes  from  Black  Hawk, 
July  25,  1832,  at  sixty  miles  up  the  river  from  Prairie  du  Chien, 
he  found  AYashington  Decorah  with  thr  pi-iiieipal  part  of  the 
1)and  from  the  AYisconsin  and  Kickapoo  rivers.  The  AVaukon 
had  a  village  on  the  headwaters  of  DeSota  creek,  below  LaCrosse. 
He  died  at  the  Black  Earth  agency  about  18(54.  Anu)ng  those  who 
bear  the  name  and  boast  descent  from  this  famous  line  of  AYinne- 
l)ago  chieftains  there  is  one  who  is  destined  to  become  famous 
in  the  white  man's  finest  art.  She  is  Angel  De  Cora  (this  is  the 
official  spelling),  of  the  reservation  in  Nebraska,  but  practicing 
her  art  in  Ne\v  York  city.  She  studied  art  in  the  art  department 
of  Smith  college  at  Northampton,  Alass.,  and  under  the  famous 
artist,  Howard  Pyle,  who  has  interested  himself  in  her  success. 
She  has  been  since  1906  an  art  instructor  in  Carlisle  Indian 
school. 


THE  WINNEBAGO  CHIEFS  37 

Four  Legs,  or  Neokautah,  had  his  village  at  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Winnebago,  on  Doty  island,  now  Menasha  and  Neenah.  This 
has  been  the  ancient  home  of  the  Winnebago  since  first  known 
to  the  whites  in  1632.  He  was  known  as  Neokautah  by  the 
Menominee;  but  his  Winnebago  name  was 'Hootschope,  pro- 
nounced Hooshoo.  Hon.  ]\Iorgan  L.  Martin  made  a  journey  up  the 
Fox  river  with  Judge  Doty  from  Green  Bay  to  Prairie  Du  Chien 
to  the  trial  of  Red  Bird  in  1828,  and  describes  this  village:  "On 
Doty  island,  very  near  the  mouth,  on  the  west  channel,  was  the 
village  of  Hootschope,  or  Four  Legs,  the  w^ell-known  Winnebago 
chieftain.  There  were  from  150  to  200  lodges  covered  with  bark 
or  mats."'  Augustin  Grignon  also  mentions  this  village  ''on  Doty 
island,  at  the  mouth  of  Winnebago  lake."  On  August  ]6,  1830, 
Mr.  McCall,  one  of  the  commissioners  to  arrange  the  differences 
between  the  New  York  Indian  and  the  AVinnebago,  met  in  council 
Four  Legs  and  ten  other  chiefs,  at  Four  Legs'  lodge  on  Doty 
island,  and  mentions  "that  the  head  chief  was  seated  on  his  mat, 
cross-legged,  in  all  the  majesty  of  an  Asiatic  prince,"  describing 
Four  Legs  "as  about  forty  years  of  age,  of  middle  stature,  a 
most  interesting  man  in  appearance  and  deportment,  speaks  his 
own  tongue  fluently.  In  short,  he  is  a  great  man."  Mrs.  Kinzie 
mentions  Four  Legs  as  the  "great  chief  of  the  AVinnebago,  whose 
village  was  on  Doty  island,''  in  1830,  and  says:  "It  was  at  the 
entrance  of  Lake  AVinnebago.  a  picturesque  cluster  of  huts  spread 
around  on  a  pretty  green  glade  and  shaded  by  fine,  lofty  trees," 
and  she  furnishes  an  illustration  of  the  village.  She  says  in 
another  place:  "It  was  a  cluster  of  neat  bark  wigwams."  Four 
Legs  died  in  1830,  but  his  village  was  still  occupied  in  1832, 
reported  by  Cutting  Alarsh  as  "occupied  by  a  small  band 
of  the  AVinnebago  tribe."  This  was  the  last  mentioned  of 
this  village.  Its  name  is  preserved  in  the  word  Menasha, 
the  city  which,  with  the  city  of  Neenah,  occupy  its  site. 
Menasha  was  the  name  of  this  most  ancient  Indian 
village  on  the  American  continent.  The  name  was  by  both  Curtis 
Reed  and  Gov.  J.  D.  Doty,  the  founders  of  the  modern  town,  said 
to  mean  the  name  of  the  village  on  the  island,  and  in  Dakatah 
would  be  Alini  ha  ha,  or  Laughing  AVater,  a  possible  reference  to 
the  double  rapids  which  ran  around  their  village.  At  the  council 
held  in  Green  Bay,  August  24,  1830,  Four  Legs  was  head  chief. 
Duck  was  head  orator.  There  was  also  present  Shounk  Schunk 
Siap,  or  Black  AVolf ;  AVheauk  Kaw,  or  Big  Duck,  and  Alonk  Kaw 
Kaw.  For  entertainment  to  amuse  their  visitors  Four  Legs  was 
active.     At  night  a  band  of  AVinnebago  appeared  "painted  all 


38  HISTOID'  OK  .\I().\KM)I':  CUIXTY 

colors,  naki'd  cxccpl  hrcrcli  cloiit.""  Ix'I'orc  tlic  liousc  where 
]\lcC;ill  Iionnlcd  :  ciicoiirM'rcd  liy  drink.  Ili(>-  held  a  \\ai-  dance 
until  1<I  o'clock  '■\vitli  disfiuiiicd  and  distorted  countenances," 
The  head  chief,  Four  Lc^s,  displayetl  jj:reat  activity.  The  report 
of  the  commissioners  of  llic  council  of  Is:?!)  at  Green  Bay  recites 
llial  Foui-  Letrs  and  Black  Wolf  were  llic  (inly  s]>eakei's,  and  that 
they  had  siirned  the  treaty  of  1S22  with  tlic  Xi'w  York  Indians. 
f--choolcrall  mentions  that  Four  Lciis  lc\icl  li'ihute  from  trav- 
elers inuuediately  after  the  war  of  1812.  lie  assuuu'd  to  he  the 
keeper  of  the  Fox  ri\ci-  valley.  Col.  T.  L.  Kinney  alludes  to  this 
custom  of  exactiim  ti-ihulc.  and  relates  that  General  Leaxenwoi-th, 
going  up  stream  with  his  command  in  ISKi,  was  accosted  hy  Fimii- 
Legs  and  nolitied  that  the  lake  was  locked.  The  General  rose 
Avith  his  gun  restin.g  on  his  arm  and  asked  tht^  i7itei'pri4(M'  to 
inform  the  chief  that  he  had  the  key  to  unlock  it.  Four  Legs 
replied,  ■"Lei  him  i)ass."  This  incident  mai'ks  the  last  challenge 
of  the  AViiniehago,  and  it  is  said  that  it  took  place  beneath  the 
Treaty  Elm  that  for  nuiny  years  stood  a  conspicuous  landnuirk  in 
the  county.  The  "Treaty  Ehn,""  or  "Council  Tree,"  beneath 
whose  Avidespi'cad  branches  the  chiefs  of  the  neighboi-ing  tribes 
ai'c  said  to  have  been  wont  1o  gather  in  council,  A\'as  located  on 
Kiverside  pai-k  i)()int  at  the  mouth  of  the  Neenah  (diannel  of  the 
Fox  river  in  the  city  of  Neenah.  It  was  of  immense  size  and 
girth,  tnwering  al)o\e  all  the  surrounding  forest,  and  could  be 
seen  from  poiids  eight  miles  distant.  Such  was  its  prominence 
as  a  landmark  that  it  Avas  for  many  years  used  as  a  guide  by 
sailors  and  steam  ])il()ts  on  the  lake.  It  was  di'stroyed  by  a 
charge  of  dynamite  -lunc  12.  1SS7.  by  the  employees  of  the  gov- 
ernment in  cutting  away  the  point  to  widen  the  channel  to 
increase  the  How  of  water  in  tlood  times. 

As  Foui-  Legs  was  supposed  to  be  foi'ty  years  of  age  in  1830, 
the  yeai-  he  died,  and  he  must  have  been  born  about  1790,  he 
eoidd  have  taken  part  in  the  wai'  of  1S12.  where  he  is  fi-e(puMitly 
found  on  the  side  of  the  Uritish.  .Mrs.  Kin/ie  mentions  the  death 
of  Four  Legs  by  driidving  too  much  suthr  whisky  when  waiting 
at  Foi't  Winnebago  with  the  assend)|ed  Winnebago  for  the 
ai-rival  of  the  silvei-  from  the  go\-eriunent  for  the  paymeid  of 
t  heir  a  luiuil  ies. 

''His  body  was  wra|)ped  in  a  blanket  and  ]»laced  in  a  mule 
coffin  along  with  his  guns,  lonudiawk,  pipes  and  a  (pundity  of 
tobacco. "  lie  was  buried  on  the  most  ele\ated  point  of  the  hill 
opposite  the  fort,  in  the  presence  of  "an  immense  ])rocessiou  of 
his  peo])le."     A  slake  was  placed  at  the  head  of  his  grave  "on 


THE  AVINXEBAGO  CHIEFS  39 

which  was  painted  in  vermilion  a  series  of  hieroglyphics  descrip- 
tive of  deeds  and  events  of  his  life,"  and  a  small  white  iiag  also 
waved  over  the  grave.  His  wife,  who  survived  him,  was  a  Fox 
woman,  but  spoke  the  Chippewa  language,  which  brought  hei- 
services  into  use  as  an  interpreter,  as  that  was  the  court  or  uni- 
V(^rsal  language  among  all  the  tribes.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a 
big  chief  and  ' '  a  great  and  mighty  warrior. ' '  In  1887  there  were 
two  descendants  living — one  was  Good  Cloud,  a  woman  residing 
at  Tomah.  Slie  has  a  sou  whose  name  was  Good  Year.  One 
descendant  was  AVill  Dandy,  a  boy  who  was  at  school  in  AVitten- 
berg  mission.     He  had  two  cousins  also  living  at  Wittenberg. 

Sau-sa-mau-nee  was  a  younger  brother  of  Four  Legs  and 
fought  with  him  under  the  British  flag  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Wild  Cat,  or  Pe-Sheu,  had  his  village  on  Garlic  Island,  noAV 
Island  park,  a  small  island  on  the  west  margin  of  Lake  Winne- 
bago, seven  miles  south  of  Alenasha  and  the  same  distance  north 
of  Oshkosh.  The  village  was  also  located  across  the  solent  on  the 
mainland.  The  corn  hills  are  still  visible  both  on  the  island  and 
mainland.  Just  when  this  village  was  established  here  cannot  be 
ascertained,  yet  it  is  highly  probable  that  Pe-Sheu  liimself  was 
its  founder  and.  that  he  and  his  tribesmen  came  from  the  })rin- 
cipal  Winnebago  village  on  Doty's  island.  One  of  the  earliest 
descriptions  of  this  village  is  that  of  3Irs.  (Governor)  James  D. 
Doty,  who  records  in  her  journal  under  the  date  of  August,  1823, 
of  a  canoe  .iourney  which  she  made  with  her  Inisband,  who  was 
on  the  way  up  the  i'i\er  to  hold  court  at  Prairie  Du  Chien:  ''AYe 
coasted  along  the  west  shore  of  Lake  AVinnebago  to  Garlic  island, 
on  the  opposite  point  to  wliieh  is  a  AVinnebago  village  of  tine  per- 
manent lodges  and  fine  cornfields."  The  late  Judge  Morgan  L. 
^Martin  made  the  same  journey  in  birch-bark  canoes  with  Judge 
Doty  and  others  in  1828  on  their  way  to  try  Red  Bird,  the  AVin- 
nebago, for  murder.  "Garlic  island  was  the  next  stopping  place. 
There  was  a  AVinnebago  village  there  of  about  the  same  size  as 
that  over  which  Four  Legs  (Doty  island)  presided  (150  to  200 
lodges  covered  with  bark  mats).  The  lodges,  however,  were 
longer  and  neater.  AYe  purchased  supplies  of  vegetables  of  the 
island  villagers."  From  these  descriptions  it  Avould  appear  that 
the  village  occupied  both  the  island  and  mainland,  that  the  wig- 
wams were  well  constructed,  the  fields  of  Indian  maize  of  con- 
siderable extent,  and  the  population  at  that  time  one  of  1,000  or 
more  persons.  Chief  AA^ild  Cat  was  a  large  and  bulky  savage 
with  a  hasty  and  ferocious  temper  which  often  got  him  into  diffi- 
culties.    He   was   probably  born   at    Doty   island   at   some   time 


40  HISTORY  OF  MONROP]  COUNTY 

previous  to  the  Revolution.  Tlie  earliest  knowledge  we  have  of 
this  chieftain  is  from  a  remark  he  once  made  when  he  and  Sarcel, 
a  AViunebago  chief,  had  a  dispute  in  regard  to  their  relative 
bravery.  On  this  occasion  AVild  Cat  is  said  to  have  exclaimed, 
"Don't  you  remember  the  time  we  aided  the  Shawanoes  (English) 
in  attacking  the  fort  that  you  ran  ofT  so  fast  that  you  lost  your 
breech  clout?''  This  remark  had  reference  to  the  Indian  war  of 
1793,  when  the  British  liad  incited  the  western  Indians  to  fre- 
quent depredations  against  the  straggling  white  settlers  in  Ohio 
and  IMichigan.  There  is  a  possibility  also  that  he  may  have  served 
with  Charles  de  Langlade  under  the  British  flag  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  Certain  it  is  that  in  1797  he  was  considered  of  suf- 
ficient importance  to  receive  from  the  royal  otficers  the  medal  of 
their  king.  This  bronze  medal,  given  as  a  memento  of  distin- 
guished favor  by  King  George  III  to  his  savage  ally  in  his  wild- 
■\vood  home  on  the  shore  of  Lake  AVinncbago,  now  reposes  in  the 
museum  of  Lawrence  University  at  Applcton.  It  Avas  deposited 
there  about  the  year  1875  by  Mr.  D.  C.  Church,  of  Vinland,  who 
obtained  it  from  Louis  B.  Porlier,  of  Butte  des  Morts,  a  trader 
and  son  of  Judge  Porlier. 

Mrs.  Kinzie  says  the  AVild  Cat  was  ''our  Indian  Falstatf  in 
all  save  cowardice  and  falsehood."  Being  made  drunk,  he  was 
unable  to  get  to  Fort  Armstrong  at  Rock  Island  in  time  to  object 
to  the  treaty  of  1831,  and  when  he  found  it  granted  the  lands  on 
which  stood  his  village  he  Avept.  It  is  said  that  he  was  found 
dead  against  an  oak  tree  in  the  center  of  the  Avoods.  Avliere  Osli- 
kosh  now  stands.  He  was  at  the  payments  in  Portage  in  1830- 
1831,  and  is  said  to  have  died  soon  after  the  Black  Hawk  AVar, 
which  Avould  make  the  date  of  his  death  about  1833.  He  is 
reported  to  have  gone  under  the  partisan  British  leader  of  the 
AVisconsin  savages.  Col.  Robert  Dickson,  early  in  1812,  to  the  cap- 
ture of  Alackinae.  The  following  spring  he  fought  with  Tecum- 
seh  at  Fort  ^leigs.  and  after  his  defeat  Avas  beaten  oflf  at  Fort 
Stephenson  or  Sandusky.  He  Avas  also  a  part  of  the  AVinnebago 
contingent  under  ^IcKay  in  the  i-apture  of  Prairie  du  Chien.  In 
the  Avinter  of  1814  Dickson,  Avith  his  convoy  of  supplies,  Avas  ice 
bound  until  January  on  Garlic  island  at  Pesheu's  village. 

Black  AVolf.  or  Shouuktshunksiap.  Avas  a  celebrated  character 
in  the  border  days  of  a  century  past.  Airs.  Kinzie  has  left  a  racy 
sketch  of  this  bold  Avarrier,  Black  AVolf.  "Avhose  loAvering,  surly 
face  Avell  described  his  name.  The  fierce  expression  of  coun- 
tenance Avas  greatly  heightened  by  the  masses  of  heavy  black 
hair,  contrarv  to  the  usual  custom  of  the  AA^innebago.  AA'ho  for  the 


THE  WINNEBAGO  CHIEFS  41 

most  part  cut  away  a  portion  of  the  hair,  drawing  the  remainder 
back  of  the  head,  clubbed  and  ornamented  with  beads,  ribbons, 
cocks'  feathers,  or  if  entitled,  an  eagle  feather  for  every  scalp 
taken  from  an  enemy." 

On  a  point  of  land  known  as  Black  AVolf  point,  in  tiie  town  of 
Black  AVolf,  AYinnebago  county,  jutting  out  into  Lake  AVinne- 
bago,  at  a  distance  of  seven  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Oshkosh, 
there  was  formerly  located  Black  AVolf 's  AVinnebago  Indian  vil- 
lage. It  is  said  to  have  numbered  not  more  than  forty  huts.  The 
date  of  its  establishment  here  is  not  exactly  known,  but  it  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  about  the  year  1800  or  slightly  before.  Mrs. 
G.  A.  Randall,  who  formerly  resided  at  Randall's  point,  remem- 
bers to  have  seen  the  Indian  tepees  and  camp  fires  along  the  shore 
of  Black  AA'olf  point  as  late  as  the  year  1846.  Chief  Black  AVolf 
was  a  character  of  some  importance.  He  was  a  large  man  and 
much  respected  by  his  people,  and  was  called  a  war  chief.  In  the 
attacks  on  Mackinac  in  the  AVar  of  1812  he  fought  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Col.  Robert  Dickson.  After  the  war  the  British,  still 
seeking  to  hold  the  AVinnebago  in  their  interest  for  purposes  of 
trade,  called  them  to  Mackinac  to  a  couueil  or  treaty  with  C'ol. 
Robert  McDonald,  a  British  connnissioner.  Black  AVolf  was  one 
of  those  in  attendance  at  this  gathering.  He  also  participated 
with  the  British  and  their  allies  in  the  capture  of  Prairie  du 
Chien  in  the  year  181-1.  He  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  land 
grant  negotiated  by  Eleazer  AVilliams  in  1821  with  Four  Legs, 
the  AVinnebago  head  chief,  and  others,  by  which  the  New  York 
Indians  were  to  receive  a  strip  of  land  five  miles  in  width  along 
the  lower  Fox,  "from  Grand  Kachalin  rapids  to  AVinnebago  rap- 
ids," in  AA^innebago  county.  He  also  participated  in  the  councils 
held  at  Green  Bay  and  Doty  Island  for  a  similar  purpose  in  1830 
He  is  said  to  have  died  at  Portage  in  the  year  1847.  During  the 
Black  Hawk  AVar,  Black  AVolf  camped  Avith  the  AVinnebago  as- 
sembled at  the  site  of  Portage,  on  both  sides  of  the  AVisconsin 
river.  The  principal  chiefs  in  these  camps  were  Black  AVolf,  his 
son  Dandy,  AA^hite  Eagle,  AVhite  Crow  and  Broken  Arm. 

Dandy,  the  Bean  Brummel  of  the  AVinnebago,  was  a  son  of 
Black  Wolf  and  a  cousin  of  Four  Legs.  "He  wore  fancy  dress 
shirts  of  the  brightest  color,  ornaments  v/ith  rows  of  silver 
brooches,  and  displayed  two  pairs  of  arm  bands.  His  leggins  and 
moccasins  were  of  the  most  elaborate  embroidery  in  ribbons  and 
porcupine  quills.  Numerous  ornaments  were  dangling  from  his 
club  of  black  hair.  A  feather  fan  was  in  one  hand  and  a  mirror 
in  the   other.     His   face   was   brilliantly    colored   and   daubed.'* 


42  IIISTOHV  OK  MOXKOH  COUNTY 

La  Koiulf  says  Dandy,  son  of  lilack  Wolf,  was  also  known  as 
J^itlle  Soldier.  His  village  is  j-rpoi-lcd  by  .Mi'.  W.  If.  Canfiold 
as  being  in  18M9  on  the  Baraboo  rivci-.  five  or  six  miles  above  tbe 
present  city  <d'  Uaiaboo.  Old  Dandy  was  one  of  those  Paqnette 
went  al'trr.  tlicM  scxcnly  years  old,  wIid  was  a  small.  Iliin  man, 
and  till'  only  \\'innfi)a<ro  avIio.  at'lcr  the  l»iTaking  of  tril)al  rela- 
tions in  lS4iS,  was  generally  I'especled  as  eliief  of  Ihe  li'ibe.  He 
went  to  Washington  in  ]82(S  with  War  Eagle  and  others  to  see 
tile  President.  His  camp  was  then  near  the  Dalles,  lie  said  he 
would  not  go  to  Long  I'rairic  and  was  allowed  to  i-eniain.  Jn 
1834  Captain  Sununer  was  sent  hack  lo  Portage  to  hunt  for 
Dandy.  He  was  found  at  the  head  of  l>aral»oo  river  and  made  to 
ride  horseba(d\  with  his  legs  chained  undei-  the  animal  \vith  an 
ox-ehain.  He  d(>manded  to  he  taken  to  Governor  Dodge  at  .Min- 
eral Point.  Dodge  asked  him  what  was  wanted.  Dandy  took  a 
l)ihle  from  his  ])osom  and  asked  the  governor  if  it  was  a  good 
book.  He  answered  it  was  a  good  hook— he  could  never  have  a 
better  in  his  band.  '"Then."  said  Dandy,  "if  a  man  Avould  do  all 
that  Avas  in  that  book  could  any  moi-e  be  required  of  him?"  He 
answered.  "No.""  "AVell.""  said  Dandy,  "look  that  hook  all 
through,  and  if  you  lind  in  it  that  Dandy  ought  to  he  reuu)ved  by 
the  government  to  Turkey  i-ivei-.  then  [  will  go  right  olt' :  hut  if 
you  do  not  find  it  1  will  never  go  there  to  stay."'  The  governor 
informed  him  his  tri(d\  would  not  work.  He  was  then  replaced 
on  the  horse,  his  feet  chained  up  again  and  taken  to  Pi-aii-ie  du 
Chien.  The  chain  blistered  his  feet  and  legs  so  he  Avas  unable  to 
walk  for  thi'ee  W(>eks.  He  Avas  then  ])ut  in  charge  of  a  coi'poral, 
Avho  Avas  obliged  to  carry  l)and\'  on  liis  haid^;  to  a  buggy  to  be 
taken  to  Turkey  rivei'.  Dandy  claindng  he  Avas  unable  to  Avalk. 
The  buggy  Avas  at  the  fort  gate  and  the  eorjioral.  supposing 
Dandy  unable  to  walk,  lelt  him  \'nv  a  moment  to  reenter  the  fort. 
Dandy  .)um|>ed  from  the  buggy  and  ran  into  the  forest,  where 
the  eorpoi'al  c(»uld  not  find  him.  IFe  remained  in  Wisconsin  an<l 
died  on  the  Peten  Well  blutV.  an  isolated  rocky  |)eak  on  tlu'  Wis- 
consin  rix'er.  in  -Inne.   1870.  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

The  ^'ellow  Thunder  "was  a  line  looking  Indian,  tall,  straight 
and  stately.""  His  old  encampment  was  about  five  miles  beloAV 
Kerlin.  on  the  Fox  river,  at  the  Yellow  baidss.  This  Avould  locate 
Ills  village  in  section  •'!!.  neai-  lOureka.  in  Winnebago  county.  In 
1832  at  the  ch.se  of  the  Plaek  Hawk  War  Col.  Charles  Whittlesey 
Avith  four  othei-s  made  a  saddle  joui'uey  o\ei"  the  TomahaAvk 
trail  along  the  left  Itank  of  tiie  lowei-  Fox  and  right  bank  or  east 
side  of  the  u|i|>er   l'"ox  rivei'.      Before  arriving  at    Fort   Wiiuiebago 


tup:  avixxebago  chiefs  43 

he  passed  two  '\Viiinel)ag'o  villages,  one  ot  whieh  was  that  ot  Yel- 
low Thunder.  He  mentions  crossing  the  Fox  river  in  a  tlat-boat 
and  landing  near  the  spot  where  the  father  of  "Grizzly  Bear/'  a 
Menominee,  is  said  to  have  lived.  Here,  he  says,  commenced  a 
rolling  prairie  that  eontinned  for  fifty  miles  (since  known  as 
Democrat  prairie.)  ""The  trail  passed  two  AVinnebago  villages, 
one  of  which  Avas  called  Yellow  Thunder  from  its  chief."  The 
villagers,  much  to  their  annoyance,  folloAved  the  party  out  of 
their  village  on  horseback.  Hon.  INIorgan  L.  Alartin  mentions 
passing  a  "AVinnebago  village  on  Green  Lake  prairie"  in  1829, 
Avhich  may  have  been  the  village  of  Yellow  Thunder.  In  1828 
Yellow  Thunder  and  his  squaw,  a  daughter  of  AVhite  Crow,  made 
a  journey  to  AVashington  to  interview  the  President,  and  there- 
after his  squaw  was  known  as  AVashington  AVoman.  Yellow 
Thunder  was  a  convert  to  the  Catholic  church  and  became  zealous 
in  its  offices  and  was  called  the  head  war  chief  of  his  tribe.  B.y 
false  pretenses  he  was  induced  witli  others  to  visit  AVashington 
in  1837  and  signed  a  false  treaty,  which  granted  the  government 
all  their  lands  east  of  the  Alississippi  river,  under  Avhich.  three 
years  after,  he  was  one  of  the  tirst  to  sulfer  by  being  forcibly  put 
in  irons  at  Portage  and  removed  to  Yellow  rivin*.  Iowa.  Yellow 
Thunder  soon  returned  and  requested  LaRonde  to  go  with  him  to 
^Mineral  Point  to  enter  a  forty  of  land  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
AA^isconsin  river.  In  reply  to  an  inquiry  if  Indians  could  enter 
lands,  '"Yes,  the  government  has  given  no  orders  to  the  con- 
trary." So  Yellow  Thunder,  the  head  war  chief  of  the  AVinne- 
bago,  entered,  lived  and  died  on  his  forty  of  land.  He  was  again 
forcibly  removed  to  Iowa  with  Black  AVolf,  but  was  allowed  to 
return,  as  he  was  a  land  owner.  Yellow  Thunder  owned  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  36,  on  the 
AVisconsin  river,  town  of  Delton,  Sauk  county,  two  log  huts  hav- 
ing been  constructed  for  his  own  use  and  that  of  families  who 
lived  with  him.  About  five  acres  of  land  was  cultivated,  raising* 
corn,  beans  and  potatoes.  During  big  feasts  as  many  as  1,500 
Indians  gathered  in  the  vicinity.  Shortly  before  his  death  he  sold 
his  land  to  Mr.  John  Bennett.  It  is  related  that  when  he  paid  his 
taxes  he  placed  a  kernel  of  corn  in  a  leather  pouch  for  each  dollar 
of  taxes  paid,  and  when  he  sold  the  land  he  demanded  as  numy 
dollars  as  there  were  kernels  of  corn  in  the  old  pouch.  His  sum- 
mer village  was  sixteen  miles  up  the  I'ive]'  fi-om  Portage,  in  1840, 
where  Dandy  and  Little  Duck  also  camped.  YelloAv  Thunder  died 
in  1874;  said  to  have  been  childless,  and  was  l)uried  on  a  sandy 
knoll.  X^ear  by  are  the  graves  of  AA^ashington  AVoman  and  several 


44  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

other  Indians.  She  was  Iniried  hitting  up,  facing  the  east.  A 
painting  of  Yellow  Thunder  hangs  in  the  rooms  of  the  "Wisconsin 
Historical  Society,  and  an  unpublished  manuscript  giving  ''per- 
sonal reminiscences,"  by  ]\Irs.  A.  C.  Flanders,  is  deposited  in  tlie 
public  library  at  Portage. 


'    CHAPTER  lY. 

THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

(Compiled  from  "Story  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,"  l)y  U.  G. 
Thwaites,  in  Wisconsin  Historical  Collection. — Editor.) 
When  Wisconsin  was  still  a  part  of  Michigan  territory  and 
known  as  "Michiganter, "  long  before  the  idea  of  a  separate  terri- 
tory was  thought  of,  when  it  was  an  almost  trackless  wilderness  in 
1832,  occurred  the  historic  Black  Hawk  War;  few  events  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Northwest  were  as  far  reaching  in  consequences  as  this 
tragic  struggle  and  perhaps  none  caused  more  bitter  controversies, 
was  the  subject  of  more  incorrect  notions  as  to  the  causes,  inci- 
dents, and  the  relative  merits  of  the  chief  participants.  The  south- 
ern portion  of  this  county,  it  is  believed,  was  a  part  of  the  ter- 
ritory traversed  by  Black  Hawk  in  his  final  retreat  from  the 
Mississippi  with  pitiful  remnant  of  his  band,  making  his  escape 
into  the  Dells  of  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  finally  captured. 

On  November  3,  1840,  the  United  States  government  concluded 
a  treaty  w'ith  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  by  wdiich,  for  the  paltrj^ 
sum  of  $1,000,  the  Indian  confederacy  ceded  fifty  million  acres 
of  land  comprising  in  general  terms  the  present  state  of  Missouri 
and  the  territory  lying  between  the  Wisconsin  river  on  the  north, 
the  Fox  river  of  the  Illinois  on  the  east,  the  Illinois  river  on  the 
southeast  and  the  Mississippi  on  the  west ;  in  this  treaty  was  a 
clause  wdiich  became  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  Black  Hawk  War, 
which  provided  that  the  Indians  need  not  vacate  the  lands,  stipu- 
lating that  "as  long  as  the  lands  which  are  now  ceded  to  the 
ITnited  States  remain  their  property" — that  is  to  say  public  land 
— "the  Indians  belonging  to  said  tribes  shall  enjoy  the  privilege 
of  living  and  hunting  upon  them." 

Within  the  limits  of  this  territory,  situated  on  the  Rock  river 
three  miles  from  its  mouth  and  the  same  distance  south  of  Rock 
Island  was  the  chief  village  and  seat  of  power  of  the  Sacs,  con- 
taining a  population  of  about  five  hundred  families  and  one  of 
the  largest  Indian  villages  on  the  continent. 

The  principal  character  in  this  village  was  Black  Sparrow 
Hawk,  or  as  commonly  styled  Black  Hawk,  born  in  1767:  he  was 

45 


46  IlISTOHV  OF  .MONHOK  ((UXTV 

not  an  luM'editai'v  oi-  an  elected  eliiel'.  but  was  hy  coiiinion  consent 
the  leader  of  tlie  villaj^e.  Altliough  not  endowed  witli  superior 
moral  or  intellectual  (|iialities  the  foree  of  cii'cuiiistances  made 
liim  a  national  eelel)rity  in  his  own  day  and  a  eonsj)icuous  figure 
in  western  liistoi-y  foi-  all  time.  He  was  a  restless,  aml)itious  sav- 
age, jiossessed  of  some  of  the  (lualities  of  leadiM'ship  l)ut  without 
the  eapaeity  to  attain  the  highest  honoi-s  in  the  Sac  and  Kox  con- 
federacy, lie  was  jealous  of  othei"  chiefs,  quai'relsonie  in  council. 
eontinuall.v  sought  excuses  to  differ  with  them  on  ([uestions  of 
policy  and  aii-ayed  his  lollowing  against  them,  was  a  good  deal 
of  a  denuigogue  and  ai-oused  1he  passion  and  ])rejmlices  of  his 
peoph^  ])\  iiii|)assionetl  ai)peals.  He  was  doulitless  sincere  in  his 
opinions  and  honest  in  his  nu)tives.  He  was  easily  influenced  by 
the  Bi-itish.militai-y  and  connnei-cial  agents,  who  were  continually 
engaged  previous  to  the  war  of  1812,  in  cultivating  a  spirit  of 
hostility  l)etween  the  Noi'thwestern  tribes  and  the  Americans,  was 
led  by  them  to  consider  himself  under  the  especial  protection  of 
the  ''I^ritish  Father"'  at  Maiden.  Too  conflding  a  disposition. 
he  was  readil.v  duped  by  those  who.  whitt'  or  red,  were  interested 
in  deceiving  him. 

l^lack  Hawk  was  about  five  feet,  foui-  or  fiv(^  inches  in  heiglit. 
rather  si)are  as  to  flesh ;  his  souu-what  i)inched  features  ex- 
aggerated the  prominence  of  his  cheek  Ixines;  a  full  mouth  inclined 
to  be  somewhat  o])en  when  at  rest,  a  pi-onounced  Roman  nose, 
fine  "piercing"  eyes,  often  beaming  with  a  kindly  and  alwa.vs 
with  a  thoughtful  expression,  no  eyebrows,  a  high  full  foi'ehead. 
liead  well  thrown  back,  with  a  pose  of  (piiet  dignit.x .  haii-  plucked 
out  with  the  exception  of  a  seal])  lock  in  which,  on  ceremonial 
occasions  was  fastened  a  bunch  of  eagle  feathers;  such  is  a  pen 
jiortrait  of  this  ce]el)iity. 

He,  with  two  hundred  of  his  followi'i's.  who  became  known  as 
the  "British  baiul"  served  wilh  Tecuniseh  and  the  liritish  in  Ihe 
war  of  1812.  After  burying  the  hatchet.  Black  Hawk  settled 
down  to  the  customary  routine  of  savage  life  makiuLi-  fre(iuent 
trips  to  iMalden  foi*  i)r()visions,  arms  and  ammunition,  and  by 
flattery  of  the  British  agents  his  hatred  against  Americans  was 
increased,  but  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  he  hated  the  Ameri- 
cans, his  life  was  continually  being  disturbed  l)y  them  and  a  cruel 
and  causeless  beating  which  some  white  settlers  gave  him  in  the 
winter  of  1822  and  182:5  was  an  insult  which  he  treasured  up 
against  the  entire  American  people. 

In  the  sunnner  of  1823,  squatters,  coveting  the  rich  fields 
cultivateil   bv   the   P>i-itish    band   neai-   their   villasre   1)egan   to  take 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR  -  47 

possession  of  them ;  outrages  were  committed  of  the  most  flagrant 
nature,  Indian  cornfields  were  fenced  in  hy  intruders,  squaws 
and  children  were  whipped  for  venturing  beyonds  the  ])Ounds 
thus  established,  lodges  were  burned  over  the  heads  of  the  occu- 
pants ;  a  reign  of  terror-  ensued  in  which  frequent  remonstrances 
of  Black  Hawk  to  the  white  autliorities  were  in  vain.  It  was 
all  a  plain  violation  of  the  treaty  rights  of  the  Indians  and  grew 
from  year  to  year.  When  the  Indians  returned  each  spring  from 
their  winter's  hunt  they  found  their  village  more  of  a  wreck 
than  when  they  had  left  it  in  the  fall.  Black  Hawk  was  advised 
by  Keokuk  the  chief  of  the  confederacy  to  retreat  across  the  Miss- 
issippi, but  Black  Hawk  was  stubborn,  appealed  to  his  people,  to 
their  love  of  home  and  veneration  for  the  graves  of  their  kindred, 
for  here  was  located  their  cemetery,  and  his  people  stood  by  him. 
He  them  made  the  claim  that  the  representatives  of  the  Sac  and 
Fox  tribes  who  negotiated  the  treaty  of  1804,  had  not  consented 
that  the  land  upon  which  Black  Hawk's  village  stood  should  be 
the  property  of  the  United  States.  In  this  he  was  of  course  not 
borne  out  by  the  facts  but  persisted  in  tliat  understanding,  and 
was  advised  by  the  mischief  making  British  agents  that  if  it  was 
true  that  the  government  had  not  1)0ught  the  site  of  his  village 
to  hold  fast  to  it  and  the  United  States  woidd  not  venture  to 
remove  him   by  force. 

In  this  he  was  also  encouraged  by  White  Cloud,  the  Winnebago 
prophet,  who  was  a  shrewd,  craft}"  Indian,  half  Winnebago  and 
half  Sac,  possessing  much  influence  over  both  nations  from  his 
assumption  of  sacred  talents  and  was  the  head  of  a  Winnebago 
village  some  thirty-five  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Rock  river  ,- 
he  hated  the  whites,  seemed  devoid  of  humane  sentiments  and 
seemed  to  enjoy  sowing  the  seeds  of  discord,  a  remarkable  man 
physically  and  mentally,  a  fine  orator  and  strong  in  the  councils. 

In  the  spring  of  1830,  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  returned  from 
an  unsuccessful  hunt  to  find  their  town  almost  completely  shat- 
tered, many  of  the  graves  plowed  over,  and  the  whites  more 
abusive  than  ever;  during  the  winter,  the  scpiatters  who  had  for 
seven  years  been  illegally  on  the  land  preempted  a  few  quarter 
sections  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rock,  so  selected  as  to  cover  the  vil- 
lage site  and  the  Sac  cornfields.  This  was  clearly  a  trick  to  accord 
with  the  letter  but  violated  the  spirit  of  the  treaty  of  1804;  there 
was  still  fifty  miles  of  practically  unoccupied  territory  to  the 
east  of  the  village  and  no  necessity  for  disturbing  the  Sacs  for 
many  years  to  come. 

When  in  the  spring  of  1831,   Hawk  again  returned  after  a 


48 


HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 


profitles;s  limit,  Ik-  was  fiereely  warned  auav  by  tlu-  whites;  lie,  in  a 
dignified  inannci-.  notilicd  the  settlers  that  it'  they  did  not  them- 
selves remove  that  he  should  use  foree  to  eviet  thciu.  meaning 
physical  force.  This  was  construed  1)\-  the  whites  to  he  a  threat 
against  their  lives  and  petitions  and  messages  were  sent  to  Gov. 
Jolui  ]\cynolds  of  Illinois,  in  terms  so  exaggerated  that  they  would 
he  amusing  were  it  not  that  they  were  the  prelude  to  one  of  the 
darkest  tragedies  of  our  western  border.  The  governor  issued  an 
inflammatory  ])roclamation.  calling  for  volunteers  to  "repel  the 
invasion  of  the  ]^ritisli  l)and";  these  sixteen  hundred  strong  and 
mounted,  with  ten  companies  of  regulars  under  Gen.  Edmund  P. 
<iaines,  made  a  demonstration  before  Black  Hawk's  village  on 
the  25th  of  .lime. 

During  the  night,  the  Indians,  in  the  face  of  such  a  superior 
foree  quietly  withdrew  to  the  west  bank  of  the  ^Mississippi.  On 
the  thirtieth  they  signed  a  treaty  of  capitulation  and  peace,  with 
Governor  Reynolds  and  General  Gaines,  solemnly  agreeing  never 
to  return  to  the  east  side  of  the  river  without  express  permission 
of  the  United  States  govei-nment. 

The  rest  of  the  summer  was  spent  by  the  evicted  savages  in 
misery,  it  was  too  late  to  raise  another  crop  of  corn  and  beans 
and  they  suffered  for  the  necessaries  of  life ;  another  difificulty 
arose;  the  previous  year  (1830)  a  party  of  ]\Ienomonee  and  Sioux 
had  murdered  some  of  Black  Hawk's  band  and  a  few  weeks  after 
their  removal  Black  Hawk  headed  a  large  war  ]>ai't\'  which  as- 
cended the  river  and  in  retaliation  massacred  all  but  one  of  a 
party  of  twenty-eight  ^lenomonees  camped  near  Fort  Crawford. 
Complaint  was  made  to  Gen.  Joseph  Street,  Indian  agent  at  the 
post  who  demanded  that  the  murderers  be  delivered  to  him  for 
trial,  under  existing  treaty  provisions,  but  as  none  of  the 
Menomonees  who  had  imii'dered  his  peoph^  had  been  given  up, 
Black  Hawk  declined  to  accede,  there])y  rebelling  against  the 
authority  of  the  Ignited  States. 

Neapope,  who  was  second  in  command  in  the  British  band 
who  had  gone  upon  a  visit  to  ^Maiden  prior  to  the  eviction, 
returned  in  the  fall  and  reported  to  his  chief  proffers  of  aid  from 
the  liritish,  the  AVinnebagoes,  Ottawas,  Chippewas  and  Pottawat- 
omies  in  regaining  their  village.  AVhite  Cloud  advised  Black 
Hawk  to  proceed  to  the  j)i'ophet's  town  the  following  spring  and 
raise  a  crop  of  corn  and  that  by  fall  the  allies  would  be  ready  to 
join  the  Sac  leader  in  a  general  movement  against  the  whites  in 
the  valley  of  the  Rock;  relying  upon  tiiese  promises  Black  Hawk 
spent  the  winter  with   his  hiind  on  tlie  deserted  site  of  old  P^ort 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR  49 

IMadison  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  On  the  sixth  of  April,  1832, 
Black  Hawk  with  al)ont  five  hundred  warriors,  their  squaws  and 
children,  with  all  their  lielongings  crossed  the  INIississippi  a  little 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Rock  and  invaded  Illinois.  The  results 
of  the  negotiations  with  the  Winnebagoes  and  other  tribes  during 
the  winter  had  not  been  satisfactory,  but  White  Cloud,  the  prophet 
met  him  and  gave  him  assurance  of  success  and  the  misguided  Sac 
proceeded  confidently  on  his  march,  arrived  at  the  prophet's 
town  with  four  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  braves,  well  mounted, 
while  the  others,  with  women,  children  and  equipage,  remained 
with  the  canoes ;  the  intention  being  to  raise  a  crop  of  corn  im- 
mediately above  the  prophet's  town  and  prepare  for  war  in  the 
fall.  Immediately  upon  crossing  the  river  Black  Hawk  sent  mes- 
sengers to  the  Pottawatomies  to  meet  him  in  council,  but  this 
tribe  was  much  divided;  Shaubena,  a  chief  of  much  ability,  very 
friendly  to  the  whites  succeeded  in  persuading  a  majority  of  the 
braves  to  at  least  remain  neutral ;  but  the  hotheads  under  Big 
Foot  and  a  despicable  half  breed  British  agent,  Mike  Girty,  were 
fierce  for  war.  Shaubena  after  quieting  his  followers  set  out 
immediately  on  a  tour  of  the  settlements  in  the  Illinois  and  Rock 
river  valleys  warning  the  pioneers  of  the  approaching  war,  even 
extending  liis  mission  as  far  as  Chicago.  Gen.  Henry  Atkinson, 
who  had  arrived  at  Fort  Armstrong  early  in  the  spring,  with  a 
half  comj^any  of  regulars,  to  enforce  the  demand  for  the  delivery 
of  the  Sac  murderers,  learned  of  the  invasion  on  the  13th  of  April, 
and  at  once  notified  Governor  Reynolds  that  his  own  force  was  too 
small  and  that  a  large  force  of  militia  was  essential.  Governor 
Reynolds  at  once  issued  another  fiery  proclamation  for  mounted 
volunteers.  The  news  spread  like  wild  fire ;  some  settlers  fled, 
never  to  return ;  the  majority,  however,  which  did  not  join  the 
state  troops  went  to  the  larger  settlements  where  rude  stockade 
forts  were  built,  the  inhabitants  forming  themselves  into  garrisons, 
with  officers  and  some  degree  of  military  discipline. 

The  spring  was  backward  and  General  Atkinson  was  greatly 
hampered  in  collecting  troops,  stores,  boats  and  camp  equipage ; 
during  his  preparations  he  took  occasion  to  assure  himself  of  the 
peaceful  attitude  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  not  members  of  the  British 
band.  He  also  sent  two  messages  to  Black  Hawk  ordering  him 
to  at  once  withdraw  to  the  west  bank  of  the  river  on  the  peril  of 
being  driven  there  by  force  of  arms,  to  liotli  of  which  the  Sac 
leader  sent  defiant  answers. 

The  volunteers  collected  at  Beardstown  and  were  organized  into 
four  regiments  under  the   command   of   Col.   John   Thomas,   Col. 


50 


HISTORY  OF  :\rOXROE  ("OrXTY 


Jat'ol)  Kr.w  Col.  Aliralumi  1>.  Dcwitt  and  ( 'ol.  Saiiiurl  .M.  Thompson, 
a  scout  l)attalion  under  ^laj.  James  1).  Henry  and  two  ''odd" 
l)attalions  uiidii-  Majoi's  Thomas  James  and  Thomas  Long.  The 
entire  foree,  some  sixteen  hundred  sti-on<r.  all  horsemen  except 
three  liuiidiTd  wlio  had  been  enlisted  as  infanti'.v.  by  mistake,  was 
placi'd  undci-  command  of  Ui'lj^'.  (icn.  Saiiiucl  Whiteside,  who  had 
some  )-('putation  as  an  Indian  tighter.  Accomi)anied  by  (iovernor 
Reynolds  the  brigade  proceeded  to  Fort  Armstrong  and  the  vol- 
unteei's  Were  at  once  sworn  into  the  I'liitcd  States  service  by  (len- 
eral  Atkinson;  the  governor,  who  i-emaiiicd  with  ins  troops  was 
recognized  and  })aid  as  a  major  general,  while  Lieut.  Robert 
Anderson  (later  of  Foi-t  Sumter  fame)  was  detailed  from  the 
regulars  as  ins])ector  of  the   Illinois  militia. 

On  the  ninth  of  May  a  .start  was  made.  AVhitesiih-.  with  the 
mounted  troops,  following  Black  Hawk's  ti-ail  up  the  east  bank  of 
the  Rock.  (Jeneral  Atkinson  followed  in  boats  with  cannon,  provi- 
sions and  the  bulk  of  the  baguagc.  AVith  him  were  :^00  volunteer 
and  400  regular  infanti*y.  the  latter  gathered  from  Forts  (,'raw- 
ford  and  Leavenwoi-th  and  under  the  command  of  Col.  Zacharv 
Taylor,  afterwai'ds  ])resident  of  the  Ignited  States.  The  trav- 
eling was  bad  for  both  divisions:  heavy  rains  had  made  the  river 
turbulent,  the  men  frequently  wading  breast  deep  for  liours 
together  pushing  the  ^Nfackinaw  boats  against  the  rapid  currents 
and  lifting  them  ovei-  the  ra])ids:  while  ahtng  the  trail  through  the 
swamps  baggage  wagons  were  often  miicd  and  the  cavalry  were 
ol)liged  to  (1(^  i-ough  service  in  hauling  freight  thi-ough  and  over 
the  black  muck  and  tangled  roots. 

Whiteside  aiM'ived  at  the  ])i'opliet"s  town,  tinding  it  deserted, 
with  a  fresh  trail  up  the  rivei'.  so  he  pushed  on  i-apidly  as  pos- 
sible to  Dixon's,  airiving  there  Ma\'  12.  Here  he  found  two  inde- 
pendent battalions.  ;^40  men  all  told,  undei'  .Ma.jni-s  Isiah  Slillman 
and  David  Baile\" :  these  troops  were  not  of  the  i-egulai-  levy,  but 
Were  well  sui)jdie(l  with  provisions  and  aiiiiiiunition  in  which 
Whiteside  was  deficient,  and  l)eing  imi)atient  and  anxious  to  do 
something  brilliant,  they  obtained  AVhiteside's  i)ermission  to  go 
forward  as  a  scouting  party  and  set  out  on  the  morning  of  the 
L"?th  uiuler  Stillman.  ai-riving  late  in  the  aftei-noon  of  the  14th 
three  miles  south  of  the  mouth  of  Sycamore  creek,  where  they  went 
into  eamp  in  a  strong  posit i(ui.  being  in  a  grove  surroumled  by 
clear  i)i-aii-ie.  and  under  ordinary  conditions  of  warfare  could 
have  repulsed   ten   times  their  numbei'. 

lilack  Hawk  stayed  a  week  at  the  Prophet's  town,  holding  fruit- 
less councils  with  the  \vil\    and  \ai'illating  Winneba<roes:  learning 


THE  BLACK  IIAAVK  AVAR  51 

positively  that  he  had  l)een  deceived,  lie  pushed  on  to  keep  his 
engagement  for  a  eoiineil  at  Sycamore  creek  with  the  Pottawato- 
mies,  faint  at  heart  though  vaguely  hoping  for  ])etter  things  from 
this  tribe.  He  went  into  camp  with  his  principal  men  in  a  large 
grove  near  the  mouth  of  Sycamore  creek,  met  the  chiefs  of  the 
tribe  and  found  that  tlii-ough  the  influence  of  Shaubena  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  gain  the  support  of  more  than  about  one 
hundred  of  the  hot-headed  element.  Black  Hawk  stated  in  after 
years  that  he  had  at  tliis  time  resolved  to  retui-n  at  once  to  the 
west  of  the  ^Mississippi  should  he  be  again  summoned  to  do  so  by 
(leneral  Atkinson  and  never  more  disturb  the  peace  of  the  white 
settlements.  As  a  parting  courtesy  to  his  guests,  however,  he 
was  making  arrangements  to  give  them  a  dog  feast  on  the  evening 
of  IMay  ]4  wlien  the  summons  came  in  a  manner  little  anticipated 
l)y  liim. 

Tlie  white-hating  faction  of  the  Pottawatomies  were  camped 
on  the  Kishwaukee  river  seven  miles  north  of  Black  Hawk  and 
with  them  the  majority  of  his  own  party;  Black  Hawk  says  in  his 
autobiography,  that  not  more  than  forty  of  his  braves  were  with 
lum  upon  the  council  ground ;  towards  evening,  in  tlie  midst  of 
liis  feast  preparations,  he  was  informed  that  a  party  of  white 
horsemen  were  going  into  camp  three  miles  down  the  rock :  it  was 
Still  man's  force,  l)ut  the  chief  thought  it  was  a  small  party  headed 
by  Atkinson,  being  unaware  of  the  size  of  the  force  placed  in  the 
field  against  him,  and  sent  three  of  ins  young  men  witli  white 
flags  to  parley  with  them  and  convey  his  oft'er  to  meet  White 
Beaver  (Atkinson)  in  council.  The  rangers,  who  regarded  the 
expedition  as  a  big  frolic,  were  engaged  in  preparing  their  camp 
when  the  truce  bearers  appeared  on  the  prairie  a  mile  away.  A 
mob  of  troopers  rushed  out  at  them,  some  with  saddles  and  some 
without,  and  ran  the  visitors  into  camp  amidst  a  ]iul)l»ul>  of  yells 
and  imprecations.  Black  Hawk  had  sent  five  other  braves  to  fol- 
low the  flagmen  at  a  safe  distance  and  watch  developments.  This 
second  party  was  sighted  by  about  twenty  horsemen  and  were  said 
to  have  been  partially  intoxicated,  hot  chase  was  given  to  the  spies 
and  two  of  them  were  killed,  the  other  three  galloped  back  to  their 
grove  and  reported  to  their  chief  that  not  only  two  of  their  num- 
l)er,  l)ut  the  three  flag  bearers  as  well  had  been  cruelly  slain;  this 
flagrant  disregard  of  the  rules  of  war  caused  tlic  l)lood  of  tlie  old 
Sac  to  boil  with  indignation,  tearing  to  shreds  a  flag  of  truce 
which  he  had  himself  been  preparing  to  carry  to  the  white  camp, 
he  fiercely  harangued  his  thirty-five  braves  and  bade  them  avenge  • 
the  lilond  of  their  liretliren  nt  anv  risk. 


52  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  ('OINTV 

Tlu'  neutral  Pottawatomics  at  oik-c  w  itlitli-cw  to  tlicif  village 
whik'  Black  Hawk  and  his  Sacs,  securely  mounted,  sallied  forth  to 
meet  the  enemy.  The  entire  white  force  was  soon  seen  I'ushing 
towai'ds  them  pell  iiicll.  in  a  confused  mass.  The  Sacs  withdrew 
hehind  a  fringe  of  hushes,  their  leader  hurriedly  l)ade  them  to 
.stand  firm;  on  catching  sight  of  this  gi-im  array  the  whites  paused, 
1)ut  l)efore  they  had  a  chance  to  turn,  Black  Hawk  sounded  tlu; 
war  whoop  and  the  savages  dashed  forward  and  fired.  The  Sac 
ehief  tells  us  that  he  thought  the  charge  was  suicidal  when  he 
ordered  it.  hut  enraged  1)\-  the  treachery  of  the  whites  he  and  all 
with  him  were  ready  to  die  to  secure  revenge.  On  the  first  fire  of 
the  Indians  the  whites  fled  in  great  consternation,  without  firing  a 
shot,  pursued  hy  this  little  l)and  of  savages  until  nightfall  ended 
the  chase.  But  nightfall  did  not  end  the  rout;  the  volunteers, 
haunted  l)y  fear  dashed  through  their  own  impregnahle  camp, 
leaving  everything  hehind  them,  plunged  madly  through  creeks 
and  swamps  till  they  reached  Dixon's,  twenty-five  miles  away, 
where  they  straggled  in  for  the  next  twenty-four  houi's;  many 
did  not  stop  there,  hut  continued  until  they  reached  their  own 
homes,  fifty  or  more  miles  farther  on,  and  reported  that  Black 
Hawk  with  two  thousand  bloodthirsty  warriors  was  sweeping 
northern  Illinois  with  destruction.  The  white  loss  in  all  this  ill- 
starred  scrimmage  was  eleven  kilh'd.  while  the  Indians  lost  two 
spies  and  one  of  the  flag  bearers,  the  others  escaping.  The  flight 
of  Stillman's  corps  was  wholly  inexcusable;  Stillman  undoubtedly 
tried  to  rally  his  men,  but  the  lack  of  discipline  and  experience, 
coupled  with  a  lack  of  confidence,  wrought  havoc.  It  was  a  treach- 
erous thing  to  treat  the  bearers  of  flags  of  truce  as  they  did,  some- 
thing which  even  savages  rarely  disi-egard,  and  l)ut  for  this  wanton 
act  the  Black  Hawk  War  would  have  been  a  bloodless  demonstra- 
tion. Unfortunately  for  oui-  own  good  name,  this  violation  of  the 
rules  of  war  was  repeated  more  than  once  dui'ing  this  war. 

This  easy  victory  elated  Black  Hawk  and  gavt-  him  a  poor 
opinion  of  the  valor  of  the  opposing  forces;  almost  wholly  destitute 
of  provisions  and  ammunition,  the  capture  of  Stilhnan's  stores 
was  a  rich  prize.  He  recognized  that  war  was  inevitable  and  sent 
scouts  to  watch  the  enemy  while  he  hurriedly  withdi'ew  the  women 
and  children  to  the  head  waters  of  Hock  river  in  ^Michigan  terri- 
tory (now  Wisconsin),  to  which  he  was  guided  by  friendly  Winne- 
bagoes.  Here  he  reci'uitcd  ])ai-ti('s  of  Winnebagoes  and  Pottawat- 
omies  and  descended  into  northern  Illinois,  prepared  for  border 
•  warfare. 

Stillman's  di't'eat    inaugurated  a   reign   of  terror   in   the  terri- 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  AVAR  53 

tory  between  the  Illinois  and  Wisconsin  rivers ;  the  name  of  Black 
Hawk  became  ronpled  the  country  over  with  stories  of  savage  cun- 
ning and  cruelty,  his  name  serving  as  a  household  bugaboo.  Shau- 
bena  again  sounded  the  alarm  and  settlers  again  left  their  fields 
and  hurried  to  the  forts. 

"Whiteside,  on  ]\Iay  15tii,  the  day  of  the  battle,  with  one  thou- 
sand four  hundred  men,  proceeded  to  the  scene  and  buried  the 
dead.  On  the  19th  Atkinson  and  the  entire  army  moved  up 
the  Rock  river,  leaving  Stillman's  corps  at  Dixon  to  care  for  the 
wounded  and  guard  supplies.  They  added  to  their  record  of 
infamy  by  deserting  their  post  and  going  home.  Atkinson  hastily 
returned ;  Whiteside  being  left  to  follow  Black  Hawk ;  his  men 
grew  weary  of  soldiering,  declaring  that  the  Indians  were  in  the 
unexplored  and  impenetrable  swamps  to  the  north,  which  were  in 
jMichigan  territory,  and  farther,  that  they  could  not  be  compelled 
to  serve  out  of  the  state ;  after  two  or  three  days  of  fruitless 
skirmishing,  upon  approaching  the  state  line,  a  consultation  of 
officers  w^as  held  at  which  it  was  determined  to  abandon  the  search, 
the  troops  were  marched  back  to  Ottawa,  where  they  were  mus- 
tered out  on  the  27th  and  28th  of  ]\Iay.  On  their  way  to  Ottawa 
the  militiamen  stopped  at  the  Davis  farm  on  Indian  creek,  where 
a  terrible  massacre  of  whites  had  occurred  a  few  days  before  and 
saw  the  mutilated  corpses  of  fifteen  men,  women  and  children. 
This  revolting  spectacle,  instead  of  nerving  the  troops  to  renewed 
action  in  defense  of  their  homes,  appears  to  have  still  further  dis- 
heartened them. 

And  so  the  first  campaign  of  the  war  ended  as  it  had  begun, 
with  an  exhibition  of  cowardice  on  the  part  of  the  Illinois  militia. 

THE  CLOSING  CAMPAIGN, 

Governor  Reynolds  was  active  and  at  once  arranged  for  a  levy 
of  "at  least  two  thousand"  men  to  serve  through  the  war  to  ren- 
dezvous at  Beardstown  June  10 ;  the  general  government  ordered 
1,000  regulars  under  General  Winfield  Scott  to  proceed  from  the 
seaboard  to  the  seat  of  war,  future  operations  against  the  enemy 
to  be  under  the  command  of  General  Scott.  At  General  Atkin- 
son's earnest  appeal,  300  mounted  rangers  under  Col.  Henry  Frye 
agreed  to  remain  in  the  field  to  protect  the  northern  line  of  Illinois 
settlements  until  the  new  levy  could  be  mobilized. 

Black  Hawk  divided  his  force  into  war  parties,  himself  leading 
the  largest,  about  two  hundred,  assisted  by  small  parties  of  Winne- 
bagoes  and  about  one  hundred  Pottawatomies  under  Mike  Girty, 


54  IIISTOIJV  OF  MOXKOK  COrXTY 

doscondrd  tlic  UNx-k  riv<  r  iVom  lijikr  Kdslikoiion^  aiid  iluriny:  the 
iri'fiiuhir  wjirfiii-c  wincli  now  hi-okc  out  in  mn'tlicrn  Illinois  and 
what  is  now  soullin-n  Wisconsin,  sonic  two  Iimm(|!'<'<1  whites  and 
nearly  as  many  Jndians  lost  thcii-  lives,  the  panic  among  settlers 
was  widc-spirad  and  great  suffering  ensued.  .Many  incidents  of 
this  boi'dcr  warfare  arc  of  histoi-ic  intei-es1.  and  have  liecn  the 
cause  of  much  discussion.  hn1  owing  to  the  \ast  amount  of  such 
iiewspapci-  discussion  and  tiocumeutary  colhH-tions.  only  an  inci- 
dent or  two  will  l)e  alluded  to  here. 

( )n  tile  e\-eniug  of  .June  14tli  a  party  of  eleven  Sacs  killed  live 
white  men  at  Spalford's  fai-m  in  what  is  now  LaFayette  county. 
WLsconsiu.  Col.  Henry  Dotlge.  with  twenty-nine  mc^n.  followed 
and  the  next  day  overtook  tlu'  savages  in  a  neighboring  swamj).  A 
battle  ensued  lasting  but  a  short  tiuu',  the  eleven  Jndians  were 
killed  and  scalped,  the  w  hitcs  hisiug  tlu-ec  killed  and  one  wounded. 
No  incident  in  the  entire  war  has  been  so  thoi-oughly  discussetl 
and  (|uarreled  ovei-  as  this  bhioily  skirmish. 

On  dune  24th  l^lack  Hawk's  own  party  made  a  desperate 
attack  on  Apple  River  fort,  fourteen  miles  east  of  (ialcMia.  III.. 
which  sustained  a  heavy  siege  for  upwards  of  an  houi-.  the  liltle 
garrison  displaying  r<'mai-kfdile  \igoi-.  the  women  and  gii-ls  mould- 
ing bullets,  loading  guns  and  generally  |)roving  themselves  boi-- 
der  heroines.  The  red  men  retired  with  small  loss,  setting  tire  to 
neighboring  cabins  and  fields.  The  ne.xt  day  the  same  wai-  party 
attacked  IMajor  Dement 's  si)y  battallion  at  Kellogg 's  gi'ove.  six- 
teen miles  to  the  east;  the  Indians  were  routed  ujion  (Jeneral  Posey 
bi-inging  reinforcements,  losing  al)0Ut  fifteen  killed  while  the  whites 
lost  hut  five. 

The  people  of  what  is  now  llie  lead  iidniug  disti'ici  of  south- 
western Wisconsin  became  alai-mcd  foi-  fear  that  the  troops  cen- 
tered on  Kock  )'ivci-  would  drive  the  enemy  across  the  Illinois 
hoi'der  npon  them;  tlx'  news  of  RIack  Hawk's  invasion  in  May 
had  i-eached  them  and  i>i'epa rations  for  dcfen.se  wcu-e  at  once 
Ix'gun  ;  ('ol.  7Ieni-y  Dodge,  one  of  the  ]>ioncers  of  the  lead  region, 
held  a  commission  as  chief  of  the  .Michigan  unlit  ia  west  of  Lake 
^Michigan,  and  assumed  direction  of  the  uulitary  oi)crations  north 
of  the  Illinois  line.  With  a  company  of  twenty -seven  hastily 
e(|ui]ipe(l  rangers  he  made  a  trii)  to  Dixcm  to  reeonnoiter  the  coun- 
try and  to  solicit  aid  from  (lovci'uor  Reynolds,  in  which  he  was 
not  sueeessful.  and  returned  to  the  nnnes  bearing  the  news  of  Still- 
num's  defeat.  Aftei-  arranging  to  recruit  three  additional  com- 
panies he  went  with  fifty  men  to  Whitt>  Crow's  Winnebago  vil- 
lage, at  the  hciid  of  Fourth  lake  some  four  ndlcs  northwest  of  the 


THE  BLACK  IIAAVK  WAR  55 

site  of  Madison,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  eoimcil  with  a  view 
to  keeping  them  quiet  during  the  present  crisis ;  he  received  pro- 
fuse assurances  of  their  fidelity  to  the  American  cause,  but  he 
seems  to  have  placed  small  reliance  upon  their  sincerity. 

Upon  returning  Dodge  started  for  headquarters  at  Fort 
Union  with  200  mounted  rangers,  gathered  from  the  mines  and 
fields,  a  free  and  easy  set  of  dare  devils  having  an  intense  hatred 
of  the  Indian  race ;  they  were  disciplined  to  some  extent,  but  in 
their  march  through  the  country  paid'  l)ut  little  attention  to 
regulations.  On  the  3d  of  June  they  arrived  at  Blue  ^Mounds 
just  in  time  to  receive  the  Hall  girls  brought  in  hy  White  Crow. 
Crow's  manner  being  offensive.  Dodge  had  him  and  his  compan- 
ions put  into  the  guard  house  as  hostages  for  the  good  behavior  of 
the  Fourth  lake  band.  Dodge  being  joined  by  a  small  party  of 
Hlinois  rangers  under  Capt.  J.  W.  Stephenson,  proceeded  to 
Ottawa  to  confer  with  General  Atkinson.  After  remaining  a  few 
days,  the  rangers  returned  to  the  lead  mines  to  complete  the 
defenses  there. 

In  less  than  three  weeks  after  Stillman's  defeat,  Reynolds  and 
Atkinson  had  recruited  3,200  troops,  divided  into  three  brigades, 
under  Generals  Alexander  Posey,  M.  K.  Alexander  and  James  D. 
Henry,  and  in  addition  were  Fry's  rangers,  half  of  whom  con- 
tinued their  service  to  protect  the  settlements  and  stores  on  Rock 
river.  AVith  these.  Dodge's  Michigan  rangers  and  the  regular 
infantry  the  entire  army  numbered  about  4,000  effective  men. 

An  advance  party  of  Posey's  brigade  was  sent  out  to  disperse 
Black  Hawk's  war  party  and  it  was  this  force  which  had  the 
skirmish  at  Kellogg 's  grove,  previously  alluded  to.  Aleantime 
Alexander  and  Henry's  brigades  arrived  at  Dixon's.  When  news 
came  of  the  Indian  defeat  at  Kellogg 's,  Alexander  Avas  dispatched 
in  haste  to  Plum  river  to  intercept  the  enemy's  crossing  the  Alis- 
sissippi  at  that  point;  Atkinson,  witli  Henry's  and  the  regulars, 
remained  at  Dixon  to  await  developments,  and  on  learning  that 
Black  Hawk's  main  camp  was  still  at  Lake  Koshkonong,  pushed 
on  up  the  Rock  with  400  regulars  and  2,100  volunteers,  being 
joined  by  a  party  of  seventy-five  friendly  PottaAvattomies,  who 
seemed  eager  to  join  in  the  scrimmage. 

On  June  30th  the  army  crossed  the  Illinois- Wisconsin  boundary 
about  a  mile  east  of  the  site  of  Beloit.  Sac  signs  Avere  fresh,  for 
Black  Hawk,  after  his  defeat  at  Kellogg 's.  had  fled  directly  to  his 
stronghold,  and  Atkinson's  men  Avere  following  a  Avarm  trail. 
Camps  were  invariably  made  in  the  timber  Avith  breastAVorks  to 
protect  against  night  attacks,  the  rear  guard  of  the  savages  proAvl- 


56 


HISTORY  OF  moxrop:  county 


ing  around  in  tlic  dark  and  ])eing  frpqnontly  fired  on  l).v  sentries. 
On  .)uly  2d  the  army  arrived  at  Lake  Koslikonong,  found  hastily 
ch'serted  Indian  eanips;  scouts  made  a  tour  of  the  lake,  but  found 
nothing  of  importanee  except  a  few  stragglers.  A  few  captured 
Winnebagoes  gave  vague  testimony  and  one  of  tiiem  was  shot  and 
scalped  for  his  impertinence.  Fruitless  scouting  continued  for 
several  days. 

On  July  4  Alexander's  brigade  arrived,  and  on  the  sixth  Posey 
reported  with  Dodge's  squadron.  On  June  28th,  while  Dodge  was 
at  Fort  Hamilton,  Posey  arrived  with  orders  from  Atkinson  to 
join  forces  and  jirocoed  to  the  )iiain  army  on  the  Koshkonong. 
Dodge  now  had  about  three  hundred  men,  including  a  party  of 
twenty  ^lenomonies,  and  eight  or  ten  white  and  half-l)reed  scouts 
under  Col.  William  S.  Hamilton,  son  of  the  famous  Alexander. 
Proceeding  by  the  way  of  Four  Lakes,  White  Crow  and  a  party  of 
thirty  Winnebagoes  offered  to  guide  Posey  and  Dodge  to  Black 
Hawk's  caiiii).  After  advancing  through  almost  impenetrable 
swamps  for  several  days,  a  messenger  arrived  from  (Jeneral 
Atkinson  with  orders  to  join  the  main  body  on  Bark  river,  as  the 
enemy  was  believed  to  1)e  in  that  vicinity.  This  order  provoked 
Dodge,  but  pi'oved  to  be  singularly  opportune,  l^lack  Hawk's 
camp  occupied  a  position  excellent  for  defense  at  the  summit  of  a 
steep  de(divity  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Rock,  where  the  river  was 
difficult  of  passage.  White  Crow's  solicitude  as  a  guide  was 
undoubtedly  caused  by  his  desire  to  lead  the  troops  into  a  trap, 
whcrt-  they  would  be  badly  whipped  if  not  annihilated. 

While  White  Crow,  with  treachery  had  been  endeavoring  to 
entrap  the  Irfl  wing  of  the  army,  other  AVinnebago  had  informed 
Atkinson  that  Jilack  Hawk  was  encamped  on  an  island  in  the 
Whitewater  river,  a  few  miles  to  the  east.  In  i-onsequence  there 
was  a  useless  wild  goose  chase  through  the  broad  morasses  and 
treacherous  sink  holes  of  that  region.  Because  of  this  false  infor- 
mation, Atkinson  sent  the  messenger  to  Posey  just  in  time  to  save 
that  force,  though  he  did  not  then  know  it. 

The  army,  as  finally  formed,  was  Alexander's  brigade  and 
Dodge's  scjuadron  left  wing,  on  west  side  of  Rock:  regulars  \Hider 
Tayloi-  ;ind  llciii-y's  brigade  were  right  wing,  commanded  by 
Atkinson  in  i)erson.  and  marched  on  the  cast  bank:  Posey's  ])i-igade, 
also  on  the  west  liaid-:  was  the  center. 

On  July  lOth  Henry's  and  Alexander's  l)rigailes  and  Dodge's 
squadron  were  sent  to  Fort  Winnebago,  eighty  miles  to  the  north- 
west for  much  needed  provisions;  the  Second  regiment  of  Posey's 
brigade  was  sent  to  Dixon ;  with  the  rest  of  the  troops  Posey  was 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR  57 

ordered  to  Fort  Hamilton  to  guard  the  mining  country ;  Atkinson 
himself  fell  back  to  Lake  Koshkonong  and  biiilt  a  fort  a  few  miles 
up  the  Bark  river  on  the  eastern  limit  of  what  is  now  the  city  of 
Fort  Atkinson. 

Arriving  at  Fort  Winnebago,  the  troops  found  a  number  of 
Winnebago,  all  full  of  advice;  and  also  a  famous  half  breed  scout. 
Pierre  Paquette.  He  informed  Henry  and  Dodge  of  the  true  loca- 
tion of  Black  Hawk's  stronghold  with  information  as  to  its  char- 
acter, and  with  twelve  Winnebago  was  engaged  to  guide  the  troops 
to  it.  While  at  the  fort  a  stampede  of  the  horses  occurred  and 
something  like  tifty  were  lost.  Henry  and  Dodge  determined  to 
return  by  way  of  Hustisford  rapids  and  there  engage  Black  Hawk 
if  possible.  Alexander's  men  refused  to  go  on  this  perilous  expe- 
dition and  the  General  weakly  yielded  to  their  demand  to  obey 
Atkinson's  order  and  return  to  camp.  Henry  was  made  of  differ- 
ent stuff  and  refused  to  return,  and  the  same  day  started  with 
twelve  days'  rations  with  their  guides.  The  ranks  had  been 
thinned  by  one  cause  and  another  so  that  in  Henry's  brigade  there 
were  now  but  600  effective  men  and  Dodge  had  about  150. 

On  July  18th  the  troops  found  the  Winnebago  village  at  which 
Black  Hawk  had  been  Cjuartered,  but  the  enemy  had  tied ;  the 
Winnebago  insisted  that  Black  Hawk  was  then  at  Cranberry  lake, 
a  half  day's  march  up  the  river,  and  the  white  commanders 
resolved  to  proceed  the  following  day.  At  2  :00  p.  m.  of  the  day 
of  arrival  Adjutants  ]\Ierriam  of  Henry's  and  AVoodbridge  of 
Dodge's  started  south  to  carry  the  information  to  Atkinson's  camp 
thirty-five  miles  down  the  river.  Little  Thunder,  a  Winnebago 
chief,  accompanied  them  as  guide.  When  about  twenty  miles 
out,  halfway  between  the  present  sites  of  Watertown  and  Jeffer- 
son, they  suddenly  struck  a  broad  trail  leading  west.  Little 
Thunder  became  greatly  excited  but  could  not  make  the  officers 
understand  him,  so  he  turned  his  horse  and  dashed  back  to  Henry's 
camp,  the  officers  being  obliged  to  follow,  and  there  Little  Thunder 
informed  his  people  that  the  trail  of  Black  Hawk  in  his  tlight  to 
the  J\lississippi  had  been  discovered  and  to  warn  them  that  further 
dissembling  was  useless. 

The  news  was  received  with  joy  by  the  troops,  sinking  spirits 
revived,  all  incumbrances  were  left  behind,  and  on  the  following 
morning  the  chase  was  begun ;  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  rail- 
way between  Jefferson  Junction  and  ^Madison  follows  very  closely 
Black  Hawk's  trail  from  Rock  river  to  Four  lakes;  it  was  a  tough 
country,  the  men  getting  into  sink  holes ;  the  temperature  following 
a  rainstorm,  fell,  making  progress  difficult,  but  straggling  Winne- 


58  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  ("OUXTY 

])ago  informed  tlic  troops  tluit  Black  Ilawk  was  l)iit  two  miles 
ahead  and  llicx'  jxislicd  on  with  fiiipty  stomadis  and  wet  clothes. 
By  sunset  .liil\'  2(ltli.  \\\r  second  day.  Iliey  reaelied  the  lakes,  ^oinj^ 
into  ram[)  near  \\ir  noitheast  exli'cmity  of  Third  lake.  That  same 
night  Black  Hawk  was  camped,  stronuly  and)ushed.  seven  or  eight 
miles  beyond,  near  tlie  present   \  illage  of  Pheasant  l^j-ancli. 

At  daylii-eak  of  the  21st  the  tfoops  wci-e  up  and  after  lording 
the  Catfish  river  swept  across  the  isthmus  l)etween  Third  and 
Fourth  lakes  in  regular  line  (>\'  hattle.  Ewing  scouts  in  front;  the 
line  of  mari-h  was  along  Thii'il  hike  shoi-e  ti)  wliere  Fauerhach's 
hi'ewery  now  stands,  thence  due  Avest  to  Foui'th  lake,  the  shores  of 
which  were  skirted  through  the  ])i'esent  site  of  the  University, 
across  the  swamps  and  lulls  to  the  Fiieasant  l)rancli.  and  then  due 
northwest  to  the  AVisconsiu  river:  the  advance  was  rapid,  forty 
horses  gave  out  dui-ing  the  da\-.  When  a  horse  dropped  the  trooper 
Irudged  on  afoot,  throwing  away  camp  kettle  and  ineund)ranees. 
It  was  3:00  o'clock  in  the  aftei-uoon  hefore  the  enemy's  rear 
guard,  twenty  braves  under  Neapope.  was  overtaken.  Several 
slvirmishes  ensued  hut  the  weakness  of  Neapope's  force  being  dis- 
covered they  were  easily  dispei-sed  hy  the  white  advance  guard. 
At  about  4:30  at  a  point  about  twenty-five  miles  northwest  of  the 
site  of  Madison.  Neapope's  hand,  reinforced  hy  a  scoi-e  of  braves 
under  Black  Hawk,  made  a  bold  stand  to  cover  the  flight  of  the 
main  body  down  the  Iduffs  and  across  the  stream.  The  troops  dis- 
mounted and  advanced  on  foot.  The  savages  made  a  heav.x'  chai'ge. 
yelling  like  madmen,  endeavoring  to  flank  the  whites,  liut  were 
repulsed.  The  Sacs  now  dropped  in  the  grass,  which  was  nearly 
six  feet  high,  and  after  an  hour  of  hot  tiring  with  few  casualties 
on  either  side.  Dodge.  Ewing  and  Jones  cluii-ged  the  enemy  with 
bayonets,  driving  them  up  a  rising  piece  of  gi'ound  at  the  top  of 
which  the  second  rank  ol  savages  were  found.  It  was  raining  softly 
and  it  was  found  difficult  to  keep  the  muskets  dry,  but  a  brisk  fi)'e 
was  kept  up  until  dusk,  and  the  jiursuit  was  abandoned  for  the 
night.  This  battle  on  the  i)art  of  the  Sacs  was  conducted  )>y  Black 
Hawk  himself,  who  sat  on  a  white  pony  on  a  neighboi-ing  knoll, 
giving  his   braves  orders   with    stentorian    voice. 

After  dusk  a  large  party  of  fugitives,  composed  nuiinly  of 
women,  children  and  ohl  men,  were  placed  on  a  large  raft  and  in 
canoes  begged  from  the  Winnebago  and  sent  down  th(>  rivei'  with 
the  hoj)e  that  the  soldiers  at  Fori  ("I'awl'oi'd.  irnarding  the  mouth 
of  the  Wisconsin,  wouhl  allow  thesi'  noncombatants  to  cross  the 
Mississipj)!  river  in  peace.  But  tiiis  confidence  was  misplaced. 
Lieutenant    Hitnei-  with  a  snudl  detachment  of  regulars  was  sent 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR  59 

out  by  Indian  Agent  Joseph  ^l.  Street  to  intercept  these  forlorn 
find  nearly  starved  wretches,  and  a  short  distance  ahove  the  fort 
Kitner  tired  on  tlieni,  killing  fifteen  ni(>n  and  capturing  tlurty-two 
women  and  children  and  four  men.  Nearly  as  many  were  drowned 
during  the  onslaught,  while  of  the  rest,  who  escaped  to  the  woods, 
all  but  a  half  score  perished  with  hunger  or  were  massacred  by  a 
party  of  ]\Ienomonies  from  Green  Bay,  allies  under  Colonel 
Stambaugh. 

About  an  lioui"  and  a  half  before  dawn  of  the  22nd,  the  day  of 
the  battle  of  Wisconsin  Heights,  a  loud,  shrill  voice  was  heard 
speaking  in  an  unknown  tongue,  which  caused  great  consternation 
in  the  white  camp  as  the  troops  feared  it  was  the  savage  leader 
giving  orders  for  an  attack.  It  was  Neapope,  who,  believing  that 
Paquette  and  the  Winnebago  were  still  witli  tlie  whites,  although 
they  had  returned,  spoke  in  tiic  Winnebago  tongue,  a  speech  of 
conciliation  to  the  victors,  saying  in  efiPect  that  if  they  were  allowed 
to  cross  the  ^Mississijipi  in  peace  they  wovdd  never  more  do  harm, 
l)ut  th(^  plea  fell  on  unwitting  ears  for  no  one  in  the  white  camp 
understood  it  and  thus  failed  a  second  attempt  of  Black  Hawk's 
band  to  close  the  war.  As  for  Neapope,  finding  that  his  mission 
had  failed,  he  fled  to  the  AVinnebago.  leaving  his  half  dozen  com- 
panions to  return  to  Black  Hawk  with  the  discouraging  news,  now 
encamped  in  a  ravine  north  of  the  Wisconsin. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22nd  it  was  found  that  the  enemy  had 
escaped  and  being  poorly  supplied  witli  provisions  for  a  long- 
chase  in  an  unknown  country  beyond  the  Wisconsin  river,  prepar- 
ations were  made  to  march  to  Blue  Alound  for  provisions.  Arriv- 
ing there  on  the  2;]rd  they  were  joined  by  Atkinson  and  Alexander. 
Atkinson  assumed  command,  distj-il)uted  rations  and  ordered  the 
pursuit  resumed.  On  the  27th  and  28tli  the  Wisconsin  was  crossed 
on  rafts  at  Helena.  Posey  now  jnined  and  all  the  l)rigades  were 
together  again.  At  noon  the  28th  the  advance  began  with  450 
regulars  under  (leneral  Brady  in  front.  Dodge,  Pcsey  and  Alex- 
ander following  in  the  order  named,  Henry  bringing  up  the  rear. 
It  appears  that  much  jealousy  was  apparent  on  Atkinson's  part 
from  the  fact  that  the  volunteers  liad  won  the  glory  so  far  in  the 
campaign.  After  a  march  of  a  few  miles  the  trail  of  the  fugitives 
toward  the  ^Mississippi  was  discovered.  The  country  between  the 
Wisconsin  and  the  great  river  was  I'ugged  and  hard  to  get  over, 
the  Winnebago  guides  were  unfamiliar  with  it.  and  progress  was 
slow.  However  the  fact  that  they  were  noticeal)ly  gaining  on  the 
redskins  spurred  the  troops.  The  pathway  was  strewn  with  dead 
Sacs  who  had  perished  of  wounds  and  starvation,  and  there  were 


60  lll.STOKV  UF  .M0XK01-:  (  UlNTV 

frequent  evidences  tliat  the  fleeing  wretches  were  eating  the  bark 
of  trees  and  the  sparse  horse  tiesli  of  tlicir  fagged-out  ponies,  to 
sustain  life. 

On  August  1st  IMack  Hawk  and  his  sadly  depleted  hand 
reached  the  Mississippi  at  a  point  two  miles  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Bad  Axe,  in  A'ernon  eounty.  about  forty  miles  north  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Wisconsin.  Here  he  tried  to  cross.  There  were, 
however,  but  two  oi-  three  canoes  to  l)e  had  and  the  work  was 
slow.  One  large  raft  laden  with  wonu^n  and  children  was  sent 
down  the  east  side  of  the  river  towards  Prairie  du  Chien.  but  on 
the  way  it  capsized  and  nearly  all  its  occupants  Avere  drowned. 

In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the  steamer  "Warrior"  of 
Prairie  du  Chien  appeared  having  on  })oard  Lieutenants  Kings- 
bury and  Ilobnes  with  fifteen  regulars,  who  had  been  up  the  river 
to  warn  the  Sioux  chiefs  at  Wabasha  that  the  Sacs  were  headed 
in  that  direction.  As  the  steamer  neared  the  shore  Black  Hawk 
appeared  on  the  bank  with  a  white  flag  and  called  out  to  the  Cap- 
tain in  the  Winnebago  tongue  to  send  a  ])oat  ashore  as  the  Sacs 
wished  to  give  themselves  up.  A  Winnebago  stationed  in  the  bow 
interpreted  the  request  but  the  Captain,  affecting  to  believe  that 
it  was  an  ambush,  ordered  Black  Hawk  to  come  aboard  in  his  own 
craft.  This  he  could  not  do  as  he  had  no  boat  or  canoe,  and  his 
reply  to  that  effect  was  met  in  a  few  moments  with  three  quick 
rounds  of  canister  shot  whicli  went  plowing  through  the  little 
group  of  Indians  on  shore  witli  deadly  effect.  A  fierce  fire  of 
musketry  ensued  in  wliich  twenty-three  Indians  were  killed  and 
but  one  white  man  wounded.  The  "Warrioi"'"  now  being  out  of 
wood  returned  to  Prairie  du  Chien  for  the  night,  the  soldiers  being 
highly  elated  at  tlieir  share  in  the  campaign. 

During  the  night  a  few  more  Indians  ci-ossed  the  river  but 
Black  Hawk,  seeing  that  nU  was  lost  to  him.  gathered  a  party  of 
ten  wai-riors,  anu)ng  whom  was  the  prophet,  and  witli  about  thirt\- 
five  s(}uaws  and  childivn  headed  east  for  a  rocky  hitling  place  in 
the  Dells  of  Wisconsin.  The  next  day  the  heart  of  the  old  man 
smote  him  foi-  having  deserted  his  people  and  he  returned  in  time 
to  witness  from  a  neighboring  bluff  the  conclusion  of  the  battle  of 
Bad  Axe  that  struck  the  death  ])low  to  the  British  band.  W^ith 
a  howl  of  rage  he  turned  and  disappeared  in  the  forest. 

The  aged  chief  had  left  excellent  instructions  to  his  people  in 
the  event  of  the  arrival  of  the  white  army.  Twenty  picked  Sacs 
were  on  the  high  bluffs  east  of  the  river  as  rear  guard.  Atkin.son's 
men  on  tlie  ;iflernoon  of  August  2nd  encountered  these  Sacs.     The 


MONROE  COUNTY   COURT   HOUSE 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  AVAR  61 

density  of  the  timber  obstructing  the  view  it  was  supposed  that 
Black  Hawk's  main  force  was  overtaken.  The  army  spread  itself 
for  the  attack,  Alexander  and  Posey  forming  the  right,  Henry  the 
left,  and  Dodge  and  the  regulars  the  center.  The  savage  decoys 
retreated  up  the  river  away  from  the  main  position  of  the  savage 
force  and  drew  the  troops  after  them  as  the  white  center  and  right 
wing  followed  quickly,  leaving  the  left  wing — with  the  exception 
of  one  of  its  regiments  detailed  to  cover  the  rear — without  orders. 
Some  of  E wing's  scouts  accidentally  discovered  that  the  main  trail 
of  the  enemy  was  farther  down  the  river  than  where  the  decoys 
were  leading  the  army;  thereupon  Henry  with  his  entire  force 
descended  the  bluff  and  after  a  gallant  charge  on  foot  found  him- 
self in  the  midst  of  the  main  body  of  300  warriors.  A  desperate 
conflict  ensued,  the  bucks  being  driven  from  tree  to  tree  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet,  while  women  and  children  plunged  madly 
into  the  river,  many  to  drown.  The  conflict  raged  fiercely.  Fully 
a  half  hour  after  Henry  made  the  descent  Atkinson,  hearing  the 
din  of  battle  in  his  rear,  came  hastening  to  the  scene  with  the 
center  and  right  wing  driving  in  the  decoys  and  stragglers,  thus 
completing  the  corral.  The  carnage  now  proceeded  more  fiercely 
than  ever.  The  "Warrior"  reappeared  and  aided  the  attack  with 
canister.  A  wild  dash  was  made  for  the  river;  some  of  the  fugi- 
tives succeeded  in  swimming  to  the  west  bank,  but  most  of  them 
were  picked  off  l)y  sharp-shooters  as  if  they  were  rats  instead  of 
human  beings,  showing  absolutely  no  mercy  toward  women  and 
children.  This  massacre  lasted  for  about  three  hours.  The  Indians 
lost  150  killed  outright,  while  as  many  more  of  both  sexes  and  all 
ages  were  drowned — some  fifty  l^eing  taken  prisoners,  mostly 
women.  About  300  of  the  band  crossed  the  river  successfully 
before  and  during  the  struggle.  The  whites  lost  seventeen  killed 
and  twelve  wounded. 

Those  who  had  crossed  the  river  were  cruelly  set  upon  by  a 
band  of  Sioux  under  Chief  Wabasha,  and  one-half  of  these  help- 
less, half-starved  noncombatants  were  cruelly  slaughtered,  while 
many  of  the  others  died  of  exhaustion  and  wounds  before  they 
reached  their  friends  of  Keokuk's  band. 

The  rest  is  soon  told.  The  army  returned  to  Prairie  du  Chien, 
General  Scott  assumed  command  and  mustered  out  the  volunteers 
the  following  day.  Cholera  among  his  troops  had  detained  him 
first  at  Detroit  and  then  at  Chicago,  nearly  one-fourth  of  his  1,000 
regulars  having  died  of  the  pestilence.  Independent  of  this  the 
American  loss  in  the  war,  including  volunteers  and  settlers  killed 


62  IIIST(^KV  OF  AIOXHOK  (OrXTY 

in  tlic  inv}?iilai'  skiriuishcs  and  in  massacres,  was  not  ovit  2r)(). 
'I'lu'  (iiiaiicial  cost  to  tlie  nation  and  1(»  tlic  state  of  Illinois  aggre- 
gated nearly  $2,()()( ).()()(). 

On  August  22nd.  ('Iiactai-  and  One-Eyed  Decorah,  two  AVinnc- 
bago  l)raves.  delivered  Jilaek  Hawk  and  the  Prophet  into  the  liands 
of  Agent  Sti-ect  at  Pi-aii-ic  du  ("liicn.  They  hail  fuund  them  at  tiie 
AVisconsin  river  (hdls  ahoxc  Kilhoiirn  ('iiy.  ( )ii  the  21st  of  Sep- 
tend)er  a  ti'eat\'  of  peace  was  signed  and  P>hiek  Hawk.  Ihe  Prophet 
and  Neapope.  who  had  heen  eaptui-ed  hiti'i-,  wci-e  kept  as  hostages 
for  the  good  behavior  of  the  rest  of  the  British  ])and. 

They  were  kept  tlii-ongh  the  winter  at  -lefit'erson  l^arraeks.  and 
in  April.  1S:{;I.  were  taken  to  AVashington.  They  remained  pris- 
oners in  Korti'ess  Monroe  nntil  disehai'ged.  -Iinie  4tli.  After 
visiting  the  ])rineipal  eities  of  the  east,  whei'e  I5hiek  Hawk  was 
much  lionized,  tlic  pai'tx  retni-iied  to  Fort  Armstrt)ng  much  im- 
])ressed  with  the  power  and  i-esonrees  of  the  white  nmn.  Here 
]^laek  Hawk's  pi-ide  was  completely  crushed,  he  being  i)laced  \nider 
the  guardianshi])  of  his  hated  I'ival.  Keokuk.  This  was  considennl 
an  irreparahle  insnit  to  the  fallen  chief,  which  he  nurseil  with  much 
bitterness  to  the  end  of  his  days. 

Black  Hawk  at  the  age  of  seventy-om^  \-ears  finally  passed  away 
on  the  ;5d  of  October,  1838,  at  his  home  on  a  snuill  reservation  set 
apart  foi-  him  in  Davis  county.  Towa.  on  tiie  l)es  Moines  river. 

In  July  of  the  following  yeai*  his  l)ody  was  stolen  by  an  Illi- 
nois physician,  ("omplaint  being  made  by  Bla(d<  Hawk's  family 
(Jovernor  Lucas,  of  !o\\a.  caused  the  skeleton  to  be  delivered  to 
him  at  Burlington  in  the  spring  of  1840.  The  seat  of  government 
being  moved  to  Iowa  City  later  in  the  year,  the  box  containing 
the  remains  was  dejiosited  in  a  hiw  office  in  the  latter  town, 
where  it  remained  until  the  night  ol'  -lanuai'v  l(i.  1S.'):I.  A\hen  the 
building  was  destroyed  hy   lire. 

l-'orbearaiice  and  honorable  dealing  on  the  part  of  the  whites 
could  easily  have  ])re\ented  the  Bhndv  J  lawk'  war.  Scpuitters 
were  not  ])i'e\"ented  from  encroaidnng  upon  the  ])oss(\ssions  of  his 
l)eople,  and  at  ^ycann»re  creek  he  ■would  ha\'e  consented  to  remove 
his  ])and  |)eaceai)ly  aci'oss  the  i-i\fi-  had  the  oi'dinary  rules  of 
war  in  i-especting  a  tlasr  of  truce  been  observed  by  the  white  nu'ii. 
In  fad.  the  c(mrse  of  the  Americans  during  this  sti'Uggle  was 
marked  by  eruelly  and  disregard  I'ov  tlu'  I'ules  of  waiMare  which 
was  more  than  savage;  women,  children  and  old  men  w  ei-e  ruth- 
lessly murdei'ed.  and  they  caused  the  remnant  of  the  liaiid  which 
had  crossed  the  i'i\er  to  l)e  neai'l.x'  all  massaci'ed  by  the  Sioux. 
A   black  record   but    mie   which   must    be  written. 


CHAPTER  V. 
EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

With  the  lapse  of  time,  the  jiassing  away  of  so  many  of  the 
pioneers  and  the  laek  of  records  in  the  various  communities 
renders  it  difficult  to  attempt  to  detail  the  ditferent  points  in  the 
county  at  which  the  early  settlements  were  made,  in  anything 
like  chronological  order.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  the  tirst 
settlement  in  the  county  ivas  near  what  is  now  known  as  Oil 
City  in  the  town  of  Sheldon,  and  Esau  Johnson,  wlio  located  on 
the  Kickapoo  in  that  town  on  the  1st  day  of  October,  1842,  was 
the  first  "white  man  who  nuide  his  home  in  the  county  of  Monroe. 

He  built  a  little  cabin  a])Out  two  miles  above  Oil  City  and 
moved  into  it  with  his  family.  His  own  Mords  probably  best 
describe  the  manner  and  reason  for  his  stopping  at  that  place 
and  in  an  interview  given  many  years  ago  he  said:  "In  the  year 
1842  I  came  with  my  family  down  the  AVisconsin  river  on  a  log 
raft  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kickapoo,  and  went  to  what  was  then 
known  as  Haney's  in  Richland  county.  We  stayed  there  and 
worked  on  his  land  until  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  when  I  took 
an  ax  and  some  provisions  and  started  on  a  prospecting  trip  up 
the  Kickapoo  river  until- 1  came  to  the  mouth  of  Moore's  creek, 
Avhich  is  in  Monroe  county.  Impressed  with  the  locality  I  deter- 
mined to  return  and  bring  my  family  up.  Not  Avishing  to  walk 
back  to  the  farm  I  holhiwed  out  a  tree,  made  myself  a  couple  of 
paddles  and  sailed  down  in  my  improvised  boat.  I  reached  the 
farm  the  next  day  and  soon  had  the  boat  in  good  condition  for 
moving  my  family  and  what  few  household  goods  I  had  up  to 
our  new  home.  I  finally  left  the  'Haney'  farm  September  10, 
1842,  and  hired  two  brothers  named  Clark  to  help  me  move. 
They  agreed  for  a  consideration  to  stay  with  me  until  I  had  my 
house,  built.  On  the  13th  day  of  October  we  reached  the  location 
I  had  fixed  up  and  we  arranged  a  timbered  shelter  for  my  family 
Tuitil  we  could  cut  logs  for  a  house.  Three  of  us  got  to  work 
and  we  soon  had  the  work  under  way.  On  the  6th  of  October, 
just  five   days   after  landing,  myself  and  my  family  moved  in. 

63 


64  HISTORY  OF  MUXKOK  CO  IN  TV 

This  I  ])ositiv('ly  assert  was  llic  liisl  house  and  I  and  my  family 
the  first  white  people  to  make  a  permanent  settlement  in  INIonroe 
eoiinty.  The  two  Clarks  stayed  Avitli  me  unlil  llw  m-xt  day,  wiien 
they  took  a  ])oat  and  returned  to  Ilaney's/" 

IMr.  Johnson  also  states  that  on  the  lOtli  day  ol'  Orloher  Jie 
started  for  tlie  mouth  of  the  Kiekapoo  river  to  get  four  head  of 
oxen  which  iie  had  left  there,  and  I'lnin  thei-e  lie  went  to  Prairie 
du  Chien,  where  he  got  a  load  of  provisions  and  hired  two  men  to 
return  and  work  for  him.  In  this  trij)  Mr.  Johnson  claims  to  have 
been  the  first  to  travel  the  present  road  between  Oil  City  and 
Praii'ie  du  Chien.  Tliere  were  no  otlun-  settlers  except  I\li'.  John- 
son and  his  family  up  until  IS-IT,  and  in  the  spring  of  that  year 
Sylvester  Bacon  and  AVilliam  Clark  joined  him  and  worked  for 
him  until  the  spring  df  184*J.  Soon  after  this  in  that  same  year 
Thonuis  Lewis  and  Thompson  Ilazen  arrived  and  located  at  a 
point  about  a  half  mile  from  the  Johnson  home  and  went  into 
the  lumbering  business.  This  they  continued  to  handle  until 
]\ray,  1847,  when  the  business  was  sold  to  A.  J.  ^Martin ;  Lewis 
leaving  the  county  and  going  down  to  Grant  county  and  Hazen 
moved  to  a  point  about  five  miles  south  of  Cashton.  where  he 
opened  a  tavern  and  located  on  a  farm. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  IMonroe  county  was  a  son  of 
Esau  Johnson,  Avho  first  saw  the  light  in  September,  184(3,  and  the 
photo  of  this  child  noA\-  hangs  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk  of 
iMonroe  county,  at  the  court  house  in  the  city  of  Sparta. 

AVith  the  opening  oL*  the  state  road  between  Hudson  and 
Prairie  du  Chien,  wdiicli  passed  through  the  place  where  Sparta 
now  is,  and  tlu^  laying  out  of  the  road  between  Portage  and 
LaCrosse,  came  the  opportunity  for  new  settlers,  which  was  taken 
advantage  of  during  the  years  1849-50-51.  Probably  the  next 
point  at  whicli  any  settlement  was  made  prioi*  to  1850  Avas  that 
of  Frank  Petit,  who  came  to  this  county  in  1849.  which  is 
authenticated  by  several  records,  and  settled  at  a  place  near 
Sparta,  w-hich  is  now  knoAvn  as  "Castle  Rock,"'  and  lie  after- 
w^ards  came  to  the  place  where  Sparta  now  stands  and  was  its 
first  settler.  In  1850  Cliarles  Clute  came  with  his  family  and 
went  to  work  for  Esau  Johnson  at  the  sawmill  of  the  latter  on 
the  Kiekapoo  river.  Clute  afterwards  took  up  land  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  county.  In  1851  E.  E.  Shaw.  AVilliam  Petit, 
Nelson  Turrier  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  ]\Ietzler,  settled  in  the 
coujitv,  and  in  July  of  the  same  vear  R.  S.  Kinsrman  and  his  two 
brothers,  twins  named  Rosalbo  and  Alvarbo,  came  to  the  county 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT  65 

from  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  and  settled  witli  E.  E.  Shaw  aud  Turrier 
in  the  Leon  valley. 

From  that  time  until  the  organization  of  the  county  settle- 
ments at  different  points  were  quite  frequent,  notably  that  at 
Leon  in  1851  by  E.  E.  Shaw  and  companions ;  in  the  town  of 
Jetferson  in  1854  by  Thompson  Hazen  who,  as  has  been  before 
mentioned,  opened  a  hotel  known  as  " Hazen 's  Corner;"  the 
settlement  of  the  towns  which  followed  the  organization  of  the 
county  in  1851:  are  treated  in  separate  articles  subsequently  in 
this  work. 

The  pioneers  who  settled  in  the  early  day  have  given  many 
lessons  of  industry  and  frugality,  coupled  with  trials,  hardships 
and  endurance  which  so  strikingly  demonstrates  to  us  the  cour- 
age and  determination  of  the  men  of  that  early  time.  The  first 
important  thing  that  the  settler  did  was  to  build  himself  a  house 
and  perhaps  until  that  was  finished  to  live  in  his  immigrant 
wagon  or  some  rudely  improvised  shelter.  Of  course,  the  house 
was  of  logs  and  very  primitive  in  design,  but  after  it  was  built, 
erected  by  his  own  hands,  it  became  a  home,  and  in  most  cases 
he  was  content  with  it.  The  ingenuity  Vfiih  which  the  occupants 
of  these  log  cabins  constructed  what  they  called  furniture  is 
sometimes  quite  interesting  and,  of  course,  any  such  manufac- 
tured articles,  if  any  existed  during  the  early  50 's,  were  imported 
from  a  distance ;  tables  and  chairs  were  made  of  split  logs,  the 
bedstead  very  often  of  poles  placed  over  forked  sticks  driven  in 
the  ground ;  and  many  devices  were  invented  in  the  way  of  fire- 
places for  heating  and  cooking  purposes. 

As  soon  as  the  clearing  of  land  was  under  way  the  first  crop 
was  raised,  which  usually  consisted  of  a  few  vegetables,  sufficient 
for  the  needs  of  the  family ;  meat  was  supplied  by  the  rifle  of  the 
pioneer ;  it  was  plentiful  and  helped  to  swell  the  limited  supply 
of  provisions.  INIills  for  the  grinding  of  corn  were  usually  at  a 
long  distance,  and  sometimes  the  expedient  of  grinding  corn  in 
a  coffee  mill  had  to  be  resorted  to,  and  many  other  methods 
devised  to  make  cornmeal  flour.  But  with  the  advent  of  more 
settlers  neighborhoods  became  established,  then  a  school  would 
spring  up  and  here  and  there  a  church.  The  old  Indian  trails 
became  w^ell-traveled  highways  and  the  wilderness  was  hewn  into 
a  semblance  of  ciA'ilization,  creating  the  foundation  of  what  is 
today  one  of  the  great  counties  of  the  great  state  of  Wisconsin. 


("IIAI'TKH  VI. 

.AIAKING  A  COUNTY. 

In  the  year  1849  a  state  road  was  opened  between  Prairie  du 
Cliien  and  Hudson,  which  Avere  at  that  time  trading  points,  pass- 
ing throngli  tlie  phu-e  where  Sparta  now  is  and  going  around  by 
the  way  of  Bhu-k  llivcv  Falls  and  Clear  Water,  which  afterwards 
became  Eau  Claire.  A  little  later  on  a  road  Avas  opened  between 
Portage  and  LaCrosse,  following  an  old  Indian  trail,  affording 
a  way  of  travel  to  the  settlements  of  western  AVisconsin,  which 
before  that  time  Avere  only  reached  by  way  of  the  rivei-s.  At  that 
time  there  Avas  no  ]iost  office  nearer  than  Prairie  du  Chien,  but 
Avith  the  opening  of  tlu^  higlnvays  ])ost  offices  Avere  established  at 
Hlaek  Kiver  Falls,  LaCrosse  and  scA'eral  other  points.  About 
that  time  the  diAision  of  AA-estern  Wisconsin  into  counties  began 
to  take  place;  CraAvford  county.  Avhich  c()in])rised  tlie  AAhole  of 
AA'estern  Wisconsin.  AA'as  set  off  with  Pi-airie  du  ('hien  as  the 
county  seat,  and  out  of  this  territory  Avere  carved,  at  ditferent 
times,  other  counties,  by  the  vai'ious  acts  of  the  legislature. 

Originally,  in  1841)  LaCiosse  county  comprised  all  the  terri- 
tory included  in  its  present  limits  and  that  of  ^Moni'oe.  Jackson. 
Trempeleau  aiul  Buffalo  counties:  settlements  being  i-;i])id  in  the 
next  few  years  and  the  inluibitants  somcAA-hat  "croAvded"*  as  they 
thought,  in  185^.  upon  ap|)lication  to  the  legislatiu-e.  Jackson 
county  was  set  off.  and  in  isr)4  'ricmpeleaii.  Buffalo  and  Monroe 
counties  Avere  established  ;ind  detached  from  LaCrosse  county. 
Like  all  movenuMits  looking  toAvards  progress  there  Avas  opposi- 
tion to  the  organization  of  Alonroe  county  right  iuM'e  at  home,  but 
neA'ertheless  in  ]\Iai-ch.  18r)4.  a  bill  ci-eating  the  county  of  .Monroe 
passed  the  legislature,  Avas  approved  1)\-  the  (Jovernor  .March 
21st.  published  Alarcli  24th.  thereby  becoming  a  law.  and  .Monroe 
county  Avas  placed  upon  the  ma|).  Why  it  Avas  luuued  "Alonroe" 
is  not  knoAvn.  but  that  its  subsetjuent  histoi-y  justified  its  bearing 
the  name  of  that  sturdy  patriot.  James  Alonro(\  the  fifth  presi- 
dent of  the  T'nited  States,  no  one  can  doubt. 

While  this  bill  Avas  pending  in  the  legislature  there  Avas  a 
liA'ely  struggle  betAveen  the  residents  of  Leon  and  Sparta  as  to 

66 


]\IAKIX(!  A  ("OTNTY  G7 

which  place  sliould  be  named  as  the  county  seat.  Tlie  argnnient.i 
of  the  Spartans  prevailed,  however,  and  the  hill  creating  the 
county  named  Sparta  as  the  county  seat.  This  ;ic1  prescribed 
that  all  that  portion  of  the  county  of  LaCrosse  situated  and 
being  in  range  one  east,  and  ranges  one,  two,  three  and  four  west 
of  township  fifteen,  sixteen,  seventeen  and  eighteen  be  set  oflf  and 
organized  into  a  separate  county,  to  be  known  and  designated  by 
the  name  of  the  county  of  ^Eonroe. 

It  further  provided  that  an  election  shouki  be  held  in  the 
county  of  Monroe  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  the  following  April,  and 
the  polls  should  be  opened  in  all  precincts  established  on  or 
before  the  first  Tuesday  of  April ;  that  the  vote  should  be  can- 
vassed and  returns  made  thereof  to  the  clerk  of  the  board  of 
supervisors  of  the  town  of  Leon,  who  should  canvass  the  same 
as  prescribed  by  law  for  the  canvass  of  votes  for  county  officers. 
and  should  issue  certificates  to  such  persons  as  received  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  for  the  ofifices  respectively  for  the  town 
and  county  officers.  That  there  should  be  elected  at  such  election 
a  county  judge,  who  sliould  hold  his  office  until  the  first  day  of 
January  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  fifty-eight,  and 
until  his  successor  was  elected  and  ciualified.  There  should  also 
be  elected  three  town  supervisors,  one  to  be  designated  as  chair- 
man of  the  board,  who  should  also  be  the  board  of  county  super- 
visors. That  at  such  election  should  also  be  elected  a  sherifif, 
a  clerk  of  the  court,  clerk  of  the  board  of  county  supervisors,  a 
register  of  deeds,  surveyor  and  coroner  and  all  other  county 
officers  required  for  the  due  organization  of  the  county  for 
county  and  judicial  purposes.  It  also  provided  that  the  county 
of  ]Monroe  should  consist  of  one  town  and  the  Ijoai'd  of  super- 
visors should  be  the  l)oai'd  of  county  supervisors,  and  that  the 
said  board  of  county  supervisors  should  have  to  divide  the  county 
into  three  or  more  towns  at  any  regular  meeting  of  the  board, 
and  also  provided  that  the  county  seat  should  be  located  at  the 
village  of  Sparta,  in  the  town  of  Leon.  All  writs,  processes,  ap- 
peals, suits,  indictments,  recognizances  and  othei*  pi'oceediugs 
whatsoever  then  pending  or  thereafter  commenced,  or  pending 
before  the  Monday  next  after  the  first  Tuesday  of  April  next,  in 
the  county  or  circuit  court  of  the  county  of  LaCrosse,  should  be 
prosecuted  to  the  final  judgment,  order  or  decree,  might  be  car- 
ried into  eflt'ect  and  enforced  in  like  manner  as  if  the  counties  of 
LaCrosse  and  Monroe  were  constituted  one  county ;  and  all 
executions,  writs,  processes  or  other  proceedings  may  be  directed 


68  lUSTOHV  OF  .MUXKOP:  CO  INT  Y 

aud  carried  into  execution  and  effect  as  such  court  shall  direct 
any  law  on  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

At  the  election  held  in  April  pursuant  to  this  act,  seventy 
votes  were  cast  for  the  entire  county,  and  K.  J.  Casselnian,  Loyd 
Angle  and  Peter  DeCoursey  were  elected  as  the  town  board  of 
the  town  of  Leon,  and  thereby  becaiiif  the  first  county  board  of 
supervisors  of  the  county  of  jNIonroe.  .Vt  that  election  the  follow- 
ing county  officers  were  elected:  A.  H.  Blake,  county  judge;  Ed. 
AValrath,  sheriff;  AVilber  Fisk,  register  of  deeds;  John  Barker, 
clerk  of  the  court;  Samuel  Hoyt,  county  treasurer:  A.  H.  Cornell, 
district  attorney;  E.  E.  Shaw,  clerk  of  the  board  of  supervisors. 
AVilber  Fisk  loft  the  county  soon  after  the  election  and  E.  S. 
Blake  filled  the  vacancy  in  the  ofifice  of  the  register  of  deeds  until 
the  appointment  of  R.  S.  Kingman,  wliich  occurred  in  January. 
1855. 

The  county  board  held  its  first  meeting  on  the  lltli  day  of 
April,  1854.  at  which  R.  J.  Casselman  and  Loyd  Angle  were 
present,  and  without  doing  anything  the  board  adjourned  to  the 
14th  day  of  April,  and  on  the  14tli  the  board  convened  pursuant 
to  the  adjournment  Avith  R.  J.  Casselman  and  Loyd  Angle  i)res- 
ent.  The  first  item  of  business  wliidi  was  ever  transacted  by  a 
county  board  of  Alonroe  county  was  done  at  that  meeting.  The 
board  very  solemnly  proceeded  to  pass  the  resolution  to  pay  the 
exorbitant  price  of  .^12. 50  to  John  Foster  for  the  use  of  the  hall 
in  the  "Globe  HoteF'  and  for  fuel  for  the  same  for  one  year  in 
accordance  with  the  agreement  on  file  in  the  ofifice  of  the  clerk. 
At  its  next  meeting,  held  on  the  2d  day  of  May,  1854,  Fredrick 
A.  Childs  of  Sparta  was  appointed  county  surveyor  until  a  sur- 
veyor should  be  duly  elected  and  qualified :  there  appearing  to 
be  little  use  for  a  coroner  none  was  elected  or  appointed  at  that 
time. 

Under  the  law  as  it  then  existed  the  county  board  consisted 
of  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  each  town,  and 
this  prevailed  up  to  the  year  1861,  when  by  chapter  129  of  the 
laws  of  that  year  the  entire  system  was  changed  and  the  board 
was  made  to  consist  of  three  electors;  each  county  was  divided 
into  assembly  districts,  or  if  there  were  not  three  assembly  dis- 
tricts, then  into  supervisor  districts,  and  one  supervisor  elected 
for  each  district,  and  this  system  continued  until  1870,  when  the 
legislature  in  its  wisdom  repealed  the  chapter  129  of  the  laws 
of  1861  and  the  original  system  was  again  adopted,  which  has 
ever  since  been  in  existence.  The  county  board,  made  up  as  a 
rule  of  the  most  representative  men  in  the  county,  and  consists 


MAKING  A  COUNTY  69 

at  the  present  writing  of  thirty-six  members.  As  the  interests 
of  towns,  cities  and  villages  in  the  equalization  of  taxes  and  other 
matters  have  been  important,  the  board  has  consisted  in  the  past, 
and  does  at  the  present  time,  of  strong  and  representative  men, 
and  during  the  past  fifty-seven  years  it  has  had  as  members  at 
dilferent  times  most  all  the  men  who  have  been  distinguished  in 
their  various  communities  in  the  county.  The  roster  of  several 
hundred  names  contains  those  of  men  who  have  done  things  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  great  agricultural,  commercial,  dairy  and  fruit 
growing  prosperity  and  wealth  of  the  county. 

The  first  estate  which  came  into  the  county  court  was  that  of 
one  H.  B.  Hanshall,  and  the  first  record  in  that  court  w^as  on  the 
2nd  day  of  April,  1856,  when  the  bond  of  the  administratrix  in 
the  said  estate  was  approved  and  recorded  by  George  Gale,  who 
was  then  county  judge. 

The  first  term  of  the  circuit  court  was  held  at  the  village  of 
Sparta  beginning  on  the  18th  day  of  September,  1854,  the  Hon. 
Hiram  Knowlton,  judge  of  the  sixth  judicial  circuit,  presiding, 
and  sad  to  relate  the  first  case  which  came  before  his  honor  was 
a  divorce  case  in  which  Ellen  Pendelbery  was  plaintiff  and  Abra- 
ham Pendelbery  was  defendant.  The  charge  was  for  desertion 
for  more  than  one  year,  to  which  the  defendant  made  no  defense 
and  a  decree  of  divorce  was  entered  on  that  day  by  the  court 
giving  the  care  and  custody  of  the  minor  children  to  the  wife. 
The  action  was  brought  by  Denison  and  Lyndes,  attorneys  for 
the  plaintiff.  At  that  time  it  appeared  that  the  district  attorney, 
who  had  been  elected,  had  left  the  county  and  the  court  on  the 
18tli  of  September  appointed  James  I.  Lyndes  to  act  as  district 
attorney  for  tliat  term.  Upon  motion  of  Mr.  Lyndes,  Ellworth 
Lathrop,  James  Edswell  and  Carlton  E.  Rice  were  admitted  as 
attorneys  and  counsellers  at  the  law"  and  solicitors  in  chancery. 

The  first  jury  case  was  that  of  Samuel  Hoyt  vs.  AVilliam  AVal- 
bridge  for  trespass.  A.  Holdes  was  attorney  for  the  plaintiff  and 
Denison  and  Lyndes  represented  the  defendant.  The  first  jury 
ever  empanelled  in  the  county  was  drawn  and  consisted  of  the 
following  citizens:  J.  C.  Bean,  John  DeLaney,  A.  H.  Blake,  R.  S. 
Kingman.  Riley  Roberts,  Hiram  Anderson,  B.  B.  Jones,  AVilliam 
Winters,  S.  Walrath,  A.  Fisk.  William  Kerrigan  and  J.  F.  Rath- 
bun.  Only  one  of  this  number  is  still  living,  J.  F.  Rathl)un,  who 
now  resides  at  the  city  of  Tomah.  The  plaintiff'  was  successful 
and  was  awarded  $50  damages. 

The  first  county  board  practiced  economj^  during  the  year, 
and  at  the  meeting  on  March  26,  1855,  the  clerk's  report  shows 


70  IIISTOKV  OF  .MOXKOK  COIXTV 

a  total  of  orders  diawn  on  tin-  t-ounty  treasurer  of  $295.87:  i»ut 
soon  the  expenses  began  to  multiply  rapidly  wlien  the  business 
affairs  of  the  eounty  were  fairly  lauiicluMl.  Salaries,  court  ex- 
penses, olifiec  r<'Mls  \'nr  llic  vai'ious  otiticcrs.  Ices  of  various  kinds 
provided  by  law  all  fomhiiied  to  rapidly  increase  the  tax  rate. 
AVith  the  growth  of  the  eounty  business  the  board  found  it  neces- 
sary to  have  a  court  house  and  jail.  .1.  1).  Daimnon  having  made 
a  plat  of  his  first  division  to  the  village  of  Sparta,  offered  to 
donate  block  four  for  a  location  for  the  county  buildings,  and  as 
a  court  house  s(juai-e.  This  was  accepted  by  the  county  board 
^larch  H,  IS.")."),  and  at  the  meeting  held  on  the  .Ith  of  June  of  the 
same  year  the  l)oard  voted  an  appi-opriation  of  not  to  exceed 
^(iOO.nO  for  a  county  building.  H.  .1.  ("asselman,  John  Foster  and 
11.  ]M.  Sanford  were  api)oiuted  a  l)uilding  committee  to  draft 
plans,  to  receive  bids  and  to  cause  the  building  to  be  erected  as 
soon  as  possible.  It  was  completed  for  occupancy  in  1856,  being 
a  frame  building  containing  the  court  room  or  hall,  and  part  of 
the  building  Avas  partitioned  off  foi-  a  jail.  It  stood  in  th"  middle 
of  block  four  of  Dammon's  addition,  being  the  one  in  whieh  [he 
house  now  owned  by  Lee  Canfield  is  situated.  Soon  after  its  com- 
pletion the  building  was  leased  to  the  school  district  for  school 
jmrposes.  when  not  in  use  for  holding  court;  and  on  Sundays  it 
was  used  by  the  Methodists  as  a  church.  There  were  no  otiHces 
in  the  building,  however,  nnd  the  nect'ssity  of  renting  offices  by 
the  county  board  continued  for  sevei'al  years.  Mr.  Dannnon  in 
1862  commenced  an  action  against  the  county  to  recover  posses- 
sion of  the  court  house  site,  claiming  lliat  the  jiritvisions  of  the 
deed  had  been  violated  as  tlie  building  was  l)eing  used  for  school 
purposes  and  foi-  chuicli  purposes  ])rincipall\ .  A  special  session 
of  the  county  board  was  called  Sept(  niber  4.  ISti:!.  a1  which  it 
Mas  voted  to  pay  the  costs  of  the  suit  and  settle  the  same  by  con- 
veying 111"'  i)i'o]ierty  back  to  ^Ii-.  Dammnn.  which  was  subse- 
quently  (lone. 

The  block  where  the  preseul  coui'1  house  stands,  whicii  had 
l»een  dedicated  as  a  jiark  l)y  AVilliam  Pcttit  in  isr)2,  was  selected 
as  the  site  foi'  the  county  buildings,  ami  pui'snani  1o  a  resolution 
of  the  bo;ir<l  a1  the  Xovendier  session  in  ISii:!.  the  court  house 
and  sheriff's  dwelling  were  erected  in  ISd.")  at  a  cost  of  j|<22,r)0(). 
This  building  Mas  considered  (piile  ample  a1  ihe  tinu'  and  served 
the  ])ui'])oses  \ery  Avell  until  the  growth  in  population  and  in  the 
county's  business  made  it  necessary  to  erect  more  modern  build- 
ings. A  modern  l)i-i(dv  jail  M'as  built  in  1<S!)()  jiursuant  to  a  reso- 
lution of  th(^  (M»nnty  board,  costing  about  $17,000.  and  in  1894  the 


MAKING  A  COUNTY  71 

board  passed  an  ordinance  providing  for  tlic  building  of  a  new 
c'onrt  bouse,  wbicli  was  erected  in  1895-96.  It  is  a  tbree-story 
stone  building,  with  plain  but  bandsome  exterior  of  red  sandstone, 
having  good  court  rooms,  a  county  board  room,  commodious 
offices  for  all  the  county  officers,  with  ample  vault  room  in  all  the 
offices  where  records  are  kept  for  a  long  time  in  the  future.  It 
is  heated  by  steam,  electric  lighted  and  has  all  the  modern  con- 
veniences with  steel  furniture  in  all  the  vaults. 

In  1871  the  county  being  then  divided  into  three  districts  for 
the  care  of  the  poor,  the  necessity  of  establishing  a  county  insti- 
tution where  paupers  could  be  cared  for  became  apparent.  At  a 
session  of  the  board  in  February  that  year  a  resolution  was 
passed  to  purchase  a  farm  for  the  purpose  and  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  James  Thomson,  J.  Caney,  D.  Homes,  AV.  AVoodard  and 
J.  B.  Marsden,  were  appointed  to  carry  it  out.  The  committee 
reported  at  the  November  session  the  purchase  of  the  farm  of 
David  Cole  of  200  acres,  situated  in  the  town  of  Adrian,  for  the 
sum  of  $5,000.  This  continued  to  be  used  as  tlu^  poor  farm  until 
1899,  but  it  being  some  distance  from  the  county  seat  and  the 
buildings  being  too  small  for  the  growing  pauper  population 
the  county  board  authorized  its  sale,  and  in  1899  it  was  disposed 
of  and  another  farm  purchased  just  north  of  the  city  of  Sparta, 
in  the  town  of  Sparta.  In  1900  a  brick  home  for  the  poor  with 
modern  conveniences  was  built  upon  this  farm,  costing  about 
$11,000. 

About  this  time  there  was  considerable  agitation  with  regard 
to  building  a  county  insane  asylum,  which  finally  culminated  in 
1901,  when  the  county  board  decided  to  turn  the  poor  house  into 
a  county  insane  asylum,  which  was  done,  and  subsequently  in 
1902  a  poor  house  was  erected  on  another  part  of  the  farm.  In 
1909  the  county  board  purchased  the  farm  of  Grant  Rogers  of 
120  acres,  which  was  adjacent  to  the  farm  owned  by  the  county. 
Subsequently  and  in  compliance  Avith  the  requirements  of  the 
state  board  of  control  a  separate  building  was  erected  in  which 
was  installed  a  modern  steam  heating  plant.  A  large  steel  water 
tank,  giving  heavy  pressure,  was  then  erected  which  supplies  the 
buildings  with  water  and  affords  ample  tire  protection.  So  that 
at  the  present  time  this  county  owns  a  tine  farm  of  280  acres 
■svithin  a  mile  of  the  city  limits  of  Sparta.  Avliich  is  equipped  with 
modern  conveniences,  a  home  for  the  poor  capable  of  housing  in 
comfort  thirty  inmates,  and  with  the  heating  plant  and  water 
system  makes  a  most  complete  equipment,  representing  an  invest- 
ment of  about  $70,000,  all  of  Avliich  is  fully  paid,  and  at  the  time 


72  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOK  COUNTY 

of  this  publication  the  county  is  free  from  debt,  a  situation  which 
reflects  much  credit  upon  the  men  who  have  in  the  past  served 
on  the  county  board  and  brought  to  bear  upon  the  county's  busi- 
ness all  the  careful  thought  and  business  acumen  Avhich  they 
applied  to  their  own  business. 

Not  only  has  the  county  been  rortuiiatc  in  the  building  up  of 
its  own  institutions,  but  through,  the  efforts  of  some  of  its  citizens, 
backed  up  by  natural  advantages,  one  state  and  one  government 
institution  has  been  esta])lished  within  its  borders — the  state 
public  school  for  dependent  children,  now  located  at  Sparta,  and 
the  government  hidian  school,  located  near  Tomah.  In  each 
instance  there  was  »  lively  contest  between  several  cities  of  the 
stat('  for  the  location  of  those  institutions;  the  competition  was 
keen,  l)ut  against  great  odds  in  the  many  advantageous  offers 
from  other  places  our  citizens  were  victorious  and  landed  the 
prizes.  The  state  school  being  established  at  Sparta  by  an  act 
of  the  legislature  known  as  chapter  377,  laws  of  1885,  and  now 
consists  of  a  central  or  administration  building,  with  several  de- 
tached cottages,  and  a  hospital,  a  heating  plant  and  baking  plant, 
all  situated  on  a  farm  of  165  acres,  part  of  which  lies  within  the 
limits  of  the  city  of  Sparta. 

The  Indian  school,  established  by  the  government  at  Tomah, 
situated  on  a  farm  donated  by  the  citizens  of  Tomah  and  l.ving 
about  two  miles  north  of  that  city,  consisting  of  several  large 
buildings,  including  the  administration  building,  superintend- 
ent's residence,  dormitories  for  boys  and  girls,  a  heating  plant, 
hospital  and  several  farm  l)uildings.  In  this  institution  Indian 
boys  and  girls  are  given  education  in  tlie  common  branches  and 
in  addition  to  that  girls  are  taught  needle  Avork  and  domestic. 
Science,  and  the  boys  are  instnicted  in  farming,  carpenter  work 
and  other  useful  occupations. 

"When  the  first  settlers  located  in  the  valleys  of  the  county 
there  were  but  a  few  thousand  people  in  the  whole  state  of  AYis- 
eonsin,  and  at  the  estal)lishment  of  the  count.v  government  in 
1854  there  were  not  more  than  700  people  in  the  entire  county. 
The  stream  of  immigration  came  rapidly,  however,  and  in  I860 
the  county  luid  grown  to  a  population  of  8,000,  and  from  that 
time  forth  it  rapidly  increased  so  that  in  1870  it  was  16,550;  in 
1880  it  was  21,607;  in  1890  it  was  23,211;  in  1900,  28,103;  and  in 
1910,  28,888,  so  that  the  growth  has  been  well  distributed  over  the 
past  years,  has  been  normal  and  kept  pace  with  the  development 
of  its  resources.  Its  farming  population  is  above  the  average  in 
methods  and  intelligence  as  the  wonderful  increase  in  the  dairy 


MAKING  A  COUNTY  73 

interests  and  the  great  progress  made  in  the  raising  of  small 
fruits  will  testify,  each  of  which  subjects  is  treated  in  another 
chapter.  Its  people  as  a  rule  are  progressive  in  the  matter  of 
education  and  at  the  present  time  its  school  system  is  of  the  best ; 
and  several  of  the  towns  in  the  county  have  taken  the  initiative 
in  that  most  important  subject — the  building  of  good  roads. 
Especially  is  this  true  of  the  town  of  Sparta  and  through  the 
enterprise  of  the  officers  of  this  town  several  miles  of  macadam 
highway  have  been  constructed  and  the  town  has  become  well 
and  favorably  mentioned  throughout  the  state  as  one  which  has 
been  a  pioneer  in  this  movement. 

The  year  1911  has  seen  awakenings  in  some  parts  of  the 
county  with  regard  to  the  fact  that  its  resources  are  as  yet 
nowhere  near  fully  developed,  and  through  the  experiments 
made  by  some  of  its  progressive  farmers  and  through  the  efforts 
of  the  Sparta  Fruit  Growers'  Association  a  strong  impetus  has 
been  given  to  the  development  of  fruit  lands  not  only  for  berries, 
but  for  the  raising  of  apples.  Experimental  orchards,  notably 
the  one  grown  by  Fred  JMuehlencanip  in  the  town  of  Ridgeville, 
and  that  of  J.  AV.  Leverieh,  in  the  town  of  Angelo,  liave  demon- 
strated beyond  a  question  that  a  large  portion  of  the  ridge  and 
valley  lands  are  adapted  to  the  raising  of  fall  and  winter  apples 
and  also  several  varieties  of  grapes.  The  prospects  of  the  people 
of  the  county  for  the  future  seems  doubly  assured  as  the  interests 
are  varied,  comprising  cranberry  culture,  dairy  interests,  the 
raising  of  small  fruits  and  bush  l)erries,  diversified  farming  and 
the  prospects  of  the  development  in  the  years  to  come  of  the 
apple  and  the  grape  industries.  With  fertile  ridge  lands  and  its 
well  watered  valleys  INIonroe  county  gives  promise  of  becoming 
one  of  the  garden  spots  of  the  state  of  Wisconsin. 

In  the  official  life  of  the  county  there  have  been  many  lively 
contests  for  the  various  offices,  especially  for  those  positions 
which  until  a  few  years  ago  paid  fees.  P^or  many  years  the  sher- 
iff's office  was  a  storm  center  of  many  political  battles  when  the 
fees  in  one  term  of  office  were  extremely  large,  which  condition, 
however,  the  county  board  subsequently  remedied  by  putting 
this  office  on  a  salary,  as  has  been  done  with  all  the  county  offices ; 
certainly  a  good  business  move  much  to  the  advantage  of  the  tax- 
payers financially  and  with  no  detriment  to  the  service  rendered. 
The  office  of  sheriff"  has  been  held  by  many  well-known  cliarac- 
ters,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  Edward  AVal- 
rath,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers ;  C.  AV.  McMillan,  George  B. 
Robinson,  N.  P.  Lee,  E.  Bartels,  E.  R.  Jones,  A.  J.  Carnahan,  Leo 


74  HISTORY  OF  .MOXROP]  COUNTY 

Vieth  and  many  others,  a  complete  list  of  which  is  ^iven  ;i1  the 
conclusion  of  tliis  chapter.  Perhaps  tlic  most  remarkahle  record 
in  this  otilict'  is  tliat  of  ('.  ^V.  McMillan.  Avho  appears  to  have  held 
it  at  dit^iTcnt  times  for  Mvc  tei-ms,  and  at  other  times  he  served 
as  deputy  slieriflf'  and  untU-i-  sheritt'.  which  is  a  tril)ute  to  the 
popularity  and  political  acumen  of  Mi-.  Mc^Iillan  in  his  day. 

The  ottice  of  llie  connty  treasiirei-.  county  clerk  and  (dei-k  of 
the  court  have  been  iiuu-li  s()u<ili1  after  and  held  by  many  men 
prominent  in  llie  affaii-s  of  the  comity.  The  otitiee  of  the  county 
judge  has  lieen  occupied  by  such  men  as  Col.  George  Graham,  of 
Tomah;  C.  ^1.  Masters,  of  Spai-ta  :  S.  AV.  Button,  of  Sparta,  and 
the  present  incund)ent.  Col.  H.  11  McCoy,  who  has  the  iionor  of 
heing  elected  for  that  office  for  four  terms,  beginning  in  18i)8. 
The  jurisdiction  of  this  coiu't  in  this  county  has  never  been 
enlarged  to  iiKdude  civil  and  criminal  nuitters,  as  has  heen  the 
case  in  some  counties  in  this  state,  but  it  consists  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  estates  of  deceased  persons,  with  authorit}^  to 
sentence  officers  wlio  plead  guilty  of  certain  ofl:*enses.  the  exam- 
ination and  coiinnitmeut  of  insane  per.sons,  and  the  appointment 
of  guardians  of  iinnors  and  those  who  aiT  incapable  of  managing 
their  own  atifairs.  and  the  connuitment  to  state  institutions  in 
such  cases  as  are  provided  by  law.  By  a  law  passed  by  the  legis- 
lature in  1010  and  ]i)ll  this  court  may  hold  terms  at  Tonudi  as 
well  as  at  the  county  seat,  and  the  third  Tuesday  of  each  month 
has  been  designated  as  the  term  day  at  Tomah  when  all  matters 
may  be  heard. 

There  has  been  l)rought  to  the  offi<M^  of  disti-ict  attorney  the 
service  of  many  al)le  lawyers  in  the  county,  beginning  with  that 
of  T^.  A\'.  (ii'a\('s.  who  served  oiu'  term.  l)eginning  in  18(il,  and 
afterwai'ds  became  w(dl  known  as  a  brilliant  and  resourceful 
ti'ial  lawyer.  It  was  also  held  l)y  Komanzo  Bunn,  who  became 
judge  of  tlic  Cnited  States  court  for  the  Avestern  district  of  Wis- 
consin; by  .1.  M.  Moriow.  whose  name  even  now  is  so  well  known 
throughout  the  state  of  AVisconsin  and  Avho  served  as  circuit  court 
judge  of  tbe  si.xth  judicial  cirmil.  .Mr.  .Moi'iow  held  the  otlice 
of  district  atloi-ney  for  four  terms  at  different  times.  David  K. 
•  loiM'S  sei'vcd  foui-  teinis  as  district  attorney  and  latei-  was 
appointed  by  President  ^I(d\inley  as  I'nite  I  States  district  attor- 
ney for  the  western  distiMd  oi'  Wisconsin,  which  otTfice  he  held 
at  the  time  of  his  <leat  li. 

The  otlfiee  of  the  register  of  deetls  was  and  now  is  hotly  con- 
tc^sti'd    foi-.   and   has  been  In-ld  b\-  such   nuMi  as  R.  J.  Kingman, 


MAKING  A  COUNTY  75 

A.  H.  Coiidit.  AV.  (r.  AVillinms,  Jjiuk^s  R.  Lyon  and  others  prom- 
inent in  county  affairs. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  all  the  eounty  officers  from 
1854  to  11)11,  giving:  the  years  in  which  they  wcmt  into  office  and 
the  length  of  time  each  served : 

COUNTY  JUDGES. 

A.  li.  Blake.  1854-r)8 ;  AV.  AV.  -Jaekson,  1858-62;  G.  E.  Pratt, 
1862-66;  George  Graham,  1866-68;  L.  B.  Noyes,  1868-70;  T.  D. 
Steele,  1870-78;  C.  M.  Masters,  1878-86;  AY.  M.  Graham,  1886-90; 
S.  AY.  Button,  1890-98;  R.  B.  AlcCoy.  1898  to  now. 

SHERIFFS. 

E.  AA^alrath,  1854-57;  John  Foster,  1857-59;  C.  AA\  Mc:\Iillan, 
1859-61;  J.  H.  Allen,  1861-63;  J.  A.  Gilman,  1863-65;  C.  AY.  Mc- 
Millan. 1865-67:  G.  A.  Fisk,  1867-69;  D.  B.  Bon.  1869-71  ;  L.  John- 
son, 1871-73;  George  B.  Robinson,  1873-75;  C.  AV.  AIcAIillan, 
1875-77;  N.  P.  Lee,  1877-79;  C.  AV.  McMillan,  1879-81;  E.  Bartels, 
1881-83;  C.  AV.  McMillan,  1883-85;  E.  R.  Jones,  1885-87;  C.  T. 
Angle,  1887-89;  E.  R.  Jones,  1889-91;  James  O 'Conner,  1891-93; 
D.  AY.  Fulmer,  1893-95;  Henry  Coome,  1895-97;  L.  H.  Couger, 
1897-99;  A.  J.  Carnahan,  1899-01  ;  Leo  Vieth.  1901-03;  AV.  B.  Cas- 
sels,  1903-05;  H.  E.  Falk,  1905-07;  Charles  MilUn-d,  1907-09; 
George  Henry,   1909-11;   C.   AV.   AIcFadden,   1911—. 

COUNTY  TREASURERS. 

Samuel  Iloyt,  1855-59 ;  A.  A.  Rendall.  1859-61 ;  L.  S.  Fisher. 
1861-63 ;  G.  H.  Ledyard,  1863-73 ;  Francis  Avery,  1873-81 ;  AY.  F. 
Lee,  1881-85;  H.  H.  Cremer,  1885-87;  C.  G.  Ileitman,  1887-91; 
C.  D.  Hall,  1891-93;  George  P.  Stevens,  1893-97;  J.  A.  Mosher, 
1897-01  ;  AY.  A.  Jones,  1901-05;  A.  L.  Fowhnader.  190.5-09;  E.  F. 
Babcock,  1909—. 

COUNTY  CLERKS. 

L.  S.  Fisher,  1857-59;  A.  F.  Childs,  1859-61;  S.  Aldrich, 
1861-63;  T.  I).  Steele,  1863-67;  S.  D.  Hollester,  1867-69;  James 
Lowry.  1869-71;  S.  D.  Hollester,  1871-75;  AV.  P.  Palmer,  1875-77 
J.  E.  Perry,  1877-79;  IL  H.  Cremer,  1879-81  ;  0.  i\  Berg.  1881-83 
T.  L.  Alartin,  1883-87;  J.  P.  Rice,  1887-91  ;  H.  H.  Cremer,  1891-93 
C.  E.  Heitman,  1893-95;  G.  Heitman,  1895-99;  C.  Sutherland 
1899-03;  C.  B.  Drowabzky,  1903-07;  T.  R.  Talbot,  1907—. 


76  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COl'XTY 

CLERKS  OF   COURT. 

John  Banker,  1854-57;  G.  B.  lloldm.  1857-59;  Cyrus  Centis, 
1859-61;  E.  Nutting,  1861-6:^:  L.  H.  Noyes,  1863-65;  S.  H.  Stearns, 
1865-71  ;  Jacob  Roid,  1871-7:5;  S.  II.  Stearns,  1878-77;  Joel  Brown. 
1877-79:  S.  II.  Stearns,  1879-81  ;  J.  E.  Perry,  1881-8:};  D.  G.  AVil- 
liams,  188:^85;  M.  J.  MeOmber,  1885-87;  I.  R.  Bryan.  1887-91; 
H.  Euckhansin,  1891-95;  Henry  Graf,  1895-99;  G.  F.  Lilli(\ 
1899-0;i;  Ole  Jaekson,  190:3-11;  0.  II.  Doxrud,  1911—. 

REGISTERS   OF   DEEDS. 

AVilbur  Fi.sk,  1855-57;  R.  S.  Kingman.  1857-59;  A.  11.  Condit. 
1859-61  ;  P.  Rawson,  1861-6:3;  :\r.  A.  Thayer,  186:3-69;  J.  M.  Tan, 
1869-7:3;  J.  W.  Cunan,  187:3-77;  AV.  G.  AVilliams.  1877-81;  J.  R. 
Lyon,  1881-8:3;  J.  B.  Adams,  188:3-85;  AV.  H.  Jaekson.  1885-89; 
c"  A.  Erickson,  1889-91  ;  J.  P.  Rice,  1891-9:3 ;  H.  M.  Sowle,  189:3-95; 
John  A.  Sholts,  1895-99;  C.  II.  Stevens.  1899-0:3;  T.  C.  Longwell. 
190:3-07;  D.  F.  Davis,  1907-11  ;  AV.  A.  Holden,  1911—. 

DISTRICT   ATTORNEYS. 

A.  B.  Cornell,  1854-59;  L.  W.  Graves,  1859-61;  C.  E.  Riee, 
1861-6:};  Romanzo  Bunn,  186:3-67;  G.  E.  Prott,  1867-69;  G.  A. 
Rieliardson,  1869-71;  J.  AI.  :\Iorrow,  1871-77;  A.  E.  Bleekman, 
1877-79;  J.  AI.  Morrow.  1879-85;  D.  F.  Jones,  1885-91;  R.  A. 
Richards,  1891-9:3;  D.  F.  Jones,  189:3-95;  George  Graham,  1895-97; 
B.  H.  Ilackett.  1897-99;  H.  C.  Altizer.  1899-01;  B.  H.  Ilackett, 
1901  (died  before  taking  office);  Howard  Teasdale,  1901-05; 
AV.  B.  Naylor.  .Ii..  1905-09;  T.  P.  Abel.  1909—. 

SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  SCHOOLS. 

Al.  H.  Gage,  1862-69;  C.  AV.  Kellogg,  1869-71;  A.  E.  Howard, 
1871-7:3;  N.  H.  Holden,  187:3-75;  A.  E.  HoAvard,  1875-77;  N.  H. 
Holden.  1877-81;  A.  F.  Brandt.  1881-87;  J.  P.  Galiger,  1887-93; 
T.  Al.  Bowler,  189.3-95;  A.  A.  Thomp.son,  1895-01;  G.  IT.  Robert- 
son, 1901-05:  AI.  .M.  Haney.  1905—. 

COUNTY  SURVEYORS. 

Isaac  Tliuiup.soii.  1854-57;  F.  A.  Cliilds.  1857-59:  A.  1).  liigalls. 
1859-61;  L.  E.  Amidon,  1861-63;  L.  S.  Ingalls,  186:3-65;  AVebster 
Kenyon,  1865-67;  O.  R.  Dahl,  1867-69;  C.  C.  Aliller,  1869-71; 
G.  Spurier,  1871-73;  A.  S.  Ingalls,  187:3-79;  A.  B.  Holden.  1879-81; 
AV.  Krnyon.  1881-83;  E.  Neuman,  1883-85:  AV.  Kenyon.  1885-86; 


TRUMAN   R.    TAI>BOT 


MAKING  A  COUNTY  77 

A.  B.  Holden,  1886-88;  AV.  Kenyon,  1888-96;  II.  Laurer,  1896-98; 
Alex.  McCaskey,  1898-1900;  Fred  Holden,  1900-19—;  G.  Sehni- 
der, ;  F.  Holden,  . 

CORONERS. 

C.  P.  ^leClure,  1859-61 ;  C.  W.  McMillan,  1861-71 ;  David  Ben, 
1871-71;  George  B.  Robinson,  1875-77;  C.  W.  McMillan,  1877-79; 
D.  J.  Enderby,  1879-81;  C.  W.  McMillan,  1881-88;  James  0 'Con- 
ner, 1883-87;^  E.  R.  Jones,  1887-89;  C.  Fangle,  1889-91;  O.  H. 
Doxrud,  1891-92;  James  0 'Conner,  1892-95;  D.  W.  Fullmer, 
1895-97 ;  H.  Coome,  1897-99 ;  L.  H.  Conger,  1899-01 ;  A.  J.  Carna- 
han,  1901-03;  Leo  Vieth,  1903-05;  W.  B.  Cassels,  1905-07;  H.  G. 
Falk,  1907-09;  George  Henry,  1909—. 

SENATORS. 

Monroe  county  since  its  organization  has  at  diiferent  times 
))een  in  a  number  of  different  senatorial  districts,  and  this  county 
has  furnished  the  following  senators: 

John  A.  Chandler,  of  Sparta,  in  the  sessions  of  1865  and  1866; 
DeWitt  C.  AYilson,  of  Sparta,  in  the  session  of  1868 ;  Adelbert  E. 
Bleekman,  of  Tomah,  in  the  sessions  of  1871  and  1875 ;  Charles  K. 
Erwin,  of  Tomah,  in  the  sessions  of  1882,  1883,  1885  and  1887; 
H.  W.  Barker,  of  Sparta,  elected  in  1907  for  a  teiTxi  of  four  years ; 
Howard  Teasdale,  elected  in  1910;  now  holding  the  office. 

MEMBERS  OF  ASSEMBLY. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  county  of  Monroe  was  a  part  of 
the  assembly  district  comprised  of  LaCrosse  and  Monroe  counties, 
so  that  it  was  not  until  al)Out  1861  that  a  member  came  from 
this  county.  A  few  years  later  the  county  w^as  divided  into  two 
assembly  districts,  and  afterwards  into  only  one,  which  is  the 
situation  at  the  present  time. 

A  list  is  here  given  beginning  with  the  year  in  which  a  mem- 
ber appeared  from  Monroe  county,  and  after  each  name  will  be 
found  the  year  of  the  session  or  sessions  at  which  each  member 
served : 

James  H.  Allen,  Sparta,  session  of  1873 ;  AVilliam  J.  Austin, 
Leon,  session  of  1881 ;  AA'illiam  Y.  Baker,  Oakdale,  session  of 
1878 ;  AYilliam  A.  Barber,  AVarrens,  session  of  1882 ;  Jesse  Ben- 
nett, Sparta,  session  of  1869 ;  Chauncey  Blakeslee,  Sparta,  session 
of  1877 ;  Adelbert  E.  Bleekman,  Tomah,  session  of  1873 :  AVilliam 
H.  Blyton,   Sparta,   sessions    of    1883-85-89;    Robert    Campbell, 


78  IIISTOHV  OK  .MONHOH  (orXTY 

(ileiidale,  session  of  1880:  David  I).  <'heney,  Sparta,  session  of 
]871;  1).  AV.  Cliciicy.  Spai-ta.  session  of  1891  :  An)ert  T.  Colburn, 
Cataract,  session  of  1876;  James  D.  Condit,  Sparta,  sessions  of 
1  ,s:)8-78-79 :  TTan-y  Doxtader.  Toniali,  session  of  1877;  Lewis  S. 
Fisher,  Sparta,  session  of  1887;  ^liles  LeKoy  Ilineiiian.  Toniah. 
session  of  1887;  .1.  H.  Hinckley.  Toniah.  session  of  iScSiJ;  CharU^s 
A.  Hunt.  Alelvina,  sessions  of  1868-70;  William  W.  Jackson, 
Tomah,  .sessions  of  1868-7.') ;  Fredrick  P.  Johnson.  Ontario,  session 
of  1899;  Steven  B.  Johnson.  Tomah.  session  of  1867;  David  F. 
Jones,  Sparta,  session  of  1897;  Evan  K.  Jones,  Sparta,  session  of 
1901:  John  K.  Jones,  Leon,  sessions  of  1907-09;  James  H.  Lyon. 
Glendale,  session  of  1889;  Thomas  L.  [Martin.  AViltou,  session  of 
1895;  Thomas  ^McCanl,  Tomah,  session  of  1874;  John  J.  [McKay. 
Sj>arta.  session  of  I860:  Joseph  [M.  [Morrow,  Sparta,  session  of 
1862;  John  O'Brien,  AVilton.  session  of  1881;  Charles  E.  Qnitrs:. 
Tomah,  session  of  1893;  Carlton  E.  Rice,  Sparta,  session  of  l.Sii4; 
Jolm  F.  Kichards,  Tomah,  session  of  1872;  Eli  0.  Rudd,  Rudd's 
[Mills,  session  of  1872;  George  P.  Stevens,  Tomah,  sessions  of 
1903-05;  Joseph  .M.  Tair.  Tunnel  City,  session  of  1865;  [Mason  A. 
Thayer,  Sparta,  session  of  1882 ;  James  Tormey,  Tomah,  session 
of  1891  ;  George  R.  Vineent.  Tomah.  session  of  1891  :  Levi  Wal- 
lace, Oil  City,  session  of  1885;  P^li  AVaste.  Sparta,  sessions  of 
1874-75-80:  Charles  D.  AVells,  Tomah.  session  of  1876:  DeAVitt  C. 
Wilson.  Sparta,  session  of  1866. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  LEGEND  OF  CASTLE  ROCK. 

Among  the  natural  curiosities  to  be  found  in  Monroe  county 
there  is,  situated  near  Sparta,  an  enormous  bhitf  which  is  about 
600  feet  high,  liaving  on  its  summit  a  large  circular  rock,  and 
from  its  resemblance  of  an  ancient  castle  it  has  received  the  name 
of  Castle  Rock.  It  is  about  five  miles  northeast  from  the  city  and 
surrounded  by  a  range  of  l)luft"s.  and  is  plainly  visilde  for  a  long 
distance  along  the  St.  Paul  railway  when  approaching  Sparta 
from  the  east.  For  a  great  many  years  it  has  been  a  resort  for 
picnic  parties  and  travelers  and  a  curiosity  even  fo  those  Avho 
reside  near  it.  The  top  can  now  be  reached  by  means  of  a  ladder 
and  a  view  from  its  summit  unfolds  a  ])eautiful  picture  such  as 
only  AYisconsin  can  produce,  and  on  a  clear  day  even  the  hills  of 
Minnesota  are  plainly  visible.  Around  this  beauty  spot  has  been 
drawn  a  delightful  romantic  legend  from  the  pen  of  D.  jMcBride. 
Esq..  now  deceased,  foi-merly  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Sparta 
Herald,  which  runs  as  follows : 

"Some  200  years  ago  a  roving  band  of  Senecas  made  a  raid 
upon  the  land  of  the  Dakotas,  while  the  latter  were  on  the  war- 
path, in  pursuit  of  the  Cheyennes,  and  captured  Yah-ha-rah 
(Silent  AVater),  daughter  of  Keneau-ton-aken  (AVar  Eagle).  A 
terrible  storm  having  struck  down  the  Seneca  chief  and  tlu^  ma- 
jority of  his  followers  soon  after  the  raid,  his  brother,  Po-ga-mie, 
took  the  captive  girl  to  the  French  missionary  station,  at  the 
point  now  known  as  ]\Iackinaw,  where  she  was  ransomed  by  the 
missionaries  and  put  under  the  charge  of  the  'sisters'  until  such 
a  time  as  she  could  l)e  returned  to  her  relatives.  At  this  place 
Silent  Water  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  young  Frenchman  l)y 
the  name  of  LeClere,  who  had  been  banished  from  his  native 
land  for  killing  a  person  of  rank  in  a  duel.  The  two  lonely  ones 
became  sympathizers,  and  a  tender  affection  sprang  up  between 
them,  which  was  soon  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  AVar 
Eagle,  who  had,  after  some  months,  succeeded  in  finding  the 
Avhereabouts  of  his  child  and  had  come  to  take  her  home.  LeClere 
was  lonely  after  Silent  AVater  had  gone,  and  he  resolved  to  seek 

79 


80  lUSTUliV  UK  .M()M{(JK  (.OLXTY 

liis  l(i\f  ill  till'  1.111(1  dl'  the  Dakotas.     Taking  an  interpreter  with 
him  lie  stalled  out  on  his  journey,  and  after  many  stirring  adven- 
tures reached  the  camp  o\'  War  Eagle.     He  Jiow  found  that  the 
old  chief  had  betrothed  liis   daughter  to  a  favorite,  ]\Iame-tah, 
■who  looked  on  LaClere  Avith  distrust  and  jealousy.    F'inding  that 
their  love  was  hopeless  if  they    remained    in    the    land    of    the 
Dakotas,  the  young  lovers  planned  an  elopement.     Tliey  left  the 
lodges  Avhile   War  Eagle  was  on  the  war-path,  hut  were  closely 
followed  by   Mam-e-tali.    who    led    I  hem    a   Jiard    eluise,    until    he 
was  finally  slain  by  the  arrows  of  Silent  AVater.     In  their  wander- 
ings, for  they  were  journeying  towards  the  missionary  station, 
the  young  lovers  discovered  the  bluff,  now  known  as  Castle  Kock, 
the  beauty  of  Avhich  so  charmed  Silent  Water  that  she  begged 
LeClere  to  make  a  lodge  there  for  the  season,  at  least,  and  iie 
reluctantly  complied.     The  rock  ))ecame  their  castle,  and  on  its 
very  summit  w^as  their  wigwam  erected.     Autumn  was  beginning 
to  brighten  'the  oak  leaves  with  a   ruddier  hue,  and  the  lovers 
had   concluded  that  they  would  shortly   continue  their  journey 
towards  the  missionary  station  Avhen  an  incident  occurred  tliat 
dashed  all  of  their  hopes  from  them.    Wai-  Eagle,  who  had  spent 
the  intervening  time  in  searching  for  his  child,  came  suddenly 
upon  them,  just  as  they  were    preparing    for    their    departure. 
Silent  AYater  discovered  him  and  his  followers  sitting  at  the  base 
of  the  rock  one  morning  upon  arising  from  lier  eouch.     The  chief 
and  his  men  were  in  counsel,  and  when  the  counsel  was  ended 
the  former  advanced  close  to  the  rock  and  ])ade  liis  child,  whom 
he  could  not  see,  to  come  down,  declaring  at  the  same  time  that 
he  intended  to  kill  LeClere  and  to  take  her  home.     The  lovers 
resolved  at  once  to  die  together  if  either  nnist  die:  but  they  also 
concluded  to  sell  their  lives  dearly,  and  they  made  instant  ])i-ep- 
aration  to  defend  their  fortress.    The  siege  lasted  for  several  days 
— in  fact,  until  all  the  arrows  and  ammunition  of  tln^  Ix^sieged 
ones   had    been   used,    then,    clasped    in    each    others   arms,    they 
awaited  the  end.     War  Eagle,  on  finding  himself  no  longer  o])- 
posed,  boldly  ascended  the  rock  and  aimed  an  arrow  at  the  breast 
of  LeClere,  Avhich  was  anticipated  by  Silent   Watei".  who  sprang 
forward   in  time  to  receive  a  death  wound,  thus  for  a  nioment 
saving  her  lover's  life.     P'xasperated  by  her  death  LeClere  smote 
"War  Eagle  Avith  his  weapon,  and  having  rendered  the  old  chief 
senseless,  hurried  the  body  from  the  eminence.     A  moment  later 
the  Frenchman  yielded  up  liis  sjiii-it  at  the  hands  of  War  Eagle's 
braves. 

"The  rude  storms  of  200  years,"  says  the  romance,  "have 


THE  LEGEND  OF  CASTLE  ROCK         81 

torn  and  crumbled  the  stately  form  and  graceful  battlements 
into  small  rocks  and  sandy  debris  at  the  base  of  the  rock.  Its 
beautiful  flowering  shrubbery  and  noble  crown  of  evergreens 
have  long  since  disappeared.  Naught  but  the  scraggy  stubs  and 
roots  of  the  tall  red  cedars  that  once  adorned  the  lofty  summit 
are  left  to  tell  the  sad  and  melancholy  tale  of  the  fearful  tragedy 
at  Castle  Rock." 


CHAPTKK  VIIT. 
RAILROADS. 

CHICAGO,  MILWAUKEE  &  ST.  PAUL. 

Rnnuiiig  tlirough  the  county  of  IMoiiroe  are  two  good  systems 
of  railroads  which  Jiave  brought  not  a  little  to  the  development 
of  the  resources  and  interests  of  tliis  county,  as  well  as  of  the 
state  of  AVisconsin,  and  a  brief  outline  of  the  history  of  these  two 
great  lines  deserves  a  place  in  this  work.  For  after  all  that  may 
be  said  it  is  i)Iain  to  i)e  seen  from  the  records  of  the  past  that  the 
real  development  of  the  county  began  Avith  the  establishment  of 
the  railroad  system  affording,  of  course,  a  rapid  and  cheap 
method  of  transportation  when  othci-wise  food,  clothing  and  sup- 
plies of  all  kinds  and  public  travel  wci'e  accomplished  by  means 
of  the  old-fashioned  stages  and  frcnght-hauling  lines,  with  teams. 

Tile  LaCrosse  and  ^Milwaukee  Railroad  Company  was  incor- 
porated by  an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  on  the  2nd  day  of 
April,  18r)2.  Its  first  president  Avas  Byron  Kilborn.  a  man  who 
played  such  a  prominent  part  in  the  development  of  the  city  of 
^Milwaukee  and  of  ihe  state.  In  1854  stock  subscriptions  were 
obtained,  and  ;i  survey  having  been  made  the  general  line  of  the 
road  was  established  on  Avhat  is  ]>ractically  the  same  route  now 
used  by  the  Chicago.  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  railway  between 
^Milwaukee  jind  LaCrosse.  Previous  to  this,  liowevei-.  in  1851,  the 
^Milwaukee  and  Koiid  dii  Lac  Kailroad  Comi)aiiy  was  incorporated 
and  in  185o  the  conii)aiiy  received  its  eiuirtei"  under  liie  name  of 
Alilwaukee,  Fond  d\i  Lac  and  Green  l^ay  railroad.  By  an  act 
of  Ihe  legislature.  ;ij)i)i'oved  .lune  27.  185.'i  these  iwo  railroads 
were  allowed  and  autiioi-i/.ed  1o  coiisolid;ite.  which  ihey  did.  niid 
began  the  building  of  Ihe  road  towards  Fond  dii  L;ic  later  on  in 
1854.  The  Milwaukee,  Fond  du  Lac  and  Green  liay  railroad  was 
consolidaleil  with  the  LaCrosse  and  ^Milwaukee  company,  assum- 
ing the  latter  nanu>  and  proceeded  Avith  the  eonsti-uction  of  the 
road  already  commenced,  by  turning  it  in  tlie  direction  of 
LaC'rosse. 

in  183G  congress  donated  a  large  grant  of  land  to  the  state  to 

82 


KxilLROADS  83 

assist  in  railroad  purposes,  and  the  western  part  of  this  was  con- 
ferred by  the  state  to  the  LaCrosse  and  INIilwaukee  company 
after  the  consolidation,  and  on  March  14,  1857.  the  road  was  com- 
pleted as  far  as  Portage,  ninety-eight  miles  from  ^Milwaukee  and 
just  about  one-half  way  to  what  is  now  the  city  of  LaCrosse. 
The  times  were  hard  during  the  year  1857-58  and  the  railroad,  in 
common  with  other  l)usiness  interests,  suffered  very  much  and 
there  were  a  numlier  of  changes  in  its  officers.  Tlic  cud  of  the 
year  1857  found  this  little  railroad  with  a  debt  of  .^8,263,660.91, 
while  the  entire  stock  issue  of  the  road  amounted  to  $7,687,540.26. 
The  annual  report  of  that  year  is  truly  a  story  of  financial  em- 
barrassment and  business  difficulties.  The  report  set  out  as  fully 
as  the  officials  dared  to  but  in  a  much  guarded  manner  the  dis- 
astrous results  of  the  acts  of  the  legislature  and  other  official 
corruption  by  which  the  land  grant  of  the  previous  year  was 
obtained.  On  the  27th  day  of  September,  1857,  the  road  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Selah  Chamberlain,  avIio  had  been  the  original 
contractor  and  builder  of  a  portion  of  it.  He  leased  it  from  the 
LaCrosse  and  jMilwaukee  company  and  continued  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  road,  and  the  whole  line  was  opened  up  from 
INIilwaukee  to  LaCrosse  on  the  first  day  of  October,  1858. 

In  1860  Chamberlain  surrendered  the  lease  to  ^Messrs.  Broson 
&  Sutter,  the  trustees  of  the  second  mortgage  holders  at  this  time. 
An  order  was  made  by  the  United  States  District  Court  appoint- 
ing Col.  Hans  Crocker  as  receiver  of  the  western  division  of  the 
road  from  Portage  to  LaCrosse.  He  was  also  subsetpiently  ap- 
pointed receiver  of  the  eastern  division  from  Portage  to  INIilwau- 
kee, and  after  taking  possession  of  the  entire  road  he  operated 
it  until  the  12th  day  of  June.  1863,  when  by  an  order  of  the  court 
he  surrendered  tlie  western  division  to  the  INIilwaukee  and  St. 
Paul  Railroad  Company  as  purchaser,  and  turned  over  the  eastern 
division  of  the  same  company  to  operate  under  him  as  receiver, 
in  which  capacity  he  continued  to  act  until  January  9,  1866, 
when  the  entire  road  went  into  the  possession  of  the  Milwaukee 
and  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company.  Previous  to  this  the  Chicago 
and  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company  had  l)een  organized  and  started 
to  build  a  line  between  Chicago,  INIilwaukee  and  St.  Paul,  and  on 
the  first  day  of  January,  1872,  the  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  com- 
pany formally  purchased  the  Chicago  and  St.  Paul  railroad.  This 
was  made  by  giving  the  bonds  of  the  St.  Paul  company  for  about 
$4,000,000  in  gold,  payable  in  London  in  1902,  bearing  7  per  cent 
interest.  The  road  between  Milwaukee  and  Chicago  was  not  com- 
pleted until  1872,  and  in  the  following  year  was  transferred  to 


84  lllSTOKY  UF  MONROE  COL  XT Y 

the  ]\Iihva\ikoo  and  St.  Paul  company  and  a  route  410  miles  lon^ 
between  ^lihvaukee  and  St.  Paul  then  completed.  The  road  con- 
tinued to  operate  under  the  name  of  Milwaukee  aiul  St.  Paul 
railroad  until  Febnuiry.  1S74,  when  hy  an  act  of  1he  legislature 
the  name  was  changed  to  the  Chicago.  ^lilwaukee  and  St.  Paul 
Railway  Company,  which  name  it  has  borne  ever  since. 

In  1874  the  legislature  passed  wliat  Avas  known  as  the  "Pot- 
ter" law,  wliich  limited  the  rates  foi-  passengers  and  freight 
traffic,  and  this  provided  for  a  l)oard  of  railroad  commissioners. 
This  law  Avent  into  effect  ^lay  1.  1874.  and  George  II.  Paid.  John 
W.  TToyt  and  Joseph  Hosborn  were  appointed  railroad  commis- 
sioners. At  about  this  time  there  was  considerable  feeling  on  the 
part  of  the  people  against  the  railroad  company  on  account  of 
the  fact  that  the  7-ailroads  regarded  the  "Potter''  law  as  uncon- 
stitutional and  refused  to  reduce  their  charges  for  the  passage 
and  freight  traffic  until  compelled  to  do  so  by  a  decision  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  state. 

In  1876,  however,  the  "Potter"  law  was  repealed  and  a  law 
passed  establishing  the  maximum  prices  for  freights,  and  since 
that  time  there  has  been  considerable  legislation  Avhich  has 
resulted  in  the  present  law  giving  supervision  of  railroads  to  the 
jurisdiction  of  a  railroad  commission  appointed  by  the  governor. 

The  Chicago,  .Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  railway  has  completed 
the  line  to  the  coast,  beginning  at  Mobridge.  South  Dakota, 
where  it  joins  on  to  the  end  of  the  old  line  under  tlie  lunne  of 
Chicago,  ^Milwaukee  and  Puget  Sound  raihvay.  While  llu'  two 
systems  are  i)ractically  one  lliey  are  i-un  under  sepai'ate  manage- 
ment, and  through  this  county  tliei-e  now  passes  daily  two  of  the 
finest  passenger  trains,  perhaps,  in  the  world,  the  '" Olympian" 
and  the  "Columbian,"  fitted  wilh  every  convenience  known  for 
the  comfort  of  a  tvn\eler. 

THE  NORTHWESTERN  RAILROAD  COMPANY. 

In  the  year  187.S  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad  Com- 
pany eonstrueled  its  line  through  this  county.  This  eompany 
was  first  organized  as  tlie  Illinois  and  Wisconsin  Railway  Com- 
pany and  was  to  lun  the  line  from  Chicago  to  the  Wisconsin 
state  line.  It  was  consolidated,  iiowever.  with  the  Rock  Rivei; 
Valley  Union  railroad,  which  was  to  run  from  the  state  line  to 
Fond  du  Lac  and  thus  to  form  what  was  afterwards  designated 
the  St.  Paul  and  Fond  du  Lac  Air  Line  Railway  Company. 

In  1859  the  road  Avas  sold  to  a  syndicate  of  capitalists  and 
was  reorganized  under  the  present    Chicago   and   Northwestern 


RAILROADS  85 

Railway  Company.  Subsequently  the  Dixon,  Rockford  and 
Kenosha  and  the  Galena  and  Chicago  railroads  became  consoli- 
dated with  and  a  part  of  the  Northwestern  in  June,  1864,  and  in 
October  that  same  year  it  absorbed  the  Peninsular  railway,  and 
in  1869  the  Detroit  and  INIadison  railway,  and  in  1871  tlie  Baraboo 
Air  Line,  running  from  ^Madison,  and  in  due  course  the  North- 
western absorbed  the  Winona  and  St.  Peter  running  from  AVinona 
to  New  Ulm,  Minnesota,  and  thence  extended  to  Lake  Kanipeska, 
Dakota,  320  miles  from  the  Mississippi  river.  The  line  was  built 
from  iNIadison  to  Elroy,  where  it  formed  connections  with  the 
West  Wisconsin  railroad,  and  this  and  the  other  line  formed  the 
shortest  route  from  Chicago  to  St.  Paul,  only  lacking  a  short 
length  to  fill  the  gap  between  AVinona  and  Elroy,  but  while  this 
Avas  not  a  \'ery  great  distance  and  the  difficulties  encountered  in 
constructing  this  line  were  tremendous.  There  was  in  existence 
a  company  called  the  LaCrosse,  Trempeleau  and  Prescott  Railway 
Company  which  contemplated  building  a  railroad  from  AVinona, 
running  southwest  into  Alonroe  county.  The  Northwestern  com- 
pany purchased  this  road  from  AA^inona  junction,  finished  the 
track  to  Sparta,  Alonroe  county,  and  opened  the  whole  line  for 
regular  traffic  with  a  grand  excursion  on  the  25th  of  September, 
1873.  The  line  from  Aladison  to  Sparta  passes  through  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  portions  of  AVisconsin,  and  nowhere  in  the 
state  can  more  beautiful  scenery  be  found.  Passing  through 
Aladison,  the  lake  country,  it  skirts  the  shores  of  Devil's  lake, 
goes  by  the  dells  of  the  Baraboo  river,  and  runs  into  the  beautiful 
hill  country  between  Elroy  and  Sparta.  But  this  beautiful  hill 
country  was  the  means  of  a  vast  exi^enditure  of  money,  perhaps 
greater  than  any  other  present  road  in  the  middle  west.  Among 
the  difficulties  met  with  were  the  numerous  springs  of  water,  and 
many  devices  had  to  be  resorted  to  in  order  to  continue  the  work 
and  take  care  of  the  tlow.  It  became  necessary  to  make  three 
long  tunnels  between  Kendall  and  Sparta,  the  longest  of  which, 
"No.  3,"  is  situated  in  the  town  of  Ridgeville  and  is  3,800  feet 
in  length  and  cost  nearly  $1,000,000  to  construct.  The  other  two, 
"No.  1"  and  "No.  2."  between  Norwalk  and  AVilton,  and  AVil- 
ton  to  Kendall,  are  al)out  1,700  feet  in  length. 

This  great  company  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  important 
railroads  of  the  country,  and  a  map  of  its  lines  shows  tlu^  vast 
territory  reached  by  its  various  ramifications;  and  the  traffic 
has  demanded  not  only  the  building  of  direct  routes,  but  great 
hauling  capacity  for  freights  to  and  from  the  far  west,  so  that 
in  order  to  avoid  the  heavy  grades  between  Elroy  and  Sparta  the 


86 


TIISTOHV  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 


Xurlliwcslfni  (•uiui)aiiy  cMUSftl  to  in'  iiicr>r[)()i'ati'(.l  in  J!»l()  what 
is  known  as  the  "^lihvaukoe,  Spai-1a  and  Northwestern  Railway 
Company."  wliieh  lias  eonslnicted  an  aii-  liuf  in  tlir  slioi-t  space 
of  one  year  from  ^Milwaukee  to  Sjiaila.  passin^r  through  llic  east- 
ern and  central  portion  of  llic  count.w  ])iei-('inu-  tlic  range  of  hills 
at  Tunnel  City,  near  the  tunnel  of  the  St.  I'aul  (•omi)any,  and 
crossing  the  tracks  of  the  St.  Paul  a  few  miles  east  of  the  city  of 
Spar^a.  At  the  time  this  work  will  !)(>  dis1ril)ut('d  trains  Avill  he 
in  opei'ation  on  this  road. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  WEST  AVISCONSIN  RAILROAD. 

Closely  connected  with  the  history  of  the  village,  now  the  city 
of  Tomah,  was  the  construction  of  Avhat  was  known  as  the  West 
AVisconsin  railroad,  from  Tomah  to  Black  River  Falls.  There 
Avas  considerable  agitation  with  regard  to  the  building  of  this 
road  among  the  citizens  of  both  places,  and  in  view  of  the  advan- 
tages for  transportation  purposes,  the  two  communities  sub- 
scribed for  a  large  amount  of  stock  in  order  that  the  road  might 
be  built. 

Accordingly  the  movement  was  set  on  foot  to  take  advantage 
of  national  aid  by  the  granting  of  lands  in  this  state  to  assist 
in  the  construction  of  railroads.  An  act  of  Congress  passed  the 
5th  day  of  jMay,  1864,  among  other  things  made  a  special  grant  of 
certain  lands  in  this  state  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from 
Tomah,  in  the  county  of  ]\lonroe,  to  the  St.  Croix  river  or  lake 
between  townships  twenty-five  and  thirty-one.  and  from  thence 
to  Lake  Superior  and  Bayfield.  To  digress  a  moment,  the  con- 
struction of  this  road  as  contemplated,  if  it  had  been  completed 
clear  through  to  Bayfield  and  in  operation  today,  undoubtedly 
would  have  had  a  great  influence  upon  the  past  history  of  not 
only  the  city  of  Tomah,  but  the  city  of  Black  River  Falls,  for  it 
would  run  through  a  rich  country. 

On  March  20,  1865.  the  legislature  of  this  state  by  a  joint 
resolution  accepted  the  grant  as  provided  in  this  act  of  congress. 
Previous  to  this  a  railroad  company  had  been  incorporated  by  an 
act  of  the  legislature,  approved  April  1,  1863,  and  was  originally 
known  as  the  "Tomah  and  St.  Croix  Railway  Company."  It  was 
granted  the  right  to  build  a  road  from  Tomah  in  the  county  of 
Monroe,  or  on  the  right  of  way  of  the  ^Milwaukee  and  LaCrosse 
Railway  Company,  or  any  other  railroad  running  out  of  Tomah 
by  way  of  Black  River  Falls,  and  from  there  by  the  most  feasible 
route  to  such  point  on  Lake  St.  Croix,  between  townships  twenty- 
five  and  thirty-one,  as  the  directors  should  determine.  Tliis  act 
was  called  "an  act  of  incorporators,  the  Tomah  and  Lake  St. 
Croix  Railroad  Company,"  and  to  repeal  and  annul  a  portion  of 

87 


88  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COFXTY 

the  grant  of  laud  heretofore  made  to  tlie  LaCrosse  and  ^lihvau- 
kee  Railroad  Company. 

Th(^  list  of  the  incorporators  of  tliis  railroad  here  given  con- 
tains Ihe  names  of  a  numher  of  men  who  afterwards  attained 
l)i'ominence  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin.  Here  tliey  are:  William 
AVilson  and  William  Carson,  of  Dnnn  county;  Joseph  Th()ri)e  and 
1\.  F.  Wilson,  of  Fau  Claire  county;  Andrew  S.  Greg  and  H.  S. 
Allen,  of  Chippewa  county;  A.  Gaylord,  of  Polk  ((ninty  ;  N.  S. 
Dunbar  and  Charles  H.  Cox,  of  Pierce  e(»iiiil\  ;  11.  L.  lluiiii)lii'ey, 
of  St.  Croix  ;  Miles  D.  Pvindle,  of  Pepin  county:  George  .M.  (iil- 
key,  of  Hutfalo  county;  R.  C.  Field,  of  Trenii)eleau ;  Carl  C.  Pope 
and  AVilliam  T.  Price,  of  Jackson  county;  Rich'ard  Dewhurst.  of 
Clark  county,  and  C.  D.  Spaulding.  of  Monroe  county. 

Afterwards,  and  on  the  6th  day  of  April,  186(i,  the  name  of 
the  company  was  changed  to  that  of  the  West  AVisconsin  Rail- 
way Compan.y,  and  the  construction  of  the  road  Avas  commenceil. 
The  lirst  strip  of  it  between  Tomah  and   P>lack  River  Falls  was 
built  in  the  suiiinier  of  1868.  and  train  service  was  started  regu- 
larly l)etween  Tomah  and  Black  Hiver  Falls,  wliieli  continued  up 
until  Novend)er,   1873,  at  Avhicli   time  ti-onble  ai-ose  between  the 
company  and  the  town  of  Tomah  irom  tin    tact  that  the  company 
claimed  that  the  town  had  not  kei)t   its  conti'act  with  regard  to 
the  sul)scription  of  stock,  and  threatened  to  tear  up  the  line  from 
"Warren's  ]\Iills  to  Tomah  and  thus  cut  the  village  ott'  from  Jack- 
son county.     This  threat  Avas  finally  put   into  execution  and  the 
iMiiiipany  sent  a  crew  oi'  men  doAvn  to  that  end  of  the  line,  and  on 
the  last  Sunday  of  November.  1872,  they  tore  u\)  the  track  betwiHMi 
Tomah  and  AVarren's  ]\lills.    It  was  only  accomplished  after  strong 
resistance  l)y  the  citizens  of  the  village  and  the  excitement   ran 
liigh  at  the  time.     During  the  same  year,  1872,  the  company  con- 
structed   a    track    tlu'ough    Warren's   Alills   to    Fli-oy,    nuiking   a 
junction  at   the  latter  ])lace  with  the  Chicago  anil  Northwestern 
Railway  Company,  and  by  this  means,  as  Avell  as  by  the  tearing 
up   of   the   track    from    Tomah    to    Warren's    Mills,   gi-eat    in.jm-y 
was  inflicted  upon  the  business  interests  of  Tomah  and  the  citi- 
zens were  vei-y  indignant   and  did  not   pi'opose  to  tamel\-  submit 
to    such    high-handed    lu'ocedure.      .Vccoi'dingly.    on    the    2!)th    of 
January,   187o,  a    bill   was   introduced    in   the   legislature  by  the 
Hon.   A.   E.   Bleekman.   then   the   membei-   of  the   assem])ly   from 
Alonroe   county,   entitled   "a    bill   i-e(piiring   the   "West   "Wisconsin 
iiailroad  Company  to  relay,  maintain  and  operate  its  road  from 
Tonudi   to  "Warren's   Alills   in     .Monroe    county."     The   bill   Avas 
referred   to  the  judiciary   committee,    Avhich    reported    it    back 


THE  WEST  WISCONSIN  RAILROAD  89 

again  with  amendments  and  recommended  its  passage,  and  after 
a  warm  fight  in  tlie  h'gislature  it  passed  both  houses  and  was 
approved  by  the  governor  February  18,  1873.  The  company, 
however,  defied  this  act  of  the  legislature,  refused  to  comply 
with  it  in  any  manner,  under  the  claim  that,  the  act  was  uneon- 
stitutional.  and  thus  began,  perhaps,  the  first  chapter  in  the 
history  of  railroad  legislation  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin  regarding 
the  acts  of  such  corporations. 

The  fact  that  the  company  failed  to  comply  witJi  tins  law 
compelled  the  citizens  of  Tomali  to  go  to  the  courts,  and  accord- 
ingly upon  an  application  made  to  the  supreme  court  and  on  the 
29th  day  of  August,  1873,  leave  was  granted  to  commence  action 
against  the  company,  and  the  attorney-general  instituted  pro- 
ceedings in  file  nature  of  quo  warranto,  to  have  declared  for- 
feited the  defendant's  charter,  and  asked  that  the  company  be 
dissolved  under  the  act  of  February  13,  1873,  above  mentioned. 
The  company  in  its  answer  to  this  writ  claimed  that  the  act  Avas 
unconstitutional  and  nugatory,  and  demurred  to  the  complaint 
on  the  following  grounds :  First,  that  the  court  had  not  juris- 
diction of  the  subject  matter.  Second,  that  the  complaint  did  not 
state  facts  sufficient  to  entitle  the  plaintiff  to  the  relief  demanded 
herein,  or  to  any  relief. 

This  action  was  brought  to  hearing  upon  th(»  demurrer  at  the 
January,  1874.  term  of  the  supreme  court,  and  the  demurrer  was 
overruled.  The  defendant  company  then  answered  and  the 
village  in  turn  demurrcHl  to  the  answer  set  up  by  the  company 
on  the  ground  that  it  did  not  state  facts  sufficient  to  constitute  a 
defense.  AYhen  the  matter  came  up  for  hearing  the  court  held 
that  the  company,  in  discontinuing  the  road  and  taking  up  the 
track  from  Warren's  Alills  to  Tomah,  violated  the  provisions  of 
its  charter  and  its  duty  to  the  state  under  its  charter;  and  that 
the  railroad  company  Avas  required  by  chapter  thirty-one  of  the 
laws  of  1873,  being  the  act  of  February  13th,  to  relay  and  operate 
that  part  of  the  road  which  it  had  originally  received  a  charter 
to  ])uild,  and  was  bound  to  maintain  it ;  namely,  that  portion  of 
the  line  which  they  hnd,  as  has  been  stated,  torn  up  between 
Tomah  and  AVarren's  Alills.  The  court  entered  an  order,  sus- 
tained the  demurrer  to  the  company's  answer  with  leave  to  the 
company  to  amend  !>>'  the  first  day  of  the  next  term. 

This  decision  of  the  court  was  a  body  blow  to  the  claim  of 
the  company,  and  in  order  to  save  further  litigation  a  proposition 
Avas  made  to  the  village  of  Tomah  to  settle  the  case  by  a  payment 
of  a  sum  of  money.     A  meeting  of  the  citizens  Avas  called  and 


90  IIISTOKV  OK  .Mo.XIi'OK  (OlXTY 

the  matter  eonsidered,  and  after  one  oi-  two  stormy  sessions  the 
proposition  of  the  company  lo  i);i\'  $l(),0()(i  in  consideration  of  the 
droi)pin!y:  of  ;ill  litigations  Avas  tinally  aeeepted,  and  this  ended 
tile  matter.  By  an  act  of  tiie  legislature  Fel)ruary  i:].  1876,  the 
act  of  February  13,  1878,  Avas  repealed  and  the  building  of  the 
line  from  AVarren's  ]\Iills  to  Elroy  whs  legalized.  The  UKMuber 
of  the  assembly  from  Tomab  ;it  Hiis  lime  was  ("liarles  D.  Wells. 
Portions  of  tlie  old  road  betl  fruiu  Tomali  to  AVarren's  IMills  may 
still  be  seen,  mute  monuments  of  those  stirring  times  which  lead 
not  only  to  ])hysical  violence,  but  costly  litigation  on  tlie  part  of 
this  little  community  to  maintain  its  rights  against  a  corporation. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MONROE  COUNTY  NEWSPAPERS. 

BY  L.  B.  SQUIER. 
MONROE  CITIZEN. 

The  beginning  of  newspaper  work  in  ]\Ionroe  county  dates 
from  some  time  in  the  year  1854,  when  L.  P.  Rising  l)egan  the 
publication  of  a  small  paper  called  the  ^Monroe  Citizen.  ]\lr. 
Rising  came  from  Cattaragus  County,  New  York,  bringing  Avith 
him  a  knowledge  of  the  printer's  trade  and  a  small  printing  out- 
fit. He  settled  near  the  western  line  of  the  county,  about  two 
miles  from  Sparta.  Here  he  cultivated  a  small  farm  and  also  got 
out  a  paper  about  8x12  inches  in  size,  which  he  printed  on  a  press 
of  his  own  construction.  Nominally  it  was  issued  at  Sparta  and 
the  subscription  price  was  $1.00  per  year.  It  did  not  appear  with 
regularity,  but  at  intervals,  according  to  the  opportunities  of  the 
eccentric  farmer-editor.  The  period  of  existence  of  the  Citizen 
was  limited  to  about  two  years. 

SPARTA  HERALD. 

This  was  the  first  regular  newspaper  in  Monroe  county ;  was 
published  under  different  names  at  ditt'erent  periods  in  its  his- 
tory. The  Sparta  Watchman  was  established  at  Sparta  in  the 
spring  of  1855  by  Milton  ^Montgomery  and  J.  1).  Condit.  This 
was  prior  to  tlu^  entrance  of  any  railroads  into  the  county  and 
the  printing  outfit  obtained  at  Beaver  Dam  was  brought  to  Sparta 
by  wagon.  After  pid)lishing  the  paper  one  year  IMontgomery  and 
Condit  sold  it  to  Lucius  ]\1.  Rose,  who  had  been  connected  with 
the  Watertown  Chronicle.  ]\Ir.  Rose  changed  the  name  of  the 
paper  to  Monroe  Freeman,  and  i)ublished  it  until  the  spring  of 
1858.  Avhen  it  was  purchased  by  David  IMcBride,  who  had 
previously  published  the  ]\Iauston  Star.  He  changed  tlie  name 
to  the  Sparta  Herald,  which  the  paper  has  retained  to  the  pres- 
ent time  with  the  exception  of  the  two  years  1867-1 860.  In  the 
spring  of  1867  the  paper  passed  into  Democratic  control  and  was 
called   the    Sparta   Democrat.     It   was   edited   by   William   Jay 

91 


92  lllSTOKY  OK  MOXKOE  (Ol  NTV 

\\'!ii|i|)l('.  wlio  jil'tcrward  wciil  lo  Wii;oiui  mikI  pulilislicd  llic 
Winona  Democrat.  In  18()!>  llic  pajjer  again  cjiuk*  into  tlic  pos- 
session of  D.  .McRride,  Avho  associated  with  him  in  Ihc  hnsiness 
his  son,  \V.  .McBride.  They  rechristened  the  paper  S|)arta  Her- 
ald, and  from  that  time  to  the  present  it  has  l)e('ii  stnrdily  Ke- 
pnl)lican  in  politics.  In  1884,  after  the  death  of  I).  McBridc,  the 
newspaper  i)rop(M-ty  ]iassed  into  the  hands  of  his  two  sons,  who 
have  pnblished  it  under  the  name  of  .McHride  Brothers.  ;iiid  it  is 
still  so  pnhlishcd.  althongh  owned  liy  W.  Mcl'.ride.  The  paper 
is  an  eight-colnmn  folio,  printed  all  at    Iiohm-. 

So  far  as  can  he  learned  the  first  effort  to  establish  a  Demo- 
cratic newspajx'r  in  ]\Ionroe  connty  was  in  18.")!).  when  the  Sparta 
Democrat  was  started  by  two  men,  Richard  M.  Copeland  and 
George  Babcock.  The  pnblication  of  tliis  paper  was  discontinued 
after  about  six  months. 

Another  attempt  at  a  Democratic  paper  in  Sparta  was  made  in 
1868  by  two  brothers,  Henry  and  Harrison  Hayden.  who  had  been 
previously  employed  l)y  the  Herald.  It  was  published  only  a  few 
mouths,  the  Tlaydens  having  some  disagreenu^it  willi  theii-  Dem- 
ocratic backers,  and  was  discontinued,  the  llaydens  moving 
away. 

SPARTA  EAGLE. 

The  Sparta  Kagle  was  a  second  Republican  paper  started  at 
Sparta  in  18(i().  as  the  result  of  dissensions  among  Republieau 
politicians  in  the  county.  William  H.  Farnham  and  Luther  B. 
Xoyes  were  the  publishers  one  year,  after  which  the  latter  retired 
and  the  paper  was  continued  by  .Mr.  Fai'uham  luitil  18ti8.  lu 
that  year  he  sold  it  to  George  Kedway.  who  came  from  Ohio,  and 
sul)se(inentl>'  his  bi-otlnM'.  R.  E.  Redway.  had  it  for  a  time,  .\flei' 
this  the  |)apei-  freciueiitly  changed  hands.  D.  B.  J'riest.  Carson 
Graham  and  William  Nelson,  all  of  Viro(|ua.  were  connected  with 
it  between  18()!>  and  1871.  In  the  latter  year  it  was  owned  for  a 
time  by  W.  li.  Kiiieh.  aftei-ward  editor  of  the  LaOrosse  Repub- 
lican-Leadei'.  He  sold  it  to  R.  ('.  Bierce.  of  Vii-o(|na.  and  Henry 
Rising,  a  son  of  the  editor  of  .Monroe  county's  tii-st  paper.  t!ie 
Citizen.  In  the  fall  of  1871  the  paper  was  sold  to  D.  W.  C.  Wil- 
son and  Theodore  F.  Hollister.  The  following  year  .Mr.  Wilson 
withdi-ew  and   the  Kagle  soon  after  died. 

MONROE  COUNTY  DEMOCRAT. 

Soon  after  the  suspension  of  the  S])arta  Kagle  the  outfit  was 
bought  bv  D.  W.  C.  Wilson,  who  in    187:^    started    the    ^Monroe 


MONROE  COUNTY  NEAVSPAPERS  93 

County  Republican,  a  Democratic  paper.  He  published  it  until 
1879,  when  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Monroe  County  Demo- 
crat, a  paper  moved  from  Tomah  by  Brown  and  Foster.  Mr. 
Wilson  retired  from  the  business  and  Messrs.  Brown  and  Foster 
continued  the  paper  under  the  name  of  the  Monroe  County  Re- 
publican. In  August.  1879,  Mr.  Foster's  connection  with  the  paper 
ceased  and  ^Ir.  Brown  changed  the  name  to  the  ]Monroe  County 
Democrat.  In  October,  1883,  Guy  Whitney,  of  Portage,  took 
charge  of  the  paper  and  the  next  February  B.  W.  Perry  became 
associated  with  him  in  it.  About  three  months  later  Mr.  Perry 
became  proprietor  and  in  January,  1885,  he  changed  the  name  to 
Democrat-Enterprise. 

After  disposing  of  the  Democrat  F.  A.  Brown  started  a  Repub- 
lican paper,  the  Sparta  News.  He  had  been  publishing  it  nearly 
a  year  when,  on  the  16th  of  August,  1885,  the  Sparta  Democrat 
was  burned  out  in  the  Ida  House  fire.  The  remnant  of  the  outfit 
w^as  bought  by  B.  E.  McCoy,  of  Sparta,  who  also  bought  the 
Sparta  News,  and  combining  the  two  began  the  publication  of  the 
Sparta  Democrat,  changing  the  name  soon  after  to,  ^lonroe 
County  Democrat.  ]\Ir.  McCoy  published  the  paper  almost  ten 
years,  selling  it  in  September,  1895,  to  D.  C.  Streeter,  of  Sparta. 
Later  S.  E.  Streeter  became  associated  with  his  brother  in  the 
business  under  the  name  of  Streeter  Brothers.  In  October,  1897, 
it  was  leased  to  D.  W.  Cheney  and  Clark  S.  McCoy;  was  run  by 
them  for  a  year.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  lease  D.  C.  Streeter 
again  became  publisher  and  S.  E.  Streeter  editor.  These  brothers 
became  involved  in  some  litigation,  the  paper  going  into  the  hands 
of  a  receiver  for  a  time.  D.  C.  Streeter  being  successful  in  the 
litigation  again  became  proprietor,  and  published  the  paper  with 
C.  S.  McCoy  as  editor  until  December  19,  1903,  Avhen  the  plant 
was  sold  to  G.  S.  Ellicott.  The  following  fall  he  sold  to  el.  P.  Rice 
and  W.  C.  Plawkins.  October  1,  1905,  IMr.  Hawkins  disposed  of 
his  interest  to  George  Esch,  who,  with  Mr.  Rice,  conducted  the 
paper  until  November  15,  1907,  when  Esch  disposed  of  his  inter- 
est to  W.  N.  Wells,  and  the  Democrat  has  been  conducted  by  Rice 
&  Wells  up  to  the  present,  Mr.  Wells  being  editor  and  manager. 

WISCONSIN  GREENBACK. 

Among  the  papers  published  in  the  county  for  a  short  time 
was  the  Wisconsin  Greenback,  which  flourished  during  the 
Cooper  campaign.  It  was  started  in  June.  187().  by  Lamborn  and 
Needham.     j\lr.   Needham  soon  retired  and  the  paper  was  con- 


94  IIISTOHV  OF  .MnxK(u:  corxTY 

liiiucd  l)\'  Di'.  J.  L;iiiil)(tni  Mild  his  son,  Artliui'  15.  Ii  l)ecamc'  the 
or^an  of  tho  GrcciiljjifU  paity  in  th<'  state  and  was  removed  to 
^lihvankee  in  1S77.  I)u1  iiftcrwjird  returned  to  Spiirta  and  was 
published  for  a  short  time. 

SPARTA  TRIBUNE. 

The  Sparla  Trihiiue  was  a  paper  stalled  in  1SS2  by  II.  E. 
Kelly  and  had  a  brief  existenee.  it  was  the  organ  of  the  so-called 
Independent  Re])nblieans.  who  formed  a  coalition  with  the  Demo- 
crats antl  carried  the  county  in  the  fall  election.  ^Ir.  K(dly 
started  another  paper  called  tlie  Tudej^endent  in  -July,  1M90.  He 
sold  it  in  January.  181)4.  to  L.  S.  lliiiii])lirey.  of  .Madison.  The 
next  July  it  was  discontinuetl.  the  outfit  beiii";  sold  to  ^IcBride 
Brothers. 

TOMAH  CHIEF. 

The  pioneer  newspaper  of  Tonudi  w;is  1lie  Tonuili  Chief.  It 
was  published  as  early  as  ]859  when  Toiuali  was  only  a  small 
settlement,  and  there  was  not  adequate  sui)])()i-t  for  ;i  news]iaper. 
It  was  a  small  sheet  and  was  i)ublis!ied  aliout  a  year. 

TOMAH  JOURNAL. 

The  establishment  of  a  permanent  lU'wspaper  in  Tomah  dates 
from  the  year  1867.  In  .July  of  that  year  the  Tomah  Journal  Avas 
started,  and  from  that  time  to  the  i)resent  the  name  has  not  l)eeu 
changed.  It  has  l)een  ])ublished  eontinuou.sly  longer  than  any 
other  paper  in  tlu^  county. 

The  .Jouriud  was  started  by  .lames  A.  and  Cli.-ifles  D.  AVells 
and  for  al)out  eight  ye;irs  \\as  published  by  one  or  both  of  these 
brothers,  with  sexcral  changes  of  firm  name.  In  ls7-'>.  ( '.  D. 
AVells'  coiuiection  with  the  ])aper  ceased,  .-iiid  in  April.  lS7(i.  he 
started  a  Democratic  paper  in  Tonuih  calI'Ml  the  Tomali  Signal. 
It  was  i)ublished  less  Ihiiii  ;i  .\e;ir.  .1.  .\.  Wells  continued  the  i)ub- 
lication  of  the  .Joiu'iial  until  in  .lanuar\.  1S,S4.  when  he  sold  it  to 
Kibbe  (Jc  A'iiH'ent.  .\1  lh;it  time  .Mr.  Fred  Kilibe  was  ]tul)lishing 
a  small  |)apcr  cwlled  the  St;ir.  -which  w;is  then  merged  with  the 
Journal.  During  the  ye.ir  llu'  .Journal  was  leased  to  Mr.  S.  L. 
Chase,  mid  in  .laiiuar\-,  ISS.").  it  wns  sold  to  F.  I>.  S(|uier  and  .1.  H. 
Diitton,  w!io  ])ublished  it  for  three  years.  Al  tluit  time  .Mr. 
S(|uier  bought  out  his  ])ar1iic!-"s  interest  jind  li;is  conducted  the 
l)api']'  to  the  prest-nt  time.  The  .loui-nal  is  a  six  column  (piarto. 
four    i)ages    liom(>    print.       It     has    licen    T?e])ub]ic;in    in    politics 


MONROE  COUNTY  NP]W8PAPKRS  95 

throughout  its  entire  history.    The  office  is  well  equipped,  with  its 
own  power  plant. 

About  the  year  1867  a  paper  called  the  Toniah  Democrat  w'as 
started  hy  a  ]Mr.  Averill.  but  it  Avas  published  only  six  months. 
The  next  attempt  to  establish  a  Democratic  paper  in  Tomah  was 
made  by  C.  D.  Wells  in  1876,  and  has  already  been  mentioned. 
In  January,  1878,  V.  A.  Brown  and  George  A.  Foster  began  the 
publication  of  the  Monroe  County  Democrat  at  Tomah.  About  a 
year  later  they  removed  the  office  to  Sparta  and  the  paper  w'as 
consolidated  with  the  Monroe  County  Republican. 

TOMAH  MONITOR-HERALD. 

The  next  Democratic  paper  in  Tomah  was  called  the  Badger 
State  Monitor,  Avas  started  July  1.  1880.  by  Jay  R.  Hinckley.  He 
published  this  paper  for  eight  years,  during  part  of  which  time 
he  also  published  the  Juneau  County  Argus  at  New  Lisbon  and 
the  Herald  at  Portage.  In  1888  he  sold  the  Monitor  to  J.  A. 
AVells,  a  former  editor  of  the  Tomah  Journal ;  later  he  took  into 
partnership  his  son,  C.  J.  AYells;  they  purchased  the  Tomah  Her- 
ald in  11>U1,  com])ining  it  with  the  ^Monitor  under  its  present 
name. 

The  Tomah  Herald  was  started  in  1891  by  Jay  R.  Hinckley 
and  successively  owned  by  Briggs  Brothers,  George  F.  Grassie 
and  ]\Ir.  Lee,  by  whom  it  was  sold  to  J.  A.  and  C.  J.  AVells. 

The  ^lonitor-Herald  is  a  weekly  newspaper  of  eight  pages, 
seven  columns  to  the  page,  published  Fridays,  is  Republican 
in  politics.  The  office  is  ecjuipped  Avith  a  modern  outfit,  the 
largest  tAVo  revolution  press  in  the  county  at  the  present  time,  a 
linotype,  three  job  presses,  using  electric  poAver. 

HERALD-ADVERTISER. 

In  February,  1891,  Mr.  Hinckley  having  purdmscd  the  Port- 
age Advertiser,  combined  it  Avith  his  Portage  Herald  and  again 
located  in  Tomah,  i)ublishing  his  paper  under  the  name  Herald- 
Advertiser.  In  January,  1891,  he  moA^ed  his  paper  to  Sparta, 
Aviiere  he  published  it  for  a  fcAV  years,  then  turned  it  into  a 
daily,  Avhieli  Avas  sold  to  a  local  company,  Avhich  conducted  it 
for  about  a  year,  finally  disposing  of  the  plant  to  L.  D.  Merrill; 
he  moved  the  outfit  to  the  Teasdale  building,  discontinued  the 
daily  and  resumed  the  Aveekly  publication.  Subsequently,  the 
plant  Avas  sold  to  Dorrington  and  Ross,  Dorrington  retiring  from 
the  firm  shortly   after.      The   paper  had   a   precarious   existence 


96  TIISTOKY  OF  .M()XK*()K  COT'NTV 

;iii(l  tiii;ill\'  liiiii  iiriii  I  (lit'tictilt  ics  llircw  il  iiilo  l);iiil<i'ti|)1cy  and  it 
was  sold  by  the  trustee,  ajiaiii  passing'  into  Ihe  hands  of  L.  I). 
jNlerrill.  l-]ai-l\-  in  litlo  he  sohl  it  to  a  eoHipany  formed  of  local 
men.  who  ehanged  the  name  to  the  Monroe  County  Republiean. 
it  Avas  published  under  that  name  up  to  about  October  1.  IDll, 
when  jmblicat  ion  was  finally  discontiinicd,  the  plant  sobl  1o 
.Merlin   Hull   of  Black  TJiver  Falls  and   moved  to  lliat   eity. 

TOMAH  ENTERPRISE. 

The  Tomah  Enterprise  was  started  in  the  spring  of  1885  by 
K.  .\.  Alderman  and  Son.  and  A\iis  discontinued  in  -Inly.  1887. 
Later  the  i)lant  was  removed  to  .Montana.  The  Enterprise  was 
Republican  in  politics. 

NEWSPAPERS   OF   CASHTON. 

In  Decern biM',  18!);}.  J.  A.  Haines  canu'  1o  Cashton  from  Han- 
gor  and  founded  the  first  newspaper,  which  he  named  The  Star. 
Not  having  an  outfit  of  liis  own.  he  luid  the  sheet  printed  at 
Sparta.  After  continuing  the  publication  for  about  a  year,  he 
sold  Avhat  he  had  to  his  son,  Fraidx.  who  kept  the  paper  running 
until  the  spring  of  1895,  when  he  sold  to  E.  II.  Briggs,  Avho 
came  here  with  an  outfit  from  Shell  Lake,  AVis.  Briggs  changed 
the  name  of  the  paper  from  The  Star  to  The  p]nter])risc.  Briggs 
sold  the  plant  to  E.  II.  Brown  and  d.  AY.  TTaughton  in  August, 
1895.  These  gentlemen  came  iici'e  Irom  \'iro<|ua  and  conducted 
the  business  until  the  foUoAving  July.  1896.  when  they  moved  the 
plant  to  Brooklyn,  AVis.  For  a  few  weeks  Cashton  was  without 
a  paper,  but  the  peoi)le  induced  Frank  Haines  to  try  auain  and 
he.  in  company  with  Frank  Rudoli)h,  started  the  Record.  Things 
went  l)adly  with  tliem  and  they  Avere  forced  to  sell  the  following 
sunniier  to  .James  ^McAIanamy.  AlcAlanamy  edited  the  paper  until 
the  winter  of  1898,  when  a  fire  destroyed  the  building  ami  most 
of  the  outfit.  .McAlanaiiiy  then  sold  what  was  left  to  0.  G. 
Briggs  oi'  \'ii(i(|ua.  IL  conducted  the  i)usiness  until  the  fall  of 
1!)05,  when  E.  11.  Brown  of  A^'iroqua.  the  present  owner,  pur- 
(diased  the  i)lant  and  also  that  of  the  Independent,  whicli  was 
started  by  .1.  R.  Ilinkley  in  the  summer  of  190:?.  Air.  Iliid<ley 
sold  his  interest  in  the  paper  to  d.  A.  .\ori"is  and  Xorris  to  E.  II. 
Brown.  During  the  year  1!)()(>  Fraid<  Haines  started  a  paper  here 
called  the  Sun.  but  its  life  was  short.  He  afterward  started  a 
.jol)  otlice.  but   that   also  soon  gave  up  the  ghost. 


MONROE  COUNTY  NEWSPAPERS  97 

NORWALK  SENTINEL. 

This  paper  was  started  in  January,  1888,  and  was  discontinued 
six  months  later.  The  Norwalk  Times  was  started  just  after  the 
Sentinel  ceased  publication  and  was  published  for  about  six 
months  by  H.  C.  McGary;  the  paper  being  printed  at  Sparta. 

NORWALK  STAR. 

Founded  in  October,  1903,  by  0.  AV.  Sprecher,  who  conducted 
it  until  the  summer  of  1907,  Avhen  it  was  purchased  by  AY.  J. 
Robinson,  and  the  ensuing  fall  was  purchased  by  E.  G.  Hessel- 
grave,  the  present  owner  and  proprietor.  This  paper  started 
under  discouraging  circumstances,  but  has  steadily  grown  in  cir- 
culation and  advertising  patronage  until  at  the  present  time  it 
stands  second  to  any  paper  in  tlie  county  in  respect  to  legiti- 
mate home  patronage.  Independent  in  politics  and  stands  for 
the  best  interests  of  Norwalk,  Alonroe  county,  and  state  of 
AVisconsin. 

WILTON  HERALD. 

The  AA^'ilton  Herald  was  started  about  the  beginning  of  the 
year  189-4  by  a  man  named  Bugbee,  who  set  the  type  in  the  A^^il- 
ton  office  and  printed  the  paper  at  Reedsburg.  He  was  soon 
succeeded  by  Thompson  &  Brown,  and  later  C.  H.  Brown  became 
the  sole  owner,  he  in  turn  sold  the  paper  to  J.  E.  Gruber  in 
February,  1900.  who  has  been  the  proprietor  and  editor  ever 
since. 

KENDALL  KEYSTONE. 

The  first  issue  of  the  Kendall  Keystone  was  published  Jan- 
uary 28,  1904,  by  Clarence  S.  Dodge,  who  came  to  the  village 
from  AYhite  Rock,  S.  D.  It  was  started  as  an  eight  page  five  col- 
umn paper  and  its  publication  was  continued  by  Mr.  Dodge 
until  July  29,  1905.  when  it  was  purchased  by  the  present  pub- 
lisher, Alex  R.  McCleneghan.  He  soon  enlarged  the  paper  to  a 
six  column  eight  pages,  the  standard  county  paper  size.  In 
politics  the  Keystone  is  Independent  Republican;  the  paper  has 
prospered  from  the  beginning  and  now  has  a  subscription  list  of 
about  eight  hundred  and  good  advertising  patronage.  The  paper 
is  ably  edited  and  has  succeeded  in  bringing  Kendall  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  outside  world,  which  is  appreciated  by  the  people 
of  that  bustling  village. 


98  HISTORY  OF  .ArONROE  COUNTY 

WARRENS  INDEX. 

The  AVarrons  Index  was  started  at  AVarrens,  Wis.,  October  2, 
1896,  -with  AY.  G.  p]vans,  formerly  of  ^Missouri,  as  editoi-.  Tlu' 
newspaper  outfit  "vvas  added  to  a  job  printing  office,  which  liad 
been  doing  business  for  a  few  years,  owned  by  F.  R.  Barber. 
The  paper  was  published  by  IMr.  Evans  until  ^lay,  1908,  when 
he  disposed  of  his  interest  to  I.  S.  Dunn,  of  Elroy.  ^Ir.  Dunn 
severed  his  eonneetioii  with  the  })ai)er  the  following  year,  l)ut  its 
publication  was  continued  ))y  the  Index  Printing  Co.  under  dif- 
ferent editors  for  several  years.  In  September,  1910,  the  paper 
was  discontinued,  the  subscription  list  and  i)art  of  tin-  i)lant  being 
sold  to  the  Tomah  Jonnml. 

VALLEY  ADVOCATE. 

The  AViseonsin  Yalley  Advocate  was  started  at  Yalley  Junc- 
tion on  JNIarch  3,  1898,  by  E.  T.  Hale,  of  Elroy.  After  l)eing  run 
for  a  time  as  a  local  paper,  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Twentieth  Century  Co.,  with  AY.  C.  Brawley,  of  ]\Iauston,  as 
editor.  It  was  enlarged  and  became  chiefly  an  agricultural  paper, 
devoted  to  the  development  of  the  lands  in  that  section  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Brawley  Avas  succeeded  by  AY.  II.  Price  as  editor, 
who  conducted  the  paper  until  November,  1907.  At  that  time  it 
Avas  discontinued,  the  subscription  list  being  disposed  of  to  the 
Toniah  -lournal  and  the  plant  was  sold  to  other  parties. 

TOMAH  HERALD. 

The  Tomah  Ib-rakl  was  started  as  a  daily  newspaper  in  the 
year  1894  by  J.  R.  Hinckley  and  Son,  avIio  were  also  publishing 
a  daily  paper  in  Sparta  at  that  time.  After  a  short  time  it  was 
purchased  ])y  Briggs  Bros.,  Avho  changed  it  to  a  weekly  paper. 
In  about  a  year  they  sold  it  to  George  Grassie,  of  Alilwaukee,  Avho 
afterward  disposed  of  it  to  R.  G.  Lee.  In  190-1  Air.  Lee  mo\  ed 
the  press  and  part  of  the  ])lant  to  Tomahawk,  selling  the  sub- 
scription list  and  part  of  the  material  to  AYells  and  Son  of  the 
Tomah  Alonitor,  who  then  chantred  tlu^  name  of  tlicir  paper  to 
Alonitor-llerald. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MONROE  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 
BY  WILLIAM  H.  BLYTON. 

When  the  news  was  received  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  the 
general  feeling  of  indignation  felt  by  the  North  did  not  escape 
the  citizens  of  this  young,  but  loyal  county,  and  at  no  place  in 
the  United  States  was  the  president's  call  for  troops  more 
promptly  responded  to.  Six  full  companies  of  volunteer  soldiers 
w^ere  organized  and  a  part  of  the  seventh  furnished  by  this 
county,  together  with  a  large  number  of  men  in  different  com- 
panies in  several  of  the  regiments.  In  all,  there  were  927  men 
who  w^ent  from  JMonroe  county  during  the  war,  and  of  this  num- 
ber 141  gave  up  their  lives  in  the  service  of  their  country. 

This  is  a  remarkable  record ;  Monroe  county  did  its  full  share 
and  a  little  more,  as  will  readily  be  seen  when  the  fact  is  remem- 
bered that  in  the  census  report  for  1860  the  entire  population 
of  the  county,  men,  women  and  children,  numbered  about  8,407 
souls,  and  the  male  population  between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and 
fifty  was  only  2,220,  together  with  the  further  fact  that  the 
county  w^as  only  seven  years  of  age,  having  been  organized 
March  21,  1854 ;  and  that  when  war  was  declared  the  assessed 
valuation  of  the  entire  property  of  the  county,  real  and  per- 
sonal, was  but  $1,477,745. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing,  it  seems  that  it  may  be  said  that 
Monroe  county  did  more  than  her  full  share  and  made  for  her- 
self during  the  AVar  of  '61  a  record  that  any  and  all  of  her  citi- 
zens may  refer  to  with  pride.  We  feel  that  w^e  are  justified  in 
boasting  of  our  volunteer  soldiers,  who  Avere  citizens  before  they 
became  soldiers. 

The  population  of  the  county  now  is  28,881,  as  against  8,407 
in  1860,  and  the  assessed  A'aluation  of  our  real  and  personal 
property  is  $25,921,265,  as  against  $1,477,745  in  1860,  which  is 
suggestive  of  the  truth  of  the  oft  repeated  saying  that  we  live 
in  a  progressive  age,  and  as  a  new  generation  stands  in  our 
places,  let  them  be  taught  that  the  Union  soldier  has  done  much 

99 


100  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

ill  AVar  and  in  Peace.  That  in  every  avenue  of  life  soldiers  are 
nuiiihcred  still  l)y  the  thousands,  and  the  lessons  of  patriotism 
should  not  be  lost  ui)on  our  children  or  our  children's  children, 
and  they  should  be  made  to  feel  that  the  blessing  enjoyed  in  a 
free  country  depend  upon  the  loj'alty,  patriotism,  and  intelli- 
gence of  its  people. 

The  history  of  the  troops  which  went  from  this  county  into 
the  war  is  necessarily  the  history  of  the  various  regiments  in 
which  its  citizens  enlisted ;  in  order  to  fully  record  the  great 
service  which  was  rendered  in  that  struggle  by  our  own  peo- 
ple, the  history  of  some  of  the  regiments  in  which  companies 
enlisted  from  this  county  is  given  in  this  chapter;  it  is  a  remark- 
able record,  the  record  of  hardships,  bravery  and  good  Ameri- 
can patriotism  under  all  circumstances,  and  one  which  has 
formed  no  small  part  of  the  remarkable  history  of  AVisconsin 
troops  during  the  Rebellion.  There  were  several  regiments  in 
which  nearly  whole  companies  came  from  ^Monroe  county,  no- 
tably Company  A,  Third  Cavalry,  which  was  almost  entirely  from 
this  county;  Company  I,  Fourth  Cavalry,  and  a  large  number  in 
Company  F,  Fourth  Cavalry;  some  twenty-tive  or  six  in  the  First 
Battery,  Light  Artillery;  quite  a  number  enlisted  in  the  Sixth 
Infantry  in  A'arious  companies;  Company  C  of  the  Eighteenth 
Infantry ;  Company  C  of  the  Nineteenth  Infantry,  a  large  num- 
ber in  Company  D  of  the  same  regiment ;  Company  D  of  the 
Twenty-tifth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  also  a  large  number  of  Com- 
pany F;  Company  C,  Twenty-sixth  Infantry;  Company  K,  Forty- 
third  Infantry:  Company  I,  Forty-eighth  Infantry;  Company  B. 
Fiftietli  Infantry,  and  Company  A,  Fifty-first  Infantry. 

THE  SIXTH  INFANTRY. 

The  Sixth  Regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  Randall  in  -June. 
1861,  and  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  July  13th :  left 
the  state  July  27th,  reaching  AVashington  August  8th.  This  regi- 
ment, in  connection  with  the  Second  AVisconsin.  Fiflh  Wiscon- 
sin and  Nineteenth  Indiana,  composed  Gen.  Rufus  King's  First 
Brigade  and  throughout  the  war  the  Second,  Sixth  and  Seventh 
AA^isconsin  Regiments  served  in  the  same  organization,  and 
became  knoAvn  the  world  over  as  ''The  Iron  Brigade,"  and  their 
services  throughout  that  struggle  were  rendered  as  brigade  and 
not  as  regiments. 

These  three  "Wisconsin  regiments  had  absolute  confidence  in 
one  another;  the  men  to  a  great  extent  were  personally  ac- 
quainted; their  campaigns  extended  over  a  comparatively  small 


MONROE  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR  101 

section  of  the  country ;  they  became  familiar  with  the  army 
against  which  they  Avere  called  upon  to  battle.  During  the  four 
years  they  were  in  close  proximity  to  the  powerful  armj'^  led  by 
the  most  brilliant  officers  of  the  Confederacy;  they  knew  that  a 
march  of  a  day  or  two  in  its  direction  meant  skirmishing,  if  not 
a  battle.  It  was  necessary  throughout  these  years  in  which  his- 
tory was  made  that  men  of  this  brigade  be  ready  for  battle  all 
of  the  time. 

Another  circumstance  is  found  in  the  fact  that  from  the  first 
to  the  last,  the  brigade  was  commanded  by  a  soldier  who  knew 
how  to  command  and  Avho  knew  how  to  get  the  best  possible 
work  from  his  men.  General  King  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point. 
A  thorough  disciplinarian,  and  his  work  during  the  few  months 
in  which  he  had  command  was  invaluable  in  preparing  the 
brigade  for  its  future  services. 

He  M'as  succeeded  by  Gen.  John  Gibbons  in  ^lay,  1862,  who 
continued  the  work  of  making  his  brigade  regular  army  soldiers, 
and  they  were  regulars  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name ;  not  only  were 
the  men  well  drilled  and  well  instructed,  but  the  field  and  line 
officers  were  made  efficient,  so  that  when  General  Gibbon  was 
placed  in  the  command  of  a  division  after  the  battle  of  Antietam, 
all  of  the  surviving  colonels  of  the  brigade  were  competent  to  take 
his  place.  Meredith  of  the  Nineteenth  Indiana  and  Cutler  of 
the  Sixth  Wisconsin  were  made  brigadiers,  and  had  experience 
as  commanders  of  the  brigade.  They  folloAved  as  closely  as  they 
could  in  the  footsteps  of  Gibbon.  Then  came  Colonel  Robinson, 
of  the  Seventh  Wisconsin,  and  then  Colonel  Bragg,  of  the  Sixth. 
Colonel  Bragg  had  been  a  remarkably  close  student  of  Gibbon's 
methods  and  soon  after  assuming  the  command  he  was  made  a 
brigadier  general.  When  he  left  the  command  in  February,  1865, 
an  officer  who  had  left  AVisconsin  as  a  first  lieutenant  and  had 
reached  the  rank  of  colonel  of  the  Sixth  Wisconsin,  succeeded 
him,  and  ])ecame  a  brigadier  general  by  brevet  because  of  his 
splendid  management  in  the  closing  campaign  of  the  war,  this 
was  Gen.  John  A.  Kellogg. 

Aside  from  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  the 
spring  and  summer  of  1862  on  the  Potomac,  this  brigade  missed 
none  of  the  great  and  small  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
Its  opportunities  for  winning  credit  and  thinning  its  ranks  were 
greater  than  were  offered  to  any  other  Wisconsin  regiments 
sent  to  the  war,  and  the  statement  is  here  emphasized  that  any 
other  four  Wisconsin  regiments  similarly  situated,  similarly 
commanded,   kept   together  throughout   the  war  and   given  the 


102  iiisi'DRY  OF  :\ionrop:  county 

same  opportunity  to  win  distinction  Avoiild,  without  any  kind  of 
donbt,  liave  won  tho  sanio  rank  and  licen  given  tlic  same  erodit. 
After  spending  the  winter  of  18()l-2  on  Arlington  Heights,  the 
brigade  broke  eainp  ]Mareli  10,  1862,  joined  in  the  march  of  Mc- 
Clellan's  great  army  on  Centerville  and  IManassas. 

The  first  great  battle  in  which  the  brigade  played  a  i)r()ini- 
nent  part  was  in  Gainsville,  Va.,  August  28,  1862;  it  was  the 
beginning  of  a  series  of  battles  in  Uie  vicinity  of  Bull  Run  battle 
tield  of  the  year  before;  here  Jackson's  corps  had  destroyed  mil- 
lions of  dollars  worth  of  property  at  Manassas  and  had  turned 
back  to  join  the  balance  of  Lee's  army.  Gibl)on's  brigade  con- 
sisted of  Ihe  four  regiments  named  and  Hattery  B;  for  hours 
faced  antl  fought  Stonewall  Jackson's  army  corps  of  nearly 
thirty-six  regiments.  The  only  help  it  had  for  a  portion  of  the 
time  being  the  Fifty-sixth  Pennsylvaiiia  and  the  Seventy-sixth 
NeAV  Yorl:  on  the  right  (tf  the  line.  The  brigade  entered  the 
engagement  with  2,200  men  and  its  loss,  killed  and  wounded,  was 
800,  but  in  that  battle  it  won  a  name  for  good  soldiership. 

The  next  engagement  was  South  ^Mountain,  "Sid.,  September 
14:  in  this  battle  the  brigade  charged  upon  the  high  mountain 
in  the  face  of  a  much  larger  force  and  won  the  signal  victory.  In 
this  battle  its  conduct  was  witnessed  by  the  corps  commander. 
Gen.  Joseph  Hooker,  and  Gen.  George  B.  JMcClellan,  conunander 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  it  was  in  this  battle  that  it 
was  given  thr  name  of  the  "Iron  Brigade."  General  ]\lc('lellan 
asked,  "Whose  troops  are  these?"  As  he  saw  Ihe  l)i'igade  charge 
upon  the  mountain,  Avhen  told  by  General  Hooker  that  it  was 
Gibbon's  western  brigade,  he  remarked,  "They  are  men  of  iron." 
as  the  story  goes.  AVithin  a  few  days  Cincinnati  ]iapers  were 
received  in  which  the  western  men  Avere  spoken  of  as  the  "Iron 
Brigade."  There  are  different  stories  as  to  how  the  brigade 
received  its  name,  but  General  Bragg,  who  grew  up  with  tlie 
organization,  said  tliat  in  his  belief  it  was  the  war  correspond- 
ents and  he  thought  it  was  a  con-espondent  of  a  Cincinnati  paper 
who  gave  the  comni.iiKi  the  name  it  has  held  (>ver  since. 

At  the  first  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  in  December,  1862.  when 
tlie  brigade  was  in  Franklin's  grand  division,  on  the  left,  and 
while  it  was  under  fire  two  days  and  lost  considerable  nund)er 
of  men,  it  was  not  the  disastrous  kind  of  an  (>ncounter  it  had 
experienced  in  previous  battles. 

It  participated  in  Burnside's  famous  !Mud  ^Marcli  in  1S()2  on 
the  Potomac,  when  it  returned  to  its  camps  at  Bell  Plain  until 


MONROE  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR  103 

Hooker's  campaig'n  began  iu  the  last  week  of  April,  18G3,  when 
it  made  its  remarkable  charge  in  pontoon  boats  across  the  Rap- 
pahannock river  at  Fitzhugh  Crossing,  charged  the  heights  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  drove  the  enemy,  took  possession, 
fortified  and  held  the  place  until  General  Hooker's  men  had 
crossed  the  riA'er  and  got  on  the  left  flank  of  Lee's  army,  when 
the  brigade  recrossed  the  river  and  marched  to  join  the  main 
army  at  Chancellorsville,  where  it  participated  in  the  fight  and 
joined  in  another  retreat  on  the  safe  side  of  the  Rappahannock. 
A  short  time  later  it  participated  in  the  three  bloody  days  of  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg,  beginning  July  1.  1862.  At  this  time  it 
was  the  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  First  Army  Corps,  Gen. 
Solomon  Meredith  being  in  command.  It  is  claimed  by  some 
authority  that  the  Wisconsin  brigade  and  Pennsylvania  infantry 
opened  fire  in  that  battle  at  about  the  same  time. 

The  authorities  of  ])oth  states  claim  that  their  soldiers  were 
the  first  to  begin  the  infantry  fighting,  but  the  fact  is  that  they 
belonged  to  the  same  division  and  marched  into  the  fight  at  the 
same  time.  In  the  first  day's  fight  the  brigade's  loss  was  very 
great  in  officers  and  men,  and  lost  more  than  one-third  of  its 
troops  in  killed  and  wounded.  During  the  balance  of  the  two 
days'  battle  it  was  on  Gulp's  Hill,  behind  strong  entrenchments. 
It  was  called  into  action  several  times  and  saw  the  never-to-be- 
forgotten  charge  made  by  the  Confederates  under  Gen.  George 
E.  Pickett. 

After  Meade's  fruitless  campaign  in  November,  1863,  the 
brigade  returned  to  its  quarters  with  the  rest  of  the  corps  at 
Culpeper  Court  House,  and  on  the  1st  of  January  the  Sixth  and 
Seventh  regiments  re-enlisted  for  three  years  more  or  during 
the  war,  and  were  given  thirty  days'  furlough,  returning  to 
Wisconsin  as  regiments.  Their  reception  by  the  people  of  the 
state  constituted  one  of  the  great  events  in  the  lives  of  the  young 
soldiers.  At  the  end  of  the  thirty  days  the  two  regiments 
returned  to  the  brigade  and  iu  May.  1864,  it,  with  the  rest  of 
the  army,  plunged  into  the  AVilderness  campaign  on  ]\Iay  5,  1864, 
and  they  were  not  out  of  the  hearing  of  hostile  guns  until  the 
surrender  of  Lee's  army  at  Appomattox,  April  9,  1865.  It  was 
in  the  forefront  in  the  two  days'  battle  of  the  Wilderness 
proper,  at  Laurel's  Hill,  Spottsylvania,  Bethesda  Church,  in 
North  Anna,  Cold  Harbor,  the  Siege  of  Petersburg,  the  three 
days'  battle  of  Weldon  railroad  beginning  August  18th,  and 
ending  on  the  21st;  the  battles  of  Hatcher's  Run,  Gravely  Run, 


104  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Five  Forks  and  Appomattox.  Tlie  brigade  took  its  place  in  the 
grand  revicAV  in  AVasliington  after  the  "war,  and  two  months 
later  returned  to  the  state  and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service. 

THE  EIGHTEENTH  INFANTRY. 

The  Eighteenth  Infantry  was  ordered  to  Camp  Sigel.  ^U\- 
waukee,  January  7,  1862.  It  completed  its  organization  and 
was  mustered  into  the  service  and  left  the  state  about  the  last 
of  March,  1862,  reaching  Pittsburg  Landing  April  5,  and  went 
into  the  Battle  of  Shiloh  the  next  day.  It  was  surprised  by  the 
Confederates  early  in  the  morning  of  April  6th,  and,  although 
it  was  poorly  drilled  and  wholly  unprepared  for  service,  yet 
Avithin  a  week  it  Avas  forced  into  one  of  the  greatest  battles  of 
the  war  and  took  up  the  work  of  fighting,  and  made  a  credit- 
able record,  losing  many  valuable  officers,  including  the  colonel 
and  a  large  number  of  men.  Col.  S.  H.  Alban  was  killed  early 
in  the  engagement;  Lieut.  Col.  S.  AV.  Beall,  who  had  been 
lieutenant  governor  of  AVisconsin.  Avas  severely  Avounded,  and 
Maj.  J.  AV.  Crain  Avas  killed.  In  this  battle,  the  Eighteenth 
lost  tAventy-five  killed  and  ninety-one  Avounded.  Jn  the  folloAV- 
ing  October  it  Avas  in  the  battle  of  Corinth,  again  losing  heavily 
in  killed  and  Avounded.  1)ut  adding  greatly  to  its  reputation  as  a 
fighting  regiment.  Capt.  Gabrial  Bouck,  of  the  Second  AViscon- 
sin,  Avas  made  colonel  to  succeed  Colonel  Alban.  killed  at  Shiloh. 
The  Eighteeutli  Avas  one  of  AVisconsin's  regiments  at  the  battle 
and  siege  of  Vicksburg.  The  regiment  reached  Chattanooga  in 
time  to  take  part  in  the  battle  of  Alission  Ridge,  November  25, 
1863,  and  from  there  Avent  to  Iluntsville.  Avhcre  it  remained  on 
guard  and  outpost  duty  until  'May.  1864.  ]\Iost  of  its  duty  from 
that  time  to  the  end  ol'  the  war  consisted  of  important  guard 
and  outpost  duty,  aside  from  tiic  i)arl  it  took  in  1iu^  Confederate 
attack  on  Alloona  I'ass.  There  Avere  stored  at  this  pass  an 
immense  quantity  of  aniiy  supplies.  The  Confederate  army 
needed  these  supplies  and  they  attacked  Avith  great  force  and 
A'igor.  ])ut  the  small  force  of  Union  troops  stationed  there  fought 
as  soldiers  are  seldom  called  upon  to  fight.  Here  the  Eighteenth 
Avon  for  itself  great  praise  and  great  distinction.  It  Avas  in  this 
battle  that  General  Slu>rman  signaled  to  General  Corse  from 
KenesaAv  AFountain  to  hold  the  position,  for  he  Avas  coming.  From 
this  dispatch  came  that  Avouderful  old  song.  ''Hold  the  Fort, 
for  T  am  Coming."  General  Corse  had  received,  previous  to 
this  message,  seA'eral  Avounds  and  signaled  l)ack  to  Sherman, 
"I  have  lost  an  ear,  part  of  a  cheek  and  am  Avounded  in  one  arm. 


MONROE  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  AVAR  105 

but  I  will  hold  the  fort  until  Hades  freezes  over."  It  was  one 
of  the  sharpest  battles  of  that  kind  fought  during-  the  war,  and 
to  this  day  many  wonder  how  that  small  force  could  check  and 
drive  back  a  whole  division  of  Confederates. 

AVhile  the  Eighteenth  did  not  march  with  Sherman  to  the 
sea,  it  joined  Sherman's'  army  by  traveling  on  boats  and  rail- 
roads, reaching  it  the  last  of  March,  and  was  with  him  until 
Raleigh,  the  capital  of  North  Carolina,  surrendered,  soon  after 
which  Johnston  and  his  army  laid  down  their  arms.  The 
Eighteenth  had  three  colonels,  J.  S.  Alban,  Gabrial  Bouck  and 
Charles  H.  Jackson. 

THE  NINETEENTH  INFANTRY. 

The  Nineteenth  was  organized  at  Camp  I  tley,  Racine,  l)ut  in 
April,  1862,  was  ordered  to  Camp  Randall  to  guard  prisoners 
taken  at  Shiloh.  Early  in  June  of  tliat  year  the  regiment  pro- 
ceeded to  Virginia. 

This  regiment  was  given  a  larger  amount  of  our  post  and 
guard  duty  than  most  of  the  regiments,  though  it  was  in  all  ways 
an  excellent  command,  and  both  officers  and  men  were  anxious 
for  more  service;  Init  this  important  duty  had  to  be  placed  in 
good  hands  and  this  regiment  was  thoroughly  to  be  depended 
upon,  and  did  work  in  a  manner  to  bring  praise  from  its  superior 
officers. 

It  was  stationed  at  Norfolk  for  some  time  and  again  was 
stationed  at  Suffolk,  Va.  It  was  engaged  in  several  battles  in 
front  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg,  and  lost  in  killed  twenty- 
nine,  died  of  wounds  twelve,  died  of  disease  107.  Horace  R. 
Sanders,  of  Racine,  was  the  first  colonel,  and  S.  K.  Voughan  the 
second  colonel.  The  regiment  had  only  these  two  colonels.  It 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service  August  9,  1865. 

THE  TWENTY-FIFTH  INFANTRY. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  LaCrosse,  AVis.,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1862,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  mustered  into  the  service  was 
sent  to  Minnesota  to  aid  in  the  Indian  War  prevailing  there  at 
that  time.  It  returned  to  Madison  in  January,  1863,  and  left 
for  Kentucky  February  17th  of  the  same  year.  It  was  com- 
manded by  a  jMonroe  county  man.  Col.  ]\Iilton  Montgomery,  and 
the  history  of  this  regimeiit  is  of  peculiar  interest  inasmuch  as 
nearly  one  whole  company,  D,  and  a  great  part  of  another,  F, 
Avere  composed  of  Alonroe  county  citizens. 


106  TIISTOHV  OF  :\I()XROE  COT'XTY 

Tlie  Tweiity-fiftli  had  quite  an  experience  in  ^Minnesota  in 
the  Indian  campaign,  after  which,  as  has  been  stated,  it  returned 
to  Madison  and  was  sent  soutli  in  ISfi:}.  and  became  a  part  of 
the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps  and  joined  Grant's  army  at  Vicks- 
burg  early  in  June,  remaining  there  until  after  the  surrender 
and  performing  well  every  duty  assigned  to  it.  It  was  one  of  the 
regiments  wliieh  participated  in  this  memorable  march  of  Gen- 
eral Sherman  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  and  from  there  to 
the  sea:  It  saw  hard  service  throughout  this  camjiaign,  and  the 
regiment  was  depended  upon,  on  numerous  occasions,  for  very 
important  duty,  and  was  fref(uently  engaged  in  severe  battles. 
AVhile  its  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  were  not  as  great  as 
many  of  the  regiments,  it  lost  from  disease  a  larger  number  than 
any  other  regiment  from  the  state.  The  records  of  Company 
D  showing  a  large  percentage  of  Monroe  county  men  who  died 
of  disease.  This  is  the  regiment  of  Avhich  Jeremiah  31.  Rusk 
was  lieutenant  colonel.  He  went  out  with  it  as  major.  l)ecame 
lieutenant  colonel,  and  as  such  commanded  it  in  many  of  its 
campaigns  and  battles,  and  was  promoted  to  brevet  brigadier 
and  for  some  time  commanded  the  brigade.  General  Rusk  told 
this  story  on  himself:  While  going  through  North  Carolina  in 
command  of  a  brigade  his  troops  went  in  the  x^i'ie  forests  to 
camp  and  when,  two  days  later,  it  In-oke  camp,  nearly  every  man, 
because  of  the  piteh  ])ine  smoke,  was  nearly  as  dark  skinned  as 
the  colored  people.  AVhile  General  Rusk  was  riding  at  the  head 
of  his  brigade,  his  face  nearly  as  black  as  a  crow's  wing,  he 
heard  some  southern  people  by  the  roadside  say:  ''For  Gaud 
sake,  if  the  Yankees  haven't  been  obliged  to  put  niggers  in 
command  of  their  brigades."  Colonel  ^Montgomery  of  this  regi- 
ment lost  an  arm  in  action,  and  for  gallant  and  meritorious  con- 
duct was  made  a  brigadier  general  1)y  brevet.  The  Twenty- 
fifth's  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  Avas  forty-two.  and  of  its 
number  376  died  of  disease.  It  was  one  of  Wisconsin's  famous 
regiments,  which  left  a  glorious  record  (if  its  services.  It  was 
mustered  out  on  June  7,  I860. 

THE  THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT. 

Till'  Thirty-sixth  regiment  was  organized  \inder  the  presi- 
dent's first  call  in  1864,  and  was  Ww  first  to  respond.  It  left 
]\[adison  ]\lay  '10,  1864,  and  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at 
Spottsylvania,  Va..  a  Aveek  later.  It  went  directly  into  the  line 
of  battle  when  it  reached  that  place,  and  Avas  soon  taken  into  the 
thick  of  the  fight  and  acquitted  itself  as  if  its  soldiers  had  been 


I\rONROE  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  AVAR  107 

veterans.  From  that  time  until  the  end  of  the  war  the  Thirty- 
sixth  regiment  was  given  the  hardest  service,  and  was  ordered 
into  all  of  the  battles  recorded  up  to  and  including  Appomattox. 

It  had  for  its  colonel,  Frank  A.  Haskell,  who  left  the  state 
in  1861  as  adjutant  of  the  Sixth  Wisconsin,  and  Avas  General 
Gibbon's  adjutant  general.  At  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  while 
serving  on  General  Gibbon's  staff  as  a  captain,  command  of  the 
entire  army  corps  devolved  upon  him  for  a  brief  space  of  time. 
Generals  Hancock,  Gibbon  and  AA^ebb  had  been  wounded  and 
Haskell  assumed  the  responsiliility  of  directing  the  corps  in  the 
engagement.  At  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  where  his  regiment 
did  great  execution  and  met  Avitli  distressing  losses.  Colonel 
Haskell,  while  at  the  head  of  his  command,  standing  on  the 
breast  work  and  as  he  was  about  to  give  a  command  to  charge, 
was  instantly  killed.  Two  days  before  that  he  had  been  rec- 
ommended for  promotion  to  brigadier  general.  He  was,  without 
doubt,  one  of  the  most  soldierly  and  manly  men  from  this  state. 
Though  its  services  extended  for  only  a  year,  the  losses  of  this 
regiment  were  much  greater  than  two-thirds  of  the  three  years' 
regiments. 

It  had  four  different  colonels,  Haskell,  who  was  killed;  Col. 
John  A.  Savage  was  mortally  wounded,  and  Col.  Harvey  M. 
Brown  was  erroneously  reported  killed  at  Petersburg.  Col. 
Clement  E.  A\"arner  lost  an  arm,  and  a  number  of  captains  and 
lieutenants  were  killed.  More  than  half  of  the  thousand  men 
that  Colonel  Haskel  hurried  to  the  front  early  in  1864  were 
killed  or  wounded.  The  regiment  lost  in  one  year  seventy-nine 
killed,  forty-seven  died  of  wounds,  and  168  died  of  disease.  It  is 
not  surprising  that  the  survivors  of  the  Thirty-sixth  AVisconsin 
are  proud  to  have  been  of  such  a  regiment. 

THE  FORTY-THIRD  REGIMENT. 

This  regiment  was  recruited  and  organized  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Col.  Amasa  Cobb,  formerly  of  the  Fifth  AVisconsin.  It 
left  ]\Iilwaukee  for  the  field  on  the  9th  of  October,  1861,  under 
orders  to  report  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  to  General  Sherman.  From 
Nashville  they  moved  by  rail  and  encamped  on  the  15th  of 
October  at  Johnsonville,  the  terminus  of  the  military  railroad 
connected  with  Nashville  and  situated  110  miles  from  Paducah, 
on  the  Tennessee  river.  Here  Colonel  Cobb  was  appointed  post 
commander  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Paine  assumed  command  of 
the  regiment.  This  important  post,  at  which  was  collected 
immense  quantities  of  stores,  was  then  menaced  by  the  approach 


108  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

of  rebel  forces  under  General  Hood,  and  from  the  4tli  to  the 
6th  of  November  the  regiment  was  exposed  to  the  fire  of  tin- 
rebel  gnns,  planted  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  losing- 
one  man   killed  and   one  wounded. 

The  ForlN-third  left  Johnsonville  on  the  morning  of  the  30tli 
of  November,  and  marched  l»y  Avay  of  Waxcrly  through  an 
unbroken  wilderness  and  arrived  on  the  4th  of  December  at 
Clarksville,  on  the  Cumberland  river.  Embarking  at  (  bii-k'sville 
on  the  28th  they  ]-eached  Nashville  at  10  in  the  evening.  They 
landed  the  next  morning  and  remained  in  the  city  awaiting 
transportation  until  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  January.  I8ti5. 
when  they  left  Nashville  by  rail  and  arrived  at  Dechard.  Tenn., 
where  six  companies  of  the  regiment  went  to  camp  riiid  tour 
companies,  under  command  of  ^Major  Hrightman.  being  detadu'd 
to  guard  the  Elk  river  brigade. 

The  regiment  was  employed  at  that  station  in  i>ost  and  guard 
duty  on  the  line  of  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga  railroad  until 
the  beginning  of  June,  Avhen  it  was  moved  to  Nashville,  at  whidi 
place  it  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  June  24.  1865,  arriving 
soon  after  in  Milwaukee,  where  they  Avere  paid  and  disbanded. 

THE  FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT. 

Was  organiz(?d  at  ^lihvaukec  during  tin-  months  of  Februai-y 
and  ]\rarch,  1865.  Eight  companies  oi'  the  i-i-giment  under  tlic 
command  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Shears  left  ^Milwaukee  on  the 
2nd  of  ]\rarch  under  orders  to  report  at  Benton  Barracks,  Mis- 
souri, at  which  place  it  received  orders  on  the  28th  of  ^Marcli  to 
proceed  to  Paola,  Kan.  I^pon  its  arrival  llicre  tlu^  (•oui])anies 
were  sent  in  different  directions  to  detached  duly,  and  on  the 
19th  of  July  Colonel  Pearsall  was  assigned  to  the  command  of 
all  the  troops  in  and  west  of  Neosho  Valley,  Kan.,  including  tiie 
station  on  Osage  iMission,  with  headquarters  at  Humboldt.  Kan. 
Orders  were  received  on  the  lOth  of  August  for  the  regiment 
to  proceed  to  Lawrence,  hut  on  account  of  heavy  rains  the  march 
was  delayed  until  the  l!Jtii.  arriving  at  Lawrence,  Kan.,  on  Sejv 
teniber  5th.  I'pon  its  an-ival  at  Lawriuice  the  regiment  Avas 
again  assigned  on  delacln-d  service,  companies  being  sent  to 
occupy  different  places.  Companies  B.  D.  F  and  I,  Avere  nuis- 
tered  out  at  LeaA^euAvorth,  Kan.,  on  the  lllh  of  February,  1866, 
and  reached  ]\Iadison  on  the  23r(l.  The  balance  of  the  companies 
Avere  mustered  out  on  the  24th  of  ]\Iarcli,  1866,  and  arriA-ed  at 
INIadison  on  the  28th,  Avher(»  they  Avere  ])aid  and  disbanded. 


MONROE  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR  109 

THE  FIFTIETH  REGIMENT. 

The  Fiftieth  AViseonsiii  was  organized  under  tlie  supervision 
of  John  G.  Clark,  of  Lancaster;  left  Madison  by  companies  the 
latter  part  of  March  and  the  beginning  of  April,  1865,  and  on 
arriving  at  St.  Louis,  ]\Io..  the  companies  were  assigned  to  Ben- 
ton Barracks.  On  the  11th  of  October,  Colonel  Clark  assumed 
command  of  the  ])()st  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  where  the  regi- 
ment w^as  stationed  until  the  expiration  of  its  term  of  service. 
Company  E  was  ordered  to  report  at  INIadison,  AVis.,  where  it 
was  mustered  out  and  discharged  on  the  19th  of  April,  1866. 
The  balance  of  the  regiment  remained  in  garrison  at  Fort  Rice 
until  the  31st  of  May,  1866,  when  Companies  A,  B,  C  and  D, 
under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  McDermott  set  out  for 
home,  reaching  Madison,  AYis..  on  the  12th  of  May,  1866.  Com- 
panies F,  G,  H.  I  and  K,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Clark, 
left  Fort  Rice  on  the  3rd  of  June  and  arrived  at  Madison  on 
the  14th  of  June,  and  here  the  whole  army  was  immediately 
mustered  out,  paid  and  disbanded. 

THE  FIFTY-FIRST  REGIMENT. 

Six  companies  of  this  regiment  were  recruited  under  Col. 
Leonard  ]\Iartin  and  were  organized  at  Camp  Washburn,  Mil- 
waukee, during  the  months  of  February,  March,  April  and  May, 
1865,  and  were  sent  to  Benton  Barracks,  Mo.,  the  last  company 
being  organized  on  the  29th  of  April,  in  that  year.  The  four 
junior  companies  not  having  left  the  state,  they  were  mustered 
out  and  discharged  at  Milwaukee  on  the  6th  of  IMay  under  gen- 
eral orders  from  the  War  Department  for  the  reduction  of  the 
army.  On  the  7th  of  April  Company  B  was  placed  on  temporary 
duty  at  St.  Louis,  and  on  the  8th  of  May  Companies  A,  C,  E  and 
F  were  ordered  to  Warrensburg,  Mo.  These  companies  were 
then  stationed  along  the  line  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  and  were 
occupied  in  guarding  the  construction  of  this  road  from  Holden 
to  Pleasant  Hill.  Company  B  reached  the  regiment  on  the  21st 
of  June.  In  accordance  with  the  special  orders  from  the  War 
Department  June  10,  1865,  the  Fifty-third  Wisconsin,  consist- 
ing of  four  companies,  was  consolidated  with  the  Fifty-first  regi- 
ment and  was  mustered  out  at  Madison  in  companies,  the  last 
company  being  disbanded  on  the  30th  of  August,  1865. 

THIRD  CAVALRY. 

This  regiment  was  fully  organized,  and  the  colonel  and  field 
officers  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  on  the  28th  of 


no  HISTORY  OF  ^rOXROE  COUNTY 

fJaiiuary,  18H2.     Col.   William  A.  Barstow  took  i-oiiunaiul  and  its 
headciiiarters  were  at  Camp  Jiarstow,  Janesville. 

On  the  26th  day  of  March,  1862,  the  regiment  left  the  state 
under  orders  to  rejiort  at  St.  Louis.  Th(\v  took  Ihc  ti-aiii  for 
Chicago  and  had  arrived  within  three  nnles  of  that  cily  when 
they  met  with  a  terrible  disaster.  The  cars  were  running  i-apidly 
and  several  of  them  were  thrown  from  the  track.  Twelve  men 
were  instantly  killed,  and  twenty-eight  wounded.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  27th  they  arrived  in  Chicago  and  took  the  cars  for 
St.  Louis,  wher(^  they  arrived  the  28th,  and  marched  to  the  fair 
grounds,  near  Benton  Barracks.  ^lay  22nd,  1862.  they  took 
three  steamers  up  the  ^Missouri  for  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  arriving 
IMay  27th.  They  had  previously  drawn  ^Merrill's  carbines  at  St. 
Louis  and  sabres  at  Janesville.  They  camped  on  the  blue  grass 
near  Fort  Lea\  eiiworth,  and  there  drew  their  horses  and  eiiuij)- 
ments,  and  in  the  city  their  revolvers.  Colonel  Barstow  was 
appointed  provost  marshal  of  Kansas,  and  in  the  beginning  of 
June  the  regiment  was  stationed,  by  detachments,  in  different 
parts  of  the  state,  extending  from  the  Nebraska  line  on  the  north 
to  Fort  Scott  on  the  south.  The  nature  of  the  service  was 
chiefly  to  hunt  up  and  expel  the  jayhawkers  and  bushwhackers  of 
that  region.  Companies  C,  F,  I  and  ]\I  were  sent,  June  12th,  from 
Fort  Leavenworlh  to  Fort  Scott,  Avhere  they  aii-ived  on  the 
17th.  This  inai'ch  is  worthy  of  record,  as  it  was  accomplished  in 
five  days  without  the  loss  of  a  man  or  horse,  the  distance  being 
180  miles.  Fort  Scott  was  now  the  outpost  of  the  forces,  and 
]Major  Ilenning  took  command  of  the  post.  Company  T  was 
sent  to  occupy  Carthage,  Mo.,  sixty-five  miles  from  Foi-t  S^-ott. 
Captain  Conkey  in  t-onnnand. 

Company  C  Avas  sent  to  Trading  Post,  thirty-five  miles  north 
of  Fori  Scoit.  (Hi  llie  border.  Bands  of  rebels  were  jtrowling 
about  the  territory.  Captain  Conkey  followed  one  jiarty,  with 
a  snuiU  force,  from  Carthage,  and  finding  himself  in  danger, 
charged  through  their  camj)  of  2.000  one  morning  before  day- 
light and  escaped.  Colonel  Barstow  unexpectedly  met  the  same 
band  at  ]Montevallo.  and  routing  them,  fell  back  to  F(n"t  Scott, 
where  an  attack  was  expected.  But  General  Salomon's  arrival, 
on  liis  retui-n  from  the  Indian  country,  made  the  post  seeure. 
General  Blunt  arriving,  Comjianies  V  and  T,  Lieutenant  Willets 
in  command,  joined  an  expedition  in  ])ursuit  of  the  enemy.  At 
Taberville  they  had  an  engagement  witli  liim.  and  Company 
I  being  in  front,  showed  so  nmch  bravery  that  Colonel  Cloud 
commendctl    them    in    his    official    report.      They   took    ])art    also 


3E0NR0E  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR  111 

in  the   action   at   Coon   Creek   where   600   loyalists   routi'd   1,500 
rebels.    . 

Early  in  Sci)teinber,  Companies  I  and  ]M  were  substituted,  at 
Fort  Scott,  for  C  and  F,  ]\Iajor  Henning  still  commanding.  They 
were  constantly  engaged  in  scouting  expeditions,  and  as  escorts 
for  trains  to  General  Blunt 's  army  in  southwest  ^lissouri,  until 
January,  1863.  when  Companies  C  and  G  were  added  to  th(^  com- 
mand, and  remained  till  July,  at  which  date  Company  G  was 
ordered  to  report  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  AVhite,  who  then  had 
cniiuiiand  of  the  regiment. 

Meanwhile  the  first  and  third  battalions,  under  ]\Iajor 
Schroeling,  were  engaged  in  such  varied  movements  as  were 
common  to  a  state  of  border  warfare.  In  June,  1862,  a  disposi- 
tion was  made  of  them  at  ditit'erent  points,  thus:  Company  D 
was  sent  to  Atchison,  G  to  Shawnee,  and  L  to  Aubrey;  Com- 
panies B  and  H  guarded  Fort  Leavenworth ;  at  Leavenworth 
City,  A,  E  and  K  performed  provost  duty  besides  scouting  in 
the  border  counties  of  Missouri.  The  infamous  Quantrell,  Avith 
his  guerillas,  was  often  found  and  fought  by  them. 

September  13  six  companies  Avent  to  Indian  Creek,  in  south- 
west Missouri,  and  joined  the  command  of  General  Salomon.  In 
his  brigade  they  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Cane  Hill,  the  last 
of  November,  and  in  that  of  Prairie  Grove,  December  7th,  to  be 
described  hereafter.  Subsequently  tlicy  went  to  Cane  Hill  again, 
thence  to  Van  Buren  on  a  raid,  driving  out  a  Texas  regiment 
and  capturing  several  steamboats.  During  the  Avinter  of  1862-63 
they  Avere  a  part  of  the  time  at  Elm  Spring  ]\Iills,  and  ]\Iarma- 
duke  being  engaged  in  raiding  through  the  country,  they  Avere 
continually  on  the  alert  to  intercept  and  dislodge  him.  They 
Avere  noAV  in  Arkansas  and  then  in  ^Missouri,  on  short  marches 
and  on  long  ones — at  one  time  moving  from  Forsyth,  Missouri, 
to  Springfield,  256  miles,  in  four  days,  AA^thout  taking  forage 
or  rations.  June  22nd  they  Avere  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
command  and  marched  to  Fort  Scott,  camping  there  July  5th, 
the  day  after  the  fall  of  Vicksburg. 

The  other  companies  of  the  regiments  B,  C,  H.  I  and  ]M,  in 
the  preceding  month  of  ]\Iay,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Stout,  marched  to  Fort  Blunt,  in  the  Cherokee  Nation,  as  an 
escort  for  the  post  supply  train.  A  heavy  force  of  some  1,500 
Texans  and  Indians  under  the  rebel  general.  Cooper,  attacked 
them  on  the  30th  of  May,  Avhen  they  were  only  four  miles  from 
the  fort.  The  enemy  Avas  repulsed,  the  national  troops  losing 
five  men  killed  and  Avounded.    June  4th  they  again  set  out  from 


112  IIISTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Fort  lUuiit  as  I'si-ort  lo  tlir  rcliiniiii^-  train,  and  un  the  2()th 
turned  about  as  escort  to  a  large  train  of  supplies  to  the  fort. 
At  Cabin  Creek,  on  the  27th.  the  ichd  General  Cooper  again 
attacked  them  with  a  nuich  snpcrior  force.  The  enemy,  however, 
were  (liixcn  lil'ls'  miles  across  the  Verdigris  river.  Reaching 
Fort  Hlunl  they  were  attached  to  the  Third  brigade,  army  of  the 
frontier,  .luly  16th  tlie}'  marched  soutli.  nndei-  tlie  lead  of  General 
Blunt.  The  next  day  they  had  a  battle  at  Honey  Springs,  where 
the  I'ebels  under  Coo])ei'  and  Stamlwaite  lost  numy  i)risoners 
anol  their  wiu)le  artillery.  Afterward  they  crossed  the  Arkansas 
river  aiul  i)ursued  the  enemy,  having  some  skirmishes,  and  on 
the  19tli  returned  to  Fort  Blunt  \\ith  tli<'  army. 

The  early  holder  warfare  led  to  the  formation  of  several 
Indian  regiments,  composed  in  general  of  the  arms-bearing 
refuges  among  the  Indians  that  could  be  obtained  for  the  service 
of  the  United  States.  The  Thii-d  AVisconsin  Cavalry  had  some 
connection  with  these  regiments,  i)articularly  the  Third,  wliieh 
was  recruited  on  the  frontier  of  .Missouri  and  Kansas,  ^ir.  F.  II. 
Ely,  of  the  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  was  first  detailed  for  special 
service,  and  then  ordered  by  General  Blunt,  November  15,  1862,  to 
take  command  of  Company  G,  Third  Indian  Regiment,  as  first 
lieutenant.  The  First  Battalion  was  with  this  regiment  in  the 
battle  of  Honey  Springs,  or  Elk  Creek. 

FOURTH  CAVALRY. 

This  regiment  was  originally  organized  as  the  Fourth  Regi- 
ment of  infantry  about  the  6th  of  June,  1861,  at  Camp  Utley,  Ra- 
cine. On  the  15th  day  of  July,  1861,  they  left  the  state  under 
orders  to  report  at  Baltimore,  ]\Id.,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  2:^rd.  After  detached  duty,  which  separated  the  companies 
i)f  the  regiment,  they  were  reunited  on  the  5th  of  August  and 
Avent  into  camp  thirty  miles  north  of  AVashington.  Here  they 
renmined  engaged  in  drill  until  the  4th  day  of  Novendx'r.  when 
the  regiment  took  part  in  an  expedition  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Virginia  under  General  Lockwood.  wliiili  accomplished  no  result. 
Upon  its  return  the  regiment  Avas  plaeed  in  liari'acks  in  the  city 
of  Kaltimoi-e,  where  it  i-eniained  until  V'ebruary,  lS(i2.  It  was 
orch-red  on  board  of  transports  at  Newport  News,  Virginia,  and 
sailed  south  to  join  the  army  of  the  Gulf,  and  arrived  at  Ship 
Island,  ^Mississippi,  on  the  bilh  of  .March.  There  the  reginu'nt' 
was  assigned  to  the  Second  bi'iL;a<le  of  the  (inlf  department, 
lirig. -General  Thomas  Williams  connnantling.  Here  it  remained 
in  camp  until  the  16th  of  April,  and  on  that  day.  with  tlie  Fourth 


MONROE  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR  113 

Wisconsin,  Sixth  Michigan  and  Twenty-first  Indiana  regiments, 
went  on  board  the  ship  Great  Republic,  which  was  the  next  day 
towed  by  Jackson  toward  the  Mississippi  river  and  anchored  off 
the  southwest  pass  to  await  the  action  of  the  fleet  which  had  gone 
up  the  river  to  attack  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Phillips.    Here  they 
witnessed  in   the   distance    that    terrible    bombardment    whose 
lightnings  and  battle  clouds  filled  the  heavens  as  with  a  tempest. 
The  bombardment  opened  April  18th  under  Captain  Farragut. 
The  forts  were  damaged  but  before  being  captured  it  was  de- 
cided to  pass  them  and  go  on  to  New  Orleans,  which  was  done 
on  the  24th,  the  chain  boom  obstruction  over  the  river  having 
first  been  passed  and  the  rebel  fleets  silenced  and  the  guns  of  the 
forts  were  partially  silenced.     The  land  forces  were  ordered  to 
sail  around  by  a  more  shallow  passage  through  the  Bay  of  Ronde 
and  strike  the  river  in  the  rear  of  the  forts.     The  Fourth  Wis- 
consin was  transferred  from  the  Colorado  to  the  Great  Republic 
and  on  the  26th  started  with  other  troops  for  Sable  Island.     The 
expedition  was   successful   and   the   Fourth   Wisconsin   received 
high  praise  from  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  who  was  in  command 
of  that  district.     On  the  29th  the  companies  of  the  Fourth  AA^is- 
consin  were  assembled  from  the  gunboats  and  in  connection  with 
the  Thirty-first   Massachusetts  Avere  the  first  troops  to  land  in 
New  Orleans.     With   colors  flying,  their  feet  keeping  time  to 
''Yankee  Doodle"  as  they  marched  to  the  custom  house  and  took 
forceable  possession,  the  Fourth  Wisconsin  occupying  principally 
the  post  office.    Here  it  remained  until  the  8tli  of  May,  perform- 
ing the  duty  of  provost  guard  in  the  city.    On  that  day  six  com- 
panies embarked  on  the  transport  Burton,  steamed  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  thirty-five  miles  and  landed  on  the  left  bank.    Just 
before  daylight  they  started  with  part   of  the   Sixth  Michigan 
for  the  Jackson  and   Mississippi   railroad   after   a   difficult   and 
dangerous   march   through    cypress    swamps   and    difficult   roads 
and  having  a  little  brush  with  the  outpost  of  the  enemy.    On  the 
18th  they  reached,  in  boats,  the  vicinity  of  Warrenton  at  5 :00 
in  the  afternoon  and  tied  up  at  that  place  in  sight  of  the  rebel 
works.     After  some  skirmishing  the  regiment  proceeded  on  the 
river  to  Baton  Rouge,  wdiere  it  landed  and  remained  until  the 
17th  of  June.     On  the  5th  of  June  General  AYilliam's  order  was 
issued  directing  the  commanders  to  turn  fugitive  slaves  out  of 
their  camps  and  keep  them  out.     Colonel  Paine  refused  to  obey 
this  order  and  was  placed  under  arrest.     Colonel  Paine  consid- 
ered that  by  turning  these  fugitives  out  that  he  was  violating 
the  act  of  congress  which  provided  an  officer  from  employing 


114  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

trooi)s  under  his  coiiiitiaiKl  to  return  fugitivL's  from  services  or 
labor  and  that  by  turning  them  away  from  the  protection  of 
these  troops  he  was  violating  that  act.  The  regiment  stood  by 
the  colonel  and  was  highly  indignant,  and  on  the  17th  of  June 
it  was  so  modified  that  he  again  assumed  connnand  and  the  regi- 
ment embarked  on  the  second  expedition  to  Vicksburg.  At  Grand 
Gulf  they  burned  every  building  and  in  the  night  embarked  for 
Vicksburg,  which  Avas  reached  on  the  2r)th.  Soon  after  the 
arrival  at  Vicksburg  it  was  decided  to  dig  a  canal  from  the 
jNIississippi  river  above  the  city,  the  neck  of  land  opposite  to  the 
river  below,  and  part  of  this  work  was  then  under  the  direction 
of  Captain  Bailey.  Negroes  Avere  conscripted  from  all  the  planta- 
tions along  the  river  for  this  work.  Jt  was  continued  up  until 
July  14th,  when,  owing  to  the  fearful  loss  of  life  from  disease 
contracted  in  the  low,  wet  ground,  the  Avork  Avas  abandoned  on 
July  14th.  On  that  same  day  Capt.  John  AV.  Lynn,  of  Company 
I,  AA'ith  tAventy  men,  tAvo  from  each  company,  crossed  to  the  fleet 
aboA'e  Vicksburg  and  Avent  on  board  the  gunboat  "Tyler,"  and 
the  next  morning  started  up  the  Yazoo  river  to  perform  the  duty 
of  sharpshooters.  AYIien  near  Old  River  the  rebel  ram  Arkansas 
Avas  met  and  the  Tyler  turned  about.  A  running  fight  folloAved 
on  th(>  ^lississippi  riA^er  in  Avhieli  the  ])rave  eaptaiu  and  five  men 
were  torn  to  ])ieces  by  a  sliell  and  six  others  AvoundiMJ.  The  ram 
ran  through  Poilei-'s  ii<'et  fo  Vicksburg.  The  Fourth  AVisconsin 
Avas  sent  undei-  flie  commaiul  of  ('()lon(4  Paine  to  the  ])oint  oppo- 
site the  toAvn  to  jorevent  the  crossing  of  the  rebels.  AVliile  here 
they  AAntnessed  the  bombardment  of  the  city  by  the  eomliined 
fleets  of  Farragut  and  Davis,  Avliieh  Avas  a  ttM'riI)le  scene.  Tlie 
regiment  steamed  doAvn  the  river  and  landed  at  Baton  Rouge  on 
the  26th  after  the  bombardment,  the  expedition  having  suffered 
much  from  disease,  and  on  the  31st  of  July  Colonel  Paine,  in 
obedience  to  ordei-s,  started  for  Ncav  Orleans  to  i'e]>ort  arrest  of 
General  Butler.  On  the  morning  of  August  ')1h  an  advance  Avas 
made  to  meet  ihc  confederates  under  General  Breckenridge,  avIio 
was  repulsed  Avith  great  loss.  Tn  this  battle  General  AVilliams 
w^as  killed  and  Colonel  Paine  Avas  sunnnonod  to  Ncav  Orleans 
by  General  l^utler  and  i)laced  in  command  to  return  to  Baton 
Rouge  and  burn  the  city  to  the  ground.  The  next  night  at  12:00 
o'clock  Colonel  Paine  reached  the  city,  found  that  the  rebels  liad 
retreated  and  fhat  fhe  federal  troops  had  changed  their  i)osition 
and  Avere  Avaiting  another  attack.  Colonel  Paine  held  the  city 
until  the  ITlli  of  August.  Avhen  he  received  information  from 
General  Butler  tliat  Batou  Rouge  Avould  be  again  attacked  on  the 


MONROE  COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR  115 

ISth  of  August.  The  Colonel  had  also  learned  the  same  thing 
from  his  scouts  and  was  prepared.  All  spare  baggage  was 
ordered  on  board  the  transport,  signals  were  arranged  for  by  day 
and  night,  all  state  prisoners  were  taken  to  the  boats  and  sent 
down  the  river.  On  the  18th  the  enemy  approached  the  works 
on  the  southeast  but  were  easily  repulsed  by  the  gunboats.  On 
the  19th  the  colonel  posted  notices  requiring  all  residents  to  leave 
the  city  on  the  following  day,  and  directed  that  the  buildings 
should  be  burned  on  the  20ih  unless  the  order  was  rescinded  by 
General  Butler.  Before  daylight  on  the  20th  an  order  was  re- 
ceived, dated  the  19th,  from  General  Butler,  rescinding  the  order 
to  burn  the  city.  The  town  was  thus  saved,  for  which  the  people 
of  Louisiana  may  be  forever  grateful  to  the  generous  heart  of 
Col.  Halbert  E.  Paine,  of  the  Fourth  Wisconsin.  On  tlie  21st  the 
city  was  evacuated.  The  regiment  did  some  service  at  different 
points  during  September,  October  and  November,  and  on  the 
19th  of  December  returned  to  Baton  Rouge,  Major  Boardman  in 
command.  The  regiment  afterwards  participated  in  that  famous 
siege  of  Fort  Hudson  and  lost  very  heavily.  It  had  been  con- 
verted into  a  cavalry  regiment  in  1863,  and  as  such  it  took  rank 
with  the  best  cavalry  regiments  in  the  service.  Most  of  its  serv- 
ice was  in  ^Missouri,  Louisiana  and  Tennessee,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  war  it  went  with  the  army  destined  for  Texas  and  served 
there  until  18G6.  The  Fourtli  had  a  longer  term  of  service  than 
any  other  regiment  sent  from  AYisconsin  to  the  war.  From  its 
ranks  there  came  four  generals :  Gen.  Harrison  Cubart,  Gen. 
0.  H.  LaGrange,  Gen.  Joseph  Bailey,  who  rendered  the  county 
great  service,  and  Gen.  Ilalbert  E.  Paine,  who  served  several 
terms  in  congress  and  held  various  positions  in  civil  life.  To 
have  served  in  the  bonny  Fourth  Wisconsin  was  an  honor  to 
any  man.  The  Fourth  had  as  colonels,  and  they  were  all  superb 
soldiers  and  officers,  Halbert  E.  Paine,  S.  A.  Bean,  Fred  E. 
Boardman,  Joseph  Bailey,  AVebster  Moore  and  N.  F.  Craigne. 
The  regiment  lost  in  battle  103,  and  from  disease  261.  It  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  on  the  28th  of  Alay,  1866,  at  Browns- 
ville, jNIinnesota,  and  was  sent  to  Madison,  up  the  river,  arriving 
there  on  the  16th  of  June,  1866,  where  this  veteran  cavalry  regi- 
ment was  soon  afterward  paid  off  and  disbanded. 


("II AFTER  XII. 

ROSTER    OF   OFFICERS   AND   ENLISTED    :\IEX.   AVAR    OF 

THE  REHELLTOX. 

A  carci'ul  scai-t-li  lia.s  been  iiuttlc  tliroiigli  .ill  ;i\ail;il)lo  rci-urils, 
including  the  report  of  the  adjutaiil  general  of  AViseonsin  for 
1865,  and  the  roster  of  AViseonsin  volunteers  published  by  author- 
ity of  the  legislature  in  1886;  we  have  endeavored  to  give  here 
as  accurate  a  list  as  is  ])()ssibl('  of  tlic  naiiic  of  e\ery  man  who 
volunteered  or  Avas  drafted  from  IMonroe  county  during  that 
great  struggle;  owing  to  the  similarit>'  in  names  of  towns  in  dif- 
ferent counties  some  confusion  has  resulted,  ])ut  llir  following 
roster  is  believ(>d  to  be  correct. 

FIRST  REGIMENT  CAVALRY. 

Phillips.  AVilliam  •).,  Sparta;  second  lieutenanl  :  dii'd  Novem- 
ber 9,  1862,  of  wounds  received  at  Chalk  Bluft',  Ark. 

Company  "H" — Henry  J.  Crouch,  James  AA".  L(>wis,  Serenus  D. 
Lombard,  Lewis  Stanley,  all  of  Ontario. 

THIRD  REGIMENT  CAVALRY. 

Geoi-ge  1).  Iliggins,  Sparta,  hospital  slcwai'd:  lliraiii  A.  I>run- 
dage,  S]iarta,  battalion  liospital  steward. 

Company  "A" — ('apt.  Jeremiah  D.  Dainuioii,  Sparta:  Cai)t. 
Robert  Carpenter,  Sparta;  See.  Lieut.  John  Davis,  Leon;  Allen, 
Levi,  Sparta;  Harkei".  rctci-  H..  Leon;  Harnes,  Seth,  Sparta; 
Benedick,  Origin  R.,  Glendale;  Bennett,  Benjamin  AV..  Sparta; 
Billings,  Frederick,  Spaita  ;  Blake,  Albn-i  .!..  Sparta  ;  Briggs, 
Charles,  Adrian:  Britton.  Ori'iii  A..  Sjjarta;  Kiundagc,  Hiram  A., 
Adrian;  Bullcn.  Px-njamin.  Sparta;  Bullcn,  -Jesse  \\.  Little  Falls; 
Bui-dick.  Alfred,  Sparta;  Buttei'tidd.  LaFayettc,  Sparta:  Cai'i-, 
AVilliam,  Sparta;  Carr.  A'ercUo.  Lilth'  P'alls:  Cliadscy.  .losepli, 
Leon;  Coi'iiisli,  -John  H..  Spaiia:  Critrliclt,  William  II.,  Sheldon; 
Crosby,  George  C,  Spai-ta:  Davis,  .losiah,  Sparta;  Decker,  Josej))! 
]\I.,  Adrian;  Delong,  AVilliam  A..  Aiigelo;  Dunlap.  James  F., 
Glendale;  Davis,  AVilliam,  Roaring  Creek;  Eddy,  Edgar,  Sparta; 

116 


OFFICERS  AND  ENLISTED  MEN  117 

Farwell,  Corydoii  J..  Sparta  ;  Finnell,  Joseph,  Sparta ;  Foot,  Wil- 
liam R.,  LaFayette ;  Fullagar,  Benjamin,  LaFayette ;  Gates, 
Charles  F..  Sparta ;  Gilbert,  Thomas,  Athens ;  Gilson,  Clark, 
Adrian;  Gordon,  Oscar  L.,  AVellington;  Green,  Manson  L.,  Glen- 
dale  ;  Grnmons,  John.  Leon ;  Harris,  Lewis  P.,  Little  Falls ;  Hen- 
derson. William,  Leon;  Hettman,  Fredric  C,  Sparta;  Hill,  John, 
Eaton;  Hill.  Simeon,  Eaton;  Hodgkins,  George  C,  Sparta;  Hogue, 
Hugh  T.,  Sparta ;  Hohn,  Reuben,  Leon ;  Ilollenbeek,  Henry  D., 
Sparta;  Hoover,  Ancill  B..  AVellington ;  Houghtaling,  John,  Well- 
ington ;  Howland.  Herman,  Sparta  :  Hubbard,  Ozro  W.,  Sparta ; 
Hubbard,  Charles  F..  Sparta ;  Hull.  Joseph  C..  Sparta ;  Hubbard, 
Watts  AY..  Sparta;  Johnson.  Thomas,  Sparta;  Johnson,  Frederick 
H.,  Adrian ;  Kidney,  Albert  J.  H.,  Sparta ;  LaBare,  Charles, 
Sparta ;  Lawrence,  Robert.  Sparta ;  Logan,  Samuel  M.,  Sparta ; 
McGary,  Thomas,  Ridgeville ;  McNab,  Daniel,  Sparta ;  McNab, 
James  S..  Roaring  Creek;  McMillan,  AVilliam  F.,  Sparta;  Mc- 
Queen, Samuel,  Glendale ;  McAA'ithy,  Lucian  A.,  Sparta ;  Mc- 
Withy,  Henry  E..  Sparta;  Meadows.  Thomas  E.,  Portland;  Mead- 
ows, AVilliam  H.,  Sparta;  Meadows,  Charles  W.,  Leon;  Peters, 
Nelson,  Adrian ;  Peters,  Timothy,  Angelo ;  Peters,  Munson,  Ad- 
rian; Pierce,  Austin,  Sparta;  Pierce,  Martin,  Sparta;  Putnam, 
Charles,  Leon;  Pain,  John,  Roaring  Creek;  Rawson,  Lucian  M., 
AVilton ;  Russell,  Andrew,  Sparta ;  Seeley,  Boyd  F.,  Athens ; 
Smith,  John  J.,  Leon ;  Snow,  Jonathan,  Leon ;  Snyder,  Abram  C. 
Sparta ;  Starkweather,  Hiram,  Sparta ;  Steward,  Henry  E.,  Ad- 
rian ;  Thorp.  Adelbert  D.,  Glendale ;  Thorp,  Charles  R.,  Sparta  ; 
Tower,  Alartin  V.  B.,  Clifton:  Underwood,  Horace  H.,  Portland; 
Walrath,  John  J.,  Sparta;  AVaste,  James,  Sparta;  AYest,  Francis 
D.,  Sparta;  AViseman,  Augustus.  Athens;  AYensel.  AYilliam  J., 
Roaring  Creek ;  Youmans,  Samuel  J.,  Leon. 

Company  "K" — Hohn,  Elmore,  Sparta;  Riggs.  Andrew, 
Sparta ;  Stegmann,  Conrad,  Portland ;  AYalter,  Charles,  Port- 
land ;  Zoelle.  A^alentine,  Portland. 

The  Third  AYisconsin  cavalry  was  reorganized  in  1864  and  a 
large  number  of  IMonroe  County  men  re-enlisted.  All  from  origi- 
nal Company  '"A":  Barker,  Peter  R.,  Leon;  Billings,  Fredrick, 
Sparta;  Blake,  Albert  J.,  Sparta;  Butterfield,  LaFayette,  Sparta; 
Chadsey.  Joseph,  Leon ;  Farwell,  Corydon,  J..  Sparta ;  Gates, 
Charles  F.,  Sparta;  Gilbert,  Thomas,  Athens;  Grummons,  John, 
Leon;  Hollenbeck ,  Henry  D.,  Sparta;  Howland,  Herman,  Sparta; 
Hubbard,  Charles  B.,  Sparta ;  Hubbard,  AYatts  AY.,  Sparta ;  John- 
son, Fredrick  H.,  Adrian ;  Kidney,  Albert  J.  H.,  Sparta ;  LaBare, 
Charles,  Sparta;  McMillan,  Wm.  F.,  Sparta;  McQueen,  Samuel, 


118  HISTORY  OF  :moxrop:  county 

Glendak' ;  ^Meadows,  "William  IT.,  Sparta ;  ^Meadows,  Edward  T., 
Portland;  ^Meadows,  Charles  AV.,  Leon;  Niehols,  Joseph,  Green- 
field ;  Paine,  John,  Roaring  Creek ;  Peters,  Nelson,  Adrian ;  See- 
ley,  Boyd  F.,  Athens:  Thorp.  Cliarles  R.,  Sparta;  Tower,  ]\Iartin 
V.  B.,  Clifton;  AVabrath,  John  J..  Sparta;  "Wiseman,  Augustus, 
Athens. 

FOURTH  REGIMENT  CAVALRY. 

Theodore  AV.  Gillett.  eonnnissary,  Tomah;  sergeant  majors, 
IMyron  P.  Chase,  Sparta,  second  lieutenant  Company  "I,"  June 
24,  1863 ;  Daniel  A.  Kenyon.  Tomah :  saddler  sergeant,  Rufus  A. 
Roliertson,  Sparta. 

Company  "A" — Farnswortli,  James  F>..  Tomah.  captain,  Au- 
gust 22,  1865;  made  ma.jor  June  18,  1866;  Alton,  ^Michael  C,  Ad- 
rian; Ayres,  Anson,  Angelo;  Bacon,  Amos,  Leon;  Baker,  George 
R.,  Tomah;  Batis,  IMathis,  Tomah;  Beekwith.  Joseph,  Sparta; 
Boyle,  John,  AVilton;  Childs,  Clinton  D.,  Sparta;  Cray,  Parman. 
Sparta;  English,  Isaac,  Tomah;  Getman,  Hiram,  Lincoln;  Get- 
man,  Lorenzo.  Lincoln ;  Gleason,  Emanuel  P.,  LaFayette ;  Haynes, 
Sanford  A.,  Leon ;  Jackson,  AVilliam  S.,  Tomah ;  Knight,  Charles 
A.,  Tomah  ;  Kerr,  Alexander,  Tomah  ;  Putnam,  Lucius  AL,  Sparta  : 
Ralston,  AVilliam  H.,  LaFayette;  Roberts,  AVilmot,  Sparta;  Root, 
Jason,  Tomah;  Seeley,  David  A.,  Sparta;  Skinner,  John  B.,  Port- 
land; Smith.  John,  Adrian;  Twiner,  Jonathan  F.,  Adrian;  Van 
Kirk,  John  II.,  Sparta;  AYalker,  Joseph  A.,  Ontario;  AYeed,  AYil- 
liam  D.,  Tomah;  AYheeler,  John  AA".,  Sparta. 

Company  "C" — Baker.  Hugh,  Sparta,  second  lieutenant,  June 
18,  1866. 

Company  ''D"— Lock,  Henry  F.,  Sparta,  from  Co.  "I"  Yoi. 
Corp;  McLain,  Eleazer  P.,  Sparta;  from  Co.  "I"  A^et.  Corp:  AVal- 
worth,  Ilartwell  C.,  Tomah,  from  Co.  "T"  A^^t.  Corp. 

Company  "E" — Capt.  Joseph  Hall,  Tomah. 

Company  ''I" — John  AA^.  Lynn,  captain,  Sparta;  Levi  R. 
Blake,  captain,  Sparta ;  Capt.  Daniel  G.  Jewett,  Sparta ;  Capt. 
Jas.  B.  Farn.sworth.  Tomah;  First  Lieut.  ]\Iyron  P.  Chas,  Sparta: 
See.  Lieut.  Ansyl  A.  AYest,  Sparta;  Alger,  Josiah,  Leon;  Alton, 
]\Iichael  C.,  Adrian,  transferred  to  Co.  "A"';  Ayers.  Anson,  An- 
gelo ;  Ayres,  Albert,  Leon ;  Bacon,  Amos,  Leon ;  Baker,  Cliarles, 
Ridgeville.  transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Baker,  Hugh,  Ridgeville, 
transferred  to  Co.  "C";  Baker,  George  R.,  Tomah.  transferred 
to  Co.  "A";  Beekwith,  Joseph,  Sparta;  transferred  to  Co.  ''A"; 
Beardsley,  George  L.,  Tomah ;  Blake,  Albert  IL,  Sparta,  trans- 
ferred to  20th  Inf. ;  Bloss,  Charles,  Greenfield,  transferred  to  Co. 


OFFICERS  AND  ENLISTED  MEN  119 

''A";  Boring,  LaFayette,  Ontario;  Boyle,  John,  Wilton,  trans- 
ferred to  Co.  "A";  Brist,  Mandly  ^Y.,  AVilton ;  Bush,  Wm.  J., 
Tomah ;  Chandler,  John  L.,  Greenfield;  Cole,  John  N.,  Cataract; 
Gray,  Parkman,  Sparta,  transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Davidson,  Jo- 
seph H.,  Leon;  English,  Isaac,  Tomah;  Farley,  AVilliara  E., 
Sparta;  Getman,  Lorenzo,  Lincoln,  transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Get- 
man,  Hiram,  Lincoln,  transferred  to  Co.  ''A";  Gillett,  Theo.  W., 
Tomah;  Gilson,  William,  Tomah;  Gleason,  Emanuel  P.,  LaFay- 
ette, transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Graham,  Miller,  Sheldon;  Green- 
man,  James,  Wilton ;  Grenzo,  John,  Wilton ;  Hall,  Joseph,  Tomah, 
first  lieutenant,  May  30,  1864;  Hall,  Benjamin  F.,  Sparta;  Hall, 
Archibald  G.,  Leon;  Hall,  Joseph  R.,  Leon;  Haynes,  Sanford  A., 
Tomah;  transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Hill,  Jacob,  Sparta;  Hodgkins, 
Edward  I.,  Sparta ;  Hubbard,  Charles  S.,  AA^ilton,  transferred  to 
Co.  "A";  Hull,  Edward,  Sparta;  Jackson,  William  S.,  Tomah, 
transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Jewell,  Isaac,  Roaring  Creek;  Johnston, 
Clayton  M.,  Tomah;  Jones,  Ransom,  Sparta;  Kennedy,  John, 
Sparta;  Kerr,  Alexander,  Tomah,  transferred  to  Co.  "A"; 
Knight,  Charles  A.,  Tomah,  transferred  to  Co.  ''A";  Large, 
Jacob  I.,  Tomah;  Matteson,  John  P.,  Cataract;  McClure,  John  B., 
Sparta;  McLain,  Eleazor  P..  Cataract,  transferred  to  Co.  "D"; 
Meadows,  William  C,  Sparta ;  Osborn,  George  I.,  Sparta,  trans- 
ferred to  Co.  ''C";  Pangburn,  William,  Sparta;  Perry,  John  T., 
Roaring  Creek;  Putnam,  Lucius  M.,  Sparta,  transferred  to  Co. 
"A";  Ralston,  AYilliam  H.,  LaFayette;  Rathbun,  Dewey,  Leon; 
Rice,  Wellington,  Ridgeville ;  Robertson,  Rufus  A.,  Sparta ;  Rock- 
wood,  James  H.,  Leon ;  Rockwood,  Theodore  H.,  Adrian ;  Root, 
Jason,  Tomah,  transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Smith,  John,  Adrian, 
transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Spaulding,  Charles  D.,  Tomah;  Skinner, 
John  B.,  Portland;  transferred  to  Co.  "A";  Tolles,  William, 
Wilton,  transferred  to  Co.  ^'A";  Turner,  Jonathan  F.,  Adrian, 
transferred  to  Co.  '^A";  Van  Arnum,  LaFayette,  Cataract;  Van 
Kirk,  John,  Angelo ;  Walker,  Harlow  S.,  Cataract ;  Weed,  Wil- 
liam D.,  Tomah ;  Yoemans,  W^illiam  H.,  Sparta ;  Yoemans,  James 
H.,  Sparta. 

Company  "L" — Capt.  Joseph  Hall,  Tomah. 

FIRST  BATTERY,  LIGHT  ARTILLERY. 

Babcock,  Oscar,  Tunnel  City;  Buzzell,  Charles  C,  Sparta; 
Carvar,  Nelson,  Wilton ;  Clark,  John,  Clifton ;  Green,  Frank  L., 
Sparta ;  Harper,  Peter,  Sparta ;  Hayward,  Pliny  P.,  Sparta ;  Her- 
rick,  George  L.,  Sparta ;  Hodgkins,  Edward  I.,  Sparta ;  Hoyt, 
Samuel,   Sparta ;  Joseph,   Charles,  Lincoln ;   Ledyard,   Nathaniel 


120  HISTORY  OF  :M0XR0E  COUNTY 

D.,  Sparta;  ^McCabe,  John,  Sparta;  ]\lelntyre,  Charles, 
Sparta;  Middaugh,  Charleston  E.,  Sparta;  Milligan,  .Joseph 
G.,  Sparta;  Murphy,  William,  Cataract;  Pangborn,  Hiram 
L.,  Sparta;  Powell,  ]\lilton  E.,  Sparta;  Randless,  James 
W.,  Wilton;  Rathbun,  Ilallett.  I.eon;  Rathlmn,  AVilliam  A., 
Jefferson;  Rice,  Benjamin  \V..  Oakdale ;  Smith,  Gilbert,  AVilton ; 
Sowle,  Albert  AY.,  Wilton;  Smnmcrfield,  William  A.,  Sparta, 
transferred  to  Company  1,  II.  A.;  Thrall,  Joim,  Sparta;  AVhita- 
ker,  Samnel,  Wilton;  Williams,  Jay  "VV.,  Sparta;  AYoodbridge. 
Charles  B.,  Tunnel  City. 

TENTH   BATTERY,    LIGHT   ARTILLERY. 

Junior  Sccojul  Lieul.  Henry  A.  Hicks,  Glendale;  ]\Iinets, 
Nelson,  Clifton. 

THIRD  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "E" — Ackerman,  James  0.  Byron;  Adelmeyer, 
John  II.,  Leroy ;  Bates,  Butler  H.,  Leroy ;  Blanchard,  p]dmund  L., 
Leroy;  Braman,  James  II.,  Byron ;  AVeyranch,  Conrad,  Lincoln. 

Company  ''F"— Bashford,  Frank  AY.,  Clifton:  BroAvn,  Will- 
iam C.  Clifton  ;  Cook,  George,  Clifton";  Ellis,  Leroy,  Clifton. 

SIXTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "B" — Andre,  John.  Lineolii;  Brown,  Christoplu'r. 
Portland;  Dehvick,   Eugene,   Lincoln;   Erickson,  Lars,   Portland. 

Company  "II" — Aney,  John  J.,  Ridgeville;  Ballamore.  James, 
Sparta ;  Combert,  James,  Sparta ;  Cottrill,  Stephen.  Sparta ; 
Downing,  George  AY.,  Sparta;  Downey,  Charles  H.,  Sparta;  Dunn, 
George  AY.,  Sparta;  Hancock,  George  AV..  Sjjarta :  Harding. 
Charles,  Sparta;  AVilliams,  James  P.,  Ontario;  AYeston.  Charles 
B.,  Ontario. 

Company  "I" — ('apt.  Leonard  Johnson,  Glendale:  Boldcn, 
AYilliam  L.,  Ontario;  Boughton,  Lewis  AL,  Tomah :  Brigliam,  John 
M.,  Glendale;  Davis,  Lawson,  Glendale:  Briggs,  Job  S.,  Glendale. 
afterwai'd  second  lietuenant  Forty-eighth  Wisconsin  Infantry: 
Graham,  Larneck,  Tomah;  Green.  Chester  A.,  Glendale;  Har- 
land,  John,  Glendale;  Johnson,  AYilliam  II.,  Sparta;  Newton, 
Thomas,  Glendale;  Robbins.  George,  Glendale;  Rockwell.  Eli, 
Sparta;   Staker,  James  A.,  Sparta;  AYarner,  A^'alentine,  Sparta. 

Company  "K" — Andress,  Alonzo  L.,  Tunnel  City;  Conway, 
Thomas,  Lincoln;  Cuimnings,  Daniel,  Sparta:  Dowing,  George 
AY.,  Sparta,  from  Company  "IT":  Hancock,  AVilliam  D.,  Clifton; 


OFFICERS  AND  ENLISTED  MEN  121 

Revels,  William  J.,  Sparta;  Revels,  Henry,  Sparta;  Roli'e,  Albert 
H.,  Sparta;  Taylor,  Charles  M.,  Tomah ;  A^nn  AVie,  David  C, 
LaFayette ;  AVilliams,  Jured.  Ontario. 

RECRUITS  NOT  ON  COMPANY  ROLLS. 

Cullow,  Edward.  Tomah;  Culver,  Charles  A.,  Sparta;  Element, 
Frank,  Clifton;  Grimes,  James,  LaFayette;  Kelso,  Evans  P., 
Sparta  ;  Stalker,  Clinton  L.,  Sparta. 

SEVENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Col.  AYilliani  W.  Robinson,  Sparta,  lieutenant  colonel,  August 
15,  1861  ;  colonel.  January  30,  1862. 

Company  "A" — Culver,  AVilliam  P.,  Lincoln;  Kitts,  Edward, 
Leroy;  AYalrod,  Jonathan,  Portland. 

Company  ''B" — Barman.  AVilliam  AV.,  Tomah;  l^lowers.  John 
J.,  Tomah. 

Company  ''E" — Robinson,  AVilliam  AV.,  Sparta;  Spooner, 
Edward  J.,  Lincoln. 

Company  "I'' — Capt.  Edward  Terrell,  Leon;  Birdsall,  David, 
Leon;  Perkins,  Hugh,  Leon;  AVilliams,  George  AV.,  Leon;  AVill- 
iams,  Byron  S.,  Leon. 

RECRUITS  NOT  ON  ROLLS. 

Kavanaugh,  Patrick,  Kendall. 

EIGHTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "D'" — Aney,  James  P.,  Ridgeville,  from  Company 
"I";  Hall,  AVilliam  G.,  Sparta;  Parker,  Adelbert.  Sparta. 
Company  "I" — AA'^orden,  Henry  D..  AVilton. 

TENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "D" — Shaffer,  AVilliam  Henry,  Sparta. 

Company  "G" — Carnahan.  Archibald,  Sparta;  Carnahan, 
Andrew,  Sparta,  transferred  to  Twenty-first  AA'isconsin;  Lane, 
George,  Jefferson;  Lane,  Jobe,  Sparta. 

Company  "II" — Beardsley.  Everett  AV..  Tomah;  Bigelow, 
Hiram  0.,  Lincoln ;  Church,  Orange,  Lincoln ;  Corey,  Phillip, 
Greenfield ;  Deyotell,  John,  Tomah ;  Gee,  Charles  C,  Sparta  ;  Gor- 
man, Aaron  H.,  Tomah;  Harding,  AVilliam,  Sparta;  Harp.  AVill- 
iam, Lincoln ;  Harp,  Jacob,  Tomah ;  Haywood,  Joel,  Tomah ; 
Hogue,  Charles  P.,  Sparta ;  AleClure,  Samuel,  Tomah ;  AIcGinniss, 
Joseph,  Greenfield ;  Rockwood,  Delorama,  Tomah ;  Spaulding, 
Henry  C,  Tomah ;  Spooner,  Charles  AV.,  Tomah  ;  Thomas,  Alelvin 


122  HISTORY  OF  MONROK  COUXTY 

G.,    Lincoln;    Thompson,    Dwiglit,    Tuniali;    AVeaver,    lliiaiu    O., 
Tomah. 

Company  "K" — Calhoun,  John,  Byron;  Dow,  Loren,  AVilton; 
Gibbs,  Albci't,  Byron;  Graves,  Russell  C.,  Leroy;  Hatch,  Charles, 
Leroy. 

ELEVENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "E" — Bai-hcr.  IIuIxtI,  AVilton;  Beaumont.  Georore. 
Kendall;  Carr,  xXndi-ew,  Kendall;  Dain,  .James  AI.,  Kendall; 
Doyle,  John,  Kendall ;  Gugerty,  William  A.,  Kendall ;  Alarr, 
Andrew,  Kendall ;  ]\Iurphy,  Dennis  AV.,  Kendall ;  Shea,  Edward, 
Kendall. 

Company  "F" — Carver,  Austin,  Wilton;  Early,  Jobn,  Green- 
field. 

Company  '"G"^ — -James,  Joseph,  Portland. 

Company  "H "-^Chamberlain.  Thomas,  Lincoln;  Hancock, 
Thomas  IL.  Tomali;  ITollenback,  Charles,  Lincoln. 

TWELFTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  ''D" — Bass,  Charles  H.,  Tomah;  Birdsell.  John, 
Sparta;  Braman,  Edward  F.,  Tomah;  Broughton,  Timothy  B., 
Tomah;  Cleveland,  Daniel  F.,  Tomah,  from  Company  "D," 
Twenty-fifth  Infantry;  Darwin,  Samuel  N.,  Sparta;  Haskins, 
Nathaniel,  Sparta;  Matchett,  James,  Sparta;  Peterson,  Christo- 
pher, Tomah;  Parshall.  AVilliam  H.  II.,  Sparta;  Purcell.  Walli-r 
\V.,  Tonudi,  from  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry;  Put- 
man,  Charles  IL.  Sparta,  from  Comi)any  "D."  Twenty-Hfth  Infan- 
try; Richardson,  Perry,  Glendale;  Scott,  Leonard,  Sparta,  from 
Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry;  Tuthell,  Jobn,  Sparta, 
from  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry;  Trowlridge,  George 
M.,  Tomah,  from  Company  ''D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry;  Yan 
Kirk.  .Icrciiiiali.  Sparta;  Yaughn,  Ilanisou  II..  Tomah. 

Company  ''E" — Livingston,  James,  Roaring  Creek,  from 
Company  "F,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry. 

Ct)mpany  "H," — Rogers.  Jacob.  Tomah. 

Company  "I" — Griffin.  Charles.  Tomab. 

Com]iany  "K" — Xicols,  John,  Kendall,  from  Comi)any  "E, "' 
Tweiily-liflb  Infant I'y. 

FOURTEENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "D" — Harrison.  William  L.,  Greenfield;  Sour, 
Daniel  IL,  Sparta. 

Company  "I'' — Reedei".  George  AV..  Spai-ta. 


OFFICERS  AND  ENLISTED  MEN  123 

FIFTEENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "H"" — Seeond  Lieut.  Martin  A.  Erickson,  Sparta. 
Recruits  Not  on  Any  Company  Roll — Ole  Olson.  Toniah. 

SIXTEENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "C" — Kelly,  Jeremiah,  Glendale,  from  Company 
"F,"  V.  C. ;  Lyman,  Jeremiah,  Glendale  ;  Pearsoll,  James  I.,  Glen- 
dale ;  Rowin,  Robert,  Glendale,  from  Company  "F";  Saddoris, 
Samuel,  Summit,  from  Company  "F";  Teed,  Truman,  Glendale. 

Company  "D" — Lloyd,  Silas,  Portland,  transferred  to  Com- 
pany "E";  AYalrod,  Michael,  Portland. 

Company  "E"— McDougal,  Fredrick  E.,  Tomah. 

Company  "F" — Birdsill.  George,  Glendale;  Boughtou,  Tim- 
othy, Glendale ;  Hancock,  Wallace  B.,  Clifton ;  Douglas,  Richard 
A.,  Glendale ;  Teed  Truman,  Glendale ;  ]Morse.  Anthony,  Lincoln ; 
Palmer,  Sylvester  C,  Lincoln;  Winegar,  William,  Lincoln. 

SIXTEENTH  REGIMENT  (NEW  COMPANIES). 

Company  '"B" — Nelson,  Andrew  A.,  Portland. 
Company     "H" — Thompson.     Alexander,     Sparta;     Wilcox, 
Martin.  LaFayette. 

SEVENTEENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Sergt.  Maj.  Edwin  L.  Bolton.  Tomah,  from  Company  '"E." 

Company  "A'' — Bannigan,  William,  Tomah;  Miller,  Joseph, 
Tomah. 

Company  "B'' — Claigg,  Ilospild,  Kendall;  Okes,  Charles, 
Kendall. 

Company  "PI" — Reddelin,  John,  Ridge ville. 

EIGHTEENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

James  Delaney,  chaplain,  Sparta ;  Hosp.  StCAvard,  Luther  B. 
Noyes,  Sparta. 

Company  ''C" — Carpenter,  John,  Jefferson;  Frazer,  Elijah 
S.,  Jefferson;  Herron,  John.  Jeft'erson :  Rodgers,  JMerrick, 
LaFayette. 

Company  "D" — Capt.  George  A.  Fisk,  Sparta;  First  Lieut. 
Dewitt  C.  AVilson,  Sparta;  Austin,  Palmer,  Sparta;  Beach, 
Arunah  J.,  Angelo ;  Beach,  Henry,  Angelo ;  Birgal,  Francis,  Cata- 
ract; Brown,  Jesse,  Angelo;  Bugbee,  Lanson  L.,  Cataract;  Camp- 
bell,   George,   Angelo ;    Comstock,   Ambrose   L.,    Leon ;    Crocker, 


124  IlISTORV  OK  :\I()NK01':  corxTY 

Ephrain,  Eaton;  Culver,  Nathan,  Ontario,  transforrcd  to  Cnni- 
pany  "K":  Dnstin,  John  P.,  Cataract;  Earr,  Li'rov  II..  Cataract; 
Einncl,  .James,  Ontario;  Freeman,  Select,  Sparta;  Gary,  John, 
Sparta;  (h-oss,  John,  Sparta,  transferred  to  Company  "K";  Iler- 
rick,  Lotin  C.,  Sparta;  Hill,  Oscar  A.,  Sparta:  Hoard.  Ziha.  Cata- 
ract; Humphrey,  John,  Sparta;  Jewell,  Jolm  I)..  Sparta,  trans- 
ferred to  Company  "K";  Landon,  Lewis,  Cataract;  Lang,  Daniel 
II..  Wellington,  transferred  to  Company  "K";  Lathrop,  Alfred 
H.,  Tomali;  Lowe.  AVilliam  IT.,  Greenfield,  transferred  to  Com- 
pany '*K";  ]\Iaguire,  Thomas,  Sparta;  Maila,  Charles.  Ontario; 
^Mathews,  Albert  C,  Cataract;  McKay,  Sheldon,  Cataract; 
]Merriam.  Enos  S.,  Sparta;  Merriam,  Charles  W..  Sjjarta ; 
^Mitchell,  DeLos  AV.,  -leffersou;  ]\Iooney,  James,  Sheldon; 
]\Iott,  Theodore,  Portland;  Noyes,  Luther  P.,  Sparta, 
promoted  to  hospital  stewainl.  1861 ;  Osborn,  James,  Sr., 
Leon;  Osborn,  James,  Jr..  Leon;  Pierce.  Henry.  Adrian;  Phelps. 
Henry  J.,  Ontario;  Purdy,  Owen  W..  LaFayette ;  Rathbun.  Dewey, 
Leon;  Eathbun,  Charles.  Leon;  Remington.  George,  Rockland; 
Riggs.  Andrew,  Leon ;  Ring,  Alonzo,  Sparta ;  Robinson,  John, 
Sparta;  Robinson,  AVilliam,  Sparta;  Rowley,  Henry  ]M.,  Ontario; 
Sanderlin,  Isaac  S.,  Greenfield,  transferred  to  Company  '"K": 
Sayles.  William  IT..  Sj^arta  ;  Seepiy.  Edward.  Cataract;  Sheldon. 
Joshua  AV.,  Sheldon;  Smith.  Amisa,  Angelo  ;  Sprout.  Cummings. 
N.,  Cataract;  Stacy,  Norman  B. ;  LaFayette;  Stetson,  James  ]\I., 
LaFayette;  Stratton,  Josiah,  Sparta;  Stewart,  Alilton  AI..  Sparta; 
Teague,  Isaac,  Sparta;  Towiisend.  AValdron.  Jefferson;  ToAvn- 
send.  Jonathjin.  Jefferson;  AVilson.  High  C.,  Eaton;  AVinter,  John, 
Cataract;  AA^oodford,  Thomas,  Cataract;  AVheeler,  John  E..  Ridge- 
ville;  Youmans,  AA^illiam.  Angelo. 

Comi)any  "K'' — Jewell.  John  D..  Sjiarta.  from  Company ''D": 
Kapi)ing.  Christian.  Eaton;  Lown,  William  II..  (Jreenfield,  from 
Company  '"D";  Lang,  Daniel  H.,  AVellington,  from  Company 
"D";  Danderlin.  Isaac  S.,  Greenfield,  from  Company  *'D." 

NINETEENTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Q.  ]\I.  Sergt.  AVilliaiii  11.  Plyton,  Sparta;  Com.  Sergt.  Galusha 
B.  Field,  Synirta  :  i'rin.  Musician  Willinni  Ken-igan.  Sparta.  tVoiii 
Company  "('.'" 

( 'omjiany  "A" — Lee,  li\  run  1>..  Spai'ta  ;  SheiMdan.  -Tames.  Leon, 
from  Company  "G." 

Company  ••("' — Capt.  .John  A.  Chaiullei-.  Sjiaiia;  Capl.  Alonzo 
H.  Russell,  Sparta;  First  Lieut.  AVilliam  R.  V.  Erisby,  Sparta; 
Allen,  James  ^L,  Eaton;  Ashton,  John,  Sparta;  Austin,  AVilliam 


OFFICERS  AND  ENLISTED  MEN  125 

G.,  Sparta ;  Barber,  George  II.,  Sparta ;  Beardsley,  George  W., 
Sparta;  Bingham,  Henry  S.,  Sparta;  Bloom,  Henry  J.,  Sparta; 
Blyton.  Thomas  W.,  Leon;  Blyton,  Charles  "W.,  Sparta;  Branden- 
stein,  John,  Ridgeville ;  Bremer,  Charles,  Sparta ;  Brist,  William, 
Sparta ;  Bullen,  Samuel  T.,  Sparta ;  Campbell,  Eleazor  J.,  Sparta ; 
Chamley,  William,  Sparta;  Close,  W^esley  J.,  Sparta;  Commons, 
James,  Sparta ;  Cottinger,  John,  Sparta ;  Coon,  Caleb,  Sparta ; 
Cutland,  Phillip,  Sparta;  Draper,  John,  Sparta;  Draper,  Thomas, 
Jefferson;  Fields,  Gakisha  B.,  Sparta,  promoted  to  commanding 
sergeant;  Garden,  Daniel,  Leon;  Gates,  ]\Ielvill  B.,  Sparta;  Gross, 
Henry.  Sparta,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. ;  Hall,  Horace,  Sparta; 
Gross,  John  P.,  Jefferson;  Hartwell,  William  H.,  Sparta;  Hen- 
shell,  William  H.  I.,  Sparta ;  Hill,  Eber  B.,  Sparta  ;  Howard,  David 
H.,  Sparta ;  Hurlbut,  Albert  H.,  Sparta ;  Hutchins,  Sylvester, 
Sparta ;  Jonas,  Elias,  Leon ;  Jones,  Thomas,  Leon ;  Jones,  John 
W.,  Sparta;  Lovell,  Abijah  J.,  Eaton;  Lynn,  James  H.,  Sparta; 
McDougal,  Alexander,  Sparta;,  McGary,  Henry,  Ridgeville; 
McPheters,  Alexander,  Leon  ;  Moore,  Horace  J.,  Sparta ;  Murray, 
Christopher,  Sparta ;  Nichols,  Joseph,  Sparta ;  Nolan,  Andrew, 
Ridgeville;  Paugburn,  Francis  S.,  LaFayette;  Payne,  Nelson, 
Sparta;  Perkins,  John  B.,  LaFayette;  Pierce,  Alfred,  Sparta; 
Pameroy,  Erastus,  Sparta ;  Potter,  Joseph  AV.,  Sparta ;  Potter, 
Jasper,  Sparta ;  Preston,  Taylor,  Sparta ;  Premo,  Lewis,  Lincoln ; 
Rath,  Henry  A.,  Ridgeville ;  Rathbun,  Edward  C,  Sparta  ;  Rath- 
bun,  Edmund,  Sparta;  Ross,  Elisha,  Leon;  Sanderlin,  John, 
Sparta;  Schmitz,  AVilliam,  Jefferson;  Sherwood,  ]\Iartin.  Ridge- 
ville; Shepherd,  George  A.,  Sparta;  Shepherd,  AA^illiam,  Angelo; 
Shepherd,  George  AV.,  Angelo ;  Sheridan,  James,  Sparta,  from 
Company  "F";  Snow,  Jaspar  E.,  Sparta,  from  second  lieutenant; 
Steward,  James,  Sparta ;  Suckam,  Edward,  Sparta ;  Swift,  Lucian, 
Sparta;  Swift,  Cola,  Sparta;  Utter,  Benjamin  F.,  Leon;  AValter, 
Michael,  Cataract ;  Warner,  Samuel  W.,  Sparta ;  AVhitelesly, 
George  M.,  Jefferson ;  AVitting,  John,  Sparta ;  AVoodliff,  John, 
Sparta ;  AVruk,  Christian,  Sparta ;  Ziegler,  Caspar,  Ridgeville. 

Company  "D" — Allendorf,  Peter.  Angelo;  Clifford.  Charles 
C,  Sparta,  from  Company  "G";  Cooper,  Silas  J.,  Sheldon;  Hol- 
lenbeck,  AA^illiam  A.,  Lincoln,  from  Company  "G";  Hoskins, 
Marvin,  Lincoln,  from  Company  "G";  Hubbard,  Richard,  Ridge- 
ville ;  Mallory,  Rodney  D.,  Lincoln ;  Meyer,  Christian,  Ridgeville, 
from  Company  "G";  Robson,  John,  Leon,  from  Company  "G"; 
Sabls,  Charles  F..  Leon;  Shanklin.  Ridgeville,  from  Company 
"G";  Sherwin,  Bissels,  Angelo;  AVilson,  Roger  J.,  Leon,  from 
Company  "G." 


126  HISTORY  OV  :\IOXK()E  COUNTY 

rompany  ''£"— Tuttlc,   Ezra.  AVclliiicrtnn. 

Company  "G" — Crane,  Ohadiali.  Lincoln;  Cnlvcr.  T^nke, 
Byron;  Hettman,  Jacol)  R.,  Ridgcvillc;  Ilaskins.  Varvin  Ji.,  Lin- 
coln, transferred  to  Company  "D";  Hollenbeek.  AVilliam  A.,  Lin- 
coln, transferred  to  Company  "D";  ileyer,  Cliristian.  Rid<;eviile, 
transferred  to  Company  "D";  Vanghan,  George  \V..  Byron; 
Vaughan,  Ira  \\^.  iJyroii:  Wilson,  Addison,  Lincoln;  AVilson, 
Roger  J.,  Leon. 

Company  "K" — Bist,  AVilliam.  Sparta,  transferred  to  Com- 
pany "C";  Close,  AVilsey  J.,  Sparta,  transferred  to  Company 
"C";  Hazelton,  James  A.,  Sparta:  Hill.  Alher  B.,  Sparta,  trans- 
ferred to  Company  "'('." 

Recruits  Not  on  Comjiaiiy  Roll — Pick.  AVilliam  II..  Sparta. 

TWENTIETH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "A" — Babcock.  Ralph  \V..  Tomali;  Chandler,  Jere- 
miah I).,  Tnnnel  City. 

Company  "F" — First  Lieut.  Albert  H.  Blake,  Sparta;  Dego- 
tell,  Abraham,  Lincoln;  Degotell.  AVilliam,  Lincoln;  Duggan, 
James,  Greenfield;  Durant.  Robert  K..  Sparta;  Eastnu^n.  Limuel, 
Clifton ;  Frank,  John,  Jefiferson ;  Hicks,  Addison  G..  Sparta : 
Johnson,  John,  Greenfield ;  Jones,  Henry  C,  Clifton ;  Kies,  Alva 
E.,  Clifton;  Lamb,  Galen.  Tomah ;  Lewis,  Samuel,  Sparta;  Nolle, 
Bernhard,  Spai'ta  ;  Thiry,  John  L.  C.,  Sparta  ;  Vincent,  Fredrick, 
Sparta. 

TWENTY-FIFTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Col.  Alilton  Montgomery,  Sparta;  Surgeon  AFartin  R.  Gage. 
Sparta;  IIosp.  Stewards  Charles  AV.  Kellogg.  Tomah;  Samuel 
Gunn,  Sparta. 

Company  "D" — Capt.  James  D.  Condit.  Sparta;  Capt.  Morti- 
mer E.  Leonard,  Sparta  ;  First  Lieut.  Charles  S.  Farnham.  Sparta  ; 
Second  Lieut.  Andrew  .1.  High,  Sparta;  Abies,  Henry  A..  Welling- 
ton; Aldrich,  Nathan  B.,  Angelo ;  Alger,  Thonuis,  Leon;  Ayers, 
Albert.  Sparta,  transferred  to  Company  '"D."  Twelfth  Infantry: 
Bailey,  Amnion,  Lincoln;  Bass,  Charles  IL,  Lin<oln.  transferred 
to  Company  *'D.''  Twelfth  Infantry:  Birdsill.  John.  (Jlendale. 
transferred  to  Company  "D."  Twelfth  Infantry;  Bon.  David  B.. 
Lincoln;  Boughton.  William  T..  Tomah;  lioyle,  Peter,  AVilton: 
Braman.  Edward  P.,  Tomah,  transferred  to  Company  "D," 
Twelfth  Infantry;  Braman,  Roswell  E..  Lincoln;  Broughton,  Tim- 
othy B.,  Glendale,  transferred  to  Company  "D,"  Twelfth  Infan- 
trv;  Burdick,  Alfred,  LaFavette ;  Carver.  Nelson,  AVilton:  Chat- 


OFFICEKS  AND  ENLISTED  MEN  127 

terson,  Jefferson,  Angelo;  Cleveland,  Daniel  F.,  Ridgeville ;  Con- 
ger, Lewis  B.,  Ridgeville;  Crawford,  Charles  IL,  Tomah;  Cressy, 
Henry  W.,  Tomah;  Cressy,  Warren  P.,  Tomah;  Darwin,  Samuel 
N.,  Sparta ;  Day,  Henry,  AVellington ;  Demmon,  Ira  P.,  Tomah ; 
Depen,  Wile}',  Tomah;  Dnnlap,  Robert  B.,  Sparta;  Dunlevy, 
Thomas,  Sparta ;  Edgerton,  Henry  L.,  Lincoln ;  Edgerton,  Charles 
L.,  Lincoln;  Fitch,  Norman  D.,  Sparta;  Foster,  Anson  T.,  Sparta; 
Gill,  Edward,  Wilton ;  Gleason,  George,  Lincoln ;  Goff,  Spenser 
F.,  Lincoln;  Green,  Abner,  Sparta;  Grover,  Elizer  H.,  AVilton; 
Harland,  William  H.,  Glendale,  Harman,  John  A.,  Sparta;  Harp, 
George  F.,  Tomah ;  Heth,  Perry,  Ridgeville ;  Haskins,  Nathaniel, 
Sparta,  transferred  to  Company  ''D,"  Twelfth  Infantry;  Hol- 
gate,  Francis,  Clifton;  Hollenbeck,  Amos  J.,  Sparta;  Houghtaliug, 
Henry,  AVellington ;  House,  Phileman  P.,  W^ilton ;  Howard, 
Charles,  Tomah;  Howes,  David  S.,  Tomah;  Hull,  Richard  J., 
Angelo ;  Huntley,  Jabez  L.,  Sparta ;  Hutson,  Thomas,  Angelo ; 
Hyde,  Alfred,  Tomah ;  Johnson,  Eben,  Tomah ;  Justice,  John, 
Sparta;  King,  George  AY..  Tomah,  transferred  to  Company  "D," 
Twelfth  Infantry;  Kinney,  AVilliam  H.,  Sparta;  Kenyon,  Mon- 
roe, Sparta;  Lamb,  AVilliam  H.,  Tomah  ;  Leavett.  Edward,  Sparta  ; 
Lewis,  Thomas  S.,  Angelo;  Littell,  James  H.,  Angelo;  Little, 
Theodore  AA^.,  Sparta;  Lyon,  Samuel  J.,  Glendale;  Aloltby,  Appel- 
ton  N.,  Tomah;  Manchester,  Charles  G.,  Sparta;  Alanly,  Henry, 
Greenfield :  Alatchet,  James,  Pine  Hill ;  AIcGinnis,  Elisha  A., 
Tomah;  AlcLean,  AVilliam,  Tomah;  Aliller,  Alexander,  Sparta; 
Milligan,  Rueben  A.,  Sparta ;  Alills,  Elias,  Leroy ;  Alills,  Eli, 
Leroy;  Alinor,  AVilliam  H.,  Ridgeville;  Alorrision,  AV.  A.  Sparta; 
AIusgraA'e,  AVilliam  P.,  Sparta ;  Newton,  Daniel,  Glendale ;  Owens, 
Lewis  E.,  Portland;  Peterson,  Christopher,  Tomah;  Quacken- 
bush,  Ernest,  Pine  Hill,  transferred  to  Company  ''D,"  Twelfth 
Infanty;  Pursell.  AValter  P.,  Tomah,  transferred  to.  Company 
"D,"  Twelfth  Infantry;  Putman,  Charles  H.,  Sparta,  transferred 
to  Company  ''D,"  Twelfth  Infantry;  Quackenbush,  George,  Pine 
Hill;  Randies,  John,  AA^ilton;  Rathbun,  Robert  B.,  Sparta;  Reed, 
Cheney,  LaFayette ;  Reeve,  Horace,  Little  Falls ;  Richardson, 
Samuel,  Glendale ;  Richardson,  Perry,  Glendale ;  Rood,  AVilliarii 
J.,  Ridgeville ;  Rottenstetter,  Simon,  Tomah ;  Russell,  Alexander, 
Sparta;  Rugg,  Alfred  H.,  Tomah,  transferred  to  Company  "D," 
Twelfth  Infantry;  Sanders,  AVilliam  H..  Lincoln;  Sawyer,  Peter 
E.,  Lincoln ;  Scott,  Leonard,  Sparta,  transferred  to  Company 
"D,"  Twelfth  Infantry;  Scoville,  Charles,  AA'^ilton ;  Scruby,  John, 
Sparta;  Shaw,  Joseph,  Tomah,  transferred  to  Company  ''D," 
Twelfth  Infantry;  Shaw,  William  E.,  Adrian;  Sherland,  Joel  E., 


128 


lllSTOKY  OF  .MOXHOK  COUNTY 


Angelo;  Sliker,  John  J.,  Toiiiali ;  Smow,  George  ]M.,  Sparta; 
Spooiier,  Daniel  11.,  Lincoln;  Squirls,  Gardner,  Lincoln;  Thomp- 
son, James  W.,  Greenfield;  Thomson.  Allen.  Kidgeville ;  Trow- 
bridge, George  I\I.,  Tonuih.  transferred  lo  Company  "J),'' 
Twelfth  Infantry:  Trnlsdell,  William  1'.,  Tomah ;  Tuthell.  John, 
Sparta,  transfei-i-ed  to  Company  "D,"  Twelfth  Infantry;  Cstiek, 
Jacob  Y.,  Tomali :  \'an  Anthrip,  Edward,  Sparta;  Van  Kirk.  Jere- 
miah, Sparta,  transferred  to  Company  "D,"  Twelfth  Infantry; 
Vaughn,  Kniery  \V..  Lincoln;  Vanghan.  Harrison  IL.  Lincoln, 
transferred  to  Company  "D,"  Twelfth  Infantry:  Watson,  George 
R.,  Lincoln:  AVest,  Tlial.  Glendale;  AVilcox,  Lucius  C,  Angelo; 
AVileox,  AVilliam  N.,  Angelo;  W^olcott,  George  L.,  Leon;  AVorden, 
Samuel  H.,  Glendale;  AVright,  William  IL.  Tomah:  Wyant.  Will- 
iam IL,  Sparta;  Yomans,  William  II. ,  Leon. 

Company  "E" — Bartdel,  Francis  A.,  Clifton;  Hudson,  James 
R.,  Clifton;  Mero,  Fredrick,  Clifton. 

Company  "F" — Brainerd,  Darwin  L.,  Glendale;  Berry. 
Charles  II. ,  Sparta ;  Bugbee,  Alien,  Tomah ;  Burlingame,  Phillip, 
Tomah;  Chadwick,  James,  Roaring  Creek;  Chapman.  John  D., 
Roaring  Creek;  Coonrod,  Jared  P.,  Roaring  Creek;  Davis,  Sheron, 
Sparta:  Dell,  Edward,  Roaring  Creek;  Echner,  Philemon,  Green- 
field; Godbould,  David.  Tomah;  Hehnka.  Fredrick,  Adrian; 
Hastings,  Orlando  D..  Lincoln :  Lewis,  Samuel  C.,  Tomah ;  Lin- 
coln, James  H.,  Ridgeville ;  Nelliot,  Simeon,  Sparta ;  Papst,  AVill- 
iam  G.,  Greenfield;  Spencer,  AVilliam  J.,  Leroy;  Taylor,  Pratt  M., 
Leroy;  AValker,  Charles  M.,  Tonuih. 

Company  "G" — Bishop,  Joseph.  Angelo;  Bishop,  Amos, 
Angelo;  Mann,  Nathan.  Cataract;  jManii.  Fliade  E..  Cataract. 

Company  "H" — Falke.  Fredrick.  Sheldon;  Fiiuiell.  James, 
Sheldon;  Heath,  AVinsloAV  J..  Sheldon;  Howard,  John,  Adrian; 
King,  Robert,  Adrian;  Schmelling,  Fi'edi-iek.  Ridgeville. 

THIRTIETH   REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "C" — AVade,  Edward  F.,  Lincoln. 

Company  "IF' — Blakeley,  James  IL.  Leon;  Blakeley,  Revilo, 
Leon;  Brown,  John  S.,  Leon;  Carj^enter,  William  J.,  Leon:  Alait- 
land,  John,  Leon;  ^lathews,  James  J..  Leon;  .Mathews,  AVilliam, 
Leon;  Noyes,  Fredrick  E..  Leon:  Stratton.  AVilliam.  Leon:  War- 
ren, Goram  N.,  Leon ;  AVeaver,  David.  Leon. 

Company  ''!" — Block,  August.  Lincoln:  Brick.  Edward  P., 
Lincoln:  Hill.  Alathias.  Lincoln:  Honodell.  John.  Lincoln:  Roach. 
Ernest,  Lincoln. 

Company     "K'" — Steese,     AVilliam      II..      Lincoln;      Stelson, 


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OFFICERS  AND  ENLISTED  MEN  129 

LaFayette,  Lincoln ;  Stone,  John  F.,  LaFayette,  AYliitney,  Ber- 
nard K..  Tunnel  City. 

THIRTY-SECOND  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "E" — Young,  Thomas,  Clifton. 

THIRTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  '"C" — Capt.  George  A.  Fisk,  Sparta;  First  Lieut. 
Luther  B.  Noyes,  Sparta ;  Baker,  John,  Ridgeville ;  Barnes, 
Alfred  0.,  Little  Falls ;  Berry,  Jehial  S.,  Sparta ;  Britton,  Daniel 
A.,  Sparta ;  Brown,  Huston,  Sparta ;  Casner,  Thomas,  Sparta ; 
Carnahan,  Archibald,  Sparta;  Cleaves,  Corydon  L.,  Portland; 
Cole,  David  AY.,  Adrian;  Cole,  Darwin,  Sparta;  Cross,  George- C, 
Little  Falls;  Cross,  Jeremiah  A.,  Sparta;  Davis,  Robert  A.,  Little 
Falls;  Douglas,  David,  Little  Falls;  Dunbar,  Alfred,  Sparta; 
Emmos,  Andrew  J.,  Sparta;  Fink,  Cornilius,  Sparta;  Fosdick, 
Jay  H.,  Little  Falls ;  Freeman,  Fredrick,  Sparta ;  Gallaghur, 
Thomas  AY.,  Sparta ;  Graves,  Nathan,  Sparta ;  Greenman,  George 
E.,  Sparta;  Griffin,  Valentine,  Angelo;  Hathaway,  Henry,  Sparta; 
Head,  Delo  AY.,  Little  Falls;  Hunt,  John  AY.,  Little  Falls;  Inger- 
sall,  Daniel,  Sparta ;  Ingersall,  AYilliam  AI..  Sparta  ;  Ingles,  Augus- 
tus B.,  Leon;  John,  Charles  W..  Little  Falls;  Jones,  Alilo,  Sparta; 
Kroll,  AYilliam  F..  Little  Falls;  Alartin,  John,  Little,  Falls;  Alatte- 
son,  David  A.,  Little  Falls;  AlcClure,  Charles  L.,  Sparta;  Allies, 
Stephen  C,  Sparta ;  Nichols,  Theodore,  Sparta ;  Nichols,  Edward, 
Sparta;  Peterson,  Joseph  R.,  Sparta;  Potter,  Joseph  AY.,  Sparta; 
Rathbun,  Eldridge,  Sparta ;  Ripley,  Edwin,  Sparta ;  Sacia,  Henry, 
Sparta ;  Sherwood,  Alartin,  Ridgeville ;  Sour,  Cynes,  Ridgeville ; 
Stevens,  John  E.,  Portland,  AYalker,  Perry  C,  Little  Falls;  AYash- 
burn,  AA'illiam  H.,  Little  Falls;  AYilsey,  John  J.,  Portland;  AYol- 
cott,  Jerome  B.,  Sparta;  AYright,  AA'illiam,  Sparta;  Yoemans, 
Samuel  J.,  Sparta;  Young,  Jerome  B..  Sparta. 

FORTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "K" — Capt.  Robert  A.  Gillett,' Tomah ;  Armstrong, 
Sebastian,  Greenfield;  Buswell,  Samuel,  Glendale;  Cassels,  AYill- 
iam, Tomah ;  Collins,  Neal  AL,  Glendale ;  Day,  Allen,  AA^ellington ; 
Durkee,  Lawren  0.,  Tomah;  Englerth,  Adam,  Ridgeville;  Grover, 
James  K.,  Oakdale ;  Gudbauer,  AYilliam,  Greenfield ;  Kellogg, 
Charles  H.,  Tomah ;  Lamb,  Lewis  A.,  Greenfield ;  Loomer,  Amasa, 
Lincoln;  Aledcalf,  Edward  AI.,  Greenfield;  Alooney,  James,  Shel- 
don ;  Aloore,  David  A.,  Glendale,  Plunker,  AYilliam,  Tomah ;  Raf- 


130  IIIISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

try,  Thomas,  Sheldon ;  Reikie,  Thomas,  Tomah ;  Robertson,  Xeth- 
ven,  Tomah;  Root,  AVilliam  L.,  Greenfield;  Root,  Mortimer,  Green- 
field; Thompson,  Chelnsk,  Glendale ;  Thorpe,  Adelbert  D.,  Glen- 
dale;  Twohay.  John.  Slicldon :  AVard.  Joseph,  Glendale. 

FORTY-FOURTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "E" — Bennett,  Henry  R.  J.,  Sparta;  Crosby, 
Charles,  Sparta;  Donovan,  Daniid,  Kendall.  Donnelley,  James, 
Kendall,  Dounellev,  Frank,  Kendall;  Dutt'v,  John,  Greenfield; 
Houghton,  George  B.,  Sparta;  Kelley,  Christopher,  Greenfield; 
Lovell,  Andrew  C,  Eaton ;  ]Mott,  Alfred  H.,  Leon ;  AYilliams, 
Henry  C,  Tomah;  Wymau,  Elias  F.,  Eaton. 

FORTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  ''K" — Capt.  Edward  F.  AVade,  Lincoln;  Johnson, 
Evan,  Sparta ;  Johnson,  Louis,  Sheldon ;  Jones,  John,  Sparta ; 
Losh,  David  AY.,  Sparta ;  McLaren,  AVilliam,  Sparta ;  Oakley,  Alil- 
ton,  Sparta;  Stewart,  John,  Sparta;  Stoddard,  Richard  Al., 
Angelo ;  Underwood,  Lyman,  Sparta. 

FORTY-EIGHTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "H" — First  Lieut.  Job  S.  Driggs.  Glendale. 

FORTY-NINTH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  ''C" — Curtis,  Henry  0.,  Sparta. 

Company  "I''— Capt.  Christoi)her  C.  Aliller,  Tomah;  Banker, 
Bctlincl,  Ontario;  Bell.  Richard,  Cataract;  Bellerman,  Joseph, 
Ridgeville;  liigalow.  Daniel  AV.,  Tomah;  Brooks,  Samuel  E..  AVil- 
ton.  Burroughs,  Eli.  AVilton  :  Daggett,  Samuel  AI.,  AVilton ;  Fish, 
Henry,  Tomah;  Fitcli.  Irvin  X.,  Sparta;  Fryer,  John,  Tomah; 
Fuller.  AVilliam  L.,  Glendale;  Griswold,  Samuel  AV.,  Ridgeville; 
Hale,  Oliver  C.,  Ridgeville;  Hancock,  AVilliam  B..  AVilton;  Ilodg- 
kins.  George  C.,  Sparta;  AEcAIauus,  A^'incent,  Cataract;  Aliller, 
l^uy,  I.<ineoln;  Palmer,  Reuben.  Little  Falls;  Palmer,  Zarah,  Cata- 
ract; Rliodes,  Bela,  AVillon;  Skinner,  Austin  F.,  Cataract;  Strana- 
han,  Rodolphus  A.,  Ridgeville;  Thompson.  Albert  F.,  Ridgeville; 
Triffany.  Sylvanus.  Ridgeville;  Tom]>kins,  Chester  AV.,  Cataract; 
A'^inccnz,  Ferdinand,  Ridg(>ville;  AVeile]i,  Henry.  Ridgeville:  AVhit- 
ney,  Charles  L.,  Lincoln;  AVhitney,  Jacob  AV.,  Lincoln;  AVise, 
Fredrick,  Lincoln ;  AVoodworth,  Lucuis,  Leon ;  Yo\mg,  Thomas, 
Ontario. 


OFFICERS  AND  ENLISTED  MEN  131 

FIFTIETH  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "B" — Ciiininiiis,  John,  Jefferson;  Haskill,  Charles 
C,  Jeft'erson ;  Jolmsou,  Albert,  Jeft'erson ;  Kight,  James,  Green- 
field; Kight,  John,  Greenfield;  Kyes,  David  S.,  Jefferson;  MoUey, 
Andrew,  Jefferson;  Moore,  Daniel  M.,  Jefferson  ;  Moore,  Robert  J., 
Greenfield ;  Natwik,  Ole  H.,  Jefferson ;  Schriver,  Buy  F.,  Jefferson ; 
Seals,  Daniel  W.,  Jefferson;  Shult,  Williams,  Jefferson. 

Company  "I" — DeCoursey,  Edward  G.,  Sparta;  Graff,  Joseph, 
Greenfield ;  Ilolloek,  Richard,  Leon ;  Hewitt,  Henry,  Leon. 

FIFTY-FIRST  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

First  Asst.  Surgeon  Rouse  Bennett,  Tomah. 

FIFTY-SECOND  REGIMENT  INFANTRY. 

Company  "A" — Banker,  Stephen  0.,  Sparta;  Edwards,  "Will- 
iam A.,  Sparta;  Fairbanks,  Abram  F.,  LaFayette;  Hubbard,  Jobez, 
Lincoln;  ]Mumford,  James  R.,  Sparta;  Nolan,  John,  Leon;  Perry, 
Leauder,  Leon;  Talbot,  Robert  A.,  Sparta;  West,  Henry  C, 
Sparta. 

Company  "D" — Brooks,  Seth,  Leon;  Comstock,  William  B., 
Leon ;  Hilmer,  Fredrick,  LaFayette ;  Jacobs,  John,  Leon ;  Jost, 
Peter  P.,  LaFayette;  Keeler,  Daniel  H.,  Leon;  Kinney,  Peter  S., 
Angelo;  Luskuski,  Nicholas,  LaFayette;  Putman,  Isaac,  Leon; 
Ray,  Robert,  Leon;  Robinson,  Henry  J.,  Leon;  Robinson,  William 
B.,  Leon  ;  Shaaf,  Christian,  Leon ;  West,  AVarren  G.,  Leon  ;  Winter, 
Simon,  LaFayette ;  Woodworth,  Chester,  Leon. 

FIFTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  INF.ANTRY. 

Company  "A" — Crouch,  Stephen  V.,  LaFayette;  Curtiss, 
Martin  M.,  Greenfield ;  Rosenan,  John,  Lincoln ;  Scott,  Lee,  Lin- 
coln;  Williams,  Jeremiah  G.,  Tomah. 

FIRST  REGIMENT  (BERDAN'S)  U.  S.  SHARP  SHOOTERS. 

Company  "G" — Grover,  George  W.,  Tomah;  Guthery,  John 
L.,  Tomah ;  Murat,  Conrad,  Wilton. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

co:\rMissioxED  officers. 

]\luni'ot'  county  can  well  Ix'  proud  of  the  lad  that  its  citizens 
did  their  full  share  and  a  little  more,  in  the  AVar  of  the  Rebellion ; 
in  this  connection  it  is  a  matter  of  considerable  interest,  that  in 
addition  to  the  large  number  of  enlisted  men,  ''The  man  ])eliind 
the  gun,"  many  of  its  citizens  received  commission  to  various 
ranks  to  the  extent  of  furnishing  two  colonels,  one  of  whom  was 
promoted  to  brevet  brigadier  general,  two  majors,  fifteen  caj)- 
tains,  eleven  first  lieutenants,  twelve  second  lieutenants,  one  regi- 
mental surgeon,  one  assistant  surgeon  and  three  regimental  chap- 
lains; and  we  here  give  the  record  of  each  man  in  the  service  as 
far  as  it  is  possible  to  obtain  it  from  the  official  records. 

COLONELS. 

Milton  Montgomery,  Sparta.  AVas  commissioned  colonel  of 
the  Twenty-fifth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  with  the  rank,  from 
August  16,  1862;  was  in  command  of  a  provisional  division  from 
June  6,  1863,  to  July  28,  1863 ;  he  connnanded  the  First  Brigade, 
Fourth  Division,  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  February  3  to  April 
14,  1864;  he  was  Avounded  and  taken  prisoner  July  22,  1864,  at 
Decatur,  Ga. ;  his  right  arm  was  amputated ;  upon  his  exchange 
and  recovery  he  again  reported  for  active  duty  and  was  assigned 
to  the  command  of  the  same  brigade,  which  he  held  from  January 
29  to  March  28,  1865;  on  March  13,  1865,  for  gallant  and  meri- 
torious conduct  he  was  commissioned  brevet  brigadier  general  of 
United  States  A''olunteers  and  Avas  nnistered  out  of  the  service 
Juno  7.  1865. 

William  W.  Robinson,  Sparta.  AVas  nui.stercd  into  the  service 
August  15,  1861,  as  lieutenant  colonel  of  tlie  Seventh  Regiment  of 
Infantry;  was  severely  wounded  at  Gainsville;  was  commissioned 
colonel  January  30,  1862,  and  served  until  July  9,  1864,  when  he 
resigned  his  commission. 

MAJORS. 

George  A.  Fisk,  Sparta.  AVas  commissioned  captain  of  Com- 
pany  "D,"   Eighteenth   Infantry,   December   17,    1861;   he   was 

132 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS  133 

taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  was  exchanged  and  re- 
signed his  commission  August  9,  1863.  He  again  entered  the  serv- 
ice and  was  commissioned  captain  of  Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth 
Infantry,  Llarch  4,  1864,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major 
March  7,  1865,  and  mustered  out  of  the  service  July  12,  1865. 

James  B.  Farnsworth,  Tomah.  Enlisted  in  Company  "I," 
Fourth  Cavalry,  April  20,  1861 ;  was  promoted  to  veterinary  ser- 
geant and  first  sergeant,  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany "I,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  August  11,  1862;  first  lieutenant  June 
24,  1863;  captain  September  24,  1864;  he  was  transferred  to  the 
command  of  Company  "A,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  August  22,  1865; 
commanded  the  Third  Battery  of  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  and  was 
mustered  out  May  28,  1866,  receiving  a  commission  as  major, 
dated  June  18,  1866. 


-  J 


CAPTAINS. 

Levi  R.  Blake,  Sparta.  Enlisted  April  20,  1861,  and  was  com- 
missioned first  lieutenant  of  Company  "I,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  April 
26,  1861;  was  severely  wounded  June  3,  1863,  at  Clinton,  La.,  and 
died  from  the  effects  of  his  wounds  June  10,  1863,  at  Batan  Rouge, 
Louisiana. 

Carpenter  Robert,  Sparta.  Enlisted  in  Company  "A,"  Third 
Cavalry,  Octol)er  7,  1861.  AVas  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of 
Company  ''A."  Third  Cavalry,  October  21,  1861;  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  January  30,  1865.  Upon  the  reorganization  of 
the  Third  Cavalry  he  was  commissioned  captain  of  Company  "L," 
Marcli  9,  1865,  and  resigned  his  command  August  14,  1865. 

Chandler,  John  A.,  Sparta.  He  was  commissioned  captain  of 
Company  ''C,"  Nineteenth  Infantry,  January  8,  1862;  resigned 
and  retired  July  30,  1862. 

Damman,  Jeremiah  D.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  in  Company  "A," 
Third  Cavalry,  September  7,  1861,  and  was  commissioned  captain 
of  company  "A,"  Third  Cavalry,  October  31,  1861,  and  on  account 
of  disability,  he  resigned  INIarch  9,  1863. 

Hall,  Joseph,  Tomah.  Enlisted  in  Company  "I,"  Fourth 
Cavalry,  April  23,  1861 ;  was  promoted  to  corporal  and  sergeant, 
transferred  to  Company  "L,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  and  commissioned 
first  lieutenant  of  the  same  company  April  12,  1864;  captain  of 
Company  "L"  November  28,  1864,  and  transferred  to  the  com- 
mand of  Company  "E,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  August  20,  1865;  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  May  28,  1866. 

Johnson,  Leonard,  Glendale.  Enlisted  in  Company  "L,"  Sixth 
Infantry,   ]May  9,   1861  ;  was  commissioned  captain  of  the  same 


134 


IIISTUKV  OF  .MOXKOK  COUNTY 


company  ]\Iay  15,  18(il  ;  he  resigned  tind  retired  from  the  service 
December  13,  1861. 

Leonard,  Mortimer,  Sparta.  Was  mustered  into  the  service  as 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  August 
22,  18G2;  was  Avounded  June  22,  1S()4.  at  Decatur,  (ia. ;  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  sei"\'i<'e  June  7,  18()r). 

Lowrie,  Alexander,  Jeflt'erson.  Enlisted  in  Company  "I,"  Sixth 
Infantry,  June  1,  1801  ;  was  promoted  to  corporal,  sergeant  and 
first  sergeant;  was  coimnissioned  second  lieutenant  of  the  same 
company  April  27.  1864;  first  lieutenant  December  21.  1864,  and 
captain  February  25.  1865.  He  was  Avounded  at  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Rini.  and  was  nuistered  out  of  the  service  July  14,  1865. 

Lynn,  John  W.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  in  Company  "T."  P'ourth 
Cavalry,  April  20,  1861  ;  Avas  commissioned  captain  of  that  com- 
pany April  26.  1861;  Avas  killed  July  15,  1862,  on  board  the  gun- 
boat Tyler.  The  Post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at 
Sparta  bears  his  name. 

Miles,  Stephen  C,  Sparta.  Enlisted  February  29, 1864,  in  Com- 
pany "C,''  Thirty-sixth  Regiment  Infantry;  promoted  to  ser- 
geant and  first  sergeant;  Avas  Avounded  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Har- 
bor; commissioned  captain  of  the  same  company  July  22,  1864; 
Avas  nuistered  out  of  the  service  July  12,  18()5.  not  having  been 
nnist(>red  as  a  captain. 

Miller,  Christopher  C,  Tomali.  Was  nuistered  into  Company 
"I,"  Forty-ninth  Reginu'ut  Infantry,  January  31,  1865,  and  coin- 
missioned  cajitain  of  the  same  com])any  February  24,  1865;  Avas 
mustered  out  of  th(»  serxice  Xoveiiil)er  8,  1865. 

Russell,  Alonzo  H..  Si)arta.  Enlisted  in  Company  ''C,"  Nine- 
teenth InfantiN'.  Januaiy  7,  lSti2:  was  i)i'()moted  to  first  sergeant; 
commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  the  same  company  February  8, 
1863;  first  lieutenant  January  14,  1865;  caj^tain  of  the  same  com- 
pany ^Fay  23.  1865,  and  Avas  mustered  out   August  9,  1865. 

Slog'gy,  Peter,  Sparta.  "Was  nuistei'ed  into  the  service  as  sec- 
ond lieutenant  Company  "D,""  Kighteenth  lid'antry.  December  17, 
1861;  Avas  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  the  same  company 
July  10,  18()3;  commissioned  captain  August  11,  1863,  ami  Avas 
mustered  out  of  the  serA'ice  ]\Iarch  ^^,  1865. 

Wilson,  DeWitt  C,  Sit.ii-ta.  Was  nuistered  into  the  serA'ice  and 
commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  Company  "D, "  Eighteenth  Infan- 
try, December  17,  1861  ;  he  AA'as  taken  prisoner  at  tlu'  battle  of 
Shiloh  ;  Avas  exchanged  and  ]U"omot(Hl  to  captain  in  the  Eighth 
Louisiana   (colored)   Regiment. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS  135 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Blyton,  William  H.  Enlisted  at  Sparta  January  23,  1862,  in 
Company  "C,"  Nineteenth  Regiment,  Wisconsin  Volunteers, 
appointed  post  quartermaster  sergeant  at  Camp  Randall  INIay  11, 
1862;  regimental  commissary  sergeant  July  1.  1862;  regimental 
quartermaster  sergeant  November  14, 1862 ;  commissioned  first  lieu- 
tenant October  21,  1864,  assigned  to  Second  United  States  Infan- 
try; November  11,  1864;  commission  approved  by  the  Presi- 
dent; mustered  in  as  first  lieutenant  and  regimental  quartermas- 
ter, quartermaster  department.  United  States  army.  Mustered 
out  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  June  20,  1866,  as  first  lieutenant 
and  regimental  quartermaster.  Fourth  Regiment,  United  States 
Infantry. 

Blake,  Albert  H.,  Sparta.  Mustered  into  the  service  with 
the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  of  Company  "F,"  Twentieth  Infantry, 
August  18,  1862;  w^as  wounded  at  Prairie  Grove;  resigned  June 
10,  1865. 

Chase,  Myron  P.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  April  25,  1861,  in  Company 
"I,"  Fourth  Cavalry;  was  promoted  to  sergeant  and  commission- 
ary  sergeant ;  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  the  same 
company  June  24,  1863,  and  was  wounded  October  10,  1864; 
resigned  his  commission  April  28,  1865. 

Driggs,  Jobe  S.,  Glendale.  Enlisted  May  10,  1861,  in  Company 
''I,"  Sixth  Infantry;  was  promoted  to  sergeant  in  the  Veteran 
Corps;  was  transferred  to  Battery  "B,"  Fourth  United  States 
Artillery,  September  21,  1862,  where  he  remained  until  February, 
1864 ;  was  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness ;  promoted  to 
second  lieutenant  of  Company  "H, "  Forty-eighth  Infantry,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1865 ;  commissioned  first  lieutenant  October  28,  1865 ; 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service  December  27,  1865. 

Farnaham,  Charles  S.,  Sparta.  Mustered  into  the  service  as 
second  lieutenant  of  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1862 ;  was  wounded  July  22,  1864,  at  Decatur,  Ga. ; 
acted  as  assistant  inspector  general.  First  Brigade,  Second  Divis- 
ion, Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  from  September  26,  1864,  until 
June,  1865 ;  was  mustered  out  June  7,  1865. 

Foote,  Oscar  E.,  Tomah.  Was  mustered  into  the  service  as 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  "H, "  Tenth  Infantry,  September  11, 
1861 ;  he  resigned  his  commission  October  5,  1861 ;  he  entered  the 
serAdce  again,  being  commissioned  as  second  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany "F,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  September  9,  1862;  died  of 
disease  at  Helena,  Ark.,  August  9,  1863. 


136 


IIISTOKV  OF  .M()XR(^E  COUNTY 


Frisby,  William  R.  V.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  January  7,  1862,  in 
Company  "'C,"  Nineteenth  Infantry;  promoted  to  sergeant  and 
first  sergeant ;  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  July  30,  1862 ; 
resigned  December  11,  1864. 

Johnson,  Chester  W.,  Liltle  Falls.  Enlisted  February  10, 
1864,  iji  ("oiiii)any  "C,"  Thirty-sixtli  Infantry;  Avas  promoted  to 
corporal  and  sergeant;  was  wounded  August  14,  1864;  com- 
missioned first  lieutenant  July  22,  1865,  but  not  mustered ;  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  July  12,  1865. 

Lynn,  James  H.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  March  4,  1862,  in  Company 
"C,"  Nineteenth  Infantry,  and  was  transferred  to  Veteran  Corps; 
promoted  to  sergeant  and  first  sergeant ;  commissioned  first  lieu- 
tenant July  11,  1865,  but  not  mustered.  He  Avas  mustered  out  of 
the  service  August  D,  1865. 

Noyes,  Luther  B.,  Sparta.  "Was  mustered  into  the  service  as 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth  Infantry,  March 
4,  1864;  was  wounded  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  17,  1864;  on 
account  of  wounds  he  was  discharged  September  28,  1864. 

Pike,  Anson  A.,  Sparta.  Mustered  into  the  service  as  first 
lieutenant  of  Company  "I,"  Forty-ninth  Infantry,  February  24, 
1865;  resigned  his  command  May  27.  1865. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS, 

Avery,  Ralph  H.,  Lincoln.  Enlisted  in  Company  "I,"  Forty- 
nintli  Infantry,  February  21,  1865  ;  was  promoted  to  first  sergeant ; 
was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  the  same  company  June 
17,  1865;  mustered  out  of  the  service  November  8,  1865. 

Baxter,  Walter,  Glendale.  Enlisted  in  Company  '"A,"  Fiftieth 
Infantry,  February  22,  1865;  was  promoted  to  corporal,  sergeant 
and  first  sergeant ;  commissioned  second  lieutenant  June  18,  1866, 
not  mustered.    He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  June  12,  1866. 

Carnahan,  Archibald,  Sparta.  Enlisted  in  Company  ''C," 
Thirty-sixtli  Infantry,  February  24,  1864;  promoted  to  sergeant 
and  first  sergeant;  was  taken  prisoner  at  Rean's  Station:  com- 
missioned as  second  lieutenant  April  18.  1865,  not  mustered.  lie 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service  June  10,  1865. 

Ellis,  George  M.,  Sheldon.  Enlisted  in  Company  "A,"  Third 
Cavalry,  November  2,  1861;  promoted  to  corporal,  sergeant  and 
first  sergeant;  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  the  same  com- 
pany March  0.  1863.  ^Mustered  out  of  the  service  January  30, 
ISO.-). 

Erickson,  Martin  A.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  in  Company  ''II,"  P'if- 
teenth  Infantry,  Oeti)l)er  22,  1861;  promoted  to  first  sergeant;  was 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS  137 

made  sergeant  major  of  the  regiment  January  1.  1863;  was  com- 
missioned second  lieutenant  of  Company  "H,"  Fifteenth  Infantry, 
]\Iay  21,  1863.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Chieamauga  ;  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  April  20,  1865. 

Hicks,  Henry  A.,  Glendale.  Enlisted  October  28,  1861,  in  the 
Tenth  Battery,  Light  Artillery;  promoted  to  sergeant;  was  com- 
missioned junior  second  lieutenant  March  3,  1862 ;  was  transferred 
to  the  Ninth  Battery,  Light  Artillery,  March  29,  1862,  and  com- 
missioned senior  second  lieutenant  October  21,  1863 ;  he  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  January  26,  1865. 

High,  Andrew  D.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  in  Company  "I,"  Twentj'^- 
fifth  Infantry,  August  5,  1862 ;  promoted  to  first  sergeant ;  w^as 
commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  the  same  company  July  16, 
1863,  and  Avas  mustered  out  of  the  service  June  7,  1865. 

Hill,  Eber  B.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  January  7,  1862,  in  Company 
"C,"  Ninteenth  Infantry;  promoted  to  sergeant  and  first  ser- 
geant; was  taken  prisoner  October  27,  1864;  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant of  the  same  company  January  11.  1865,  not  nuistered.  He 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service  May  15,  1865. 

McMillan,  William  F.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  in  Company  "A," 
third  corporal  September  30,  1861 ;  was  promoted  to  corporal  and 
sergeant;  when  the  regiment  was  reorganized  he  was  transferred 
to  Company  "K"  March  3,  1865;  promoted  to  veterinary  ser- 
geant and  first  sergeant ;  mustered  out  September  27,  1865 ;  was 
commissioned  second  lieutenant  October  11,  1865,  not  mustered. 

Phillips,  William  J.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  in  Company  "A,"  first 
Cavalry,  August  15,  1861 ;  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  same 
company  September  2,  1861 ;  died  May  2,  1862,  of  wounds  received 
at  Chalk  Bluffs,  Ark. 

West,  Ansyl  A.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  April  20,  1861,  in  Company 
''I,"  Fourth  Cavalry;  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  the  same 
company  April  26,  1861 ;  resigned  December  6,  1861. 

Davis,  John,  Leon.  Enlisted  in  Company  ''A,"  Third  Cavalry, 
October  21,  1861 ;  commissioned  second  lieutenant  September  6, 
1862 ;  mustered  out  January  30,  1865. 

SURGEONS. 

Bennett,  Rouse,  Tomah.  Was  mustered  into  the  service  as  first 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  Fifty-first  Infantry  February  24.  18(j5  ; 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service  April  26,  1865. 

Gage,  Martin  R.,  Sparta.  Mustered  into  the  service  as  sur- 
geon of  the  Twenty-fifth  Infantry  August  4,  1862;  resigned  on 
account  of  disability  June  15,  1864. 


138 


IIISTOKY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 


CHAPLAINS. 

DeLaney,  James,  Sparta.  .Mustered  into  the  service  as  chap- 
lain of  the  Eighteenth  Infantry  March  10,  1862;  resigned  July  14, 
1862. 

Hawes,  Lewis,  M.,  Sparta.  Enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company 
''E,"  Thirty-seventh  Infantry,  March  31,  1864;  promoted  to  cliap- 
lain  of  the  regiment  July  28,  1864;  resigned  April  18,  1865. 

Phillips,  Enos  M.,  Sparta.  Mustered  into  the  service  as  chap- 
lain of  the  First  Regiment  of  Cavalry  December  10,  1862,  and 
resigned  September  26,  1863. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THOSE  WHO  DIED  IN  THE  SERVICE. 

The  roster,  which  follows,  is  taken  from  the  adjutant  general's 
report  for  1865  and  also  from  the  roster  of  Wisconsin  troops,  pub- 
lished by  authority  of  the  Legislature ;  in  every  instance  the  place 
is  given  where  the  soldier  lost  his  life,  either  by  reason  of  being 
killed  in  action,  dying  of  disease  or  wounds  or  accident,  together 
with  the  date  of  his  death. 

KILLED  IN  ACTION. 

Officers. 

John  W.  Lynn,  captain,  Company  "I,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  on  gun- 
boat Tyler,  July  15,  1862. 

William  J.  Phillips,  second  lieutenant.  Company  "A,"  First  Cav- 
alry, Chalk  Blutf,  Ark.,  August  3,  1863. 

ENLISTED  MEN, 

Broughton,  Lanson  I.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Eighteenth  Infan- 
try, Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22,  1863. 

Broughton,  Lewis  M.,  private.  Company  "I,"  Sixth  Infantry,  Get- 
tysburg, Pa.,  June,  1864. 

Campbell,  George,  private.  Company  "D,"  Eighteenth  Infantry, 
Cornith,  Miss.,  October  8,  1862. 

Cole,  Darwin,  private.  Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth  Infantry, 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864. 

Cleaves,  Corydon,  private,  Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth  Infantry, 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864. 

Cummings,  David,  private.  Company  ''K,"  Sixth  Infantry,  Antie- 
tem,  Md.,  September  17,  1862. 

Davis,  Josiah.  private,  Company  ''A,"  Third  Cavalry,  Osage,  Nev., 
August  31,  1863. 

Douglas,  David,  private.  Company  "C,"  Sixth  Infantry,  Peters- 
burg, Va.,  June  18,  1864. 

Green,  Chester  A.,  first  sergeant,  Company  "I,"  Sixth  Infantry, 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864. 

139 


140  HISTORY  OF  :\10XR0E  COUNTY 

Gibbs,  Albert,  private,  Company  "K,"  Tenth  Infantry,  r'h;i])]iri 

Hills,  Ky.,  October  8,  18G2. 
Gallagher,    Thomas    AY.,    sergeant,    Company    "C,''    Thirty-sixtli 

Infantry.  Pcter.shui'g,  Va.,  June  26,  1864. 
Ilarhind,  John,  private.  Company  "D, "  Sixth  Infantry,  Gettys- 
burg, Pa.,  July  1,  1863. 
Haywood,  Joel,  private,  Companj'  "II,"  Tenth  Infantry,  Perrys- 

ville,  Ky.,  October  8,  1862. 
Huntley.  Jabez  L.,  private,  Company  ''D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Decatur,  Ga.,  July  22,  1864. 
Ilaneoek,   "\Yilliam  D.,  private.   Company   "K, "   Sixth   Infantry, 

Salesburg,  N.  C,  Novemlier  27,  1864. 
Hicks,   Addison,    corporal,    Company   "F,"    Twentieth    Jiifnntry, 

Prairie  Grove,  Ark.,  December  6,  1862. 
Ingles,   Augustus   B.,    private,    Company    "C,"    Sixth    Infantry, 

Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864. 
Morse,    Anthony,    private.    Company    "F, "    Sixteenth    Infantry, 

Shiloh,  Tenn.,  April  6,  1862. 
IMcClure,  Charles,  private.  Company  "Cy  Thirty-sixth  Infantry, 

Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  3,  1864. 
Murray,  Christopher,  corporal.  Company  "C,"  Xinetcentli  Infan- 
try, Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  October  27,  1864. 
Palmer,  Sylvester  C,  private,  (^^ompany  "F, "  Sixteenth  Infantry, 

Shiloh,  Tenn.,  April  6,  1862. 
Revels,  AYilliam  J.,  private,  Company  ''K,"  Sixth  Infantry,  \Yrl- 

don  R.  R.,  Va.,  August  19,  1864. 
Stegman,  Conrad,  private.  Company  "G,"  Third  Cavalry,  Baxter 

Springs,  (?   ?     ),  October  6,  1863. 
Stewart,  Milton  H.,  private,  Company  "D,"  Eighteenth  Infantry, 

Shiloh,  Tenn.,  April  6.  1862. 
Stewart,  James,  ])rivate.  Company  'TV'  Nineteenth  Infnntry.  Fair 

Oaks,  Va.,  October  27,  1864. 
Sherwin,  Bissell,  private,  Company  ''D,"  Nineteenth  Infantry, 

Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  October  27.  1864. 
"Walker,  Perry  C,  ])ii\;i1e.  ('(tnipnny  ''C,"  Tliirty-sixtli  Infjintry, 

Petersburg,  Va..  June  18,  1864. 

DIED  OF  WOUNDS. 

Officers. 

Levi   R.   Blake,   captain.   Company  "I,"  Fourth   Cavalry,  Baton 
Rouge,  La.,  June  10,  1863. 


THOSE  WHO  DIED  IN  THE  SERVICE  141 

Enlisted  Men. 

Brown,  Hutson,  private,  Company  "C,"  Sixtli  Infantry,  AVash- 
ington,  D.  C,  August  24,  1864. 

Casner,  Thomas,  private.  Company  "C,"  Sixth  Infantry,  AYash- 
ington,  D.  C,  August  14,  1864. 

Cressy,  Henry  W.,  private,  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Decatur,  Ga.,  June  22,  1864. 

Chandler,  Jeremiah,  private,  Company  "A,"  Twentieth  Infantry, 
Fayetteville,  Ark.,  December  31,  1862. 

Dunlevy,  Thomas,  private,  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Decatur,  Ga.,  July  23,  1864. 

House,  Phileman  P.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infan- 
try, Atlanta,  Ga.,  August  7,  1864. 

Eathbun,  Eldredge,  private.  Company  "C, "  Thirty-sixth  Infan- 
try, AYashington,  D.  C.  June  9,  1864. 

Robbins,  George,  private,  Company  "I,"  Sixth  Infantry,  George- 
town, D.  C,  September  21,  1862. 

DIED  OF  ACCIDENT. 

Briggs,  Charles,  private,  Company  "A,"  Third  Cavalry,  North- 
western Railway,  111.,  IMarch  26,  1862. 

Davis,  Y^^illiam,  private.  Company  "A,"  Third  Cavalry,  North- 
western Railway,  111.,  March  26,  1862. 

Hull,  Edward,  private.  Company  "I,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  Rilay 
House,  Md.,  August  25,  1861. 

Rawson,  Lucian  M.,  private.  Company  "A,"  Third  Cavalry  North- 
western Railway,  111.,  March  26,  1862. 

DIED  OF  DISEASE. 

Abies,  Henry,  private.  Company  '"D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Helena,  Ark.,  April  26,  1863. 

Alger,  Thomas,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Helena,  Ark.,  December  16,  1863. 

Batis,  Mathias,  private,  Company  ''A,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  IMorgan- 
zie.  La.,  July  25,  1864. 

Bush,  William  J.,  sergeant.  Company  "I,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  Car- 
rolton.  La.,  November  8,  1862. 

Brigham,  John  M.,  corporal,  Company  "I,"  Sixth  Infantry,  Camp 
Lyon,  D.  C,  October  2,  1861. 

Birdsill,  George,  private.  Company  "F,"  Sixteenth  Infantry,  Co- 
rinth, Miss.,  July  1,  1862. 


142 


IIISTOHY  OF  .AIOXKOP]  COUNTY 


Brown,  Jesse,  private,  Company  ''D,''  Eighteenth  Infantry,  Vieks- 

bnrg,  :\Iiss.,  September  24,  1863. 
Boyle,    Peter,    private.    Company    "D,"    Twenty-fifth    Infantry, 

Andersonville,  Ga.,  September  4,  1864. 
Barnes,  Alfred  0.,  private,  Company  "C,''  Thirty-sixtli  Infantry, 

Madison,  Wis..  April  10,  1864. 
Britton,  Daniel  A.,  ])rivate,  Company  "C, "  Thirty-sixth  Infantry, 

Annapolis,  ]\Id.,  ]\Iareh  26,  1865. 
Crouch,  Hiram  J.,  private.  Company  "H,"  First  Cavalry,  Madison, 

Wis.,  April  5,  1864. 
Cottwill.  Stephen,  private.  Company  "H,"  Sixth  Infantry.  Point 

Lookout,  Md.,  March  4.  1864. 
Corey,  Phillips,  private.  Company  "II,"  Tenth  Infantry,  Cowan 

Station,  Tenn..  August  3,  1863. 
Claigg.    Ilospild.    private.    Company    "B,"    Sixteentli    Infantry, 

Rome,  Ga..  July  27,  1864. 
Comstock,  Ambrose  L.,  private,  Company  "D,"  Eighteenth  Infan- 
try, Corinth,  :\Iiss.,  August  2,  1862. 
Cottingar,   John,   private,   Company   ''C,"  Nineteenth   Infantry, 

Salisburg,  X.  C.,  January  24,  1865. 
Chatterton,  Jefferson,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infan- 
try. St.  Louis.  ]\Io.,  January  1.  1864. 
Chadwick.  James,  private,  Company  "F,""  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Rome.  Ga..  September  3.  1864. 
Conger,  Lewis  B.,  private.  Company  "D,"  TAventy-fifth  Infantry, 

hospital  boat,  July  29,  1863. 
Cressy,  AYarren  P.,  private,  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Cairo,  111.,  September  6,  1863. 
Cross,    George    C,    first    sergeant.    Company    "C,"    Thirty-sixth 

Infantry,  ^Madison.  AVis..  May  13,  1864. 
Deyotell.  John,  private.  Company  'II.'"  Tentli  Infantry,  Bacon 

Creek,  Ky..  February  23,  1862. 
Bustiu.  John    P..   jirivate.  Company  "D,"  Eighteenth    Infantry, 

May  21,  1S62. 
Degotell,  AYilliam,  jtrivate,  Comjiany  ""F,"'  Nineteenth  Infantry, 

Sjiringfield.  ^Mo.,  January  1,  1863. 
Day,  Henry,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  Man- 

kato,  :\Iinn.,  November  22,  1862. 
Demmon,  Ira  P.,  corporal.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Cher.saw,  S.  C..  :\Iarch  2.  1865. 
Depen,    AYiley,   i)rivate,   Company    "D,"    Twenty-fifth   Infantry, 

drowned  Dallas.  Ga..  Januarv  1,  1864. 


THOSE  AVHO  DIED  IN  THE  SERVICE  143 

Davis,    Joseph,    private,    Company    "E,"    Forty-third   Infantry, 

Louisville,  Ky.,  June  15,  18()5. 
David,   Theron,   private.   Company   ''F,"   Twenty-fifth   Infantry, 

iMeniphis,  Tenn.,  September  9,  1863. 
Dell,    EdAvard,    private,    Company    "F, "    Twenty-fifth    Infantry, 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  September  9,  1863. 
Eschner,  Phileman,  private.  Company  "F, "  Twenty- fifth  Infantry, 

Vicksburg,  Miss.,  March  9,  1864. 
Edgerton,   Henry   L.,   private.   Company   ''D,"   Twenty-fifth   In- 
fantry, Greenfield,  Mo.,  December  6,  1864. 
Edgerton,  Charles  L.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infan- 
try, Helena,  Ark.,  August  19,  1863. 
Eastman,  Lemuel,  private,   Company  "F, "   Twentieth  Infantry, 

Springfield,  Mo.,  June  9,  1863. 
Freeman,   Select,   private,   Company  "D,"   Eighteenth  Infantry, 

date  and  place  unknoAvn. 
Fitch,   Irwin  N..   private,    Company   "I,"   Forty-ninth   Infantry, 

Madison,  Wis.,  ]\Iareh  27,  1865. 
Gorman,    Aaron    II.,    private.    Company    "H, "    Tenth    Infantry, 

Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  March  31,  1862. 
Gugerty,  AVilliam  A.,  private.  Company  "E,"  Eleventh  Infantry, 

Brashear  City,  La.,  July  15,  1864. 
Gleason,  George,  private.  Company  ''D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Helena,  Ark.,  August  19,  1863. 
Godbould,  David,  private.  Company  "F, "  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Rome,  Ga.,  August  27,  1864. 
Graves,  Nathan,  private,   Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth  Infantry, 

Salisbury,  N.  C,  December  18,  1864. 
Hill,  Jacob,  private,  Company  ''I,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  Carrolton, 

La.,  November  5,  1862. 
Hill,   Oscar   A.,   corporal,   Company   ''D,"   Eighteenth   Infantry, 

Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  December  20,  1862. 
Hutchins,  Sylvester,  pivate,  Company  "C, "  Nineteenth  Infantry, 

Alexander,  A^a.,  July  16,  1862. 
Harman,  John  A.,  corporal.  Company  ''D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Helena,  Ark.,  September  30,  1863. 
Harp,  George  F.,  private.  Company  ''D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

AVinship  Furnace,  Ga.,  June  16,  1864. 
Holgate,  Francis,  private.  Company  ''D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Snyders  Bluff,  Miss.,  June  15,  1863. 
Hollenbeck,  Amos  J.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infan- 
try, Andersonville,  Ga.,  August  4,  1864. 


144 


JIISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 


Ilydo,  Alfred,  private,  Company  "D,"  Twonty-finii  liif;nitry, 
^Memphis,  'reim..  September  15,  ISi^i. 

Ilatliaway,  Henry,  private,  Company  "C,"  Tweiity-iiftli  Iiiiaiilry, 
Salisl)ury,  N.  C,  November  27,  1864. 

Justiee,  John,  sergeant,  Company  ''D,"  Twenty-fit'th  Infantry, 
Helena,  Ark.,  August  15,  1863. 

.Icwi'll.  Isaac.  ])rivate,  Company  "I,"  Fourth  Cavalr}',  Carrolton, 
La.,  September  28,  1862. 

Kiii<rht,  Charles  A.,  private,  Compan.y  "A,"  Fourtli  Cavalry, 
Whitewater,  AVis.,  November  28.  1864. 

Kinney,  AVilliam  P..  private,  Company  "D."'  Twcnly-fifth  Infan- 
try, Vieksburg.  .Miss.,  February  22,  1864. 

Love,  Job,  private,  Company  "G, "  Tenth  Infantry,  Murfreesboro, 
Teun.,  September  6,  1861. 

Lj'man,  Jeremiah,  jnivate,  Companj^  "C,"  Sixteenth  Infantry, 
Vieksburg,  Miss.,  August  10,  1863. 

jMurphy.  AVilliam.  private.  First  Battery  Light  Artillery,  Youngs 
Point,  La.,  February  26,  1863. 

Merriam,  Enos  S.,  ]n'ivate,  Com{)any  "D,"  Eiglitccnth  Tnfanti-y, 
Grand  Junetion.  Tenn.,  Deeember  4,  1862. 

McPheters.  Alexandci'.  private.  Company  "C,"  Niueteenlli  In- 
fantry, Portsmouth,  Va.,  October  3,  1862. 

Miller,  Alexander,  private,  Companj'  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Rome,  Ga.,  October  10,  1864. 

]\lills,  Elias.  private.  Company  "D,''  Twenty-fifth  Infantry. 
Paducah,  Ky.,  August  18,  1863. 

Alills,  Eli,  private,  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  Hos- 
pital Boat,  July  25,  1863. 

]Minor,  AVm.  II.,  private.  Company  ''D,"  Twc^nty-fiftli  Infantry. 
Padueah,  Ky..  October  9,  1863. 

a\Iorrison,  AVm.  A.,  private.  Company-  "D,"  Twenty-liltli  Infantry, 
Goldsboro,  N.  C.,  April  1,  1865. 

]\Iusgrave.  \Vm.  P.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Snyder's  Bluff,  Miss.,  July  23,  1863. 

Mero,  Fredrick,  private,  Company  "E,"  Twenty-fifth  Infanti-y, 
Hospital  Boat.  July  28,  1863. 

Nicliols.  Edward,  private.  Company  ^'C."  Tliirly-sixlli  Infantry. 
Salis])ury,  N.  C.,  November  27,  1864. 

Owens,  Lewis  E.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Tw(>nty-fifth  Infantry, 
Helena,  Ark.,  September  10.  1863. 

Rottenstetter,  Simeon,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  In- 
fantry, Helena.  Ark.,  October  27,  1863. 


THOSE  WHO  DIED  IN  THE  SERVICE  145 

Randless,  James  AY.,    private,    First    Battery,    Light    Artillery, 
Young's  Point,  La.,  March  9,  1863. 

Rogers,  Jacob,  private.  Company  "H, "  Twelfth  Infantry,  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  February  5.  1865. 

Rathbun,  Dewey,  private.  Company  ''D,"  Eighteenth  Infantry, 
Leon,  AYis.,  March  26,  1862. 

Smith,  Gilbert,  private,  First  Battery,  Light  Artillery,  New  Or- 
leans, La.,  August  3,  1864. 

Spooner,    Edward.   J.,    private.    Company   "E,"    Sixth   infantry, 
Arlington,  Yh.,  March  4,  1862. 

Stanley,  Lewis,  private.  Company  "H, "  First  Cavalry,  Bowling 
Green,  Ky.,  February  14,  1865. 

Spooner,  Charles  AY.,  private.  Company  "H, "  Tenth  Infantry, 
Annapolis,  Md.,  May  10,  1864. 

Seepry,  Edward,  private.  Company  "D,"  Eighteenth  Infantry, 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  8,  1862. 

Sanderlin,  Isaac  S.,  private.  Company  "K, "  Eighteenth  Infantry, 
Annapolis,  Mel.,  April  3,  1864. 

Sawyer,  Peter  E.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Helena,  Ark.,  October  27,  1863. 

Shaw,  Wm.  F.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  April  17,  1863. 

Snow,  George  M.,  private,  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Louisville,  Ky.,  June  9,  1864. 

Sour,  Cyrus,  private,  Company  ''C,"  Thirty-sixth  Infantry,  Madi- 
son, AYis.,  April  17.  1864. 

Stevens,  John  E.,  private,  Company  ''C,"  Thirty-sixth  Infantry, 
Salisbury,  N.  C,  November  28.  1864. 

Stranthan,   Rodolphus    A.,    private.    Company   ''I,"    Forty-ninth 
Infantry,  Rollo,  Mo.,  March  25,  1865. 

Teed,    Truman,    corporal.    Company    "C,"    Sixteenth    Infantry, 
Providence,  La.,  July  6,  1863. 

Thompson,  James  AY.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  In- 
fantry, Paducah,  Ky.,  August  26.  1863. 

Thomson,  Allen,  private.  Company  ''D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  October  15,  1863. 

Ustick,  Jacob  Y.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 
Paducah,  Ky.,  August  30,  1863. 

A^aughau,   George  AY.,   private,   Company   "G,"  Nineteenth  In- 
fantry, Yorktown,  A^a.,  August  14,  1863. 

AYeaver,  Hiram  0.,  private.    Company    "H,"    Tenth    Infantry, 
Andersonville,  Ga.,  July  4,  1861. 


146 


HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 


Wiiiegar,    AVilliaiu.   i)rivato,  Conipan.y  "F,"  Sixteenth  Infantry, 

Keokuk,  J  a..  July  30,  1862. 
AVileox,    Martin,    private,    Company    "II,"    Sixteenth    Infantry, 

Rome,  Ga.,  August  28,  186-4. 
AVilson,  Addison,  private,  Company  "G,"  Nineteenth  Infantry, 

Raeine,  AVis.,  I\Iay  16,  1862. 
AYolcott,   George   L.,   private.   Company   "D,"   Twenty-fifth   In- 
fantry, i\Iemphis,  Tenn.,  October  11,  1862. 
AYorden,  Samuel,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fiflh  Infantry, 

^Marietta,  Ga.,  September  16,  1864. 
AYolcot,  Jerome  B.,  private,  Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth  Infantry, 

Madison,  AVis.,  April  6,  1864. 
Yomans,  AYm.  H.,  private.  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  Infantry, 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  September  17,  1863. 

MISSING. 

Conway,   Thomas,    private,    Company   "K,"   Sixth   Infantrj^   at 
Gettysburg,  July  1,  1863. 


n 


CHAPTER  XV. 

HENRY  W.  CRESSY  POST  No.  42,  G.  A.  R. 
BY  E.  M.  COWLES,  ADJ. 

In  the  summer  of  1882  some  fifteen  or  more  of  the  ex-soldiers 
made  application  to  Grand  Army  headquarters,  department  of 
AYisconsin,  to  muster  a  post  of  the  G.  A.  R.  at  Tomah,  Monroe 
county,  Wisconsin. 

The  department  commander  approving  of  such  application 
the  mustering  officer  detailed  Commander  James  Davidson,  of 
John  W.  Lynn  post  of  Sparta,  to  go  to  Tomah  with  such  com- 
rades as  he  needed  and  muster  Henry  W.  Cressy  Post  No.  42. 
Commander  Davidson  detailed  Comrade  J.  E.  Perry  as  officer  of 
the  day ;  Comrade  Kerrigan,  as  S.  V. ;  C.  AVhetstein,  as  J.  V.  C. 
All  of  said  comrades  being  members  of  John  W.  Lynn  post  of  the 
G.  A.  R. 

Said  detail  visited  Tomah  on  the  afternoon  of  August  26,  1882, 
and  at  7:30  o'clock,  at  the  Fireman's  hall,  proceeded  to  muster 
Henry  W.  Cressy  post  with  the  following  conn^ades  charter  mem- 
bers: 

J.  B.  Adams,  Company  ''B, "  One  Plundred  and  Fourth  In- 
fantry, Pennsylvania;  C.  A.  Adams.  Company  ''I,"  Fourth  Cav- 
alry, Wisconsin ;  William  Alexander,  Company  "  C, "  Eleventh 
Infantry,  Wisconsin;  W.  N.  Alverson,  Company  "K, "  Twenty- 
fourth  Infantry,  New  York;  E.  L.  Bolton,  Company  "E,"  Seven- 
teenth Infantry,  AVisconsin ;  H.  S.  Beardsley,  Company  ^'E," 
Twelfth  Infantry,  AYisconsin;  A.  D.  Benjamin,  Company  "B," 
Second  Cavalry,  Ohio;  AA^.  T.  Bristol,  Company  "E,"  Fourteenth 
Infantry,  Michigan;  J.  H.  Beardsley,  Company  "A,"  Thirty- 
eighth  Infantry,  AA^isconsin;  D.  F.  Crandall,  Company  "B, "  For- 
tieth Infantry,  AYisconsin;  E.  L.  Craig,  Company  ''I,"  First 
Infantry,  Wisconsin;  AY.  H.  Calkins,  Company  "I,"  Twenty-ninth 
Infantry,  AYisconsin;  C.  A.  Crawford,  Company  "K,"  Sixth  In- 
fantry, AYisconsin;  C.  K.  Erwin,  Company  "E,"  Forty-fifth  In- 
fantry, Illinois;  Charles  Gilson,  Company  "I,"  Fourth  Cavalry, 
AYisconsin :  George  Graham,  Company  ' '  G, "  Thirty-seventh 
Infantry,  AVisconsin;  H.  D.  Hollenbeck,  Company  "A,"  Sixteenth 

147 


14b  IllSTOKV  OF  .MUXROE  COL  XTY 

Infantry.  Wisconsin;  Fred  Johnson.  Company  'A.'"  Thii'd  Cav- 
alry, "Wisconsin ;  S.  AiMustrong,  A.  AV.  Alderman,  .John  Jiui'nliam, 

E.  L.  Bolton,  n.  S.  Heardsley.  A.  1).  Henjamin,  K.  Bremer,  C.  F. 
Miller.  E.  X.  l).-nsiuort.  C.  K.  Erwin,  P.  Edner.  W.  H.  Foote, 
]\I.  Flint.  •).  Fairl)aiiks.  JI.  Fanninjr,  J.  Fitzsinger.  11.  1^'isli.  -John 
Fryer.  William  Garland,  Sam  Gasper,  Cliai'les  Gilson.  S.  II.  Gris- 
wold.  George  D.  Ilollenbeek,  0.  H.  Hastings.  H.  D.  Ilollenbeck, 
Thomas  Hancock,  A.  B.  Hoover.  E.  \V.  Howard,  S.  A.  Hudson, 
R.  P.  Hitchcock.  A.  E.  Ilollister.  A.  31.  Ilickox.  A.  Z.  Herring, 
G.  11.  lluiidiii.  .1.  T.  Beers,  George  Boyington.  D.  II.  Bcii.  1).  W. 
Bigelow.  H.  ().  Bigelow,  A.  G.  Bernie,  F.  K.  Brown,  A.  C.  Brooks, 
II.  Lettingwell.  H.  L.-a.  AV.  Liseomb,  H.  Miller,  Thomas  McCanl, 
C(»n.  ]\lerril.  J.  M.  ]\lcCurdy.  Z.  31.  ^lorse.  AVilliam  ]\IcLean, 
A.  N.  3Ialtbie.  George  Musson,  J.  31cGinnis,  E.  B.  ]Marvin.  Z.  G. 
Moore.  S.  F.  Nice,  R.  Noble.  G.  Nelson,  AV.  B.  Naylor,  F.  Nuss, 

F.  Noth,  AV.  Olmstead,  John  Organ,  AVilliam  Plnnket.  R.  Parker, 
S.  Pokrand,  George  Persons,  D.  F.  Cleveland.  \V.  1).  Cassels, 
N.  Calkins,  Z.  H.  Crossett,  E.  Al.  Cowles.  AVilliam  Curavo,  G.  11 
Dobbins.  J.  AI.  Decker.  A.  E.  Logan.  A.  AV.  Johnson.  V.  A. 
Thompson.  AV.  D.  Stannard,  II.  C.  Spaidding,  D.  H.  Spoouer,  A.  L. 
Sherer,  A.  AV.  Sowle.  0.  T.  Sowle,  II.  Street,  AI.  Sherwood,  S.  Sut- 
ton. J.  J.  Silken.  R.  Toond)s.  D.  Thompson.  George  AI.  Trow- 
bridge. J.  E.  Fnderwctod.  I.  A^'audervort.  C.  A'andervort,  J.  A'an- 
dervort.  Af.  A'aiulervort,  E.  Alistle,  L.  A'anvoorhes,  Fred  AVise, 
J.  AVilson.  J.  AVhitfield,  AVilliam  Ingham.  F.  Johnson.  S.  P.  Janes, 
J.  Jeffries,  A.  Jeffries,  J.  Kellogg,  C.  II.  Kellogg.  W.  Kenyon, 
C.  AV.  Kenyon,  E.  G.  Kinnie,  B.  Kennedy.  R.  King,  E.  15.  King. 
C.  Kenhl.  Af.  Larkin.  C.  E.  Loomer.  John  Little,  L.  Leech.  J.  E. 
Perry,  I.  Perry,  J.  Prescott,  J.  Peterson,  C.  J.  Aldin,  J.  C.  Quimby. 
Thomas  Reikie.  AI.  Robertson,  N.  R.  Richardson,  O.  Root.  AVilliam 
Ramsey.  G.  B.  Robinson.  D.  P.  Hockwood.  L.  Richards.  B.  Rhodes, 
IT.  Rogga,  Con.  Sullivan.  L.  Sweet,  L.  D.  AVyatt.  Jacob  AVells, 
J.  A.  AVells.  11.  C.  AValrath,  George  AValtenburg,  AV.  II.  AVright, 
J.    G.    Williams.    E.   AVimiie.    A.    D.   AVoodruff,    George   AValker, 

G.  AVoodard,  C.  G.  Walk.r.  B.  Durham.  I).  R.  Jones,  L.  E.  A'au- 
loon.  K.  A.  Ci-ockci".  \V.  II.  Burlin. 

ROLL  OF  HONOR— DEATHS. 

C.  J.  Alden,  A.  W.  Alderman.  C.  A.  Crawford,  A.  1).  Benja- 
min.  .\.  Cary,  G.  II.  Dobbins.  I.  Fitzsinger.  II.  Fish,  AVilliam 
Garland,  Charles  Gilson,  H.  Getman.  A.  Getnuin,  II.  Galloway, 
S.  H.  Griswold,  R.  P.  Hitchcock,  R.  King,  E.  G.  Kinnie,  C.  Bohn, 


HENRY  W.  CRESSY  POST  I49 

Charles  Bremer,  W.  T.  Bristol,  A.   G.  Beriiie,  D.  F.  Cleveland, 

C.  K.  Erwin,  A.  Herring,  J.  H.  Kellogg,  W.  Kenyon,  C.  W.  Ken- 
yon,  John  Little,  L.  Leech,  W.  Liseomb,  C.  Keuhl,  H.  Leffingwell, 
F.  Nass,  F.  Noth,  G.  S.  Preseott,  R.  E.  Bramen,  George  Boyington, 

D.  W.  Bigelow,  H.  0.  Bigelow,  William  Curavo,  H.  Fanning, 
AV.  McLean,  S.  F.  Nice,  R.  Noble,  W.  B.  Naylor,  C.  H.  Kellogg, 
Company  "K,"  Forty-third  Infantry,  Wisconsin;  Thomas 
McCcUil,  Company  "G,"  First  Infantry,  United  States;  C.  W. 
Merril,  Company  "B,"  Second  Cavalry,  Colorado;  S.  F.  Nice, 
Company  "C,"  Twenty-fiftli  Infantry,  Wisconsin;  John  Organ, 
Company  "D,"  Twenty-eighth  Infantry,  AVisconsin ;  George  Rob- 
inson, Company  "B, "  Thirteenth  Infantry,  Illinois;  Cornelius 
Snllivan,  Ignited  States  steamer  Tuscarora ;  W.  D.  Stannard, 
Company  "F, "  Second  Cavalry,  Michigan;  II.  C.  Spaulding, 
Company  ''H,"  Tenth  Infantry,  Wisconsin;  J.  A.  AVells,  Com- 
pany ''A,"  Twenty-third  Infantry,  AVisconsin;  Jacob  AVells,  Com- 
pany "D,"  Thirty-sixth  Infantry,  Ohio;  H.  C.  Walwath,  Company 
"I,"  Fourth  Cavalry,  Wisconsin;  L.  D.  Wyatt,  Company  "A," 
First  Cavalry,  AVisconsin. 

The  officers  elected  and  installed  at  tlie  first  meeting,  August 
26,  1882,  were :  Commander,  C.  K.  Erwin  ;  S.  A^.  C,  George  Gra- 
ham;  J.  A^  C,  E.  L.  Bolton;  Q.  AI..  J.  A.  AVells;  surgeon,  AV.  D. 
Stannard;  chaplain,  II.  S.  Beardsley;  0.  D.,  II.  C.  Spaulding; 
0.  G.,  Thomas  AlcCaul;  adjutant,  George  Robinson;  S.  AL,  J.  B. 
Adams;  Q.  AI.  S..  AVilliam  Alexander;  sentinels,  Jacob  AVells  and 
John  Organ. 

ROSTER  OF  MEMBERS. 

J.  B.  Adams,  ( \  A.  Adams,  AVilliam  Alexander,  W.  N.  Alver- 
son,  O.  A^  Anton,  AI.  C.  Alton,  C.  Bohn,  AV.  T.  Bristol,  J.  H. 
Beardsley,  C.  C.  Boomer,  R.  E.  Braman,  John  Brecker,  D.  F. 
Crandall,  E.  L.  Craig,  AV.  H.  Calkins,  C.  A.  Crawford,  H.  Camp- 
bell, N.  Cary,  A.  N.  Hickox,  H.  C.  Spaulding.  R.  Toombs,  E.  AVin- 
nie,  C.  A.  Adams,  E.  L.  Bolton,  J.  H.  Crossett.  AV.  H.  Foote, 

E.  N.  Griswold,  E.  AV.  Howard,  N.  Calkins,  AI.  Flint.  I.  Perry, 
B.  Rhodes,  0.  Root,  H.  Aliller,  Con.  Alerril,  J.  AI.  AleCurdy,  D.  H. 
Spooner,  D.  Thompson,  A.  D.  AVoodruff,  AV.  N.  Alverson,  H.  S. 
Beardsley,  John  Fryer,  B.  Kennedy,  A.  AV.  Sowle,  0.  T.  Sowle, 
Sam  Sutton,  Con.  Sullivan,  John  Organ,  AVilliam  Plunkett, 
George  Persons,  AI.  Robertson,  G.  B.  Robinson,  L.  Richards,  H. 
Rogga,  George  Waltenberg,  D.  B.  Bon,  C.  G.  AA'alker,  John 
AVhitfield,  Z.  E.  Underwood,  J.  G.  AVilliams,  G.  AVoodard. 


L-)0  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

PRESENT  MEMBERSHIP. 

M.  C.  Alton.  J.  liuniham,  J.  IT.  Heardsley,  ('.  ('.  lioomor, 
AV.  B.  Cassols,  K.  .M.  Cowles,  B.  Durliain,  E.  xV.  Crockrr.  George 
Graham,  O.  II.  Ila.stings,  L.  Sweet,  C.  Vaiidervort,  L.  Van  Voorhes, 
L.  D.  AVyatt,  Thomas  Hancock,  A.  B.  Hoover,  D.  R.  Jones,  S.  P. 
Janes,  C.  11.  Kellogg,  A.  E.  Logan,  M.  Lafkin,  C.  E.  Loonier, 
II.  Lea,  George  M.  Trowbridge,  J.  Vandervort,  L.  E.  Vanloon, 
J.  A.  AVells,  V.  .Alistle,  C.  F.  ]\liller,  Thomas  MeCaiil,  A.  X. 
]Maltbie,  R.  Parker,  S.  Pokrand,  J.  Peterson,  Thomas  Reikie, 
D.  P.  Rockwood,  1.  Vandervort,  M.  Vandervort,  F.  AVise,  George 
Walker. 

PRESENT  OFFICERS. 

Commander,  J.  R.  Burnham ;  S.  V.  C,  C.  II.  Kellogg;  J.  V.  C, 
B.  Durham;  surgeon,  Thomas  Reikie;  chaplain,  Robert  Parker; 
adjutant,  E.  M.  Cowles;  Q.  :\I..  D.  P.  Rockwood;  P.  I.,  George 
Graham;  0.  D.,  E.  A.  Crocker;  0.  G.,  C.  Vandervort;  S.  M.,  AV.  B. 
Cassels;  Q.  M.  S.,  A.  N.  Maltby;  delegate,  C.  H.  Kellogg; 
alternate,  AV.  B.  Cassels ;  trustee,  Robert  Parker ;  color  bearer, 
George  Trowbridge. 

The  post  has  a  present  membership  of  forty,  and  as  the  years 
roll  on  its  members  are  growing  steadily  less,  and  the  value  of 
its  associations  greater  to  the  comrades. 

ALBERT  E.  HOLLISTER. 

The  following  i^aper  was  read  by  .Mr.  llollister  before  the 
Henry  AV.  Cressy  post,  February  11.  1888: 

"I  was  born  ]\lay  26,  184."),  in  the  county  of  Livingston,  state 
of  New  York.  My  parents  moved  to  Cass  county,  Alichigan,  when 
I  was  three  years  old.  1  lived  on  a  lanii  until  1  enlisted.  In  August, 
1862,  I  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Nineteenth  Alichigan  Infantry. 
Being  only  seventeen,  my  lather  demanded  my  release  of  the  cap- 
tain wlio  enlisted  me,  which  was  readily  granted.  Among  the 
mnnber  of  our  neighborhood  was  a  cousin  whom  I  will  call  Frank. 
AVe  had  been  brought  up  together  and  had  enlisted  together,  and 
T  did  not  want  to  go  honu>  unless  Frank  did.  So,  rather  than  go 
home,  I  hired  out  to  work  on  a  farm.  After  working  for  a  few 
days  I  took  a  'lay-off'  to  visit  camp  and  see  the  boys.  After 
thinking  the  matter  over  1  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  was  not 
to  blame  for  being  too  young,  and  as  I  was  older  than  Frank 
was,  I  would  not  stay  at  home  and  let  him  go.  After  staying 
around  camp  awhile,  I  offered  myself,  but  the  captain  who 
enlisted  me  before,  and  in  whose  company  Frank  was,  would  not 


HENRY  W.  CRESSY  POST  151 

take  me  again.  We  soon  found  a  lieutenant  whose  company  was 
not  full  and  I  offered  myself.  He  asked  my  age  and  I  told  him 
eighteen.  He  told  me  to  go  with  him  up  to  the  captain's  office. 
The  first  inquiry  of  the  captain  was,  'How  old  are  you?'  'Eight- 
een, sir,'  was  my  answer.  'When  will  you  be  eighteen."  was 
his  next  question.  'Last  IMay,  sir,'  was  my  reply.  "I  don't 
believe  it, '  he  said.  Here  Frank  thought  he  would  help  me  a 
little  and  said  to  the  captain,  'He  is  older  than  I  am.'  'AYere 
you  there  when  he  was  born?'  asked  the  captain.  As  I  was  ten 
weeks  older  than  Frank  he  had  to  admit  he  was  not  there. 

"After  a  short  consultation  with  the  lieutenant,  he  concluded 
to  take  me,  and  accordingly  I  was  enlisted  in  Company  H  and 
assigned  to  quarters.  The  only  incident  for  some  time  in  which 
I  was  in  any  way  more  interested  than  the  rest  of  the  boys  hap- 
pened about  two  weeks  after  my  enlistment.  An  acquaintance  of 
mine  came  into  camp  one  day  and  picked  up  my  gun.  After 
looking  at  it  a  moment  he  made  a  motion  as  if  to  stick  the  bayo- 
net into  my  foot.  I  thought  he  would  not  strike  and  stood  still. 
He  thought  T  would  .jump  and  struck.  Then  I  jumped.  I  was 
mad  and  he  was  badly  frightened.  'My  G — I'  he  exclaimed,  'I 
thought  you  would  jump.  Take  off  your  shoe.'  Taking  off  my 
shoe  I  found  my  foot  bleeding,  but  not  seriously  injured.  My 
father,  hearing  that  I  had  been  gone  for  some  time  from  where  he 
supposed  I  was.  came  to  camp  to  look  for  me,  but  after  finding 
that  I  had  enlisted  as  eighteen,  and  as  he  thought  that  I  was 
unwilling  to  leave,  went  home  and  left  me.  In  a  few  days  we 
were  mustered  into  the  United  States  service. 

"After  we  broke  ranks  and  went  to  our  (piarters  I  went  to 
see  Frank.  He  was  but  seventeen  and  could  not  be  mustered. 
I  was  in  a  fix.  I  did  not  want  to  go  unless  Frank  Avent.  He  tried 
another  company  but  they  would  not  take  him.  What  would  I 
do?  I  thought  of  a  number  of  ways  to  get  out,  but  did  not  want 
to  be  laughed  at.  All  Frank  could  do  was  to  go  home.  All 
I  could  do  was  to  stay.  I  thought  I  would  stick  to  it  as  it  was  my 
fault  that  I  was  so  old.  That  night  I  could  not  sleep.  The  next 
day  I  did  not  see  anything  around  camp  to  interest  me.  I  felt 
pretty  sober.  In  a  week  I  did  not  have  a  grain  of  sand  left. 
The  first  time  my  father  came  to  see  me  I  told  him  I  would  go 
home  with  him  if  he  could  get  me  out.  He  went  to  the  colonel 
and  was  referred  to  the  mustering  of^cer.  That  official  said  they 
could  not  hold  me  if  my  parents  objected  to  my  going.  The 
colonel  swore  at  me  for  making  so  much  trouble  until  the  muster- 
ing officer  told  him  to  stop,  as  hundreds  of  boys  were  doing  that 


ir,2  lllSTUliV   OF  .MUXKUK  L'OL'XTY 

every  day.  ]\k'ii  were  inori'  Avilling  to  enlist  at  that  time  than  a 
year  or  so  later,  or  I  could  not  have  got  out  of  my  scrape  as 
easily  as  I  did.  1  went  liome.  I  luid  been  a  soldier  long  enough, 
so  I  thought  at  that  time. 

"I  stayed  at  home  about  a  year.  ]My  regiment,  or  tlic  regi- 
ment in  which  I  had  enlistinl,  had  all  been  captured,  and  wc  would 
occasionally  hear  whei'e  they  Avere.  They  finally  brought  up  in 
Libby  prison.  Soon  thej'  were  paroled  and  some  of  them  came  on 
what  they  called  'French  furlough.'  After  listening  to  their 
accounts  of  the  battle  in  which  they  Avere  captured  and  bidding 
them  good-bye  as  they  started  back  after  lieing  exchanged,  I 
began  to  feel  more  patriotic.  Soon  the  Xintli  ]\Iicliigan  cavalry 
began  recruiting  in  our  neighborhood.  I  concluded  to  go.  I 
went  to  see  Frank.  He  Avould  go.  but  not  in  the  cavalry.  He  said 
if  I  would  go  as  a  recruit  in  the  Nineteenth,  himself.  Deacon 
Grinnell  and  Kev.  Gilbert  would  go  with  me.  In  February,  1864, 
we  all  enlisted  and  Avere  sent  to  Camp  Blair,  at  Jackson,  ]\Iichi- 
gan.  Here  Frank  had  the  measles,  Avhich  Avas  the  cause  of  his 
never  doing  any  active  service.  "While  there  I,  among  others, 
Avas  detailed  to  cook  for  the  men  in  barracks  No.  4.  AVhile  acting 
in  that  capacity  the  Rca'.  Gill)ert  and  myself,  through  a  misunder- 
standing of  facts  on  the  part  of  the  ofificer  of  the  day,  Avere 
arrested  and  confined  in  the  guard-house,  leaving  no  one  to  get 
supper  for  the  boys.  By  morning  there  had  been  men  detailed 
to  take  our  places,  and  about  10:00  o'clock  they  brought  us  our 
breakfast.  About  noon  Ave  Avere  taken  out  under  guard  and  y)ut 
to  Avork  scrub])ing  offices  and  privies  until  about  4:00  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  Avhen  avc  Avere  released  and  returned  to  our 
quarters. 

'']\[ay  13  Ave  Avere  sent  South.  On  our  Avay  avc  made  shoi-f 
stops  at  Louisville,  Nashville,  Chattanooga  and  Kingston.  From 
Chattanooga  to  Kingston  avc  Avere  obliged  to  ride  on  top  of  box 
cars.  At  llu'  latter  ])lace  Ave  found  everything  in  confusion.  The 
rebel  General  "Wheeler  had  made  a  raid  and  killed  several  negroes 
and  one  or  two  soldiers.  ^My  three  companions  Avere  sick  and  lay 
doA\  n  in  an  old  barn.  1  Avas  ordered  to  assist  in  haiding  a  couple 
of  pieces  of  artillery  to  an  elevation  north  of  foAvn.  Keturuing 
to  my  companions  I  found  them  as  I  had  left  them.  ToAvard  night 
Frank  Avent  Avith  the  other  two  to  the  hospital.  Just  after  dark 
he  returned  and  said  he  Avould  go  to  the  regiment  if  he  did  not 
live  a  day  after  he  got  there;  l)ut  by  the  next  morning  he  Avas 
sick  enough  to  go  to  the  hospital  Avithont  being  urged.  He  had 
eaught   cold   and  the  measles  had  settled  on  his  lungs.     I  Avas 


HENRY  W.  (  RESSY  POST  153 

alone  again.  I  had  to  go  on  further  South  and  they  returned 
North.  I  was  in  excellent  health  and  spirits  and  did  not  get 
homesick  again.  When  I  started  for  the  front  I  had  a  knapsack 
well  filled  with  A\hat  I  supposed  were  necessary  articles.  I  had 
not  marched  more  than  half  a  day  when  I  threw  away  my  over- 
coat. Before  night  1  left  my  blacking-brush,  looking-glass,  etc., 
on  the  corner  of  the  fence.  The  next  morning  I  changed  under- 
clothing, and  threw  away  what  I  took  off.  Before  noon  we  heard 
the  boom  of  artillery,  and  it  Avas  not  the  Fourtli  of  July  either. 
In  the  afternoon  we  could  hear  the  musketry.  Soon  we  came  to 
a  hospital  and  here  I  found  one  of  Company  K.  of  my  regiment, 
who  was  Avounded  in  tlie  calf  of  the  leg.  I  gave  him  my  blanket 
and  went  on.  The  artillery  was  pounding  away,  but  infantry 
was  quiet  most  of  the  time.  I  got  to  the  regiment  just  before 
night.  Soon  the  'Johnnies'  made  a  charge,  l)ut  were  repulsed. 
Here  I  was,  on  my  nineteenth  birthday,  under  fire  for  the  first 
time.  Comrades,  most  of  you  know  how  I  felt.  AVe  were  lying 
behind  the  line  of  light  earthworks.  During  the  night  the  enemy 
made  another  assault  but  were  repulsed.  I  was  asleep  when  the 
first  volley  was  fired.  Which  side  fired  first  I  do  not  know.  I 
sprang  to  my  feet  and  looked  around.  To  the  left  was  one  con- 
tinuous blaze.  Around  me  I  could  hear  the  zip  and  whizz  of 
bullets.  I  could  see  the  smallest  twigs  on  the  trees.  I  was  so 
confounded  or  frightened  I  did  not  know  enough  to  li(^  down.  It 
was  not  long  before  I  could  lie  down  as  close  to  the  ground  as 
anyone,  and  lie  down  quick.  I  would  rather  lie  down  a  half  dozen 
times  when  it  was  not  necessary  than  to  nnss  once  when  it  was. 
I  never  could  get  over  the  habit  of  dodging  when  I  heard  the 
Avliizz  of  a  ball. 

"June  15  found  us  near  Lost  Mountain,  Georgia.  Just  after 
noon  we  were  ordered  to  support  the  First  Brigade,  Third  Divi- 
sion, Twentieth  Corps,  in  an  assault  upon  the  enemy's  works. 
The  First  brigade  made  the  attack  just  as  we  moved  out  across 
a  field.  They  were  in  the  woods.  The  heavy  clouds  of  smoke 
Avere  rolling  up  among  the  trees  and  as  Ave  advanced  the  Avounded 
began  to  come  to  the  rear.  It  seemed  as  though  the  smoke  Avas 
full  of  Avounded  men.  There  Avas  no  Avind  and  the  smoke  did  not 
move  off.  Soon  avc  Avere  in  the  Avoods.  There  Avas  a  battery  in 
front  of  us  that  had  been  firing  all  the  forenoon,  and  as  Ave  Avere 
to  support  a  brigade  I  concluded  Ave  were  moving  to  the  support 
of  the  battery.  AVe  Avere  ordered  to  lie  doAvn.  By  this  time 
it  Avas  dark.  After  lying  doAvn  for  a  short  time  Ave  Avere  ordered 
forAvard.     Imagine  my  feelings  as  we  came  into  an  opening  and 


154  HISTORY  OF  IMOXROE  COUNTY 

found  we  were  in  front  instead  of  the  rear  of  the  hattery.  AVe 
could  look  iuto  l!ic  inoutlis  of  those  guns  at  every  discharge,  and 
by  the  flash  Ave  could  see  their  infantry  standing  behind  llie 
Avorks.  I  was  a  recruit  and  not  well  posted  in  nioxcnu'nts,  bnt  i 
don't  thiidv  tbey  knew  where  we  were,  for  they  were  throwing 
their  shells  over  our  line  and  into  a  ravine  some  distance  in  our 
rear.  AVe  Avere  not  uuire  than  one-third  the  distance  from  them 
to  where  their  shells  were  dropping.  AVe  lay  down  again  in  the 
rear  of  the  First  brigade.  In  a  short  time  the  line  in  our  front 
rose  upon  their  knees  and  Avaited  until  the  discharge  from  the 
battery  and  all  fin-d  full  at  the  gunners.  Their  infantry  replied 
immediately  but  tlie  artillery  Avaited  some  iilth-  time.  Their 
musketry  made  it  luipleasant  for  us.  The  line  in  front  of  us  rose 
up  and  Avent  to  the  rear  double  quick.  AVe  had  to  take  it.  They 
had  got  our  position.  They  poured  shell  and  canister  or  grape 
(don't  knoAv  Avhicli  it  Avas)  into  us.  Our  major  Avas  killed,  the 
ball  striking  him  in  tiie  breast.  'Oh.  my  Avife  and  l)oysI'  Avere 
his  only  Avords.  Several  ])rivates  Avere  Avounded.  1  could  hear 
their  comrades  telling  them  to  keep  still  and  not  let  the  'sons  of 

1) knoAv  Avhere  to  shoot.'     Then  a  shell  exploded  in  Company 

I  and  tore  the  limbs  from  the  l^odies  of  tAvo  sergeants,  one  of  them 
dying  in  a  fcAv  moments.  I  heard  the  other  moaning  and  saying. 
'Boys,  I  knoAv  it  is  no  use  to  make  a  fuss,  but  I  can't  help  it. 
Give  me  some  Avater.  Good-bye,  boys.  Kiss  me,  George.  Good- 
bye.' All  this  time  Ave  Avere  merely  lying  there  for  them  to  shoot 
at,  Ave  making  no  reply.  It  uuist  have  been  midnight  or  after 
Avhen  things  l)egan  to  be  more  quiet  and  Ave  Avere  ord(>red  to  the 
left  and  rear,  the  order  being  given  in  a  Avhisper.  Soon  Ave  Avent 
to  building  Avorks  and  Avere  busy  until  it  began  to  grow  liglit.  I 
had  three  pretty  close  calls  Avithin  less  ihan  five  minutes.  Soon 
a  comrade  Avas  shot  by  my  side.  When  1  heard  tlie  ball  strike 
I  looked  up  and  saAv  him  begin  to  reel  and  trend)] e.  1  tln"(>Av  my 
arms  around  him  and  hi'lped  him  to  lie  down.  Then  Ave  got  a 
stretcher  and  undertook  to  carry  him  to  a  ])lace  of  safety.  AVe 
had  not  gone  far  ])efore  one  of  the  men  iielping  carry  him  Avas 
shot.  AVe  got  behind  some  trei's  and  Avent  back.  Soon  one  of 
my  nu^ssmates  Avas  killed.  Then  Ave  lost  our  lieutenant.  The  day 
before  our  company  had  thirteen  men:  noAv  Ave  had  only  nine. 
AVe  Averc^  ordered  to  the  rear  and  sent  to  guard  supply  trains. 
Our  first  ti-ip  Avas  to  Big  Shanty,  Georgia.  AVe  stayed  three  or 
four  days  and  as  avc  moved  out  Avitli  loaded  Avagons  to  return 
to  camp  Ave  saAv  a  division  crossing  tlu^  open  IcA'el  plain  betAvcHMi 
Big  Shanty  and  KenesaAv  mountain.     They  adA-niu-ed  in  s])lendid 


HENRY  W.  CRESSY  POST  155 

order  for  some  time.  Occasionally  a  man  would  fall  and  be  left 
behind.  Soon  they  began  to  stoop  forward  and  quicken  their 
pace,  and  finally  began  to  double-quick  for  the  woods. 

"About  July  15  were  were  relieved  by  a  detachment  to  the 
Thirty-third  ^Massachusetts.  Found  our  regiment  on  picket  along 
the  Chattahooche  river.  That  night  we  moved  with  Sherman's 
advance  and  crossed  the  river  on  pontoons.  We  marched  until 
near  morning  before  we  were  permitted  to  lie  down.  It  did  not 
seem  as  though  I  could  take  another  step.  Some  of  the  boys 
made  coffee,  but  I  spread  my  blanket  and  lay  down. 

"July  20  found  us  near  Peach  Tree  creek,  with  things  looking 
a  little  strange.  We  were  called  up  about  2:00  o'clock  and  got 
ready  to  move.  "We  would  go  a  short  distance  and  halt  and  then 
move  on  again.  I  noticed  a  number  of  orderlies  in  our  front 
riding  in  every  direction.    I  asked  one  of  the  boys  of  my  company 

what  was  up.    His  reply  w^as,  'We  are  going  to  catch  h be- 

f or  night ;  if  your  gun  is  not  loaded  you  had  better  load  it. '  As 
we  came  to  a  halt  again  I  noticed  that  about  half  of  the  men 
were  loading  their  guns.  As  we  came  into  an  open  field  I  could 
see  the  right  of  the  Fourth  corps  already  across  the  creek,  and 
to  their  right  the  Twenty-second  Wisconsin  deployed  as 
skirmishers.  We  crossed  the  creek,  built  shades  and  made  coffee. 
Just  as  our  dinner  was  about  ready  there  was  brisk  firing  in  our 
front  and  our  skirmishers  fell  back  on  the  main  line.  We  were 
ordered  forward  and  just  as  Mi^jor  Baker  gave  the  order  he 
clutched  his  thigh  v\'ith  both  hands,  threw  up  his  leg  and  called 
Captain  Anderson  to  take  command.  Before  he  let  go  of  his  leg 
the  blood  began  to  run  between  his  fingers.  It  was  but  a  flesh 
Avound,  but  I  never  saw  him  again.  'Guide  left,  guide  left,'  was 
the  order  as  we  moved  across  the  open  field.  As  we  came  to  the 
top  of  a  ridge  the  'Johnnies'  opened  on  us  from  the  ridge  beyond. 
Several  men  went  down  close  to  me.  My  knees  began  to  feel 
weak.  Soon  one  of  Company  G  was  shot  and  tried  to  start  for 
the  rear,  but  fell  in  front  of  me.  As  he  fell  he  gave  one  of  the 
most  blood-curdling  shrieks  I  ever  heard.  It  made  my  hair  stand 
on  end.  I  could  feel  the  wind  blow  on  top  of  my  head,  under  my 
hat.  ]\Iy  back  was  cold  as  ice ;  I  shook  all  over.  How  I  kept  up  I 
don't  know,  Init  as  soon  as  we  fired  the  first  volley  I  had  no  more 
fear.  I  could  see  some  of  the  boys  turn  their  guns  and  club  them. 
We  would  break  them  and  they  would  reform  and  charge  again. 
For  some  time  all  I  could  see  of  them  were  their  legs  below  the 
smoke.  I  think  it  must  have  been  at  least  two  hours  before  they 
began  to  fall  back  as  though  they  had  got  enough  of  it.     The 


]5(3 


IIISTOKY  OK   MONKOH  COrXTY 


conirade  wlio  told  iiic  in  tlie  inoriiiiig  what  we  were  going  to 
eatc'h  before  night  swung  his  hat  and  said,  'Let's  go  for  them; 
come  on  I'  Gaining  the  top  of  the  ridge  we  eonld  sec  them  some- 
thing like  a  half-mile  away,  forming  as  if  to  charge  again.  They 
would  move  out  from  the  timber  and  then  go  back  again.  We 
could  see  the  otficers  riding  in  front,  but  they  did  not  come  near 
us  again,  not  even  to  look  after  their  woundcnl.  The  next  )norn- 
ing  I  took  a  look  over  the  tield.  In  three  i)laces  I  saw  fifty-one, 
twenty-seven  and  thirty-two  Confederate  dead.  Guns,  sabers, 
cartridge  boxes,  canteens,  etc.,  were  scattered  in  every  direction. 
Now  let  me  describe  scenes  that  would  move  the  most  hardened 
to  tears.  The  first  is  a  colonel  Avith  his  horse  lying  near  liini. 
Next,  a  man  Avith  a  gaping  wound  in  his  forehead,  still  alive.  t!ie 
brains  oozing  out  and  lying  doAvn  over  his  eyes.  Next,  a  dead 
man  with  a  letter  in  his  hand — the  last  kind  words  he  Avill  ever 
receive  from  the  loved  ones  in  his  far-away  home  in  ^lississippi. 
Then  several  with  Bibles  in  their  hands.  Knowing  their  hour 
had  come,  they  had  sought  to  obtain  consolation  and  relief  from 
their  suffering  from  the  word  of  God.  The  next  was  lying  on  his 
back,  his  cartridge-box  under  his  head.  In  iiis  hands  he  was 
holding  tile  ])liotograph  of  a  womnn  and  child.  He  had  died  gaz- 
ing on  the  features  of  those  who  were  as  dear  to  him.  and  he  to 
them,  as  any  from  our  Xoi'thern  homes.  Th'"  tliought  Avould  come 
to  my  mind:  Did  T  fir;'  the  fatal  shot  that  made  a  widow  and  an 
or]>lian  .'  Perhaps:  but  this  is  war.  This  was  tlu^  last  b;it11f  in 
whi'-h  1  was  actively  engaged. 

"August  V.)  I  Avas  near  Atlanta.  Ai)out  4:00  o'clock  p.  m..  as 
I  Avas  getting  some  supper.  1  suddenly  found  myself  trying  to  get 
up  off  the  ground.  This  Avas  the  first  notice  1  had  that  anything 
was  wrong.  I  had  no  feeling,  Avas  in  no  ]iain.  but  knew  1  Avas 
shot.  I  tried  several  times  to  rise,  but  would  fall  bai-l<.  1  gave  it 
np.  I  could  hardly  get  my  breath.  Soon  1  bci:an  to  spit  blood. 
Then  the  boys  j)oiutcd  to  my  breast.  T  saAV  my  shirt  bosom  Avas 
covered  Avith  blood.     I  opened  my  shirt.     I  thought  my  time  had 

come.     '^ly  G .'  said  one  of  the  boys,  'see  Avhere  it  canu^  out.' 

I  asked  him  Avherc  Tlicy  told  me  1  had  been  shot  clear  thro\igh. 
I  began  to  feel  faint  and  thought  surely  1  Avas  going  to  die.  I 
Avanted  Avater  every  fcAV  miniTtes.  T  gave  my  watch  to  one  of  my 
comrades  and  asked  him  to  send  it  home  if  he  could.  An  ambu- 
lance came  and  I  bade  the  boys  good-bye,  as  I  had  heard  nmny 
do  before.  I  certainly  ncA'er  expected  to  see  them  or  my  home 
again.  T  Avas  taken  to  the  field  liospital.  The  first  question  of  the 
doctor  Avas.  'Have  aou  bled  fr^elv!'     Tf  a'ou  liaA'c  there  is  a  fight- 


HENRY  AV.  CRESSY  POST  157 

ing-  ehanee  for  you.  If  you  have  bled  internally  I  can't  save  you.' 
He  called  several  men  to  his  assistance  and  dressed  my  wound. 
Next  morning-  as  I  w^oke  up  alive  I  began  to  have  some  hopes. 
The  next  day  I  felt  quite  encouraged,  and,  thanks  to  kind  nurses, 
a  strong"  constitution  and  good  morals,  after  running  the  chances 
of  gangrene  and  small-pox  (both  of  which  I  was  exposed  to),  and 
after  having  a  run  of  lung  fever,  T  am  thankful  to  meet  you,  my 
cpmrades,  here  today." 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  WAR. 
By  Fred  Noth. 
I  was  born  INIarch  6,  1889,  State  of  Lippe,  Germany.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  I  emigrated  to  New  Orleans  in  the  fall  of  '59. 
Shortly  after  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  preparations  com- 
menced for  the  war.  Not  willing  to  fight  for  slavery,  I  took  pas- 
sage on  a  steamboat  to  St.  Louis.  During  May  and  June  I 
served  in  a  company  of  militia  in  St.  Charles  county  to  guard 
railroad  bridges.  On  the  21st  day  of  July,  1861,  I  enlisted  in 
Company  E.  second  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry.  I  was  ap- 
pointed a  sergeant  and  color  bearer  of  the  regiment.  Part  of 
our  regiment  was  ordered  to  Potosie  to  gimrd  the  Iron  Mountain 
Railroad,  returning  to  St.  Louis  for  mustering  in  September.  The 
regiment  in  October  was  ordered  to  Jefferson  City,  Tipton  and 
Sedalia.  Returning  to  Tipton,  preparations  were  made  for  a 
march  to  Springfield,  ^lo.  Arriving  at  Springfield,  tlie  Fremont 
Hussars  having  the  lead,  they  encountered  the  enemy,  about 
2.000  strong,  and  made  a  brilliant  charge,  scattering  the  enemy 
in  all  directions.  Late  in  the  fall  Ave  marched  to  Rolla,  a  station 
on  the  Pacific  branch,  for  winter  quarters.  Early  in  February, 
'62,  our  march  was  again  for  Springfield.  Two  new  two-pounder 
howitzers  mounted  on  mules  and  used  on  the  enemy's  flank  caused 
a  great  deal  of  fun.  After  a  lively  skirmish.  General  Price  va- 
cated Springfield  and  retreated  to  Fort  Smith.  Our  army  fol- 
lowed close  after  him,  into  Arkansas,  going  into  cam])  at  a  place 
called  Pea  Ridge.  Being  240  miles  from  railroad  communication, 
our  provision  train  failed  to  come  in  time.  One  ear  of  corn  was 
issued  for  a  ration  for  a  day ;  next  day  orders  for  foraging  were 
given.  A  place  where  about  500  bushels  of  apples  were  piled 
was  found,  and  before  night  came  none  were  left.  My  regiment 
was  ordered  to  a  flour  mill  in  the  corner  of  Indian  Territory,  or 
the  so-called  Oklahoma.  Taking  possession  of  the  mill,  we  found 
about  400  bushels  of  good  winter  wheat  and  ten  ])arrels  of  lard 
in  a  store. 


158 


HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 


About  ton  days  later,  one  night  at  eleven  o'clock,  the  l)uo:le 
sounded,  tents  down,  marching  orders.  The  advance  of  the 
enemy  was  reported  within  one-half  mile  of  our  camp,  ^[arching 
during  the  night  we  reached  General  Sigel  at  noon,  at  Benton- 
ville,  where  we  waited  the  approach  of  the  rebels.  Our  regiment 
was  ordered  one  mile  further,  there  to  await  his  orders,  when 
all  at  once  about  2,000  Texas  Rangers  stepped  in  between  us  and 
cut  General  Sigel  oflf.  Tlie  Rangers  made  an  attack  on  my  regi- 
ment, killing  captain  of  Company  A  and  a  number  of  men.  Gen- 
eral Sigel  with  a  battalion  of  Benton  Hussars  cut  a  gap  through 
the  Rangers  and  we  all  marched  to  the  main  part  of  the  army, 
the  rebels  following  close  behind.  Arriving  at  Sugar  Creek  val- 
ley, the  rebel  army  was  about  30,000  in  numl)er  and  was  com- 
manded by  Generals  INIcCollough  and  Mcintosh.  The  battle  of 
Pea  Ridge  began  next  morning.  Our  army,  numbering  about 
14,000,  was  commanded  by  Generals  Curtis,  Sigel.  Arboth  and 
JeflP.  C.  Davis.  The  fighting  on  the  7th  was  mostly  with  musketry. 
The  rebels  had  about  2,000  Indians  on  their  side  who  were  led  on 
to  a  l)attery,  but  they  soon  retreated,  yelling  "Huh!  hull  I  big 
gun."  On  the  8th  at  daybreak,  our  artillery  commenced  the  fire. 
General  Sigel  was  ordered  to  report  to  the  Department  of  the 
Potomac.  About  three  weeks  later  we  came  marching  over  the 
Ozark  mountains  to  Cape  Girardeau,  crossing  the  Corinth  and 
AVhite  rivers.  Three  and  Five  Forks  and  some  other  rivers.  About 
half-way,  on  Sunday,  we  had  a  day  of  rest.  An  officer  and  some 
recruits  had  arrived  and  presented  a  ncAv  silk  flag  to  my  regi- 
ment from  the  German  ladies  of  St.  Louis.  From  this  place  part 
of  our  troops  marched  south  in  the  direction  of  Island  Xo.  10, 
while  our  brigade  marched  to  Cape  Girardeau.  About  a  week 
later  we  embarked  on  steamboats  down  the  ^Mississippi,  up  the 
Ohio  and  Tennessee  rivers  and  landed  at  Pittsburg  Landing.  In 
marching  over  the  battlefield  of  Shiloh  to  Corinth,  General  IL^l- 
leck  had  a  well  organized  army.  After  a  little  skirmish  a  few 
days  later,  the  rebels  during  one  night  vacated  Corinth.  From 
there  our  brigade  marched  to  Riance,  JMiss..  where  we  remained 
during  the  summer.  Early  in  September,  1862,  we  received  or- 
ders to  go  to  Cincinnati.  Arriving  at  Cincinnati  we  marched  to 
^Market  Hall.  About  a  Aveek  later  we  embarked  on  steamboats 
for  Louisville,  wliere  our  army  was  reorganized  by  General  Buell, 
and  Pliilip  Siieridan  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  our  First 
Division,  Fourteenth  Corps. 

On  the  evening  of  October  7th,  we  arrived  in  front  of  Perry- 
ville.     General  Bragg  had  prepared  for  a  battle.     At  sunrise  on 


HENRY  W.  CRESSY  POST  159 

the  morning'  of  the  8th,  my  regiment  was  ordered  to  make  a 
charge  on  some  Arkansas  troops  in  double  quick,  and  after  about 
an  hour  of  hard  fighting,  the  rebels  retreated.  My  regiment  had 
lost  twenty-three  killed,  including  our  major,  and  fifty-six 
wounded.  In  the  afternoon  General  Hardy  made  an  attack  on 
our  division,  formed  in  line  on  a  ridge  in  a  half  circle.  The 
rebels  were  badly  beaten  in  this  fight.  The  most  of  them  were 
left  dead  or  wounded  on  the  field.  The  next  day  General  Bragg 
evacuated  Perryville.  As  we  marched  on  to  Perryville  we  passed 
a  stack  of  arms  about  a  mile  long.  It  appeared  as  if  half  of  Gen- 
eral Bragg 's  men  had  left  for  home.  From  here  we  marched  to 
Nashville,  passing  Mammoth  Cave.  Fourteen  miles  south  of 
Nashville  we  went  into  camp.  Being  on  picket  duty  one  day, 
thirty  volunteers  were  called,  officers  and  non-commissioned  to 
ascertain  the  position  of  the  rebel  pickets  three  miles  off.  AVe 
reached  them  just  at  dark.  A  sergeant  from  my  camp  shot  the 
rebel  sentinel  and  at  the  same  time  he  received  a  shot  through 
the  lungs  and  died  the  next  morning.  Some  days  later  my  regi- 
ment and  a  battery  was  ordered  out  on  a  scouting  expedition. 
We  encountered  the  enemy  about  five  miles  from  camp.  After 
a  little  skirmish  the  rebels  retreated.  In  the  latter  part  of 
December  we  marched  for  Murfreesboro.  On  the  last  day  of 
December,  early  in  the  morning,  when  our  artillery  had  taken  their 
horses  to  water.  General  Longstreet  unexpectedly  attacked  our 
Fourteenth  Corps.  Our  right  wing  was  entirely  repulsed,  hard 
fighting  going  on  all  day.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  railroad 
embankment  Longstreet 's  forces  were  checked.  The  colonel  com- 
manding our  brigade  at  this  place  was  shot  through  the  throat  and 
died.  The  next  day,  January  1st,  General  Rosecrans  pushed  his 
left  wing,  the  Twenty-first  Corps,  across  Stone  river  and  the  rebels 
commenced  to  evacuate  Murfreesboro.  At  the  place  where 
the  fighting  had  commenced  eighty  comrades  of  our  division  were 
buried  in  one  grave. 

During  the  spring  of  1863  ]\Iurfreesboro  was  fortified.  A 
pioneer  brigade  had  been  organized,  and  I  was  detached  to  the 
Second  Battalion,  called  the  Pontoon  Battalion.  On  the  25th  day 
of  June,  1863,  our  army  commenced  to  march  to  the  Tennessee 
river.  General  Rosecrans  from  here  moved  on  to  Chattanooga, 
remaining  at  Bridgeport  some  time.  In  October  we  moved  on  to 
Chattanooga  over  the  Cumberland  mountains.  Just  before  we 
reached  the  mountain  General  AVheeler  had  destroyed  a  supply 
train  of  about  150  wagons.  Arriving  at  Chattanooga  we  con- 
structed another  pontoon  bridge.    One  da}^  the  rebel  artillery  sent 


160  TIISTOKV  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

;i  til'ly-|i()iiii(l  shell  iiitu  oni'  cami)  i'roiii  Lookout  mountain,  but  it, 
exploded  higli  in  ihe  aii'.  October  16th  General  Koseerans  was 
rplieved  of  his  conuuand.  and  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  took  command.  On 
the  (n-enino;  of  Novembei'  22nd  we  were  ordered  to  march  on  the 
north  side  ol'  the  Teiuiessee  river,  a  distance  of  three  miles.  Dur- 
ing' the  night  we  passed  a  bi  i^ade  of  Sherman's  troops  across  the 
river.  P'arly  in  the  nu)rning  a  i)ontoon  Ijridge  was  laid  for  General 
Sherman  to  cross  the  Tennessee.  About  10  o'clock  the  bridge  was 
coinjiK'ted  and  the  signal  sergeant  signaled  to  hoadf|uarters.  Gen- 
eral Shernuin  uu)ved  over  the  i)ontoon  ])ridge  and  an(»ther  corps 
from  the  Tennessee  army  started  from  Chattanooga  and  .ioined 
General  Sherman  in  the  afternoon.  We  returned  to  Chattanooga. 
In  the  evening  a  division  of  General  Hooker's  corps  was  moved 
di»\vn.  ])artly  on  boats,  to  storm  Lookout  mountain  during  the 
night  1).\  moonlight.  About  12  o'clock  the  firing  ceased  and  Look- 
out was  taken  next  day.  General  Sherman  on  the  left.  General 
Hooker  on  the  right,  and  General  Thomas  in  the  center,  the  army 
of  the  Ciunberland  made  a  charge  on  ^Mission  Ridge,  and  before 
night  .Mission,  was  taken.  Sixty-eiglit  ])ieces  of  artillery  and 
11,000  prisoners,  including  two  brigadier  generals,  were  captured. 
Next  day  the  rebel  prisoners  marched  over  the  pontoon  bridge  to 
go  north.  xVs  they  formed  into  line  on  the  north  side  of  the  river 
one  of  our  l)ands  of  nuisic  i)layed  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner."  A 
hurrah  for  the  Union  followed  from  all  the  camps  near  by. 

In  Deceiubei-  I  and  sixty  other  mechanics  were  sent  to  Nash- 
ville to  make  new  canvas  pontoon  boats,  returning  to  Chattanooga 
in  IMarrli.  On  ]May  5,  1864,  our  army  started  for  Dalton.  On 
the  (ith  m\  battalion  Avas  ordered  Avith  our  canvas  pontoon  train. 
Arriving  at  a  river  north  of  Resaca,  on  the  right  wing,  a  regi- 
ment of  rebels  were  in  a  good  position  in  a  lot  of  heavy  timber, 
disputing  our  right  to  cross  the  river.  AVe  crossed  a  battalion  of 
sharpshooters  to  dislodge  the  rebels,  and  a  nunihei-  of  our  boys 
Avere  killed  and  Avounded.  From  here  Ave  marched  with  a  division 
to  Rome.  (}a.,  on  a  point  betAveen  tAVO  rivers.  Crossing  on  a  pon- 
toon bridge  Ave  took  possession  of  Rome.  AYe  crossed  the  Yazoo 
river  on  the  south  side,  Avhere  on  a  little  mountain  the  rebels  had 
some  fortifications,  but  as  Johnson "s  army  had  fallen  back  to 
Atlanta  by  this  time  they  eA'acuated  the  place  and  avc  marched  on 
to  ^Marietta  and  remained  in  camp  at  this  place  for  some  time.  The 
lattei'  ])art  of  June  Ave  Avere  ordered  back  to  Chattanooga.  In 
•Inly  1.  Avith  my  detachment,  Avas  ordered  to  Bridgeport,  Ala.,  to 
take  charge  of  a  pontoon  bridge,  and  Ave  remained  at  this  place 
until  September  20,  1864. 


I 


HENRY  AV.  CRESSY  POST  161 

The  adjutaut  from  our  regiment  ordered  us  to  get  ready  to  go 
to  St.  Louis  to  be  mustered  out.  Arriving  at  St.  Louis  with  about 
two  hundred  and  twenty  men  left  in  our  regiment,  we  marched  to 
Washington  liall.  On  the  29th  day  of  September  my  regiment  was 
mustered  out  on  expiration  of  term. 

I  respectfully  remain,  FRED  NOTH, 

Sergt.  Co.  E,  2nd  Mo.  Vol.  Inf. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
JOHN  AV.  LYNN  POST. 


John  W.  Lynn  Post  No.  30,  Department  of  Wisconsin,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  was  organized  jMay  8,  1882,  at  Sparta, 
county  of  Monroe,  and  state  of  AVisconsin,  with  fifty-seven  charter 
members  as  follows,  to-wit : 

James  Davidson,  lifty-seven  years,  okl,  formerly  major  of  the 
Fifth  New  York  cavalry,  afterwards  department  commander  of 
the  Department  of  AVisconsin,  and  died  at  AVichita,  Kansas, 
]\Iarch  16,  1891,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Ncav  York. 

Samuel  Hoyt,  sixty-three  years  of  age,  served  as  sergeant  of 
the  First  Wisconsin  battery  over  four  years,  was  honorably  dis- 
chai'g'cd  :ui(l  died  ;it  Sparta  on  tlie  tliird  day  of  June,  1898. 

Edwin  W.  Olin  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  Y^ork ;  aged 
thirty-nine  when  the  post  was  organized;  served  as  first  lieuten- 
ant of  Company  "E,"  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-first  regiment, 
New  York  infantry  volunteers,  and  was  finally  nnistered  out  at 
Sparta,  AA^is.,  on  the  27th  (I;iy  of  January,  3907.  AVas  post  com- 
mander and  quartermaster. 

L.  C.  Herrick  was  sixty-two  years  of  age,  was  a  private  of 
Company  "D,"  Eighteenth  AVisconsin  infantry,  and  passed  out 
of  this  life  on  the  22ik1  day  of  Alay,  1898.  Held  the  ..flicks  of 
cha]ilain  and  musician. 

William  H.  Blyton  iiatl  arrived  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years, 
born  in  New  A^)rk  state,  served  in  Company  "C."  Nineteenth 
Wisconsin  infantry,  as  quartermaster  sergeant  and  as  first  lieu- 
tenant and  <iuartermaster  of  the  Fourth  T'nited  States  infantry. 
Has  served  in  the  i)()st  as  j)ost  commander  several  terms  and  as 
adjutant  and  quartermaster. 

Alonzo  E.  Howard  was  forty-four  years  of  age,  born  in  New 
York  state,  served  in  Company  "A."  Ninety-second  New  Y''ork, 
as  first  sergeant  and  lieutenant,  and  in  Company  "K,"  Ninety- 
sixth  New  York  infantry,  as  first  lieutenant.  lias  held  tlie  offices 
of  sergeant,  major,  adjutant  and  post  commander. 

Hugh  T.  Hogue  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  enlisted  October 
21st,  1861.  in  the  Third  AA'isconsin  cavalry,  Company  "A,"  served 

162 


JOHN  W.  LYNN  POST  163 

three  years  and  three  months.  Was  a  valued  member  of  the  post, 
always  taking  an  active  interest  in  its  proceedings,  but  died  in 
Big  Creek,  May  16,  1896. 

Alfred  Dunbar  had  reached  the  age  of  fifty-three  years,  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  state,  was  a  private  of  Company  ''C,"  Thirty- 
sixth  AA^isconsin  infantry,  the  snare  drummer  of  the  post,  a  very 
active  member  on  all  memorial  days,  but  departed  this  life  on 
the  10th  of  September,  1903. 

William  Waste,  forty-eight  years  old,  was  from  New  York 
state  and  was  a  member  of  Company  "I,"  Twenty-third  Ohio  in- 
fantry ;  served  four  years  and  two  months  and  was  badly  broken 
down  on  being  discharged ;  died  many  years  ago,  but  the  date  was 
not  entered  in  the  post  records. 

William  Kerrigan,  another  New  York  state  man,  fifty-one 
years  of  age  at  the  organization  of  the  post ;  Avas  a  member  of 
Company  "C,"  Nineteenth  AVisconsin  infantry,  serving  about 
three  years  and  six  months,  and  during  his  membership  in  the 
post  was  its  chief  musician  and  fifer.    Died  June  29,  1897. 

Charles  A.  Hunt,  another  New  York  boy,  fifty-three  years  old 
at  the  organization  of  the  post,  was  first  lieutenant  and  captain, 
Company  "K,"  TAventy-fifth  AVisconsin  infantry,  was  one  of  our 
strong  and  active  members,  adding  strength  and  interest  to  the 
organization.  He  was  finally  mustered  out  at  Melvina  and  his 
remains  interred  in  the  Melvina  cemetery. 

James  E.  Perry,  forty-four  years  old,  at  the  time  a  native  of 
New  A^ork,  served  in  the  army  from  September  22,  1861,  to  June 
23,  1865,  as  corporal  of  Company  ''I,"  Twenty-seventh  Alassachu- 
setts  infantry.  Removed  to  Tomah  and  joined  Heni-y  AA".  Cressey 
post  of  that  city. 

George  A.  Fisk,  captain  of  Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth  AA'is- 
consin  infantry,  Avas  a  gallant  soldier  and  a  good  Grand  Army 
man,  but  only  remained  Avith  us  to  August  10,  1886,  AAdien  he 
joined  the  majority. 

George  Graham,  of  Tomah,  joined  the  post  but  commenced 
immediately  to  aid  in  the  organization  of  the  post  at  Tomah. 

George  W.  Shepherd  Avas  a  charter  member  and  served  in  Com- 
pany "C,"  of  the  Nineteenth  AVisconsin  infantry.  He  has  passed 
the  Dark  riA'cr. 

Sylvanus  Holmes  Avas  born  in  Ncav  York  and  sixty-seven  years 
old  at  the  date  of  organization.  He  enlisted  as  priA'ate  in  Com- 
pany "I,"  Fifty-eighth  Pennsylvania  infantry,  and  Avas  mustered 
out  a  captain.    He  Avas  one  of  the  strong  members  and  serA^ed  as 


1(14  HISTORY  OF  MONUOE  COUNTY 

senior  vit-c  c-ouunantlor  and  commander  of  the  post,  and  moved 
beyond  on  the  3rd  of  January,  1895. 

William  J.  Siimmerfield,  forly-fivc  years  old,  a  charter  member, 
was  a  sergeant  iu  the  First  Wisconsin  battery,  serving  from  1861 
to  1865;  was  an  active  comrade  for  ycais.  Imt  on  account  of  in- 
firmiti(^s  of  age  has  withdrawn. 

DeWitt  C.  Beebe,  forty-four  years  old  and  a  native  of  W-rmont. 
was  surgeon  of  the  Fourth  New  York  cavalry,  served  till  the  close 
of  the  wai'.  Dr.  Beebe  was  many  years  the  surgeon  of  the  post 
and  held  the  office  of  post  commander;  one  of  the  faithful  mem- 
bers, but  he  jiassed  over  the  river  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  1908. 

Ira  A.  Hill  was  forty  years  old,  born  in  New  Ilamjjsliire,  and 
served  as  sergeant  of  Company  "A,"  Nineteenth  New  Hampshire 
infantry.  He  was  the  first  quarteriuaster  of  the  post,  was  for 
many  years  one  of  its  trustees,  and  served  as  post  comnmnder  one 
term.  Comrade  Hill  was  always  interested  and  did  much  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  the  organization.  He  was  mustered  into  the 
larger  army  beyond  on  the  20th  day  of  March,  1904. 

E.  W.  Robie  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  forty-four  years  old; 
served  three  years  and  two  months  in  the  Third  Vermont  infantry, 
a  faithful  Grand  Army  man,  but  died  February  23,  1894. 

M.  J.  McOmber,  aged  thirty-seven,  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
was  adjutant  of  the  post  for  two  years,  served  in  the  Sixth  Penn- 
sylvania reserve  corps,  lost  a  leg  at  the  battle  of  (rettysburg.  died 
in  Sparta  on  the  3rd  of  February,  1890. 

Lucian  A.  McWithy,  fifty  years  of  age,  was  born  in  New  York 
state,  was  an  efficient  member  of  the  Third  "Wisconsin  cavalry. 
Company  "A,"  and  though  suflt'ering  from  inability  to  see  has 
been  one  of  the  most  persistent  and  regular  attendants  at  the  post 
meetings. 

John  Burk,  forty-four  years  old.  Avas  born  in  Ti-eland.  but  gave 
assurance  that  he  was  a  faithful  American  citizen  by  serving  the 
country  three  years  and  one  month  in  the  Tenth  AVisconsin  in- 
fantry, in  Com])any  ''D,"  but  he  is  with  us  no  more. 

John  Winters,  a  native  of  Germany,  was  a  member  of  Comi>any 
"D,"  of  the  Eighteenth  Wisconsin  infantry,  the  service  and  his 
continuing  to  serve  the  state  making  good  his  claim  on  the  nation. 
William  Shepherd  did  not  furnish  us  his  full  record,  but  he  was 
a  member  of  Company  "C,"  of  the  Nineteenth  AVisconsin  infantry, 
for  many  years  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Ang(^lo  and  one  of  its 
good  citizcMis. 

James  O'Connor,  forty-two  years  old,  a  native  of  New  Y'ork 
state,  served  four  vears  and  three  months  in  the  Second  Michigan 


'  I 


JOHN  W.  LYNN  POST  165 

Infantry,  Company  "D,"  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  best 
known  citizens,  but  after  removing  from  Sparta  withdrew  from 
the  post. 

Joseph  Jones,  a  native  of  England,  enlisted  September  7,  1861, 
in  Company  "D,"  of  the  Eighty-fourth  Pennsylvania  infantry, 
and  was  mustered  out  December  24,  1864,  thus  proving  his  loyalty 
to  his  adopted  country.  He  has  joined  the  majority  on  the  other 
side. 

Franklin  Campbell,  aged  thirty-eight,  was  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, was  a  member  of  the  Tenth  Wisconsin  battery.  He  with- 
drew from  the  post  after  a  few  years  and  has  since  been  reported 
dead. 

Michael  McPeak,  forty-one  years  old,  born  in  Ireland.  His 
service  was  in  Company  "E,"  First  Michigan  volunteers;  still 
residing  in  Sparta. 

Chauncy  Bunce,  fifty-two  years  old,  born  in  Connecticut,  en- 
listed Januar.y  o,  1864,  in  the  Twelfth  Wisconsin  infantry.  Com- 
pany "E,"  and  was  mustered  out  July  15,  1865,  but  on  account 
of  age  and  residence  at  a  distance  from  the  city  withdrew  after  a 
time  and  he  has  passed  to  the  other  shore. 

Charles  Slaver,  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  another  acquisition 
from  Germany,  was  a  member  of  Company  "I,"  Forty-eighth 
AVisconsin  irifantry,  proved  his  right  to  citizenship  by  his 
patriotism. 

Nathan  B.  Aldrich,  a  Vermonter,  was  forty-eight  years  old, 
was  a  meml)er  of  Company  "D,"  Twenty-fifth  AVisconsin  infantry, 
from  August  8,  1862,  to  May  10,  1865;  a  good  citizen  of  Sparta, 
])ut  died  July  22,  1902. 

Joseph  W.  Potter,  ])orn  in  Ohio,  was  forty  years  old,  was  a 
corporal  of  Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin  Infantry, 
from  February  29,  1864.  to  June  10,  1865.  Served  with  the  post 
as  its  bass  drunnner  until  disabled,  and  left  us  to  be  mustered 
in  the  new  army  Alarch  2,  1910. 

Edward  J.  Hodgkin  enlisted  July  2,  1861,  in  Company  "I," 
Fourtli  Wisconsin  infantry,  and  was  mustered  out  July  18,  1865, 
a  member  of  the  First  Wisconsin  battery.  He  withdrew  from 
the  post  as  he  resided  too  far  out  to  meet  with  it,  and  has  since 
left  this  life.  He  was  born  in  New  York  and  was  thirtj^-nine  years 
old  at  the  organization  of  the  post. 

William  J.  Jordan  was  forty-one  years  old  and  served  in  the 
Fiftieth  New  York  engineers  from  August  31,  3861,  to  June  13, 
1865.    He  died  on  the  16th  of  March,  1891. 

Adelbert  E.  Bleekman  was  a  native  of  New  York  state,  served 


lf;6  TIISTOHV  OF  MOXROK  COrXTY 

in  the  Fifth  Ohio  cavalry,  Company  ''A."  AVas  tlie  post  coin- 
maiidi  r  in  1888  and  1S84.  lie  removed  to  LaCrosse  and  became 
a  mcniher  of  the  post  there.  A  good  Grand  Army  man  and  a 
successful  attorney.  He  has  gone  to  his  reward  foi-  all  the  activi- 
ties oi  an  earnest  life. 

Bruce  E.  McCoy  was  fifty-one  years  old.  born  in  New  York 
state,  and  served  as  captain  of  Company  — ,  Forty-third  Wiscon- 
sin infantry  from  its  muster  in  to  the  end  of  its  term,  and  con- 
tinues a  valued  member  of  the  post. 

Rufus  S.  Dodge  .served  as  sergeant  of  Company  "K,"  Six- 
teenth New  York  infantry,  during  the  entire  term  of  its  service, 
was  a  native  of  New  York  state.  For  many  years  lie  was  trustee 
of  the  post  and  passed  away  July  31,  1008. 

Ulrich  Wettstein  was  thirty-four  years  old.  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, was  a  member  of  Company  ''C."  P'ifty-third  AVisoonsin 
infantry:   has  gone  out   but  date  is  not  recorded. 

Charles  A.  Bunce  was  forty  years  old  and  a  native  of  Con- 
neeticut.  He  served  in  Company  "K,"  Eleventh  Massachusetts 
infantry;  Avas  discharged  at  his  own  request. 

Lucius  M.  Stevens,  forty  years  old,  a  native  of  New  Y^ork,  was 
a  member  of  Company  "I,"  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth  New 
York  infantry,  was  post  commander  in  1885  and  has  removed  to 
IMinneapolis. 

John  W.  Carter  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  a  member  of  Company 
"D,""  Kighteenth  Wisconsin  infantry,  was  thirty-seven  years  old 
at  his  muster  in  the  post,  and  was  the  first  death  after  our  organ- 
ization. 

William  A.  DeLong',  thirty-nine  years  old,  a  native  of  New 
York  state,  was  a  corporal  in  Company  ''A,"  Third  Wisconsin 
cavalry.     He  withdi-ew  from  the  post. 

Chauncy  K.  Kennedy,  aged  fifty-eight,  a  New  Yorker  by  birth, 
was  a  member  of  I'ompany  "A,"  Nineteenth  "Wisconsin  infantry, 
but  lie  lived  only  a  short  time  after  joining  the  post. 

John  Jarrett,  forty  years  old.  a  nati\'e  of  rennsylvania.  Serv- 
ice was  in  Company  "D,"  Seventh  Pennsylvania  cavalry.  He 
removed  from  the  city  and  Avithdrew  from  the  post. 

Jeremiah  Van  Kirk,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  was  a  mem- 
ber (if  Company  "'I).""  Tweiity-tifth  AVisconsin  infantry,  Avas 
thirty-seven  years  of  age  and  is  still  with  us. 

E.  Crocker,  born  in  Oliio.  Avas  thirty-seven  years  old,  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  "D,"  Eighteenth  AVisconsin  infantry,  Avas 
Avounded  and  discharged.  Has  moved  aAvay  and  Avithdrawn  from 
the  i>ost. 


11 


JOHN  W.  LYNN  POST  167 

Henry  T.  Bell,  a  native  of  New  York,  served  three  years  in 
Company  "K, "  Seventh  New  York  heavy  artillery,  has  been  an 
efficient  officer  of  the  day  of  the  post,  and  is  still  doing  duty 
Avith  it. 

Robert  Rathbun  did  not  furnish  his  war  record  and  withdrew 
soon  after  joining. 

W.  H.  Washburn  was  forty-one  years  old  and  a  native  of  New 
York  state,  was  a  member  of  Company  "C,"  Thirty-sixth  AVis- 
consin  infantry,  was  transferred  to  the  George  A.  Fisk  post  at 
Cataract. 

Walter  A.  Wodd,  forty-three  years  old,  a  native  of  New  York, 
was  corporal  of  Company  "A."  Tenth  AYisconsin  infantry,  serv- 
ing four  years.  He  removed  to  Oakland,  California,  and  was 
transferred  to  a  post  in  that  city. 

Byron  M.  Dunham  was  forty-one  years  old,  born  in  Michigan, 
served  in  Company  "D,"  Fourteenth  Wisconsin  infantry  four 
years;  died  January  6,  1902. 

William  N.  Wilcox  furnished  no  record  of  service  and  with- 
drew after  a  short  time. 

S.  F.  Ketcham  was  thirty-six  years  of  age,  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  a  private  in  Company  "L,"  Sixth  New  York  heavy 
artillery,  withdrew  from  the  post  soon  after  its  organization. 

Abram  Heath,  thirty-eight  years  old,  born  in  New  Hampshire, 
a  member  of  Company  ''G, "  Twelfth  AYisconsin  infantry;  re- 
mained a  member  but  a  short  time. 

Edward  Busby,  forty-seven  years  old,  a  native  of  Ohio,  served 
nearly  four  years  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  in- 
fantry; has  continued  a  member  and  is,  and  has  been,  for  many 
years  entirely  blind. 

James  P.  Larry  was  forty-five  years  old,  born  in  Ohio,  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  '"I,"  Forty-second  AYisconsin  infantry,  and  died 
April  17,  1902. 

Of  the  above  fifty-seven  charter  members,  thirty-seven  have 
passed  into  larger  ranks  and  have  been  mustered  beyond  the 
dark  river ;  eleven  remain  in  Sparta  and  nine  have  moved  away. 

One  hundred  and  eighty-two  have  been  mustered  into  our 
ranks  since,  of  whom  eighty-six  died  and  forty-six  have  with- 
drawn, some  to  move  to  other  states  and  some  for  their  own 
reasons  not  known  to  us,  and  there  remains  in  good  standing  in 
the  post  at  this  writing  sixty  seasoned  veterans,  many  of  them 
so  feeble  and  weak  from  age  and  infirmities  that  they  are  not 
able  to  meet  with  us,  especially  those  living  at  a  distance  in  the 
country. 


168  lllSTOKY  OF  MOXKOK  COUNTY 

The  executive  officers  of  the  post  since  its  organization  have 
been : 

In  1882  James  Davidson,  post  commander,  and  AVilliam  II. 
Blyton,  adjutant;  in  1883,  Adelbert  E.  Bleekman,  post  com- 
mander, and  AVilliam  II.  Blyton,  adjutant ;  in  1884,  Adelbert  p]. 
]51eeknuin.  post  comnumder,  and  IVIichael  J.  ]\IcOmber,  adjutant ; 
in  1885,  Alojizo  E.  Howard,  ])0st  commander,  and  Miehael  J. 
McOmber,  adjutant;  in  1886,  Lucius  M.  Stevens  was  post  com- 
mander, and  Alonzo  E.  Howard,  adjutant;  in  1887,  John  A.  Sholts 
was  the  chief  executive  officer,  and  Alonzo  E.  Howard  has  held  the 
office  of  post  adjutant  to  the  present  time.  Elorus  "\V.  Babcock 
served  as  post  commander  in  1888,  AVilliam  H.  Blyton  in  1889, 
Arthur  L.  Page  in  1890,  AVilliam  P.  :\Ieyer  in  1891,  Sylvanus 
Holmes  in  1892,  Russell  Brownell  in  1893,  David  C.  Hope  in  1891, 
Edward  E.  Olin  in  1895,  Ira  A.  Hill  in  1896,  N.  J.  Kemp  in  1897, 
Thomas  Hobson  in  1898,  DeAVitt  C.  Beebe  in  1899,  A.  R.  Benzie  in 
1900  and  1901,  John  A.  Sholts  in  1902-03,  Andrew  C.  Cole  in  1901, 
Russell  Brownell  in  1905,  and  AVilliam  II.  Blyton  in  1906-07-08-09- 
10-11. 

Immediately  on  the  organization  of  the  post  active  opera- 
tions were  inaugurated  to  suitably  decorate  the  graves  of  all 
deceased  comrades  of  all  wars  for  the  preservation  or  defense  of 
the  nation,  and  in  1886  there  was  added  to  the  by-laws  of  the  post 
one  requiring  the  quartermaster  of  the  post  to  place  a  memorial 
tablet  at  the  head  of  the  graves  of  all  defenders  of  the  country 
buried  in  the  several  cemeteries  within  our  jurisdiction,  and  at 
the  head  of  the  graves  of  all  such  who  should  thereafter  be  in- 
terred in  such  cemeteries. 

The  post  has  so  far  as  its  means  would  alloAV  assisted  and 
cared  for  the  sick  and  needy  soldiers,  attended  to  the  proper 
burial  of  all  its  deceased  nuMubers.  carried  out  faithfully  its  duty 
of  ('el('])rating  Alemorial  Day  l)y  decorating  the  graves  and  pro- 
viding suitable  patriotic  nuMuorial  addresses  and  by  jiatriotic 
Sabliath  services  on  Tne  Siuulay  jjreceding  Alemorial  Day,  has 
procui-ed  the  erection  in  the  city  park  of  a  beautiful  soldiers' 
monument,  dedicated  to  "Our  Nation's  Defenders,"  has  for  years 
held  ])atri<)tic  services  and  addresses  in  oui-  public  schools  to 
instill  ]>atriotism  in  the  minds  of  our  coming  citizens,  has  co- 
operated with  the  national  order  in  ])romoting  the  welfare  of 
those  who  faithfully  served  the  country  aiul  suffered,  ami  has 
by  every  means  in  its  poAver  jiromoted  good  citizenship  and  love 
of  countrv. 


(■\I"I'.    M.    K.    IJ'.ON"  AKP 


JOHN  W.  LYNN  POST  1G9 

CAPT.  M.  E.  LEONARD'S  WAR  RECORD. 

Captain  Leonard's  service  to  his  country  began  as  a  recruit- 
ing" officer,  which  position  he  held  for  several  months.  The  gov- 
ernor, appreciating  his  fitness  to  command,  appointed  him  captain 
and  through  his  services  in  that  capacity  did  valiant  duty.  He 
enlisted  in  July,  1862,  in  Company  "  D, "  Twenty- fifth  Wisconsin 
regiment ;  was  mustered  in  in  August  the  same  year,  and  his 
regiment  was  first  stationed  in  Minnesota,  near  New  Ulm,  where 
they  participated  in  the  frontier  Indian  massacre.  This  company 
was  in  charge  of  Captain  Leonard,  who  guarded  the  thirty-eight 
Indians  who  were  now  in  ]\Iankato.  ]Minnesota.  Prior  to  this 
they  were  ordered  to  scout  through  Big  Cottonwood  and  Little 
Cottonwood  to  West  Mankato,  and  January  1st  were  ordered  to 
report  at  Madison,  next  to  Columbus,  Kentucky,  where  the  sub- 
ject was  appointed  port  officer  by  General  Asbeth.  Captain 
Leonard  at  this  time  was  first  lieutenant  and  his  regiment  was 
ordered  to  Helena,  Arkansas,  where  they  were  reviewed  by  Gen- 
eral Beauford,  down  the  Mississippi  river  to  Vicksburg,  being  in 
charge  of  the  subject,  the  trip  being  accomplished  without  acci- 
dent. It  was  the  season  of  what  was  known  as  th(^  winter  of  deep 
ice  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the  trip  was  made. 
The  gunboat  was  ordered  to  Helena  and  returned  to  Vicksburg 
in  February  for  Sherman's  march  through  ^Mississippi  to  Ala- 
bama, then  returning  to  Vicksburg,  thence  up  the  river  to  ( 'airo, 
Illinois;  thence  to  Moorsville  and  to  Decatur,  Alabama.  Thence 
to  the  foot  of  Lookout  mountain  to  Chattanooga,  to  Tunnel  Hill, 
flanking  recours  on  the  right,  thence  engaging  in  the  severe  three- 
days'  fight  of  Sugar  Gap,  following  which  was  the  battle  of 
Eosackie;  to  Calhoun's  ferry,  crossing  the  river  to  Kingston; 
thence  to  Dallas,  Texas,  engaging  in  the  battle  of  Dallas;  tlience 
to  Altoona.  to  Kenesaw  mountain,  to  ^Marietta,  Georgia,  to  Chat- 
tahoochee at  night  through  dense  darkness.  Next  to  Decatur. 
Georgia,  thence  six  miles  to  Atlanta,  with  constant  fighting  dur- 
ing this  trip.  It  was  during  this  time  that  the  regiment  lost 
heavily  from  the  enemy  and  the  wounded  and  dead  were  left  at 
Decatur.  The  balance  of  the  regiment  whipped  around  to  the 
right  and  entered  the  siege  of  Atlanta  after  wbipping  General 
Hood,  in  which  the  loss  of  the  men  were  heavy.  The  regiment 
then  made  a  retrograde  movement  to  AVest  Point  and  over  the 
mountains  to  the  extreme  right,  and  marching  during  the  night 
to  Lovejoy's  station,  and  from  there  to  West  Point,  to  camp. 


170  IIISTOKY  OF  .MONKOE  COUNTY 

Then  folloAVod  Ilond  to  Altoona,  thence  to  Alabama,  Kingston, 
to  Atlanta,  moved  on  to  Savannah,  fighting  and  tearing  np  rail- 
ways nntil  they  reached  King's  bridge,  fifte<Mi  miles  from  Savan- 
nah, -where  they  remained  luitil  the  time  of  surrendei-.  Then  the 
subject  became  aide  to  Colonel  Rusk  and  the  regiment  was  or- 
dered to  Thunder  Boat  bay.  Next  demonstration  was  made  on 
Savannah,  leaving  General  Foster's  command  moving  on  u])  the 
line  tearing  up  the  railway  between  Augusta  and  Charleston  and 
to  the  river  of  seven  l)ridges,  fording  swamps,  until  Columbia 
was  reached,  extending  their  line  of  march  to  Bentonville.  being 
the  scene  of  the  last  battle,  after  running  to  Goldsborough  and 
Raleigh,  N.  C,  through  Virginia,  and  marched  to  Grand  river, 
where  the  captain's  service  ended. 

The  regiment  was  mustered  out  June  1,  1865,  he  having  given 
nearly  three  years  to  the  service. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  SOLDIEES'  MONUMENT. 

The  movement  which  culminated  in  the  final  completion,  erec- 
tion and  dedication  of  the  Soldiers'  Monument  which  now  stands 
in  North  Park  originated  on  the  9th  day  of  August,  1895,  when, 
at  a  regular  meeting  of  John  W.  Lynn  Post  No  30  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  twelve  comrades  of  the  Post  were  unanimously 
elected  a  committee  to  consider  whether  or  not  it  was  feasible 
or  desirable  to  erect  at  Sparta  a  Soldiers'  Monument,  and  if  so 
to  consider  the  ways  and  means  for  its  accomplishment  and  report 
at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Post.  This  committee  consisted  of 
Edwin  E.  Olin,  chairman;  Ira  A.  Hill,  David  C.  Hope,  Martin  R. 
Gage,  John  A.  Sholts,  Alonzo  E.  How^ard,  William  H.  Blyton, 
Charles  A.  Hunt,  Rufus  S.  Dodge,  William  P.  Meyer,  N.  J.  Kemp 
and  E.  W.  Babcock  This  committee  met  at  the  office  of  Tyler 
&  Hill  on  the  13th  day  of  August  and  elected  Alonzo  E.  Howard 
chairman  of  the  committee ;  after  a  careful  and  thorough  discus- 
sion, the  committee  decided  that  such  a  monument  was  desirable 
and  a  sub-committee  consisting  of  Martin  R.  Gage,  Rufus  S. 
Dodge,  Ira  A.  Hill  and  AYilliam  P.  Meyer  were  appointed  to  devise 
ways  and  means ;  at  a  ineeting  of  the  committee  on  August  22nd 
of  the  same  year,  a  fair  plan  for  raising  funds  was  proposed  by 
the  sub-committee  and  adopted  and  reported  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Post  held  on  August  23rd,  and  after  some  discussion  this  plan  was 
adopted  and  the  Post  added  to  the  committee  Comrades  DeAYitt 
C.  Beebe  and  Thomas  Hobson. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  committee  the  plan  which  has 
been  outlined  was  carried  out  substantially  and  Ira  A.  Hill 
was  elected  treasurer  of  the  monument  fund  and  sub-committees 
were  appointed  for  the  following  purposes :  For  soliciting  among 
soldiers,  among  citizens,  to  visit  other  posts  and  interest  them; 
a  press  committee  to  publish  such  matter  as  in  the  opinion  of 
the  committee  would  interest  the  public  in  the  enterprise.  Sub- 
scription lists  were  prepared  by  the  secretary  and  delivered  to 
the  solicitors  and  work  was  considered  then  fully  organized. 

A  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  committee  that  notes  be 
accepted  on  subscriptions,  payable  on  or  before  January  1,  1898, 

171 


172  iilSTUKY  OF  MONROE  COl'XTY 

providing  the  subscriptions  adopted  including  the  notes  amounted 
to  $2,500.  Several  notes  were  made  and  delivered  to  the  treasurer 
and  cash  subscribed  and  collected  and  in  the  treasurer's  hands, 
but  in  less  than  the  time  limited  for  tlie  payment  of  the  notes, 
interest  seemed  to  wane,  and  the  iund  grtw  only  by  the  inter- 
est on  the  certificates  of  deposit  at  3  per  cent,  so  that  the  notes 
given  matured  and  Avere  returned  and  canceled*  as  tlie  fund  at 
their  maturity  had  not  reached  the  sum  of  $2,500. 

But  the  project  received  new  light,  when,  on  November  Kith. 
1897.  a  "Ladies'  Auxiliary"  to  the  post  was  organized  with 
seventeen  charter  members;  as  soon  as  this  organization  became 
strong  enough  they  took  up  for  their  special  Avork  the  raising 
of  fuiKls  for  the  proposed  monument;  they  gave  socials  with 
tlie  usual  refreshments  and  obtained  sul)scription  blaidvs  from 
the  secretary  and  solicited  ;uiil  collected  funds;  slowly  and  con- 
stantly the  sum  grew,  owing  to  the  hard  Avork  and  with  the 
perseverance  of  these  few  faithful  workers,  wliich  could  not  be 
estimated  and  without  whose  work  no  monument  would  have  been 
today  in  existence.  After  nearly  five  years  of  labor  by  these 
ladies  a  meeting  was  called  September  19,  1902,  to  reorganize 
the  committee  for  the  special  active  Avork  to  complete  all  ar- 
rangements and  secure  the  erection  of  the  monument. 

DeWitt  C.  Beebe  Avas  made  chairman  of  this  committee,  ha  A. 
Hill,  treasurer,  and  A.  E.  HoAvard,  secretary;  the  other  members 
of  the  committee  were  George  D.  Dunn  and  AVilliam  (\  Hoffman. 
AfterAvards  an  organization  knoAvn  as  the  Soldiers"  .Moiiuiueiit 
Association  Avas  formed,  it  having  for  its  officers  and  members 
D.  C.  Beebe,  president;  A.  E.  HoAvard,  secretary;  AV.  ('.  Hoffman. 
George  Dunn  as  the  executiA'e  committee ;  other  mendiers  being 
W.  :\IcBride,  Mrs.  L.  A.  :\rcAVith.y.  Mrs.  E.  S.  Denis,  Mrs.  :\Iary 
Cole,  John  A.  Sholts.  1).  A.  :\lc\Vithy.  :\rrs.  D.  Benzie,  :Slrs.  C. 
Foster,  all  of  the  above  l)eing  of  Sj)arta  and  J.  E.  Perry  and  A. 
C.  Cole  of  Tomas  and  also  X.  J.  Kemji,  of  S])arta. 

A  committee  Avas  appointed  to  confer  Avitli  the  county  board  of 
supervisors  Avhich  endeaA'ored  to  iiuluee  tlie  board  to  give  jier- 
mission  to  place  the  monument  on  the  court  house  grounds,  haA'e 
the  county  assume  permanent  care  of  it  and  if  possible  obtain 
an  approi)riation  foAvards  the  expense  of  its  construction,  luit 
these  efforts  met  Avith  no  success  Avhatever.  This  liaAing  provc^l 
an  entire  failure  the  committee  ajipealed  to  the  city  council  of  the 
City  of  Sparta  for  aid.  The  council  ordered  a  special  election 
to  be  held  upon  the  ])roposition  as  to  the  raising  of  the  taxes  on 
taxable   property   of  th'-   city   of  one-half   mill   on   the   dollar  to 


THE  SOLDIERS'  MONUMENT  173 

aid  in  the  laoniiment  fuiul  and  at  this  election  the  citizens  of 
Sparta  voted  the  tax  by  a  large  majority ;  it  was  levied  and  col- 
lected with  the  regnlar  taxes  of  1904  and  amounted  to  $1,087.21. 

The  treasurer  of  the  committee,  Ira  A.  Hill,  died  March  20, 
1!)01.  and  George  D.  Dunn  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In 
order  to  fulfill  the  legal  requirements  under  the  city  appropria- 
tion, the  mayor  appointed  Andrew  J.  Carnahan,  William  11. 
Blyton,  A.  G.  Welker  and  Wilfred  McBride  to  represent  the  city 
on  the  committee.  Plans  and  specifications  were  then  procured 
and  bids  called  for  to  erect  tlie  monument ;  these  were  invited 
to  be  of  different  kinds  of  granite  with  the  granite  statue  of 
the  soldier  and  also  with  a  copper  bronze  statue  complete  with 
foundation  to  be  placed  on  a  location  to  be  designated  by  the 
committee.  The  successful  bidder  was  Mr.  Fred  Schlimegan,  of 
Madison,  Wisconsin,  whose  bid  was  accepted,  being  one  with 
the  specification  that  the  monument  was  to  be  of  Barre  granite, 
except  the  centre  block  for  the  inscription,  which  is  of  Montello 
granite,  and  the  statue  of  the  soldier  which  is  made  of  copper 
bronze.  The  monument  was  completed  and  accepted  on  Decem- 
ber 4th  and  the  contractor  settled  with  and  the  total  cost,  in- 
cluding the  monument  complete,  inscription,  setting  and  ex- 
pense, being  about  $3,000.  The  statue  of  the  bronze  soldier 
stands  facing  the  south  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  face  of  the 
monument  appears  the  words  "In  Memory  of  Our  Nation's  De- 
fenders. ' ' 

This  monument  was  formally  dedicated  and  accepted  on  the 
30th  day  of  May,  1905.  Invitations  were  extended  to  all  parts  of 
the  county  and  an  elaborate  program  was  planned  and  carried 
out,  an  extensive  part  of  which  was  a  march  to  the  Woodlawn 
cemetery  in  the  afternoon,  where  memorial  exercises  were  held, 
and  then  proceeded,  to  North  Park,  where  with  due  and  appro- 
priate ceremonies  the  monument  was  unveiled  and  formally 
accepted  on  behalf  of  the  city  by  Andrew  Carnahan,  then  presi- 
dent of  the  city  council. 

As  a  fitting  ending  of  this  chapter  none  can  better  be  written 
than  the  address  by  DeWitt  C.  Beebe,  whose  untiring  efforts  had 
been  largely  instrumental  in  the  successful  completion  of  this 
project,  whose  words,  patriotic  and  full  of  emotion  w^ere  delivered 
with  that  earnestness  which  was  one  of  the  characteristics  of  Dr. 
Beebe,  and  although  this  address  was  short,  it  had  a  .profound 
effect  upon  the  assembled  audience.     It  is  as  follows : 

"FELLOW  CITIZENS-COMRADES:  We  have  come  to  this 
quiet  shaded  place  today  to  unveil    this  shaft    of    granite    and 


174  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOH  LULXTY 

bronzo  and  dedieate  it  with  M])propriato  ceremony  to  the  memory 
of  'Our  Country's  Defenders."  It  seems  eminently  fitting  and 
])roi)er  that  we  come  directly  here  for  this  hallowed  purpose  from 
the  little  silent  city  over  yonder,  Avhere  we  have  tenderly  strewn 
fresh,  l)eautiful  flowers  upon  the  graves  where  lie  our  beloved 
dead.  The  two  occasions  seem  so  tenderly  similar  in  sentiment 
that  they  should  not  be  separated.  Comrades,  we  have  reason  to 
rejoice  that  the  Great  Commander — the  God  of  Battles — has 
spared  our  Wwh  and  health  that  so  many  of  us  are  enabled  to  see 
this  day  and  this  hour.  AVe  have  reason  for  congratulation  that 
so  many  wives,  widows  and  daughters  of  the  veterans  of  the  Avar 
of  1861-65  are  also  permitted  to  be  here  today  and  enjoy  the 
consummation  of  their  long,  persistent,  loyal  labor,  but  for  which, 
my  friends,  Ave  avouIcI  not  be  here  today  for  this  purpose.  The 
memorial  here  which  we  shall  unveil  and  dedicate  today  is  the 
result  of  several  years'  labor  and  growth,  a  short  sketch  of  Avhich 
Avill  be  giA'en  later  by  Adjutant  Howard.  Comrades,  it  will  mat- 
ter A'cry  little  to  us  in  a  few  years  when  Ave  shall  have  been  nuis- 
tered  into  that  great  army  over  the  river  Avhether  or  not  SAveet 
floAvers  from  loyal,  loA'ing  hands  Avill  be  strcAvn  upon  our  graves 
in  the  springtime  of  the  returning  years,  or  that  a  memorial  has 
been  erected  in  some  beautiful  spot  to  our  memory,  but  the  senti- 
ment that  is  kept  burning  in  the  breasts  of  those  Avho  folloAV  us, 
Avhich  prompts  the  doing  of  these  offices  is  of  momentous  impor- 
tance, for  it  is  this  that  makes  loyal  heroes  and  a  nation  invincible 
in  times  of  danger. 

"Sad  Avill  be  the  day,  and  may  it  never  come,  Avhen  this  great 
American  people  shall  become  so  absorbed  in  cold  business, 
crazed  in  finance,  or  so  drunken  Avitli  the  |)leasures  of  the  day 
that  they  shall  forget  to  recognize^  the  services  of  their  nation's 
defenders." 


* 

II 


CHAPTEK  XVIII. 

THE   GOVERNMENT   :\I1LITARY   RESERVATION. 

The  Spanish-American  war,  whih'  aeeomplishiug  the  great 
result  in  the  freeing  of  Cuba,  annexing  of  Porto  Rico,  the  Philip- 
pines and  consequent  turning  to  civilization  and  education  of  the 
l)eople  of  those  tropical  regions,  did  another  thing — it  gave  to  the 
ndlitary  authorities  of  this  country  the  long-needed  lesson,  which 
could  not  be  too  well  learned,  that  army  methods  in  this  young 
and  lusty  republic  were  way  behind  the  times ;  demonstrated  that 
in  the  mobilization,  equipping  and  feeding  of  troops  in  the  field 
there  was  plenty  of  incompetency,  plenty  of  antiquated  red  tape 
methods — and  the  army  began  to  wake  up.  For  a  long  period 
after  the  civil  war,  in  fact,  not  really  until  the  Spanish-American 
war,  was  there  little,  if  any,  attempt  to  mobilize  troops  in  larger 
bodies  than  a  regiment  for  field  practice.  The  experience  in  the 
Spanish-American  war  brought  about  the  iiecessity  of  frecpient 
mobilization  not  only  of  regular  troops,  but  also  national  guard 
organizations,  for  field  maneuvers,  and  the  field  maneuvers  now 
held  in  ditferent  parts  of  the  country  every  other  year  are  the 
result.  ]\Ianeuver  camps  becanu^  a  necessity  and  the  war  depart- 
ment began  acquiring  large  tracts  of  land  in  different  parts  of 
the  country  for  that  purpose,  under  the  provisions  of  various 
acts  of  congress. 

The  State  ^Military  Reservation  at  Camp  Douglas,  so  admirably 
situated  and  equipped  for  rifle  practice  and  maneuver  ground, 
had  years  ago  attracted  the  attention  of  the  officers  of  the  regular 
army,  particularly  of  the  then  Department  of  the  Lakes ;  and  all 
reports  sent  the  department  gave  praise  to  tlie  location  and  nat- 
ural advantages  and  ecjuipment  provided  by  the  state,  it  being  in 
almost  every  case  described  as  one  of  the  finest  rifle  ranges  in 
the  United  States.  Its  fame  grew  and  a  number  of  years  ago  a 
department  competition  was  held  there,  and  later  two  batteries  of 
artillery  were  sent  up  from  Fort  Sheridan  for  summer  practice. 
The  officers  of  the  Department  of  the  Lakes  became  strongly  de- 
sirous that  the  government  might  acquire  the  reservation, 
especially  for  artillery  practice,  and  offers  were  made  through 

175 


176 


HISTORY  OF  .MOXHOE  COUNTY 


Colonel  AVagner  to  purcliase  the  property,  but  the  state  refused 
at  all  times  to  ]iart  with  control  of  it. 

Way  hack  (]ui-iii<i-  tiic  time  when  the  establishment  of  a  range 
at  Cam{)  Douglas  was  heing  considered,  the  tract  of  land  near 
what  was  then  the  station  of  LaFayette,  in  this  county,  on  the 
Chicago,  ^lilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railway,  lying  principally  in  the 
towns  of  LaFayette  and  Angelo,  was  suggested  to  Gen.  C.  1*. 
(  lijipiiian,  then  adjutant  general  of  this  state,  by  Col.  George 
Graham,  tlien  liic  i-aptain  of  Company  K.  and  interested  strongly 
in  the  establishment  of  a  state  camp  ground.  Owing,  however, 
to  the  distance  from  the  cities  of  Tomah  and  Sparta  and  to  the 
better  railway  facilities  at  Camp  Douglas,  after  looking  over  both 
tracts  the  latter  was  decided  upon  and  became  subsequently  the 
state  property. 

The  idea  still  o])tained,  however,  that  the  LaFayette  tract  was 
suitable  for  military  purposes,  and  attention  of  the  war  depart- 
ment was  called  to  it  by  Congressman  John  J.  Eseli  a  few  years 
ago.  As  early  as  1897  Col.  George  Graham  again  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  officers  of  the  national  guard  at  a  convention  in 
^Milwaukee  to  a  tract  of  land  lying  between  Tunnel  City  and 
Sparta. 

Hon.  W.  11.  Taft.  then  secretary  of  war,  in  1906  advocated  the 
establishment  of  four  large  military  maneuver  camps,  to  be  used 
jointly  l)y  tlie  regular  army  and  the  national  guard  of  the  several 
states,  one  to  be  located  in  the  east,  one  in  the  south,  one  in  the 
west,  and  one  in  the  mitldle  north.  Congressman  Escli  at  that 
time  commenced  a  movement  to  locate  the  northern  camp  at 
Camp  Douglas,  Wis.,  by  the  purchase  of  land  adjacent  to  the 
AVisconsin  Alilitary  Reservation.  Other  sites  suggested  were  in 
Pennsylvania.  Texas  and  California.  None  of  these  large  camps 
projiosed  by  Secretary  Taft  had  been  provided  for  by  congress. 
I)u1  as  incidental  thereto  ]Mr.  Esch  was  successful  in  securing  an 
api)ropriation  of  $150,000  to  purchase  land  adjacent  to  the  mili- 
tary reservation  at  Cami)  Douglas  for  the  use  of  the  regular 
army  and  an  artillery  range,  a  i)urpose  entirely  distinct  from  that 
of  a  maneuver  camp. 

During  the  ])endency  of  this  legislation  a  board  of  regular 
army  engineei-  officers,  with  Gen.  A.  IL  Ernest  at  its  head,  visited 
Cam})  Douglas  under  orih'rs  to  make  a  toi)ograhpical  survey,  and 
while  in  AVisconsin  were  invited  to  Sparta,  and  accompanied  by 
General  Boardnuin.  Colonel  Salsman  and  Colonel  Graham  were 
<lriven  over  the  lands  l)etween  Sparta  and  Tuiniel  City.  General 
Ernest   ill  his  I'eport  to  the  war  department  on  Camp  Douglas,  in- 


THE  GOVERNMENT  MILITARY  RESERVATION      177 

eluded  a  reference  to  the  Sparta  site.  The  summer  work  of  the 
United  States  tield  artillery  is  comprised  of  long  practice  marches 
and  a  target  practice.  Very  few  places  are  available  for  this 
latter  purpose,  and  artillery  officers  during  this  part  were  sent 
over  the  country  looking  for  location  for  an  artillery  range. 
Maj.  Samuel  Allen,  commanding  the  artillery  at  Fort  Snelling, 
Minn.,  in  1905,  while  searching  for  a  place  for  target  practice, 
came  to  Camp  Douglas  during  the  encampment  of  the  Third  regi- 
ment that  year.  Adjutant  General  Boardman  suggested  to  him 
the  availability  of  the  Sparta  site,  and  called  Colonel  McCoy  in 
consultation,  with  the  result  that  an  invitation  was  extended  to 
the  battalion  commanded  by  Major  Allen  to  go  into  camp  on  the 
McCoy  ranch.  Colonel  JMcCoy  having  gradually,  during  a  long 
series  of  years,  acquired  title  to  about  4,000  acres  of  this  land. 
Major  Allen  accepted  the  invitation  and  the  battalion  of  artil- 
lery came  from  Fort  Snelling  and  camped  for  sixteen  days  during 
the  month  of  September,  1905,  testing  the  various  ranges  which 
might  be  available  for  artillery  practice,  and  his  report  upon  the 
possibilities  of  the  Sparta  tract  called  the  attention  of  the  war 
department  very  strongly  to  it. 

Meanwhile  the  passage  of  the  appropriation  of  $150,000.00 
proposed  by  Congressman  Esch  for  the  purchase  of  land  near 
Camp  Douglas,  caused  land  owners  in  that  vicinity  to  raise  the 
price  of  land  from  $3.00  an  acre  to  about  $30.00,  or  thereabouts, 
and  the  war  department  found  it  impossible  to  deal  with  them, 
with  the  result  that  the  attempt  to  purchase  any  land  at  Camp 
Douglas  ceased  and  the  appropriation  remained  in  the  hands  of 
the  Avar  department  unexpended. 

This  situation  brought  the  attention  of  the  war  department 
back  to  Sparta  and  resulted  in  the  sending  of  a  board,  consisting 
of  Major  Mott  and  Captain  Overton,  to  report  upon  the  advisabil- 
ity of  purchasing  lands  at  Camp  Douglas  or  leasing  lands  at 
Sparta.  In  September  of  1907  Battery  C  from  Fort  Snelling, 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Overton,  camped  on  the  McCoy 
ranch,  and  was  there  when  the  board  above  mentioned,  and  of 
which  he  was  a  member,  investigated  the  two  sites  of  Camp 
Douglas  and  Sparta.  They  were  accompanied  by  General  Board- 
man,  Colonel  Salsman,  Colonel  McCoy,  Major  "Williams,  and  a 
part  of  the  time  by  Congressman  Esch.  After  a  thorough  investi- 
gation the  board  made  a  report  to  the  war  department  disapprov- 
ing of  the  purchasing  of  lands  at  Camp  Douglas  because  of  the 
exorbitant  prices  demanded,  and  recommended  that  the  lands  at 
Sparta  be  leased,  but  the  board  did,  however,  go  a  step  farther 


178 


HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 


and  reeommended  the  luirchase  of  7,600  acres  of  land  at  Sparta. 

This  recommendation  to  become  effective  required  legislation 
l)y  congress  to  enable  the  war  department  to  use  the  Camp 
Douglas  appropriation  at  Sparta  or  so  much  of  the  same  as  might 
be  found  necessary  to  purchase  the  Sparta  site.  This  again 
opened  the  figlit  between  the  people  interested  in  the  lands  at 
Camp  Douglas  and  Sparta.  Congressman  Esch  was  successful, 
however,  in  amending  the  bill,  or  law,  Avhich  had  appropriated 
the  $150,000.00  by  having  the  words  "Camp  Douglas"  stricken 
out  and  the  word  "Sparta"  inserted,  so  tliat  the  appropriation 
became  available  for  the  purchase  of  this  land. 

Colonel  ]\Ic('oy,  during  the  time  that  the  board  of  investiga- 
tion Avas  looking  upon  this  site,  prepared  and  presented  strong 
arguments  for  the  purchase  of  the  property.  The  idea  of  leasing 
this  land  was  given  up  and  the  war  department  finally  decided 
to  purchase  a  tract  of  7.500  acres,  and  negotiations  were  com- 
menced and  were  pending  for  some  time,  it  being  found  that  so 
many  of  the  pieces  of  land  were  acquired  by  tax  title  transfers 
that  it  would  he  necessary  to  condemn  the  lands  in  order  to  get 
a  perfect  title  in  the  government,  and  proceedings  were  inau- 
gurated in  1909  for  that  purpose. 

Through  the  good  work  of  Congressman  Esch  and  others 
interested  in  the  matter  the  department  was  finally  convinced 
that  it  would  be  the  best  thing  to  buy  the  inner  tract  of  7,500 
acres,  as  it  was  called,  and  also  to  buy  an  outer  tract  or  rim  of 
land  around  this  of  about  7,500  acres  more.  Eventually  negotia- 
tions were  concluded  through  the  efforts  of  Judge  R.  B.  McCoy 
in  the  summer  of  1909  whereby  the  government  became  tlie 
owner  of  a  grand  total  of  14,206.65  acres,  and  tlie  Sparta  maneu- 
ver tract  became  a  reality. 

In  April,  1909,  the  Avar  department  announced  tlie  commence- 
ment of  artillery  practice,  and  during  July  and  August  sent  a 
battalion  of  regular  army  officers,  consisting  of  Captains  AVilliam 
Brook,  Albany.  New  York;  C.  K.  Green,  Chicago,  111.:  AVilliam 
Cruikshank,  Fort  Sheridan,  111.;  John  J.  Calerus,  of  Chicago, 
together  Avith  District  Passenger  Agent  AV.  AV.  AVinton,  of  the 
St.  Paul  company;  Trainmaster  Ilenrichs,  of  Alihvaukee.  and 
Roadmaster  1'.  IT.  Aladden,  together  Avith  Col.  R.  B.  McCoy  and 
]\Iaj.  D.  AV.  Cheney  located  the  place  for  the  temporary  build- 
ings and  for  the  camp  grouiuls.  The  Avhole  matter  Avas  gone  OA'er 
tiioroughly  and  a  maneuver  camp  selected  on  the  north  side  of 
the  raihvay  tracks,  and  the  artillery  camp  remained  at  the  loca- 
tion Avhich  had  been  previously  occupied  by  Colonel  Allen,  near 


THE  GOVERNMENT  MILITARY  RESERVATION      179 

the  artesian  well,  close  to  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  tracks  of 
the  St.  Paul  company. 

Temporary  galvanized  storage  buildings  were  provided  for 
and  erected  during  the  summer  of  1909.  The  St.  Paul  company 
provided  a  side  track  for  unloading  purposes  near  the  artillery 
camps,  and  ran  a  spur  into  the  maneuver  camp  grounds  and 
placed  there  a  large  amount  of  side  tracks  so  that  troop  trains 
could  be  handily  unloaded.  An  artesian  well  was  sunk  at  the 
maneuver  camp  ground  in  the  summer  of  1910,  and  a  large  steel 
elevated  water  tank  erected  and  pipes  laid  to  conduct  the  water 
throughout  the  camp  grounds.  A  tank  was  also  erected  at  the 
artillery  camp  which  is  supplied  from  the  large  flowing  well, 
which  had  been  running  for  several  years. 

The  war  department  having  issued  orders  for  artillery  prac- 
tice, in  addition  to  the  regular  batteries  ordered  to  Sparta,  bat- 
teries from  the  states  of  Michigan.  "Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Iowa  and 
Minnesota  were,  upon  invitation,  ordered  to  Sparta  for  artillery 
practice  and  instruction  during  the  months  of  August  and 
September. 

Three  regular  batteries  of  light  field  artillery,  one  from  Fort 
Sheridan,  one  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  one  from 
Fort  Snelling,  Minnesota,  arrived  about  the  8th  of  July,  1909, 
together  with  the  regimental  band  of  the  Fifth  artillery  from 
Fort  Leavenworth,  being  Companies  E,  D  and  F,  of  the  Fifth 
artillery,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Cruikshank  as  camp 
commander.  The  camp  was  named  "Camp  Robinson"  in  honor 
of  Colonel  Robinson,  at  one  time  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Sparta, 
and  the  government  military  reservation  known  as  the  "Sparta 
Maneuver  Tract,"  was  duly  inaugurated  as  one  of  the  great  mili- 
tary centers  for  field  operations  for  the  army  and  the  national 
guard.  The  possibilities  of  it  would  seem  to  be  far  greater  than 
was  originally  anticipated ;  as  the  strategic  location  in  the  middle 
west,  with  the  railroad  facilities  and  the  large  acreage,  makes 
it  at  once  available  as  a  point  for  the  mobilization  of  large  bodies 
of  troops  in  the  time  of  war  and  for  conducting  maneuvers  on 
a  larger  scale  than  ever  heretofore  adopted  in  time  of  peace. 

On  the  13th  of  July  Company  A,  of  the  Hospital  Corps  from 
Fort  Russell,  AYyoming,  consisting  of  120  and  ten  officers,  arrived 
and  went  into  camp.  They  were  under  the  command  of  INIajor 
Fauntleroy,  and  the  officers  of  the  corps  in  attendance  were 
]\Iajor  Purpiance,  Major  Pratton,  Captain  Whitcomb,  Captain 
Bale,  Captain  Talbot,  Lieutenant  Jones,  Lieutenant  Leary,  Lieu- 


isd  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXR0E  COUNTY 

t(^'ii;mt  Docrr  and  Lioutciiaiit  IJaylcy,  all  surgeons  oi'  the  regular 
army. 

Soon  after  the  anival  of  this  eonipnny  and  the  army  surgeons 
a  new  feature  to  tlie  regular  army  service  was  inaugurated  by 
the  establishment  of  a  School  of  Instructions  for  National  Guard 
]\Iedical  Offii-ei's.  The  school  conducted  at  ('ainp  liobinson  is  one 
of  three  held  during  the  year  190!),  the  other  two  being  at  Annapo- 
lis, ^Maryland,  and  California.  In  previous  years  the  instruction 
Avhich  the  National  Guard  medical  officers  received  was  given 
at  the  encampments  of  the  state  troops  by  offirci's  of  tlic  regular 
arni>-  detailed  for  that  purpose. 

Tlu»  present  system  which  l)rings  tlic  nu^lical  officers  of  tlie 
various  states  under  the  instruction  of  a  fully  equijiped  hospital 
corps  becomes  so  evident  that  there  is  but  little  doul)t  but  tluit 
the  medical  school  of  instructions  will,  and  practically  has.  be- 
come a  part  of  the  ])lans  of  the  AVar  Department  for  increasing 
the  efficiency  of  the  National  Guard. 

The  instruction  given  at  this  first  school  consisted  in  daily 
lectures  given  by  the  regular  army  surgeons  concerning  the 
various  phases  of  practice  encountered  in  connection  with  the 
army  work.  There  was  also  given  practical  demonstration  of 
field  Avork  by  the  members  of  the  hospital  corps,  and  the  Avork 
througliout  Avas  made  as  realistic  as  it  Avas  possible  to  luivc  it 
Avithout  the  actual  presence  of  the  Avounded. 

The  first  class  of  National  Guard  surgeons  arrived  on  the  15th 
of  July,  and  consisted  of  thii-ty-one  officers  from  the  states  of 
Indiana,  Ohio,  Michigan,  Illinois,  ]\lississiii]>i  and  "Wiscon.sin. 
After  thcii-  departure  another  class  arrivctl  as  large.  Avas  estinui- 
bly  from  these  various  states,  and  remained  for  another  period 
of  ten  days,  and  on  the  12th  of  August,  the  Company  A.  of  the 
Hospital  Corps  returned  to  its  station  at  Fort  Russell,  AVyoming. 

Connected  Avith  the  IMinnesota  batteries  Avhicii  Avere  in  camp 
during  the  fore  i^art  of  August  in  that  year  Avas  >\Ir.  P.  Daley,  a 
Avireless  telegraph  cxpci't,  Avho  had  been  co)ulucting  experiments 
with  the  Avireless  telegraph  as  a  nutans  of  connnunication  betAveen 
inland  points.  With  the  pci-niission  of  County  Clerk  Talbot.  ]\Ir. 
Daley  ci'cctcd  ujtiMi  the  rool'  of  tlif  ('uri-t  Ibiuse  a  small  wireless 
appai'atus.  the  oliject  of  which  cxpcrimciil  was  to  dciiionstrate 
the  usefulness  of  the  Avireless  telegraph  as  a  means  of  connnuni- 
cation betAveen  troops  so  that  in  case  of  actual  Avarfarc  it  Avill  be 
possible  for  detachments  to  ci-cct  stations  at  any  i>oint  and  com- 
nuinicat<^  Avith  each  othei-. 

Alter  lh(>  apparatus  Avas  finally  set  uj)  ^Ir.  Smiih.  a  represent- 


THE  GOVERNMENT  .MILITARY  RESERVATION      181 

ative  of  the  St.  Paul  Dispatch,  about  4:00  o'clock  on  Wednesday 
afternoon.  August  5th,  sent  the  following  message  to  St.  Paul, 
addressed  to  Judge  Thomas  Wilson,  the  oldest  living  resident  of 
that  city:  "This  is  the  first  wireless  message  ever  sent  into  the 
city  of  St.  Paul,  and  in  appreciation  of  the  many  things  you  have 
done  to  make  it  possible,  it  has  been  addressed  to  you." 

The  message  was  received  all  right  in  St.  Paul  and  the  experi- 
ment was  pronounced  a  success.  In  the  history  of  the  reservation 
the  encampment  of  1909  was  made  memorable  by  a  visit  of  ]\Iaj. 
Gen.  Fred  D.  Grant,  commanding  the  Department  of  the  Lakes, 
Avhich  occurred  on  the  26th  of  August. 

The  General  arrived  at  Golvin  station,  which  was  the  name 
given  for  the  stopping  place  near  the  artillery  camp,  and  Avas 
received  by  Captain  Cruikshank  and  escorted  to  the  headquar- 
ters tent.  After  breakfast  the  General  was  met  by  Congressman 
Esch  and  United  States  District  Attorney  George  H.  Gordon,  of 
LaCrosse,  and  Maj.  D.  W.  Cheney,  of  Sparta,  and  this  party  was 
taken  by  jMaj.  Cheney  in  his  automobile  for  a  tour  of  inspection 
of  the  range.  During  the  forenoon  the  distinguished  visitors 
were  shown  all  of  the  portion  of  the  tract  which  could  be  reached 
with  an  auto,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  inspection  was  continued 
in  an  army  wagon.  The  following  day  the  General  Avas  taken 
over  the  more  inaccessible  portions  of  the  range,  including  the 
many  hills,  on  horseback. 

His  inspection  was  most  complete  and  at  the  end  of  it  General 
Grant  expressed  himself  as  highly  pleased,  and  stated  that  he 
found  it  in  all  respects  superior  to  what  it  had  been  represented 
to  him  as  being,  and  it  Avas  reported  at  this  time  that  the  General 
was  in  favor  of  extending  the  reservation  l)y  the  purchase  of 
additional  land  up  to  the  amount  of  20,000  acres.  He  afterwards 
in  a  rei)ort  recommended  that  the  range  be  converted  into  a 
general  maneuver  tract  for  all  branches  of  the  service,  that  small 
arms  ranges  be  installed,  and  other  extensiA'e  improA'ements  made. 
The  General's  visit  Avas  productive  of  much  good  and  his  report 
afterAvards  resulted  in  further  action  by  the  War  Department 
as  to  the  installing  of  fixed  distance  ranges,  and  early  in 
1910  in  the  army  operation  a  bill  passed  by  congress  was  in- 
cluded the  amount  of  $40,000  for  improvements  on  the  military 
reservation  near  Sparta,  and  Avas  the  first  definite  step  tOAvards 
the  development  of  the  tract  for  further  uses,  in  accordance  with 
the  plans  Avhich  the  War  Department  then  had  in  a^cav,  for  it 
marked  the  beginning  of  a  settled  policy  Avith  regard  to  this 
reservation,  and  indicated  that  in  the  near  future  the  national 


182  IIISTOKY  OF  .MONROIO  ("OrXTY 

i-itlc  contests  would  be  liild  upon  tliis  ground  instead  of  at  Camp 
I'ci'i-y.  Ohio,  wlirre  these  contests  had  been  held  fur  scxci-al 
years. 

And  the  reasons  for  asking  for  these  appropriations  were  sub- 
mitted to  congress  by  the  Secretary  of  AVar  and  originally  made 
to  the  secretary-  by  J.  B.  Aleshire,  quartermaster  general  of  the 
Inited  States  army,  and  in  a  part  of  his  recommendation  with 
regard  to  military  posts,  has  found  the  following,  which  is  an 
extract  from  the  same:  "Target  range,  Sparta,  AVisconsin :  For 
the  construction  and  equipment  of  a  target  range  for  the  field 
firing  of  the  artillery,  cavalry  and  infantry  branches  of  the 
United  States  army  and  for  machine  guns,  including  the  con- 
struction of  a  concrete  store  house,  portable  railroad  and  im- 
])rovements  on  camp  sites  for  water  and  sanitation  on  land 
authorized  to  be  acquired  near  Sparta,  ^Monroe  county,  AVis.,  as  a 
site  for  target  range,  and  for  all  other  absolutely  necessary  ex- 
penses in  connection  herewith,  to  be  immediately  available, 
$40,000."  (Note — The  foregoing  estimate  is  submitted  in  view 
of  a  report  made  thereon  by  Col.  R.  K.  Evans,  Twenty-eighth 
infantry.  United  States  army,  which  reads  in  part  as  follows:) 

"Advisability  of  establishing  a  range  for  field-firing  on  the 
Sparta  reservation  for  the  three  arms — artillery,  cavalry  and  in- 
fantry— and  machine  guns:  This  reservation,  on  account  of  its 
size,  14,000  acres,  and  the  character  of  the  terrain,  offers  excel- 
lent facilities  for  field  firing,  in  which  the  fire  of  artillery  and 
small  arms  can  be  worked  in  combination  against  moving  and 
disappearing  targets  at  unknown  ranges.  This  kind  of  field 
firing  is  the  most  advanced  stage  in  the  training  of  modern  armies 
for  battle.  So  far  we  have  not  fully  equipped  a  single  range  for 
this  kind  of  work,  Avliile  the  other  great  powers  have  been  busy 
in  this  direction  for  years.  Our  Small  Arms  Firing  ^Manual,  1909, 
contemplates  this  kind  of  practice,  but  there  is  only  one  range  in 
the  United  States  wliere  it  is  at  all  practical)le  to  init  it  into 
execution  even  for  rifie  and  nmchine  gun  fire,  viz.,  the  one  near 
Monterey,  California,  used  by  the  School  of  I\Iusketry.  ]More- 
over,  as  this  range  is  not  owned  by  the  government  it  is  not 
advisable  to  spend  anything  on  permanent  or  extensive  improve- 
ments or  appliances. 

"If  we  are  to  keep  abreast  of  the  standard  of  progress  set  by 
other  nations  we  sliould  equip  and  use  other  field  ranges  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  Sparta  range  has  a  decided  advantage  over  the 
one  in  California  in  that  it  is  accessible  to  a  much  larger  popula- 
tion.   It  might  be  valuable  for  the  troops  in  the  Department  of 


THE  GOVERN.MENT  MILITARY  RESERVATION      183 

the  Lakes  and  Dakotas,  and  for  the  militia  of  four  or  five  popu- 
lous states.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  most  important  feature 
of  the  practical  training  of  modern  troops  for  battle  consists  in 
practicing-  the  combined  and  supporting  fire  of  infantry  and 
artillery  directed  against  a  common  objective,  it  is  recommended 
that  an  ordinary,  standard  known-distance  target  range  be  estab- 
lished on  the  Sparta  reservation,  and  also  that  the  necessary 
appliances  be  provided  for  firing  at  moving  and  disappearing 
targets,  the  most  important  of  the  moving  and  disappearing 
targets  to  be  arranged  to  run  on  light  movable  railway  tracks. 

"Light  portable  railroads  are  now  a  recognized  part  of  the 
necessary  transportation  equipment  of  modern  armies  for  war. 
The  leading  military  powers  kept  more  or  less  material  of  this 
kind  in  store  for  war  purposes.  The  Japanese  used  such  roads 
extensively  in  Manchuria.  Kuroki's  march  from  the  Yalu  to 
Mukden  would  not  have  been  practicable  without  the  DeCauville 
railroad.  AYe  read  and  talk  much  about  the  use  and  value  of 
DeCauville  roads  in  war,  but  none  of  our  officers  have  seen  one 
in  operation  in  our  territory  or  know  its  practical  uses  and  lim- 
itations from  actual  experience. 

"It  is  believed  that  this  range  offers  an  excellent  opportunity 
for  acquiring  necessary  experience  in  deciding  on  a  type  for 
such  railroads,  which  up  to  this  time  is  not  definitely  decided. 
Should  an  emergency  arise  requiring  the  use  of  such  roads  the 
material  on  hand  at  the  Sparta  range  could  be  immediately 
shipped  to  the  point  required.  In  order  not  to  lose  a  year  it  is 
necessary  that  some  funds  be  made  available  for  commencing  im- 
provements on  this  reservation  before  the  adjournment  of  the 
present  congress.  It  is  believed  that  at  least  $40,000  should  be 
appropriated  for  this  purpose.  With  this  sum  it  is  estimated 
that  known-distance  range  could  be  equipped  with  100  targets, 
$12,000 ;  a  storehouse  of  concrete  built,  $8,000 ;  and  the  remainder 
spent  on  the  portable  railroad  and  on  improvements  on  the  camj) 
sites  for  water  and  sanitation  generally. 

"The  construction  and  equipment  of  this  range  Avas  under 
consideration  by  the  department  prior  to  the  submission  of  the 
regular  annual  estimate  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1911, 
but  the  necessary  data  for  the  preparation  of  this  estimate  was 
not  at  hand  in  time  to  permit  of  its  inclusion  in  the  regular  esti- 
mates. The  submission  of  this  supplemental  estimate  is  deemed 
imperatively  necessary  in  order  that  funds  may  be  provided  for 
the  commencement  of  this  work  at  the  earliest  possible  date." 
The  foregoing  extract  from  the  report  of  the  quartermaster  gen- 


184 


IIJSTORY  OF  .AiOXROE  COUNTY 


eral  of  the  army  outlines  the  course  wliieh  is  to  be  pursued  in 
the  futui-e  in  the  development  of  all  arms  of  the  service  in  the 
army  wi1li  tlic  cxcf^plion  of  the  coast  ailillery;  and  insures  the 
t'Xtciisi\c  use  to  wliicli  llii>  h\^  reservation  will  lie  put  in  the 
future,  and  that  for  the  tidd  work  of  an  army  corps. 

On  -May  '■],  lilld.  lln'  War  I  )epai1  iiicnt  issued  order  Xo.  Til, 
proxidin.u'  lor  1lic  military  work  on  I  lie  I'ange  for  tin-  summer. 
including'  maneuvei-s  on  an  extended  scale.  Early  in  June  Bat- 
tery V  from  Fort  Sheridan.  P>attery  K  IVom  Foi't  Sncllin^'.  and 
Battery  1)  from  Fort  Leavenworth  arrivetl  at  the  reservation  in 
advance  of  other  troops  and  engaged  in  long-distance  firing  until 
the  l)eginning  of  maneuvei-  field  instructions  of  state  troops  (lur- 
ing August.  These  batteries  are  all  a  part  of  the  Fifth  Field 
Artilh'ry,  and  in  addition  to  them  the  headquarters  field  staff  and 
l)and  of  the  .Medical  Battalion  was  also  ordered  into  camp. 

Under  oi-dei-  Ti>.  above  referred  to.  the  I'ltllowing  troops  were 
designated  to  attend  the  maneuvers,  and  arrived  about  the  1st 
of  August,  to-wit :  Three  troops  of  the  Fourth  Uavali-y  from 
Fort  Snelling;  three  troo])s  of  the  1^'ifteenth  Cavalry  from  Fort 
Sheridan;  headqimrfers  and  one  l)aftery  Fifth  Artillery  from 
Fort  Sheridan;  one  baffei-y  Fifth  Ai-fillery  from  P'ort  Sheridan: 
one  battery  Fifth  Artillery  from  Fort  Leavenworth;  headquar- 
ters and  eleven  companies  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Infantry  from 
Fort  Sheridan:  Iiead(|uai-tei's  and  ele\'en  companies  of  the 
Twenty-eighth  Inlanti-y  i'l'om  Fort  Snelling;  one-half  of  ('om- 
])any  A.  of  the  llosintal  Corps,  fi'om  1-^ort  Kussell.  Wyonnng. 

This  oi'der  required  that  all  infantry  troops  must  maridi  at 
least  200  miles  in  I'eaching  the  city  of  Spai'fa  or  returning  to  their 
station,  while  the  eavali'y  and  the  artillery  weiv^  recpiired  to 
nuirch  2.')0  miles.  In  additioji  to  the  fd)ove  troops  from  the  regu- 
lar army  there  were  ordei-ed  to  the  i'(\servation  for  artillery  prac- 
tice National  Guard  batteries  from  different  states  as  follows: 
Ohio  seven  batteries.  Indiana  three  batteries,  ^Michigan  one  bat- 
tei-y.  Illinois  fhi-ee  batteries,  fowa  one  battery.  .Minnesota  one 
battery,  AViseonsin  one;  all  of  light  ai'fillery.  None  of  these 
organizations  brought  their  own  equipments,  but  for  the  purposes 
of  instruction  they  were  required  to  handle  the  regular  arm\- 
e(pupmen1s  of  the  batteries  abovi'  designated.  This  order  also 
provided  that  to  inirticipate  in  maneuvers  several  regiments  of 
infantry  were  ordered  to  the  reservation  and  arrived  at  different 
times  during  the  month  of  August :  AViseonsin  sent  the  First 
Regiment  and  the  Tenth  Battalion,  making  sixteen  companies; 
Iowa  one  brigade  and  three  regiments,  ]\Iinnesota  one  regiment. 


THE  GOVERNMENT  ^MILITARY  RESERVATION      185 

North  Dakota  twelve  eoinpanies.  South  Dakotii  twelve  eouipauies, 
so  that  the  troops  which  participated  in  the  maneuvers  during 
this  month  numbered  about  10,000. 

The  scheme  of  instruction  resembled  nearly  as  ])ossil)le  the 
conditions  to  Ix-  encountered  in  actual  warfare,  the  ol).iect  being 
to  promote  the  field  training  of  the  troops.  Accurate  topograph- 
ical maps  of  the  entire  reservation  had  been  previously  made  by 
the  engineering  department,  and  each  day  during  the  stay  of  the 
troops  problems  of  varied  characters  were  proposed  ;iud  the  solu- 
tion of  them  wrought  out  on  the  field.  Ceremonies  Avere  cut  down 
to  the  lowest  limit  and  the  actual  practice  work  was  pursued  with 
vigor  and  great  benefit  to  the  troops  engaged  in  this  maneuver. 

This  encampment  was  under  the  command  of  Brig.  Gen. 
Walter  Howe,  and  in  honor  of  Capt.  Bruce  E.  McCoy,  of  Sparta, 
who  with  his  son,  Colonel  ]\IcCoy,  had  been  so  instrumental  in 
establishing  the  reservation.  General  HoAve  on  the  ]st  day  of 
August  issued  an  order  naming  the  camp  "Cam])  Hruc(^  E. 
IMcCoy."  Captain  ]\IcCoy  was  a  captain  in  the  Civil  War,  and  for 
years  was  the  OAvner  of  the  old  Lafayette  mill  property  and  of 
the  laud  on  Avhich  the  maneuver  camp  itself  Avas  located.  The 
folloAving  named  officers  Avere  detailed  for  service  at  this  camp: 
i\Iaj.  Sanmel  D.  Sturgis,  General  Stalf  Corps;  :\Iaj.  AValter  H. 
Gorton,  Inspector  general;  Capt.  Douglas  Settle,  counuissary; 
Lieut.  Col.  William  B.  Bannister,  Medical  Corps;  Maj.  Thomas  C. 
Goodman,  paymaster;  Capt.  Charles  W.  Castle,  paymaster;  ('apt. 
Dana  T.  ]\Ierrill,  TAventy-eighth  Infantry. 

During  the  month  of  August  the  range  Avas  visited  by  Gen. 
Robert  ShaAV  Oliver,  Assistant  Secretary  of  War,  who  gave  it  a 
thorough  inspection.  Governor  Carroll,  of  loAva,  also  Adsited  the 
maneuver  camp  on  the  19th  of  August  and  revicAved  the  loAva 
Brigade  on  the  afternoon  of  the  19th.  The  maneuvers  of  1910 
Avere  very  successful  and  demonstrated  beyond  question  that  this 
big  reserA'ation  Avas  Avell  adapted  for  the  purpose,  as  the  range 
used  by  the  troops  around  the  maneuver  camp  did  not  extend 
more  than  four  miles,  so  that  there  is  ample  room  for  the  camping 
of  several  brigades  on  different  portions  of  the  reservation 
Avherever  Avater  may  be  provided.  And  the  best  of  Avater  is  ob- 
tained by  sinking  artesian  Avells,  from  Avhich  a  fioAV  of  Avater  is 
obtained  at  a  A^ery  moderate  depth  and  easily  carried  to  any 
distance  by  piping. 

Early  in  1910  Lieutenant  Gilmore  of  the  regular  service  Avas 
detailed  as  constructing  quartermaster  and  moved  to  Sparta  Avith 
his  family,  Avhere  he  remained  during  1910  and  up  until  about 


186  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

August,  1011.  He  h;i(l  lull  charge  of  the  constructing  of  the 
rifle  range  of  tlic  reservation,  for  Avlilch  an  approx)riation  of 
!}>40,000  had  been  made  by  congress.  The  work  was  very  tlior- 
oughly  done  niid  thei-c  is  now  constructed  rifle  i)its  built  of  con- 
crete with  ample  stoi'c  rooms  sunk  into  tlie  embankment  of  hills, 
Targets  and  various  supplies,  and  the  range  is  equipped  with 
something  like  two  hundred  of  the  most  modern  targets  to  be  pro- 
cured. A  large  concrete  office  building  ami  storehouse  has  been 
constructed,  ami  the  grading  and  seeding  of  the  tiring  points 
comjileted. 

All  effort  was  made  to  secure  the  national  rifle  competition  of 
this  range  in  1911,  and  the  "War  Department  was  entirely  friendly 
toward  the  proposition  providing  the  range  was  in  condition  for 
holding  such  a  contest,  and  a  board  of  officers  Avere  ordered  here 
early  in  the  summer  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  and  looking 
the  range  over  thoroughly.  They  finally  decided  it  would  be 
best  not  to  attempt  to  hold  the  competition  on  the  range  that  year 
in  order  to  allow  the  seeding  to  take  root  and  be  in  good  shape 
another  year. 

Through  the  eflforts  of  Colonel  McCoy  the  town  board  of  Angelo 
during  the  month  of  January  and  after  considerable  contest  have 
laid  out  a  road  through  the  town  of  Angelo  to  the  range,  which 
Avill  shorten  the  distance  from  this  city  considerably,  and 
that  road  will,  undoubtedly,  be  completed  and  in  good  shape  for 
travel  by  the  time  this  history  is  published.  The  only  disadvan- 
tages have  been  the  poor  roads,  as  they  go  through  sandy  country, 
but  with  that  remedied  the  great  benefit  which  Avill  be  received 
to  the  citizens  of  Sparta  and  the  city  of  Tomah  and  vicinity, 
through  the  purchase  of  needed  supplies,  cannot  be  very  well  esti- 
mated, as  the  benefit  Avill,  undoubtedly,  grow  greater  as  the 
ef|nipment  on  the  reservation  is  perfected.  The  railroad  facilities 
are  now  very  ample  as  the  North  AVestern  railway  has  con- 
structed a  spur  track  leading  directly  to  the  rille  range,  and 
there  is  also  placed  a  track  constructed  liy  the  St.  Paul  company 
to  tile  same  place,  and  aiiijile  sidetrack  facilities  are  in  existence 
at  the  point  where  the  main  storehouse  is  located.  The  St.  Paul 
company  has  constructed  a  new  station  known  as  "McCoy,"  and 
built  a  tasty  little  depot  not  far  from  the  artillery  camp.  The 
North  AVesttM'ii  company  has  also  erected  a  small  depot  on  the 
line  of  the  Alilwaukee,  Sj)arta  &  North  Western  Railway  (^ompany 
so  that  during  the  existence  of  maneuvers  railroad  facilities  are 
now    provided  for. 

This  chapter  would  not  be  complete  without  mentioning  the 


TPIE  GOVERNMENT  :\IILITARY  RESERVATION      187 

indefatigable  work  of  t'ol.  R.  B.  jMcCo.y,  which  has  been  mainly 
instrumental  in  the  establishment  of  this  great  enterprise.  While 
interested  somewhat  personally  in  some  of  the  land  which  was 
bought  by  the  government,  yet  in  addition  to  that.  Colonel  McCoy 
spent  a  large  amount  of  his  time  in  acquiring  options  on  the 
entire  tract,  using  a  diplomacy  and  patience  which  was  indeed 
remarkable,  and  bringing  to  a  successful  conclusion  a  task  whicli 
looked  almost  impossible.  His  energy  and  perseverance  have 
brought  great  results,  such  as  only  a  man  of  his  ability  can  bring 
about. 


CTTAPTKR  XIX. 

CIRCinT  jrDGP:s. 
JOSEPH  M.  MORROW. 

Fitting  indeed  it  is  to  spread  upon  these  pages  the  tributes  of 
respect  Jind  aft'eetion  froni  his  brothers  of  the  legal  i)rofession,  to 
tlic  itieniory  of  "Joe"  Morrow;  for  "Joe''  he  was.  The  name 
was  used  not  in  the  sense  of  familiarity,  but  in  that  sense  which 
so  strongly  indieates  the  friendly  respect  wliich  a  good-hearted 
man  i-eceives  from  his  fellows.  Tniformly  kind,  courteous  and 
gentlemanly,  mild  of  manner  and  speech,  yet  his  personality  was 
one  which  attracted  attention  wherever  he  wenl.  His  strong 
face,  full  of  character,  his  straightforward  method  of  dealing 
with  the  mailer  in  hand,  commanded  attention  and  gave  weight 
to  those  things  which  in  others  nuglit  have  seemed  coiiimonplace. 
Always  kind  and  helpful  to  Ihi'  your.ger  members  of  tlu^  l)ar.  a 
generous  opponent  in  any  case,  he  licld  tlie  fi'iendship  of  his 
fellow  attorneys  to  the  end. 

Oil  Ihe  loth  of  October,  IS!*!),  at  the  fall  term  of  the  CiiTuit 
Court,  -ludge  O.  B.  AVyman  ])residing,  memorial  exercises  were 
held  and  the  courl  adjourned  for  that  day  as  a  mark  of  respect. 
A  resolution  signed  by  liie  members  of  the  bar  of  ^Monroe  county 
w;is  introduced  and  adopted  as  follows: 

"On  motion  of  llie  bar  of  ]\Ionroe  county,  the  Circuit  Court  of 
this  county  has  set  apart  this  day  to  be  devoted  to  memorial 
exercises  in  honor  of  our  deceased  brother.  Tlon.  J.  ^\.  ^lorrow. 
formei-ly  -Judge  of  this  Circuit. 

■"In  his  (k'atli  the  members  of  this  bar  share  with  the  bar  of 
the  state  of  AVisconsiu  a  loss  that  is  great,  but  to  us  the  coni- 
panioiis  of  his  daily  life,  his  death  was  a  sliock  and  a  loss  that  was 
irreparable.  Stri(d\eii  down  in  the  ripe  \igor  of  his  intellectual 
manhood  in  the  noon  of  his  ])rofessional  activit.y,  and  ;it  a  time 
when  his  moral  intluence  with  us,  his  associates,  was  most  potent 
for  good,  for  us  bis  i)lace  cannot  be  filled  and  our  sori'ow  is  daily 
renewed. 

""We  bis  brothers  of  the  bar  of  ]\Iouroe  county,  desii-e  to  i)lace 

188 


CIRCUIT  JUDGES  189 

permanently  upon  the  records  of  this  court  and  to  have  it  entered 
as  a  part  of  the  proceedings  of  this  term  the  following: 

"We  admire  in  him  the  industry,  learning,  wisdom  and  ability 
that  placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of  lawyers  of  this  state.  We 
honor  in  him  as  a  lawyer  and  hold  up  for  emulation  to  those  who 
come  after  him,  an  integrity,  zeal  and  devotion  to  his  client's 
interests  that  made  his  good  faith  beyond  suspicion,  a  professional 
honor  that  made  his  word  and  his  implied  obligations  better  than 
written  stipulations,  a  courtesy  to  his  associates  and  antagonists 
alike  that  softened  any  asperities  of  legal  conflict,  a  sunny  temper 
and  genial  humor  that  robbed  defeat  of  its  sting  and  bound 
closer  in  friendship  his  antagonists,  and  above  all,  that  delicate 
sense  of  personal  integrity  that  kept  his  professional  zeal  within 
those  limits  that  hold  the  gentleman. 

"We  reverence  in  his  career  on  the  bench  in  an  eminent 
degree,  the  cjualities  that  have  adorned  th(^  judicial  office  of  this 
circuit  since  its  organization,  reinforced,  ripened  and  broadened 
by  an  experience  at  the  bar  exceptional  in  its  scope.  As  an 
official  he  brought  to  the  discharge  of  his  duties  the  same  great 
zeal  and  alnlity  that  marked  his  professional  life.  As  a  citizen 
he  had  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all,  and  his  advice  was  sought 
in  all  important  afifairs.  As  a  man  w'e  loved  him.  Geo.  Graham, 
C.  M.  Masters,  Sev.  Button,  D.  F.  Jones,  H.  C.  Spaulding,  R.  B. 
Graves,  Chris.  Maxwell.  AVm.  B.  Naylor,  Jr.,  R.  A.  Richards.  R.  B. 
McCoy,  H.  C.  Altizer,  H.  B.  Clark." 

The  remarks  were  made  by  several  members  of  the  bar  from 
different  counties  as  follows : 

H.  AV.  Barney,  of  Mauston,  said — "May  it  please  the  Court:  I 
have  no  set  speech  to  make.  .  Brother  Hughes  and  myself  come 
here  to  represent  Juneau  county — one  of  the  counties  in  the  .judi- 
cial circuit  over  which  Judge  MorroAV  presided — at  this  me- 
morial service.  I  am  here  to  say  that  the  people  and  bar  of 
Juneau  county  entertained  the  greatest  respect  for  Judge  Morrow 
as  a  lawyer,  a  .judge  and  a  man.  He  had  an  extensive  practice  in 
our  county  and  for  more  than  thirty  years  he  attended  nearly, 
if  not  all,  our  terms  of  the  Circuit  Court.  He  attended  many 
cases  there  in  justices'  courts.  The  day  before  he  died,  July 
27th  last,  I  nu't  him  in  Elroy,  where  we  adjourned  several  cases 
over  into  September — engagements  that  death  prevented  him  from 
fulfilling.  It  seems  to  us  that  he  belonged  to  our  county  as  much 
as  he  did  to  this  county. 

"When  our  court  meets  in  November  he  will  be  missed  as 
much  (u-  more  than  ar.y  of  oui'  resident  attorneys,  and  the  loss 


V.\0  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

"will  be  felt  in  Jiuicau  county  as  keenly  as  in  any  locality  in  the 
state.  Jnneaii  coiinly  seconds  the  adoption  of  memorial  pre- 
sented and  endorses  all  that  has  been  said  here  today  in  eulogy  of 
Judge  ^Morrow." 

Remarks  of  A.  E.  Bleekman.  of  LaCrosse — "]\Iay  it  i>lease 
the  Court:  1  have  not  come  with  a  prepared  speech  for  this  occa- 
sion. Yet  if  I  do  not  respond  to  these  resolutions  and  speak 
somcAvhat  of  my  feelings,  I  shall  be  derelict  in  my  duty  to  the 
deceased. 

"I  knew  our  brother,  and  I  knew  him  well.  I  first  became 
acquainted  with  liim  tliirty  years  ago  the  coming  winter,  at  the 
office  of  the  Hon.  George  Graham,  of  this  l)ar,  where  I  was  then 
a  student.  He  came  to  Tonuih  in  tlie  interest  of  a  client,  Mr. 
John  Maxwell,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  the  county.  I  remem- 
ber that  meeting  as  well  as  if  it  were  yesterday,  even  the  clothes 
he  wore,  for  he  Avas  not  a  man  of  the  passing  hour,  hut  made  an 
impression  upon  those  he  met.  He  was  thou  the  same  mild, 
gentlemanly,  even-tempered  nmii  he  always  Avas.  I  next  heard 
of  him  at  Tunnel  City  in  his  professional  duties,  Avhere,  Avheu 
presented  Avitli  a  decision  of  our  oaa'u  Supreme  Court,  exactly 
opposite  the  position  he  Avas  contending  for,  he  arose  and  gravely 
asked  the  court  if  he  Avas  going  to  make  a  fool  of  himself  because 
the  Supreme  Court  had — and  Avon  his  ease. 

"As  the  years  pased  on  and  our  business  relations  extended, 
Ave  met  oftener  in  the  trial  of  causes  and  our  acquaintance 
ripened  into  strong  personal  friendship.  He  Avas  the  soul  of 
honor,  aliove  euA'y  and  jealousy,  one  of  the  fcAV  Avho  possess  the 
ability — almost  a  genius — to  surpass  and  subdue  and  not  have  to 
look  doAvn  upon  the  liate  of  those  beloAV.  For  over  eleven  years 
Ave  practiced  side  l>y  side  Avithout  a  Avritiug  betAveen  us.  all  tlu' 
interests  of  our  clients  and  our  individual  interests  resting  upon 
the  Avord  of  each.  In  all  that  time  he  never  hesitated — he  never 
forgot  liis  Avord.  AVhen  he  said  lu^  Avould  do  so  and  so  at  such  a 
tinu',  that  Avas  the  end  of  it.  and  he  did  it  Avithout  having  to  be 
reminded  of  his  agreement.  He  h)\  id  liis  profession  and  he  clier- 
ished  liis  honor.  He  Avas  genial  and  happy  in  the  labors  of  that 
profession  and  in  his  intercourse  Avitli  his  felloAvmcu. 

"At  his  otTic(>  he  Avas  industrious,  studious  and  thoughtful  in 
his  Avork  :  ])]ain.  kind,  just  ami  consci(Mitious  Avith  his  clients,  and 
at  the  bar  a  strong,  able,  sagacious,  courteous  and  eloquent  advo- 
cate. I  sometimes  thought  he  did  not  grasp  legal  ]>ropositions  as 
easily  and  clearly  as  some,  but  required  more  study  and  deeper 
thought  to  arrive  at  correct  conclusions,  Avhich  he  usually  did. 


CIRCUIT  JUDGES  191 

but  in  the  gathering,  accumulating,  selection  and  presentation  of 
facts  he  was  a  master.  He  despised  technicalities  and  went  to 
the  very  merit  and  root  of  his  cause.  As  a  lawyer  he  seemed  to 
be  a  connecting  link  between  the  old  and  the  new,  possessing  the 
honor,  the  integrity  and  the  love  of  the  profession  which  marked 
the  old  school  lawyer,  and  he  regarded  the  commercialism,  as  I 
have  often  heard  him  call  it,  that  seemed  to  be  usurping  and 
taking  the  place  of  these  high  ideas  in  the  new,  with  disfavor.  In 
his  social  life  he  thoroughly  believed  in  a  part  of  that  counsel  of 
Polonius  to  Laertes,  'The  friends  thou  hast  and  their  adoption 
tried  grapple  them  to  thee  with  hoops  of  steel,'  but  he  cast  to  the 
wind  the  remainder  of  that  counsel,  'but  do  not  stop  to  dull  thy 
palm  with  each  new-hatched  unfledged  comrade,'  and  few  men 
were  nearer  and  warmer  to  so  many  people  as  he.  I  know  of  no 
other  attorney  at  the  bar  in  this  state  who,  going  where  he  might, 
alighting  from  the  train  where  he  would,  would  meet  so  many 
warm  hearts  and  have  his  hand  clasped  by  so  many  warm  hands 
in  kindness,  in  friendship  and  in  respect  as  he.  And  yet  all  was 
not  sunshine  with  him.  He  had  his  gloomy  hours  as  well  as  others. 
I  remember  well  of  a  time  when  he  and  I  took  the  train  at  the 
depot  here  in  the  morning,  went  to  Kendall,  tried  a  law  suit  all 
day  and  into  the  night,  returning  early  the  next  morning  to  Nor- 
walk,  then  going  by  team  to  Ontario  and  trying  a  lawsuit  all  that 
day  and  into  the  night.  AVhen  he  retired  we  occupied  the  same 
room,  with  separate  beds.  In  the  morning  as  we  were  preparing 
for  breakfast  he  turned  to  me  and  said:  'This  is  a  hard  life;  is 
it  worth  living?'  And  yet  no  one  thought  more  of  his  life,  en- 
joyed it  or  desired  to  continue  it  than  he. 

"I  was  with  him  in  that  memorable  contest  of  Judge  Newman's 
for  the  Supreme  Bench,  both  before  Judge  Newman  became  a 
candidate  and  subsequently.  I  had  an  opportunity  to  test  his 
loyalty,  fidelity  and  breadth  of  mind.  He  was  no  mere  partisan, 
although  a  Democrat.  He  was  as  attentive  and  Avatchful  of  the 
interests  of  his  friends  as  of  his  own.  There  are  none  of  us  but 
know  how  faithful  and  attentive  he  was  to  those  dear  ones  at 
home,  and  how,  during  the  later  years  of  his  life,  he  managed  his 
])usiness  affairs  when  away  to  reach  home  as  speedily  as  possibU 
We  know  full  well  how  attentively  and  affectionately  he  watched 
over  them,  and  hoAV  solicitous  he  was  for  their  welfare. 

"The  bar  of  this  state  has  lost  one  of  its  strongest  members. 
Especially  is  this  true  of  the  bar  of  this  district,  and  at  his  home, 
the  place  where  he  lived,  for  he  was  indeed  a  loyal  Spartan.  His 
death  caused  us  universal  sorrow.     A  half  century  Avill  not  pro- 


192  HISTORY  OF  .MOXHOK  COUNTY 

ducc  nnotlicr  wlio  will  fill  the  pliirc  lie  filled.  Some  of  tlie  bright- 
est and  the  luippicst  hours  of  my  life  have  been  spent  in  eonverse 
with  him.  As  the  years  roll  on  and  time  dims  this  hour,  I  expect 
to  live  over  these  hours  I  passed  with  him,  and  say  as  Burns  said: 

"  'Still  o'er  these  scenes  my  nicnioi-y  wak(^s. 
And  fondly  broods  witii  miser  eare, 
Time  but  the  imi)ression  deeper  makes, 

As  streams  their  channels  deeper  wear.'  " 

Remarks  of  AVyatt  II.  Graves,  of  LaCrosse  county — "]May  it 
please  the  Court:  The  custom  in  accordance  with  which  we  are 
today  assembled,  is  appropriately  and  wortliily  observed,  only 
when  the  surviving  associates  of  the  tmc  whose  \irtues  are  to  be 
commemorated,  in  a  S])irit  if  candor  and  truth  record  their  testi- 
mony to  his  worth.  It  is  with  feelings  of  sincere  sadness  that  I 
come  on  this  occasion  to  pay  humble  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the 
lamented  dead.  To  me  it  is  a  sad  and  sacred  pleasure,  but  the 
burden  of  the  duty  is  nuide  lighter  by  the  consciousness  that  it 
can  be  best  discharged  ])y  simple,  truthful  reference  to  the  char- 
acter of  him  in  whose  honor  I  would  speak.  It  seems  fitting  that 
we  should  turn  from  active  duties  of  the  hour  and  pause  during 
tlie  all-absor])ing  cares  of  life  to  pay  our  respects  to  one  who 
honored  us  by  his  presence  as  a  mend)er  of  this  bar  and  won  our 
respect  and  admiration  by  liis  iioble  life. 

"AVlien  the  announeement  was  made  that  the  summons,  Aviiich, 
sooner  or  later,  must  come  to  us  all,  had  called  from  our  midst  our 
friend  and  brother,  Hon.  Joseph  I\I.  ]\Iorrow,  it  ])rought  with  it  a 
shock  inexpressibly  sad.  The  sun,  Avarm  and  bright,  was  pouring 
his  flood  of  life  and  glory  on  field  and  laughing  brook,  on  the  aii* 
was  the  smell  of  roses,  and  in  the  trees  the  songs  of  birds,  and 
all  the  Avorld  was  beautiful,  when  the  darkness  canu^ — a  quick, 
sudden,  endless  eclipse,  just  after  no(Uitide.  Though  we  often 
bend  over  the  bier  and  look  on  the  face  of  the  dead,  yet  the  de- 
])arture  of  our  friends  at  an  unexpected  moment  shocks  us  indccil 
and  overwhelms  us  with  sorrow,  and  when  our  good  and  our 
loved  ones  die,  the  memory  of  their  just  deeds,  like  moonbeams 
on  the  stormy  sea.  liglits  u|)  oui-  darkened  hearts  and  lends  to  the 
surrounding  gloom  a  beauty  so  sweet  and  sad,  that  we  would 
not  if  we  could  dispel  the  darkness  that  environs  it. 

"I  hardly  know  of  one  whose  death  could  suntU-r  mon-  or 
dearer  ties:  one  who  could  leave  so  much  behind  him  and  a  path- 
way lighted  ])y  a  fairer  radiance.  A  more  modest,  unassuming 
man;  a  finei-  iuid  a  truer  gentleman,  a  better  and  a  nobler  friend 


CIRCUIT  JUDGES  193 

I  never  kneAv.  The  more  I  saw  and  knew  of  him  the  more  warmly 
I  loved  and  honored  him  for  his  many  noble  traits.  I  will  not 
indulge  in  what  might  be  construed  to  be  fulsome  adulation;  I 
Avill  speak  of  him  as  he  actually  was.  He  was  in  its  truest  and 
fullest  sense  a  'born  gentleman.'  He  was  conscientiously  and 
thoroughly  honest,  honorable  and  candid  in  all  his  dealings  and 
transactions  with  his  fellow  men,  personally,  financially  and  po- 
litically. He  won  the  admiration  and  respect  of  his  professional 
brethren  by  the  open  fairness  of  his  contests.  He  attached  him- 
self to  his  client  and  his  cause  with  a  loyalty  that  knew  no 
shadow  of  turning.  He  threw  his  whole  soul  into  the  case  on  trial. 
He  abandoned  no  cause  when  it  lacked  numbers.  He  deserted 
no  friend  in  the  minority.  He  feared  no  opposition  when  he  be- 
lieved himself  right,  and  he  espoused  no  cause  that  he  believed 
unjust.  His  manliness  and  fairness  not  only  won  clients,  but 
commanded  the  respect  of  adversaries,  the  confidence  of  judges, 
and  the  admiration  of  the  public.  He  was  a  wonderful  advocate, 
armed  with  eloquence  so  enchanting  that  jurors  became  his  cap- 
tives. Always  frank  and  candid,  he  was  utterly  free  from  even 
the  appearance  of  demagogy.  He  hated  shams  and  despised  pre- 
tensions. He  never  disappointed  a  friend ;  he  never  ignored  an 
obligation ;  he  never  forfeited  a  confidence.  His  will  was  in- 
vincible ;  his  motives  pure.  His  purposes  were  definite,  but 
exemplary  and  lofty.  His  self-respect  was  intense ;  therefore  he 
strove  for  justice  to  others.  He  sought  no  mean  advantage,  being 
jealous  of  his  own  honor. 

"  'To  thine  own  self  be  true. 
Thou  canst  not  then  be 
False  to  any  man' 

"When  I  say,  as  I  do  with  all  my  heart,  that  our  dead  brother 
whose  life  we  commemorate  today,  illustrated  this  simple  but  ex- 
alted philosophy  to  which  I  have  made  reference,  in  all  his  rela- 
tions to  life,  I  have  said  everything  that  need  be  spoken,  even  for 
the  lam.ented  dead,  by  the  partial  lips  of  sincere  affection,  and 
have  paid  to  him  the  proudest  tribute  which  honest  merit  ever 
won  from  unobsequious  homage.  He  was  a  model  in  all  the  tender 
relations  of  domestic  life.  As  a  husband  he  was  exemplary — 
faithful,  loving  and  tenderly  devoted  to  his  noble  and  worthy 
invalid  companion  in  life.  In  him  the  living  have  lost  a  kind  hus- 
band, a  tender  father  and  faithful  friend;  his  state  a  true  son, 
but  he  has  left  them  that  richest  of  all  treasures,  a  spotless  repu- 
tation, the  memory  of  earnest  deeds  well  done.    This  much  have 


liJ4  HISTORY  OF  .AlOXROE  COUNTY 

1  felt  impelled  to  say  of  Joseph  M.  ]\Iorrow.  I  feel  exalted  that  I 
knew  him;  1  revere  his  memory;  I  rejoice  tliat  he  was  my  coun- 
tryman." 

Kemarks  of  G.  AV.  AVoodard,  of  LaCrosse  county — "^May  it 
please  your  honor:  But  little  can  be  added  in  commemoration 
of  Judge  Joseph  ]\Iorrow  to  what  has  already  been  said,  but  in 
view  of  my  long  acquaintance  Avith  him  it  is  proper  for  me,  in 
l)ehalf  of  the  bar  of  the  county  of  LaCrosse  and  of  the  circuit,  to 
join  with  others  in  moving  the  adoption  of  the  memorial  which 
has  been  read. 

"In  1857  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  ]\Ir.  L.  AV.  Graves,  then 
young,  but  a  leader  of  the  bar  of  this  county,  in  trial  work,  and 
within  a  year  or  two  thereafter  I  met  i\Ir.  IMorroAV,  his  student, 
and  from  that  time  on  we  were  always  firm  friends.  Among  ilie 
elements  entering  into  the  early  settlement  of  this  part  of  the 
state,  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  potent  was  the  intiuence  and 
power  of  the  lawyers  who  gave  tone  and  character  to  the  bar  of 
the  circuit  and  of  the  state.  Among  these  were  Daniel  Reid 
"Wheeler,  Mr.  L.  AV.  Graves,  AVilliam  Denison,  James  I.  Lyndes, 
Alonzo  Johnson. .  Hugh  Cameron,  Angus  Cameron,  AVilliam  II. 
Tucker,  P^dwin  Flint  and  George  Gale.  These  men  were  then  in 
the  vigor  of  their  maidiood,  Avell  equipped  for  their  labors,  dili- 
gent and  faithful  in  their  duties,  and  loyal  to  the  principles  and 
traditions  of  their  profession.  Among  such  men  at  the  bar  of 
this  eourt,  and  contemporaneous  with  many  of  them,  and  as  one 
of  them  ]\Ir.  Morrow  (then  very  young)  took  his  place,  and  for 
many  years  as  a  trial  lawyer  was  regarded  and  recognized  as  one 
of  the  ablest  and  shrewdest  who  ever  practiced  in  the  circuit. 

*'AIr.  ]\IorroAv  became  the  legal  adviser  of  many  business  men 
in  this  and  other  connuunitics,  and  I  venture  to  assert  that  no 
man  ever  went  from  his  office  with  advice  to  do  anything  which 
when  done  would  reflect  on  his  lionor  and  integrity,  or  on  the 
lionor  and  integrity  of  the  man  to  whom  he  gave  it.  In  tlie  ]ier- 
formance  of  his  duties  as  a  lawyer  he  was  honest  because  he 
believed  in  it.  and  not  because  of  policy.  The  spring  of  success 
in  liifi  work  was  the  perfect  control  he  exercised  over  his  powers, 
his  complete  understanding  of  himself,  and  his  limitations,  his 
minute  and  thorough  perception  of  cause  and  effect  in  the  art  of 
trying  cases,  and  his  consummate  skill  in  so  presenting  his  case 
as  to  hide  its  defects  and  make  what  bore  for  it  conspicuous.  He 
tried  a  case  with  the  ease  of  second  nature,  which  makes  jurors 
and  courts  oblivious  to  the  effort  and  skill  which  can  produce 
such  effects.    lie  was  successful  in  his  profession  because  of  his 


CIRCUIT  JUDGES  195 

knowledge  of  men,  liis  tact,  his  honesty  to  his  client,  his  fairness 
to  his  opponent,  and  the  impression  he  made  that  he  fully  be- 
lieved, and  was  sincere  in  liis  belief,  that  his  client  should  pre- 
vail. He  was  powerful  in  his  profession  and  never  struck  a  blow 
without  leaving  his  mark.  lie  was  an  acute  and  sound  lawyer. 
He  possessed  good  common  sense.  His  amiable  and  unassuming 
deportment,  and  his  uniform  courtesy  made  him  popular  and  well 
liked.  His  kindness  and  courtesy  to  all  was  a  part  of  himself. 
His  industry  was  most  untiring,  and  his  zeal  in  behalf  of  his 
clients  deserving  of  the  highest  praise.  No  man  was  ever  found 
quicker  than  lie  to  appreciate  merit  and  to  forgive  frailty,  or 
palliate  a  defect.  It  was  part  of  his  nature.  His  impulses  were 
sympathetic.    His  temper  was  good. 

"After  practicing  in  the  county  and  circuit  courts  for  more 
than  thirty  years,  he  was  called  to  the  bench  by  the  practically 
unanimous  consent  of  the  members  of  the  bar  of  the  circuit.  They 
knew  him  and  recognized  his  merit.  He  occupied  the  bench  for 
a  period  of  about  eighteen  months,  scarcely  time  to  give  him  an 
opportunity  to  show  fully  what  has  capabilities  as  a  .judge  were, 
but  his  judgment  was  clear  and  calm,  and  his  decisions  gave  gen- 
eral satisfaction.  As  judge  he  bore  in  mind  the  doctrine  of 
Socrates:  'Three  things  belong  to  a  judge;  to  hear  courteously, 
consider  soberly,  and  give  judgment  without  partiality.'  He  was 
a  man  of  his  w^ord  and  kept  it  absolutely  on  all  occasions.  In 
his  home  he  developed  that  highest  of  human  virtues— self-sacri- 
fice— and  his  devotion  to  an  invalid  Avife  was  touching  and  beauti- 
ful. His  first  and  greatest  impulse  was  sympathy.  This  displayed 
itself  in  a  constant  solicitude  for  the  comfort  of  those  around 
him,  and  in  a  thousand  courtesies  adorning  his  conduct.  The 
work  of  the  advocate  is  not  enduring.  It  too  often  perishes  with 
the  occasion.  Judge  Morrow  rests  from  his  labors,  l)ut  his  mem- 
ory will  live  while  the  people  who  knew  liim  live,  and  in  the 
hearts  of  those  Avho  loved  him." 

Remarks  of  D.  F.  Jones,  of  Sparta — "May  it  please  the  Court : 
AVhile  my  acquaintance  with  Judge  Morrow  does  not  extend  over 
as  wide  a  period  as  many  of  his  professional  brethren,  it  never- 
theless covers  nearly  twenty  years  of  time,  and  was  marked  with 
some  degree  of  intimacy.  Comencing  as  a  law  student  in  his 
office  I  had  unusual  opportunity  to  observe  his  manners  and 
method  as  a  lawyer,  his  habits  as  a  man,  and  his  standard  of  pro- 
fessional ethics  and  conduct ;  and  thereafter  in  the  active  practice 
of  the  law,  in  almost  daily  intercourse,  both  within  and  without 
the  courtroom,  I  observed  him  closely,  and  he  w^as  to  me  a  con- 


lOG  HISTORY  OF  .MOXHOK  COUNTY 

staiit  inspiration  and  an  object  of  admiration  and  esteem.  Ilis 
natnral  ability,  his  skill  as  an  advocate,  and  his  engaging  per- 
sonality ^von  him  a  large  clientage  and  made  him  easily  one  of  the 
recognized  leaders  of  the  Wisconsin  bar.  For  more  than  a  qnarter 
of  a  century  his  services  were  in  almost  constant  demand,  covering 
a  large  field  of  activity.  For  many  years  he  -was  identified  with 
nearly  all  imi)ortant  litigation  in  the  western  AVisconsin  courts. 
It  is  speaking  within  bounds  to  say  that  during  his  long  career 
at  tiie  bar  he  tried  as  many,  if  not  more,  cases,  and  tried  them  as 
well  as  any  attorney  within  this  state.  Ilis  presence  in  an  action 
was  a  toAver  of  strength  to  his  client  and  often  brought  hope  to 
the  despairing,  and  nerved  the  arm  of  the  weak.  To  him  life 
was  a  legal  warfare  and  the  courtroom  his  chosen  field  of  action. 
There,  amidst  the  clash  of  contending  reason,  he  seemed  to  find 
his  greatest  pleasure  and  made  his  most  enduring  fame. 

"Though  eminently  successful  in  the  conduct  of  civil  actions, 
trying  Avith  equal  facility  damage  suits  for  railroad  corporations, 
questions  involving  the  complexities  of  tax  title,  and  simple  action 
of  replevin  for  personal  property;  while  apparently  engaging 
with  equal  zest  in  an  argument  in  the  Supreme  Court,  in  a  trial 
to  a  jury  in  Circuit  Court  or  a  general  scramble  in  justice  court, 
it  was  as  a  criminal  lawyer  he  made  his  greatest  reputation.  In 
the  practice  of  the  criminal  law  his  triumphs  were  many,  and 
there  his  greatest  victories  Avere  won. 

■"While  it  could  not  be  said  of  him,  as  AYendcll  i'liillips  once 
remarked  of  Rufus  Choate,  'that  the  murderer,  as  he  sharpened 
his  knife  for  the  fatal  blow,  first  paused  to  inquire  for  the  health 
of  Rufus  Choate,'  yet  it  may  be  said  that  many  an  unfortunate 
malefactor  trembling  Avithin  the  shadoAV  of  the  penitentiary 
turned  to  him  for  helj)  and  found  succor  in  the  hour  of  need. 
Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  hoAvever,  even  as  a  criminal  laAvyer, 
his  reputation  rests  not  so  nuich  upon  the  cases  he  Avon  as  the 
cases  he  lost.  And  for  the  same  reason,  doubtless,  given  by  Jus- 
tice Ryan  to  Judge  Dixon,  in  ansAver  always  sought  the  highest 
order  of  talent.  To  my  mind  his  principal  characteristics  Avere 
fertility  of  resources,  tenacity  of  purpose,  unfailing  good  nature, 
and  abounding  common  sense.  Though  not  learned  in  the  bnv. 
in  the  sense  of  the  great  jurists  of  the  past,  and  not  gifted  Avith 
the  charm  of  eloquence  that  Avarps  the  judgment,  ravishes  the 
ear,  he  nevertheless  possessed  a  knoAvledge  of  legal  principles,  an 
intuitive  sense  of  equity,  and  a  mastery  of  the  practice  and  pro- 
cedure, born  of  his  enormous  experience  in  the  court,  that 
frequently  extricated  him  from  desperate  situations  and  snatched 


CIRCUIT  JUDGES  197 

victory  from  the  very  jaws  of  defeat.  And  as  he  marshalled  his 
reasons  and  massed  his  argument,  he  sometimes  seemed  over- 
poweringly  eloquent  to  the  opposing  counsel  in  the  case. 

"His  tenacity  in  the  trial  of  a  case  is  a  matter  of  common 
knowledge  to  us  all.  I  can  almost  see  him  now,  I  can  almost 
catch  the  echo  of  his  voice  as  he  stood  before  the  jury,  pleading 
for  the  righteousness  of  his  cause.  And  when  he  appealed  to  the 
court  for  the  exercise  of  its  discretion,  or  contended  for  a  de- 
batable principle  of  law,  he  reminded  one  of  Jacob  wrestling  with 
the  angel,  refusing  to  let  go  until  he  had  received  the  blessing. 
He  evidently  proceeded  upon  the  theory  that  courts,  like  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  were  sometimes  taken  bj^  violence. 

"His  serene  good  nature  impressed  everyone  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  It  was  the  same  qualitj^  that  endeared  Lincoln 
to  the  people  and  was  the  predominant  trait  of  his  character. 
With  charity  toward  all  and  malice  toward  none,  he  seemed  to 
regard  the  faults  and  foibles  of  his  associates  with  good-natured 
tolerance,  and  to  pity  even  while  he  condemned.  His  heart  was 
void  of  envy  and  hate.  We  can  all  recall  instances  in  the  trial 
of  cases  when  the  relation  between  counsel  and  court  was  strained 
to  the  point  of  breaking,  and  the  atmosphere  of  the  courtroom  sur- 
charged with  threatening  storms,  how  by  a  timely  word,  a  ges- 
ture, or  a  quick  repartee,  he  cleared  the  air  and  scattered  all  ill 
feeling  in  a  general  laugh.  Many  times  have  I  heard  him  say  that 
he  gave  his  client  his  skill  and  experience,  but  he  gave  no  man  his 
personal  feelings.  This  principle  governed  his  conduct.  His 
quarrels  he  left  in  the  courtroom,  while  his  friendship  he  carried 
with  him  everywhere.  And  thus  it  happened  that  when  he  died 
his  professional  brethren  felt  a  sense  of  personal  loss  and  mourned 
his  death  with  unfeigned  sorrow. 

"To  some  men  are  given  talent,  to  others  genius,  but  to  few  is 
given  the  saving  grace  of  common  sense.  This  he  possessed  in 
an  uncommon  measure.  It  marked  his  words  and  actions,  and 
gave  him  broadness  of  mind  and  catholicity  of  spirit.  This 
quality  was  impressed  upon  his  work  as  a  lawyer,  and  every  case 
initiated  and  prosecuted  by  himself  was  sure  to  have  elements 
of  merit  in  law  or  in  fact.  It  left  its  mark  upon  his  administra- 
tion as  district  attorney  of  this  county,  an  office  he  held  so  many 
years,  and  his  sound  judgment  made  him  not  only  an  ideal  prose- 
cuting officer,  but  the  trusted  advisor  of  the  county  board.  It  is 
no  disparagement  of  others  to  say  that  his  conduct  of  this  office 
is  the  standard  whereby  the  people  may  measure  the  excellence 
of  his  successors  and  ascertain  their  worth.     This  same  equality 


198  IIISTOKV  OK  MONROE  COUNTY 

stamped  his  brief  career  upon  tlic  bench,  and  had  lie  coiitiimed 
to  enjoy  its  honors,  there  is  littk'  d()id)t  that  his  distinction  as  a 
jurist  would  have  rivaknl  his  fame  as  an  advocate  at  the  bar. 

"But  he  Avas  not  alone  a  lawyer.  The  same  qualities  that  gave 
his  success  at  the  bar  made  him  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  field 
of  politics,  and  for  many  years  he  was  hioh  in  the  councils  of  his 
party.  lie  was  honored  Avith  the  nomination  for  attorney  general, 
was  chairman  of  its  state  conventions,  and  collector  of  internal 
revenue.  And  it  is  safe  to  say  lliat  had  his  lot  been  cast  with 
the  dominant  political  party  he  wonh!  have  graced  the  halls  of 
congress  and  left  the  impress  of  his  ability  upon  our  national  life. 
As  a  citizen  his  life  was  worthy  of  emulation.  He  felt  the  duties 
and  responsibilities  of  citizenship,  and  had  a  keen  sense  of  civic 
pride.  In  all  public  enterprises  making  toward  the  betterment  of 
the  people  and  the  progress  of  his  city,  county  and  state,  he  made 
his  intiuence  felt.  He  served  the  village  as  its  president,  and 
gave  seven  years  of  his  time  to  the  schools  as  a  member  of  the 
board.  He  was  not  above  holding  the  office  of  supervisor  of  his 
ward,  and  at  times  sat  upon  the  county  board  as  one  of  its  trusted 
members.  And  to  his  influence  in  a  measure  is  due  the  beautiful 
edifice  wherein  we  connnemorate  his  virtues  this  day. 

"In  this  city  and  county  he  had  passed  his  life  and  among 
his  own  peo])le  he  passed  away.  His  name  was  known  to  all  its 
people,  and  by  all  he  was  well  1)eloved.  His  form  was  a  familiar 
iigure  on  the  streets,  and  when  his  death  was  announced  it  came 
as  a  shock  and  moistened  many  a  cheek  with  tears.  The  com- 
munity was  in  mourning,  his  family  in  tears,  and  the  shadow  of 
death  settled  over  all  like  a  pall.  For  of  him,  as  of  another  3,000 
years  ago,  could  it  be  said,  'There  was  sore  lamentation  for  a 
great  man  had  fallen  in  our  midst  that  day.' 

"The  Persian  writer  Laasi  tells  the  story  of  three  sages — a 
Greek,  an  Indian,  and  a  Persian — Avho  once  discussed  before  the 
Persian  monarch,  the  (juestion,  'Of  all  the  evils  incident  to  hu- 
manity, which  is  the  greatest?'  The  Greek  answered,  'Old  age. 
o])pressed  with  poverty.'  The  Indian  said,  'Pain  without  con- 
tentment,' while  the  Persian  answered,  bowing  low,  'The  greatest 
evil  I  can  imagine,  youi-  majesty,  is  tiie  couch  of  death  without 
one  gooil  deed  of  life  to  light  the  dai'ksome  way.'  None  of  these 
evils  were  incident  in  his  life.  His  age  was  not  oppressed  Avith 
poverty.  He  was  not  afflicted  with  jiain  and  discontent.  And 
knowing  him  as  we  do,  we  may  confidently  l)elieve  that  the  many 
noble  deeds  of  his  life,  unrecorded  and  nidvUOAvn,  made  luminous 


CIRCUIT  JUDGES  199 

his  path,  even  in  the  darkness  of  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  through  which  he  made  his  solitary  way." 

Remarks  by  Judge  0.  B.  AVyman:  "In  the  death  of  the  late 
Judge  Joseph  M.  ^Morrow  the  profession  has  lost  a  learned,  a 
skillful,  a  successful  and  an  honest  lawyer;  the  people  have  lost 
a  prominent  citizen  and  a  safe  counsellor  and  an  able  advocate ; 
this  beautiful  city,  that  he  delighted  to  call  his  home,  whose 
streets  lie  traveled  for  the  greater  part  of  his  active  life,  and 
whose  people  he  loved  and  served  so  well,  has  lost  a  warm  friend, 
his  neighbors  have  lost  a  genial  associate,  an  enterprising  and 
leading  citizen ;  his  family  has  lost  a  kind  and  devoted  husband 
and  loving  and  "considerate  father;  this  court  has  lost  one  of  its 
prominent  practitioners  at  the  bar  of  justice,  an  attorney  of 
recognized  ability  and  integrity,  possessed  of  extended  experi- 
ence and  of  acute  legal  knowledge  and  perception,  and  the  senti- 
ments expressed  in  the  memorial  presented  and  in  the  eulogies 
pronounced  by  the  gentlemen  who  have  just  spoken  of  his  char- 
acter, life  and  memory  are  endorsed  by  the  court.  From  a  pro- 
fessional as  well  as  from  the  popular  standpoint,  he  was  a  suc- 
cessful laAvyer. 

"The  masses  usually  judge  of  a  lawyer's  capability  from  his 
ability  to  make  a  pleasing  address  to  court  and  jury,  or  from  his 
readiness  at  retort  in  the  trial  of  cases  in  the  forum  of  justice. 
The  members  of  our  profession  judge  of  a  lawyer's  ability  not 
from  his  use  of  language  alone,  but  from  his  knowledge  of  the 
law,  the  great  system  of  jurisprudence  that  has  grown  through 
the  centuries  past,  formed  in  part  from  long-established  custom 
and  usage,  in  part  from  legislative  exactments  and  in  part  from 
judicial  decisions,  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  and  securing  the 
protection  of  life  and  property  to  all  the  citizens  of  the  common- 
wealth. 

"The  profession  judge  of  a  lawyer's  ability  from  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  intricate  rules  and  precedents  of  this  system  by  which 
individual  rights  are  maintained,  and  wrongs  are  redressed  by 
his  ability  to  draw  correct  pleadings,  to  make  briefs,  and  to  prop- 
erly prepare  for  the  trial  of  his  case,  his  ability  to  examine  wit- 
nesses and  direct  the  testimony  towards  the  controlling  issues 
which  determine  the  decision  of  the  ease  at  the  trial,  by  his 
ability  to  eliminate  from  his  pleadings,  and  from  the  testimony, 
the  irrelevant  and  unimportant  elements,  and  to  clearly  state  and 
make  prominent  only  the  essential  facts  which  pertain  to  the 
cause  of  action  or  to  the  defense,  by  his  ability  to  concentrate  his 


200  lllSTOKY  OF  .MOMiOE  COUNTY 

mind,  his  mental  strength  and  vigor  upon  the  case  in  hand,  so 
that  his  client  may  never  sutfer  from  inadvertance  or  failure  to 
fully  protect  his  legal  rights,  by  his  abilit}'^  to  advise  his  client 
fully  and  properly  before  he  engages  in  litigation,  as  to  his  legal 
riglits  and  the  proper  course  to  secure  the  same. 

"From  all  these  considerations,  as  well  as  the  ability  of  the 
lawyer  to  make  a  pleasing  address,  is  he  judged  by  the  members 
of  his  profession  in  considering  the  question  of  his  qualifications, 
al)ility  and  success  as  a  practicing  attorney,  and  from  all  these 
standpoints  it  can  truly  be  said  that  the  late  Judge  Morrow  was 
a  capable  and  successful  lawyer.  It  is  a  matter  of  common  ex- 
perience with  all  attorneys  that  they  do  not  gain  all  the  cases 
witli  which  they  are  connected.  In  their  contention  for  their 
client's  cause  they  may  sometimes  censure  courts  and  juries  when 
the  decision  is  adverse,  still  no  client  has  just  cause  for  complaint 
towards  his  counsel,  when  he  has  done  his  full  duty  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  client's  case. 

"In  Judge  ]\Iorrow's  extended  career  as  a  practicing  attorney 
he  did  not  always  succeed  in  gaining  his  client's  contention. 
Sometimes  a  client  after  the  trial  had  ended  would  have  to  hear 
the  bars  of  the  prison  door  grate  behind  him,  and  be  shut  in  from 
freedom  of  life  for  a  term  of  years.  But  such  unfortunate  clients 
had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  all  legal  and  honoralile 
means  had  been  employed  for  his  defense  during  the  trial  as 
conducted  by  industrious,  competent  and  efficient  counsel. 

"Sometimes  in  the  defense  of  civil  actions  after  the  legal  pro- 
ceedings were  ended,  a  judgment  for  damages  would  be  entered 
against  the  client  for  a  legal  liability  shown  to  exist  between  the 
parties,  but  in  such  cases  the  client,  if  intelligent  and  fair- 
minded,  wellknew  that  the  cause  had  been  ably  defended  with 
legal  talent  and  ability  of  high  rank  during  the  litigation  of  the 
case  and  that  the  facts  and  law  entitled  the  recovery  against  him. 
In  the  practice  of  his  profession  numy  legal  A'ictories  were  won 
by  liis  untiring  industry,  his  knoAvledge  of  the  law  and  his  wide 
and  extended  experience  in  the  trial  of  cases. 

"lie  was  ever  known  to  be  faithful  to  Iiis  client's  cause, 
faithful  1o  his  client  in  the  office  as  counselor,  faithful  to  his 
client  and  to  the  court  during  the  trial  of  the  ease,  faithful  in 
ni^holding  the  dignity  nnd  high  standing  of  the  profession  of  the 
law.  ITo  was  successful  in  winning  many  a  legal  contest  when 
ojiposed  l)y  able  and  eminent  counsel,  as  the  court  records,  the 
trial  courts  and  our  Supreme  Court  fully  shoAV.  From  a  profes- 
sional point  of  view,  he  was  truly  a  successful  attorney.     He  is 


CIRCUIT  JUDGES  201 

known  to  the  legal  profession  and  to  the  entire  people  oi  his  ex- 
tended acquaintance,  not  only  to  have  been  a  skilled  and  success- 
ful pvacticing  attorney,  but  he  is  known  to  have  possessed  the 
judicial  temperament,  the  legal  knowledge  and  ripe  experience 
which,  combined,  eminently  fitted  and  qualified  him  to  preside 
over  the  court  of  this  circuit  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  the 
entire  bar. 

"He  was  quick  to  grasp  the  controverted  points  in  issue  in  the 
trial  of  causes  as  a  judicial  officer.  He  was  ever  kind,  courteous 
and  attentive  to  counsel  at  the  trial  of  cases  during  his  term 
upon  the  bench,  and  was  ever  governed  by  that  high  sense  of 
honor  and  fair  dealing  that  marked  his  career  as  a  lawyer  at  the 
bar.  He  preserved  and  maintained  the  dignity  and  high  standing 
that  the  court  has  theretofore  long  sustained,  during  the  terms  of 
his  eminent  predecessors  upon  the  bench.  He  was  an  honest,  con- 
scientious, impartial  and  worthy  judge.  He  possessed  and  culti- 
vated the  qualities  of  integrity  and  industry  in  the  study  and 
practice  of  his  profession,  cfualities  which,  more  than  any  others, 
marked  his  success  as  an  attorney  at  the  bar  and  a  judicial  officer. 
It  is  a  mistaken  idea,  sometimes  entertained,  that  lawyers  suc- 
ceed by  tricks  and  artifice  in  the  practice  of  their  profession. 

"The  truly  successful  lawyer  is  as  high  above  such  devising 
schemes  as  the  noonday  sun  is  high  above  the  horizon.  Judge 
Morrow's  marked  success  in  the  profession  was  gained  by  his 
continued  practice  of  fair  legal  methods,  by  honest,  upright  deal- 
ings with  his  clients,  with  opposing  counsel,  and  with  the  court. 
Such  was  liis  character,  and  be  has  left  the  rich  heritage  of  an 
honorable  career  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  extending  to 
the  day  of  his  death  over  a  third  of  a  century  in  the  courts  of 
this  state. 

"In  his  family — ever  kind  and  attentive  to  a  loving  wife  and 
an  atfectionate  daughter.  In  the  church  of  his  choice — a  frecpient 
attendant  and  attentive  member  and  a  liberal  supporter.  In  the 
city  of  his  chosen  home — always  among  the  leaders  in  advancing 
popular  education,  joublic  interests  and  public  improvements.  He 
was  public  spirited  on  all  occasions.  He  w^atched  with  pride  the 
erection  of  this  beautiful  courthouse.  With  others,  advised  with 
the  authorities  having  the  same  in  charge,  and  on  its  completion 
was  master  of  ceremonies  at  the  formal  opening. 

"In  reply  to  a  remark  made  to  him  concerning  the  substan- 
tial manner  in  which  the  building  was  built  with  fireproof  vaults, 
complete  in  all  their  parts  and  of  sufficient  capacity  to  safely 
keep  the  records  of  the  county  for  years  to  come,  he  said:  'Yes, 


202  HISTORY  OF  MOXROP:  COUNTY 

this  ])nil(lin«r  will  outlive  us  all.'  The  statement  is  likely  true, 
but  "\ve  little  thontjht  then  that  in  so  short  a  time  he  would  be 
stricken  down  by  the  angel  of  death  in  the  strength  of  his  mature 
years. 

"lie  was  ever  kind  and  eonsiderati'  lowards  the  unfortunate 
and  his  liand  was  often  opened  towards  the  relief  of  distress. 
Ilis  neighbors  and  friends  in  tlie  eomnuinity  Avhere  hi-  lived,  llic 
stranger  whom  he  chanced  to  meet  in  the  pathway  of  life,  all 
learned  to  admin>  and  esteem  him  foi-  his  genial  social  qualities, 
his  kindly  good  nature,  his  sympathy  for  distress  and  his  good- 
ness of  heart  as  a  citizen.  He  will  long  bo  missed  by  his  many 
friends — there  will  be  a  vacant  chair  at  the  sessions  of  this  court 
— and  in  honor  of  his  memory  we  here  commemorate. 

"It  is  ordered  that  the  memorial  presented  by  the  connnittee 
of  the  bar  be  approved  and  spread  ui)on  the  records  of  the  court. 
The  clerk  is  requested  to  present  a  copj^  of  the  same  to  the  family 
of  the  deceased  and  to  the  local  press  for  publication.  Further 
ordered  that  court  be  now  adjourned  in  respect  to  the  memory  of 
the  late  Judge  Joseph  'M.  ]\forrow." 

ROMANZO   BUNN. 

Judge  Bunn  Avas  born  in  Otsego  county.  New  York  September 
24,  1829.  He  studied  law  at  Elliottville,  New  York  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  that  i)lace  in  1853.  He  w^as  married  in  1854 
to  Sarah  Purely,  of  Rome,  Ncav  York,  and  came  to  AVisconsin  in 
September  of  the  same  year. 

He  stopped  for  a  few  months  in  the  very  small  new  town  of 
Sparta,  going  from  there  to  Trempeleau  county  Avhere  he  entered 
a  quarter  section  of  government  land.  After  living  on  this  claim 
six  months  he  moved  to  Galesville,  then  the  county  seat.  He  was 
elected  mend)er  of  assembly  for  Trempeleau  county  in  1850. 

In  1861  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Carlton  E.  Rice,  an 
old  New  York  friend.  He  Avas  soon  after  elected  district  attorney 
for  Slonroe  county,  lii  1868  he  was  elected  Circuit  «Tudge  of  the 
then  Sixth  Judicial  Ciiciut.  comprising  the  counties  of  ]Monroe, 
La  Crosse,  Jackson,  Clark,  Trempeleau.  Buffalo  and  Vernon,  be- 
ing re-elected  in  1874  by  unanimous  endorsements  of  the  bar  of 
the  district.  This  i)osition  he  held  until  1877  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  District  Judge  for  the  AVestern  District  of 
AVisconsin,  succeeding  Janu's  C.  Hopkins,  who  died  September  8, 
of  that  year.  He  held  this  position  for  almost  thirty  years,  retir- 
ing January  6,  1005,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  During  this  time 
a  vast  amount  of  important  litigation  came  before  him,  both  in 


CIRCUIT  JUDGES  203 

his  position  of  district  judge  and  also  as  associate  justice  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals;  his  duties  in  the  latter  position  taking  up  a 
considerable  portion  of  his  time. 

Judge  Bunn  took  a  leading  position  among  the  federal  judges 
of  the  country.  He  occupied  the  bench  during  the  period  when 
federal  jurisprudence  was  developing,  and  new  and  important 
questions  were  constantly  coming  up  for  decision.  His  opinions 
have  been  widely  quoted  and  followed  by  the  courts  of  other 
circuits,  and  successful  appeals  were  taken  from  but  a  small 
number  of  his  decisions.  In  the  court  room  he  was  quick  and 
decisive  in  his  rulings,  grasping  the  true  point  at  issue  and  giving 
his  decisions  on  that  point  alone.  At  the  time  of  his  retirement 
from  the  bench.  Judge  Francis  E.  Baker  of  the  Court  of  Appeals 
said  of  him: — "He  has  shown  the  patience  to  hear  with  fulness 
and  impartiality  and  the  comprehension  to  understand  the  issues 
in  all  their  bearings  and  the  wisdom  to  find  the  right  and  the  un- 
faltering honesty  to  declare  and  enforce  it — not  the  common 
honesty  that  may  have  regard  for  what  is  the  best  policy,  but  the 
fearless  honesty 'that  dares  to  be  knowingly  nnpolitic — these, 
I  take  it,  are  the  attributes  of  a  great  and  just  judge." 

Judge  Bunn  was  for  several  years  professor  of  federal  juris- 
prudence in  the  law  school  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  and 
for  two  years  was  special  lecturer  on  the  same  subject  in  the 
law  department  of  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston,  111.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Madison  Literary  Club,  and  frequently  con- 
tributed to  its  programs.  He  was  a  lover  of  the  English  classics 
and  a  remarkably  strong  Shakespearian  scholar. 

His  death  occurred  at  his  home  in  jNIadison,  AYis.,  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  January,  1909,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

AGRICULTURE  AND  DAIRYING. 

It  took  a  good  many  years  of  experience  and  the  efforts  of  some 
farmers  more  progressive  than  others  of  the  general  run  to  l)ring 
to  the  fore,  as  a  commercial  proposition,  the  dairying  industry. 
Cattle,  almost  from  the  earliest  settlement  down  to  within  the  last 
fifteen  years,  were  raised  mostly  for  beef,  with  occasionally  a 
"cheese  factory"  which  would  spring  up  and  flourish  for  a  time 
and  then  quit  business,  for  the  well  developed  farming  of  the  East 
could  more  than  successfully  compete  with  the  ^Middle  West  in 
"cream  cheese;"  every  farmer  who  kept  cows,  made  more  or 
less  dairy  butter,  usually  a  department  presided  over  by  the  good 
wife,  who  presided  at  the  churn  and  had  her  regular  days  for 
turning  out  butter  for  the  market ;  but  with  the  development  of 
this  section  and  the  steady  increase  in  population  of  villages  and 
cities  came  the  demand  "more  butter;"  and  with  this  demand 
from  the  markets  developed  the  raising  of  better  cattle,  the 
establishment  of  creameries  and  the  application  of  scientific 
modern  methods  to  the  making  and  marketing  of  butter. 

]\Ionroe  county  farmers  have  more  than  kept  ]iace  with  other 
sections  of  the  state,  and  the  very  profitable  dairy  induslry  has 
been  highly  developed  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  country ;  farmers 
are  and  have  been  studying  the  breeds  of  dairy  rattle;  they 
send  their  sons  to  the  university,  some  of  them  taking  the  short 
and  some  the  long  course  in  agriculture,  and  come  out  fitted  to 
manage  stock  farms  successfully.  There  are  one  or  two  associa- 
tions of  men  Avho  breed  a  certain  kind  of  dairy  cattle,  and  stock 
farms  Avith  modern  sanitary  barns  and  apparatus  for  handling 
milk  and  cream  are  Fountl  in  every  toAvnship;  and  not  only  that, 
but  nearly  every  township  has  its  creamery,  generally  a  cooper- 
ative concern,  owned  and  operated  by  the  farmers  in  its  vicinity, 
where  butter  fat  is  innicd  into  cash  with  scientific  regularity, 
and  from  this  oik>  industry  alone  has  come  a  great  increase  in 
land  values  all  over  the  county. 

The  early  eflforts  in  this  line  were  isolated  in  different  sections 
.Tud  no  record  is  available  of  the  amount  of  money  invested  in 
this  great  industry  and  its  results,  and  not  until  1908  was  there 

204 


if' t     ■    '•   ^ 

■■I 


fa 

o 
o 


AGRICULTURE  AND  DAIRYING  205 

any  system  in  use  for  collecting  information  on  the  subject,  but 
since  that  time  the  county  clerk  of  each  county  is  required  by 
law  to  get  certain  information  as  to  general  agricultural  matters 
and  dairying  and  these  reports  for  Monroe  county  are  given  in 
detail  in  this  chapter.  They  show  also  an  astonishing  amount  of 
progress  in  general  farming  lines  and  exhibit  a  most  satisfactory 
condition,  one  which  is  alluring  to  the  invester  in  farm  lands, 
for  beyond  a  question  this  county  is  rich  in  lands  suitable  for 
dairying  and  diversified  farming  and  is  fast  developing  into  one 
of  the  richest  counties  in  this  great  state,  offering  many  opportu- 
nities to  the  farmer  of  pluck,  intelligence  and  perseverance. 

One  glance  at  the  foUoAving  tables  tells  of  progress  and  profit. 
For  the  year  ending  April  30,  1911,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  total 
amount  received  from  the  dairy  business  alone  was  the  enormous 
sum  of  $1,071,086.52 ;  over  a  million  dollars  in  cash.  With  eight- 
een creameries,  Avorth  nearly  $50,000,  in  operation  the  year 
around,  using  the  product  of  25,871  cows,  a  record  is  made  that 
established  the  county  well  to  the  front  in  this  industry  in  com- 
parison with  other  counties  of  the  state. 

Following  are  given  the  official  tables  covering  this  industry 
and  farm  products  and  property  generally  for  each  year,  begin- 
ning with  1908: 


't5 


CERTIFIED  REPORT  OF  DAIRY  STATISTICS. 

1908— Number  of  creameries,  19 ;  value,  $39,950 ;  number  of 
patrons,  2,817 ;  number  of  cows,  24,407 ;  number  of  pounds  of 
milk  received  during  the  year,  18,424,772;  cream,  12,992,607; 
luunber  of  pounds  of  butter  or  cheese  made  of  condensed  milk 
produced  during  the  year,  3,655,615 ;  number  of  cheese  factories, 
2;  value,  $800;  number  of  patrons,  33;  number  of  cows,  460; 
number  of  pounds  of  milk  received,  1,504,500 ;  number  of  pounds 
of  butter  or  cheese  made,  14,000.  Amount  of  money  received  for 
products  sold  during  the  year,  $1,020,207.68  from  creameries,  and 
from  cheese  factories,  $1,350.  Number  of  pounds  made  on  farms, 
butter,  60,800;  value,  $12,612;  number  of  gallons  sold  other  than 
that  sold  to  creameries,  cheese  factories  and  milk  condensing 
factories,  2,000. 

1909 — Number  of  creameries,  19 ;  value,  $48,331 ;  number  of 
patrons,  2,546 ;  number  of  cows,  $23,840 ;  number  of  pounds  of 
milk  received  during  the  year,  12,261,492.  Cream,  12,330,556; 
number  of  pounds  of  butter  or  cheese  made  during  the  year, 
4,188,145.  The  amount  of  money  received  for  products  sold  dur- 
ing the  year,  $1,090,695.08.    Number  of  cheese  factories,  1 ;  value, 


20(3  IIISTOKV  OF  ,M()NU()K  COrXTY 

.$500;  number  of  patrons,  1(1:  nunilx'r  of  cows,  180;  number  of 
pounds  of  milk,  523,099 ;  number  pounds  of  butter  or  clieese, 
47,000.  Amount  of  money  received,  $4,067.92;  number  of  pounds 
of  butter  nuide  on  farm,  39,303;  value,  $8,379.40.  Number  of 
gallons  sold  other  than  that  sold  to  creameries,  cheese  factories 
and  milk  condensing  factories.  259,901. 

1910 — Xundjer  of  creameries,  19;  value,  $42,590;  numlxT  of 
patrons,  2.483 ;  number  of  cows,  23,820 ;  number  of  pounds  of 
milk,  10,964,774.  Cream,  7,581,792;  number  of  pounds  of  butter 
or  cheese  made  or  condensed  milk  produced,  3,518,668.  The 
amount  of  money  received  during  the  year,  $959,763.19.  Number 
of  pounds  of  butter  made  on  the  farm,  86,350.  Value,  $22,274. 
Number  of  gallons  other  than  that  sold  to  creameries,  cheese 
factories  and  milk  condensing  factories,  18,650. 

1911 — Number  of  creameries,  18;  value.  $46,795;  number  of 
patrons,  2.791  ;  number  of  cows.  25,871 ;  number  of  pounds  of 
milk,  8,846,256.  Cream,  27,819,573 ;  number  of  pounds  of  butter. 
3,728,634.  Amount  of  money  received  for  products  sold  during 
the  year,  $1,071,086.52.  Number  of  ])()unds  of  butter  made  on 
farms,  20,929;  value,  $5,068.50;  number  of  gallons  sold  other 
than  sold  to  creameries,  cheese  factories  and  milk  condensing 
factories,  2,931. 

CERTIFIED  STATEMENT  OF  CROP  REPORT. 

1908. 

Number  of  bushels— AVheat,  43,862;  corn.  463,275;  oats.  1.028,- 
704;  barley,  170,809;  rye,  51.893;  tiax  seed,  62;  potatoes.  192,447; 
beans  66;  cranberries,  6,587;  apples,  15,319;  strawberries,  21.051; 
raspberries,  2,744;  blackberries,  3,868;  currants.  15;  grapes.  192; 
clover  seed,  507;  timothy  seed,  91. 

Xuiuhei'  of  tons — Sugar  beets,  183;  hay.  54.205. 

Xumbcr  of  pounds — Tobacco.  648.8()9 ;  hops,  300. 

Acres  hai-vested  for  seed — Clover,  264. 

1909. 

Xuiiilx-r  of  bushels — AVheat.  4ti.527 :  corn.  512,469;  oats. 
1,153,803:  barley.  263.475;  rye,  50,397;  flax  seed,  180;  potatoes, 
167.109;  beans,  233;  cranl)erries,  2.989;  apples,  10,789;  straw- 
berries, 19,840;  raspberries,  2,043;  blackberries,  3,396;  currants, 
2;  grapes,  1.540;  clover  seed.  4,963;  timothy  seed,  308. 

Xumbcr  of  tons — Sugar  beets,  310;  hay,  65,726. 

Xumber  of  i)ounds — Tobacco,  555.700. 

Acres  harvested  for  seed — Clover,  3,004;  timothy,  126. 


II 


AGRICULTURE  AND  DAIRYING  207 

IDIO. 

Number  of  bushels— Wheat,  50,727;  corn,  394,988;  oats,  1,397,- 
192;  barley,  333,888;  rye,  57,899;  flax  seed,  360;  potatoes,  230,238; 
beans,  88;  cranberries,  12,845;  apples,  42,583;  strawberries,  16,- 
051;  raspberries  1,915;  blackberries,  4,031;  currants,  16;  grapes, 
26;  clover  seed,  1,762;  timothy  seed,  186. 

Number  of  tons — Sugar  beets,  347 ;  hay,  64,386. 

Number  of  pounds — Tobacco,  519,700. 

1911. 

Number  of  bushels — AVheat,  55,619 ;  corn,  458,482 ;  oats, 
791,673;  barley,  186,777;  rye,  64,566;  flax  seed,  145;  potatoes, 
263,429;  beans,  748;  cranberries,  4,905;  apples,  326;  strawberries, 
6,652;  raspberries  520;  blackberries  1,109;  grapes,  1;  clover 
seed,  881 ;  timothy  seed,  3. 

Number  of  tons — Sugar  beets,  82 ;  hay,  33,450 ;  cabbages,  2. 

Number  of  pounds — Tobacco,  203,260. 

ACREAGE  OF  FARM  CROPS,  NUMBER  AND  VALUE  OF 

STOCK. 

1908. 

Number  of  acres— Wheat,  3,036;  corn,  22,795;  oats,  42,987; 
barley,  9,720 ;  rye,  5,056 ;  flax  seed,  117 ;  potatoes,  2,165 ;  sugar 
beets,  50 ;  cranberries,  92 ;  apple  orchard,  555 ;  strawberries,  334 ; 
raspberries,  58 ;  blackberries,  369 ;  grapes,  4 ;  hops,  4 ;  tobacco, 
227 ;  hay,  44,857 ;  growing  timber,  68,691 ;  number  of  growing 
apple  trees,  21,035. 

Number  and  value  of  livestock — IMilch  cows  22,010,  value 
$483,505;  all  other  cattle  16,139,  value  .$151,592;  horses  of  all 
ages  9,343,  value  $627,369 ;  sheep  and  lambs  13,251,  value  $39,- 
495;  swine  four  months  old  or  over  11,387,  value  $55,007. 

1909. 

Number  of  acres— AVheat,  2,906;  corn,  21,557;  oats,  45,092; 
barley,  13,154;  rye,  5,166;  flax  seed,  83;  potatoes,  2,604;  sugar 
beets,  62;  beans,  13;  cranberries,  153;  apple  orchard,  591;  straw- 
berries, 334;  raspberries,  63;  blackberies,  76;  grapes,  8;  flax  seed, 
3;  Tobacco,  244;  hay,  46,172;  growing  timber,  77,605;  number 
of  growing  apple  trees,  22,044. 

Number  and  value  of  livestock — Alilch  cows  22,164,  value 
$483,076;  all  other  cattle  16,883,  value  $190,939;  horses  of  all 


208  IliSTOKY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

ages  ] 0.065,  valuo  ij^711,671  ;  sheep  and  lambs  14,222,  value  $50,- 
070;  swine  four  uioiitlis  old  or  over  8,190,  value  $52,327. 

1910. 

Nuiulier  of  acres — AVlieat,  3,98G;  corn,  22,464;  oats,  47,lti7; 
barley,  10,751;  rye,  6,878;  flax  seed,  15;  potatoes,  2,573;  sugar 
beets,  34;  cranberries,  149;  apple  orchard,  685;  strawberries,  692; 
raspberries,  72;  blackberries,  70;  grapes,  2;  flax,  20;  tobacco,  153; 
grasses  cultivated  for  hay,  43,328;  growing  timber,  82,892;  num- 
ber of  growing  api)le  trees,  28,303. 

Number  and  y;\]\u'  of  livestock — Milch  cows  23,752,  value 
$555,229;  all  other  cattle  16,307,  value  $190,273;  horses  of  all 
ages  9,96],  value  $721,956;  sheep  and  lambs  11,603,  value  $54,782; 
swine  four  months  old  or  over  8,217,  value  $79,172. 

1911. 

Number  of  acres — Wheat,  5,074;  corn,  27,584;  oats,  45.820; 
barley,  10,656;  rye,  11,608;  flax  seed,  23;  potatoes,  2,495;  sugar 
beets,  10;  beans,  182;  cranberries,  110;  apple  orchard,  696; 
straw'berries,  448;  raspberries,  76;  blackberries,  90;  grapes,  5; 
tobacco,  270;  grasses  cultivated  for  hay,  41,562;  growing  timber, 
89,678;  number  of  apple  trees,  33,680. 

Acres  harvested  for  seed — Clover,  564. 

Number  and  value  of  livestock — ]\Iilch  cows  22,7]  1,  value 
$524,861 ;  all  other  cattle  14,178,  value  $165,265  ;  horses  of  all  ages 
10,366,  value  $803,882;  sheep  and  lambs  10,559.  value  $34,074; 
swine  four  months  old  or  over  8,815,  value  $61,203. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
APPLE  INDUSTRY. 

A  great  many  years  ago  attempts  were  made  in  some  portions 
of  the  county  to  raise  apples  with  some  measure  of  success,  but 
the  farmers  of  that  period  did  not  have  the  advantage  which 
those  of  this  day  have  in  the  benefit  of  scientific  learning  and 
instruction  from  the  Agricultural  college  in  connection  with  the 
University,  which  has  investigated  all  sorts  of  subjects  which 
are  related  to  agriculture  in  any  way,  and  a  great  deal  of  atten- 
tion has  been  paid  to  the  subject  of  apple  raising,  and  as  to 
whether  or  not  the  soil  and  climate  conditions  in  this  part  of 
the  state  will  permit  of  apples  being  raised  on  a  large  scale.  In 
the  earlier  days  alluded  to,  occasionally  was  found  a  small 
orchard  which  was  planted  by  some  farmer  and  just  allowed  to 
grow  without  any  particular  attention,  except  that  in  some 
instances  the  science  of  grafting  was  gone  into  when,  perhaps, 
some  man  who  has  been  familiar  with  the  growing  of  apples  in 
some  eastern  state  knew  the  method  of  grafting  apple  trees; 
but  that  in  no  locality  in  the  county  was  a  determined  effort  made 
to  raise  apples  as  a  commercial  proposition,  although  many 
varieties  were  in  fact  raised  of  good  quality  and  flavor,  but  with 
the  lack  of  attention  these  little  orchards  gradually  went  into- 
decay  and  the  trees  died  off,  more  for  the  want  of  proper  care 
and  attention  than  on  account  of  any  conditions  in  the  soil  or 
climate. 

With  the  awakening  all  along  the  line  in  agricultural  subjects 
has  come  a  movement  in  this  county  in  the  last  few  years  to 
experiment  with  the  growing  of  apple  orchards,  and  with  the 
great  assistance  which  has  been  rendered  by  the  agricultural 
department  of  the  University,  and  also  the  officials  of  the  State 
Horticultural  Society,  we  are  able  in  this  chapter  to  record  the 
result  of  experiments  which  prove  beyond  any  cpiestion  that 
within  the  limits  of  ^lonroe  county  there  is  just  as  good  fruit 
lands  as  can  be  found  anywhere  in  the  United  States  for  the  rais- 
ing of  certain  varieties  of  apples.  The  authorities  of  the  Uni- 
versity and  of  the  Horticulture  Society  had  their  attention  called 
a  year  or  two  ago  to  the  orchard  maintained  by  Mr.  Fred  Mueh- 
lenkamp  upon  his  farm  in  the  town  of  Wells,  where  this  gentle- 

209 


210  IIISTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

man  has  seven  acres  of  as  fine  apple  trees  as  can  be  found 
anywhere.  Some  of  the  trees  in  this  orchard  were  more  than 
thirty  years  okl  and  it  originally  was  a  small  orchard,  planted 
just  as  farmers  iilaiited  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago;  but  for 
many  years  Mr.  Muehlenkamp  has  made  a  study  of  the  problem 
of  fruit  culture,  paying  particular  attention  to  the  raising  of 
varieties  of  apples  best  adapted  for  profitable  culture  in  this 
climate,  and  he  is  today  a  recognized  authority  on  this  subject. 
Particularly  so  with  regard  to  tree  grafting,  and  the  result  of 
his  study  and  experiments  are  shown  in  his  orchard,  where  there 
are  many  trees  bearing  more  than  one  kind  of  apples,  and  some 
producing  four  or  five  different  varieties. 

Working  in  conjunction  with  the  ofiRcers  of  the  State  Horti- 
cultural Society  this  veteran  apple  grower  opened  his  home. 
Avhich,  by  the  Avay,  is  a  fine  brick  mansion,  upon  his  farm  and 
invited  all  who  desired  to  come  to  attend  a  field  day  fruit  dem- 
onstration and  meeting  at  his  farm  on  August  23,  1911.  Secre- 
tary Cranefield,  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society,  was  present, 
together  with  D.  E.  Bingham,  president  of  the  socity;  \V.  II. 
Hanchett,  of  Angel o,  and  a  commission  merchant  by  the  name  of 
Merrill,  of  Chicago,  were  present,  together  with  about  two  hun- 
dred people  from  a  number  of  different  towns  in  the  county.  At 
this  meeting  addresses  were  delivered  by  the  gentlemen  named 
and  by  ]\Ir.  IMuehlenkamp,  and  it  was  demonstrated  not  only  ])y 
tile  orchard  upon  this  farm,  but  in  the  addresses  delivered  at 
the  meeting  that  there  were  no  better  lands  and  no  better  condi- 
tions anywhere  in  the  United  States  for  successful  cultivation 
of  apples  than  exist  in  Monroe  county,  especially  on  the  ridge 
lands,  which  are  well  adapted  for  that  purpose.  It  was  shown 
that  an  average  orchard  ten  years  old,  which  is  properly  culti- 
vated and  cared  for,  could  be  depended  upon  to  yield  an  annual 
income  of  $250  per  acre,  which  is  better  than  can  be  done  with 
iuiy  ordinary  crop  at  this  time. 

It  is  generally  agreed  that  the  most  profitable  varieties  of 
apples  to  grow  in  this  county  were  the  jMc^Mann,  Northwestern 
Greenings,  AVealtiiy.  Salome  and  IMalinda;  and  as  a  matter  of  fact 
it  had  ])vvn  shown  that  winter  apjiles  could  be  raised  in  this 
county  and  in  various  othei'  poitions  of  the  state  at  ]ii-ici's  Avhich 
would  more  than  successfully  (•omi)ete  with  the  New  York 
apjih's.  This  meeting  gave  to  this  industry  a  standing  which 
was  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  those  who  were  present,  and 
U7idnubtedly  tlie  future  will  see  good  results  from  it.  As  the 
cominereial    advantage    of   having   an   orchard    of   several    acres 


APPLE  INDUSTRY  211 

properly  cared  for  is  so  evident  that  the  farmers,  in  the  ridge 
country  especially,  will  undoubtedly,  in  the  future,  give  special 
attention  to  this  branch  of  horticulture. 

If  anything  else  was  needed  to  complete  the  demonstration 
and  to  establish  beyond  any  question  that  apple  growing  in 
Monroe  county  can  be  successfully  accomplished,  and  not  only 
apples,  but  grapes,  plums  and  cherries,  it  has  been  most  con- 
clusively furnished  in  the  results  accomplished  by  J.  "W.  Leverich 
at  his  fruit  farm  in  the  town  of  Angelo.  ]\Ir.  Leverich,  who  now 
is  acknowledged  one  of  the  authorities  on  small  fruits,  started 
in  1904  an  experimental  orchard  of  five  acres,  which  he  planted 
in  May  of  that  year.  In  order  to  demonstrate  to  his  own  satis- 
faction whether  these  fruits,  apples,  grapes  and  cherries  could 
be  successfully  raised  if  handled  scientifically,  his  trees  were 
selected  with  the  greatest  care  and  planted  upon  a  piece  of  land 
which  was  carefully  selected  for  the  purpose,  and  his  long  expe- 
rience in  small  fruit  raising  gave  him  the  knowledge  necessary 
to  select  the  particular  land  which  he  did  for  this  orchard.  The 
tract  is  protected  on  the  north  and  west  by  growing  timber  from 
the  winds ;  to  the  south  and  east  are  hills  which  protect  the  trees 
from  wind  blowing  from  that  direction.  There  are  sixteen  rows 
of  fruit  trees  and  two  rows  of  grapes.  The  trees  are  set  twenty- 
two  in  a  row,  and  the  two  row^s  of  grapes  about  four  hundred  feet 
in  length  each,  in  which  there  are  seven  distinct  varieties. 

At  the  time  of  setting  this  five-acre  tract  into  an  orchard  in 
the  spring  of  1904,  Mr.  Leverich  placed  between  the  rows  of 
trees  either  raspberries,  red  raspberries  or  blackberry  brush. 
These  berry  brush  have  been  thoroughly  cultivated  and  cared 
for,  as  the  trees  and  vines  of  the  orchard  were,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence there  has  been  a  crop  of  berries  each  year  commencing 
with  1905.  In  1906  the  first  returns  from  the  orchard  proper 
were  secured,  being  ten  baskets  of  grapes.  The  plum  trees  com- 
menced bearing  in  1907,  and  the  apples  in  1908,  while  the  first 
cherries  were  secured  in  1911,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  IMr.  Lev- 
erich that  this  locality  in  the  town  of  Angelo  is  not  adopted  to 
the  culture  of  cherries.  But  his  experiment  has  demonstrated 
beyond  a  doubt  that  the  valley  soil  of  Monroe  county,  as  well  as 
the  ridges,  is  suitable  and  just  as  well  adapted  naturally  for  the 
culture  of  fruits  as  the  ridge  lands.  It  only  needs  the  intelli- 
gence, industry  and  perseverance,  which  are,  of  course,  all 
necessary  in  an  industry  of  this  character  to  put  into  a  paying 
proposition  an  orchard  bearing  apples,  plums  and  grapes.  During 
the  fall  season  of  1911  IMr.  Leverich  exhibited  in  one  or  two  store 


212  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

windows  in  tlie  city  of  Sparta  baskets  containing  the  varieties  of 
fruit  and  grapes  raised  in  this  orchard,  and  they  made  a  tempting 
picture,  indeed,  and  we  here  have  tlie  record  which  was  kept  by 
him  from  the  time  beginning  with  the  ])hinting  of  the  orchard 
up  until  the  market  of  1911,  showing  in  detail  the  number  of 
l)askets,  eases  or  bushels,  as  the  case  may  be,  of  fruit  Avhich  was 
raised  upon  this  five-acre  tract  of  land  from  ]\Ia.v.  1004,  up  lo 
and  including  the  crop  of  1911,  giving  tlie  total  amount  realized 
upon  the  entire  tract : 

BLACKBERRIES. 

am.  24  cases.  Jj^l.i:)  per  case,  $28.50;  190(),  152  cases.  .^1.47  per 
ease,  $223.44;  1907,  207  cases,  ^l.Gl  per  case,  $405.69;  1908,  288 
cases,  $1.59  per  case,  $557.92;  1909,  239  cases,  $1.54  per  case, 
$368.06;  1910,  124  cases,  $1.93  per  case,  $239.32;  1911,  155  cases, 
$1.64  per  case,  $254.20.     Total,  1,190  cases;  total,  $2,077.19. 

BLACK  RASPBERRIES. 

1905,  54  cases.  $1.21  per  ease,  $65.34;  1906,  421  cases,  $1.46 
per  ease,  $614.66;  1907,  305  cases,  $1.60  per  case,  $488;  1908,  235 
cases,  $1.89  per  case,  $445.25;  1909,  145  cases,  $2.05  per  case. 
$297.25;  1910,  76  cases,  $1.95  per  case,  $148.20;  1911,  111  cases, 
$1.56  per  case,  $173.16.    Total.  1.342  cases:  total,  $2,231.86. 

RED  RASPBERRIES. 

1905,  10  cases,  $1.21  per  case,  $12.10;  1906,  154  cases,  $1.47 
per  case,  $226.38;  1907.  125  cases,  $1.68  per  case,  $200;  1908,  215 
cases,  $1.75  per  case,  $376.25;  1904,  54  cases,  $1.85  per  case, 
$99.90;  1910,  10  cases,  $1.98  per  case,  $19.80.  Total,  568  cases; 
total,  $934.43. 

GRAPES. 

1906,  10  baskets;  1:)()7.  100  l)askets;  1908,  200  baskets:  1909, 
20  baskets;  1910,  10  baskets;  1911,  175  baskets.  Total,  505 
baskets,  at  25c  per  basket,  $126.25. 

Cherries — 20  cases,  $1.50  per  case,  $30. 

Apples— 1908,  5  bushels;  1909,  10  bushels;  1911,  75  bushels. 
Total,  90  bushels,  at  75c  per  bushel,  $67.50. 

IMums— 1907,  5  cases;  1908,  30  cases;  1909.  50  cases:  1911, 
130  cases.  Total,  215  cases,  $1.25  per  case.  $268.75.  Plants  sold, 
$500.    Grand  total  of  all  sales,  $6,235.98. 

These  figures  are  for  cases  of  24  jnnts  each  of  l)lackl)erries 
and  l)hick  and  red  raspberries,  and  16  quarts  of  plums  and 
cherries. 


APPLE  INDUSTRY  213 

This  tract  being  largely  in  the  nature  of  an  experimental 
orchard,  ^Ir.  Leverich  has  set  in  a  greater  variety  of  trees  than 
he  probably  would  have  if  he  was  to  now  set  it  out  with  the 
knowledge  he  now  possesses  after  seven  years  of  experimenting. 
Some  of  the  varieties  have  done  better  than  others,  but  it  is  not 
the  object  of  this  article  to  specifj^  particularly  in  regard  to  that, 
but  to  tell  of  the  orchard  as  we  found  it.  It  consists  of  the  fol- 
lowing trees,  vines  and  berry  brush : 

Apples — 88  Northwestern  Greening,  44  Wealthy,  11  Tolman 
Sweet,  11  Mcintosh  Red,  11  Milwaukee,  11  Wolf  River,  11  Scott's 
Winter,  11  Longfield,  11  Patten's  Greening,  11  McMahan.  11 
Duchess,  11  Plumb  Cider. 

Plums— 22  Wyant.  22  Cheney,.  1  Grittlewood,  11  Surprise,  11 
Hawkey e,  11  Forest  Garden,  11  DeSoto. 

Cherries — 11  Early  Richmond.  Total  number  of  trees  set, 
352. 

Grapes — 20  Moore's  Early,  10  Campbell's  Early,  10  Brighton. 
10  Concord,  10  Moore's  Diamond,  10  AVorden,  10  Wilder. 

Berries — 1,584  Eldorado  blackberries,  2,575  Gregg  black  rasp- 
berries, 1,957  Cuthbert  and  Marlboro  red  raspberries.  Total, 
6,516. 

The  handsome  returns  of  over  $6,000  upon  five  acres  of  land 
certainly  places  this  industry  upon  the  footing  with  the  lands 
anywhere,  as  those  in  Oregon  and  AYashington,  which  sell  as 
high  as  $2,000  per  acre.  The  ciuestion  arises  as  to  how  a  person 
contemplating  fruit  growing  should  get  anything  out  of  his  young 
orchard  before  it  begins  to  bear  apples,  and  the  answer  is  here 
given  most  definite  and  positively,  for  between  the  rows  of  trees 
were  raised  bush  berries  to  the  value  of  $207.86  per  acre,  showing 
that  the  income  begins  almost  at  once  wdth  the  very  first  year's 
planting  by  using  the  space  between  the  rows,  which  should 
always  be  done  for  producing  an  income. 

AVhile  at  the  time  of  the  publication  of  this  work  this  industry 
has  not  begun  to  develop  to  a  great  extent,  there  is  no  cpiestion 
but  that  this  county  is  capable  of  supporting  more  than  double 
its  population,  and  that  fruit  raising  and  intensified  farming 
will  be  in  effect  during  the  next  decade,  and  will  double  and 
treble  the  varieties  of  fruit,  and  any  farmer  properly  located  who 
will  study  the  question  of  apple  growing  will,  undoubtedly,  make 
it  a  success.  But  success  will  only  come  with  study  and  the  use 
of  intelligent  methods.  Let  us  hope  that  the  future  generations 
may  see  Monroe  county  one  of  the  garden  spots  of  this  country, 
rich  in  its  products  of  apples,  plums,  grapes  and  other  fruits. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  COUNTY  SEAT  WAR. 

Wliilo  the  title  '"War"  may  seem  perhaps  a  little  harsh,  it  is 
used  in  the  sense  that  it  is  commonly  used  today  to  designate  a 
contest  or  a  struggle  for  supremacy;  for  all  along  the  years,  ever 
since  the  county  was  first  organized,  we  timl  running  through 
the  proceedings  of  the  county  board,  cropping  out  at  intervals, 
the  disposition  on  the  part  of  different  portions  of  the  county 
to  remove  the  county  seat  from  Sparta,  and  the  disposition  on 
the  part  of  the  inhabitants  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  par- 
ticularly, to  use  every  means  in  their  power  legitimately  to  have 
the  county  government  located  at  Tomah.  This  has  been  a  cause 
of  more  or  less  bitterness  between  the  tAvo  cities,  but  this  finally 
has  been  allayed  to  a  great  extent  during  the  last  few  years  as 
the  establishment  of  permanent  buildings  has  almost  made  it  out 
of  the  question  that  any  move  of  the  kind  would  now  be  con- 
sidered. But  it  has  been  purely  from  a  sense  of  loyalty  to  tlie 
home  location  and  to  the  interests  of  the  home  town  that  this 
spirit  has  been  manifested.  This  is  entirely  right  and  proper  and 
has  furnished  a  good  many  exciting  incidents,  both  in  and  out  of 
the  sessions  of  the  county  board,  at  various  times.  It  Avas  mani- 
fested at  the  very  outset  in  the  organization  of  the  county. 
AVhile  the  bill  was  pending  before  the  Legislature  the  citizens  of 
Leon,  which  was  then  quite  a  little  settlement,  endeavored  to 
have  the  county  seat  estal)lished  there  in  the  act  wliioh  organized 
the  county,  and  that  is  where  the  "war"  began.  Sparta  people 
were  up  in  arms  and  representatives  were  undoubtedly  sent  to 
the  Legislature  by  both  sides  in  the  interests  of  the  two  different 
villages,  but  the  Legislature  in  its  wisdom  finally  deeided  tliat 
Sparta  was  the  proper  place  for  the  county  seat,  and  the  law 
was  passed  making  it  such  temporarily.  But  when  it  became 
necessary  to  spend  money  for  county  buildings  the  disposition 
to  avoid  erecting  any  permanent  public  buildings  in  Sparta,  and 
undoubtedly  with  a  hope  tliat  the  future  would  l)ring  some 
developments  along  the  line  of  placing  the  county  seat  elsewhere, 
led  members  of  the  county  board,  particularly  from  Leon  and 

214 


THE  COUNTY  SEAT  WAR  215 

from  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  to  vote  down  appropriations 
for  this  purpose  and  to  put  obstructions  in  the  way  of  any  such 
move.  At  the  session  of  the  county  board  held  August  15,  1857, 
the  absolute  necessity  for  a  county  jail  being  apparent,  the  fol- 
loAving  resolution  was  introduced  by  Supervisor  Esau  Johnson, 
to-wit : 

"Resolved,  That  we  appropriate  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to 
build  a  jail  at  Sparta." 

Mr.  Ringer,  of  Little  Falls,  offered  the  following  amendment 
to  the  resolution,  to-wit : 

"That  the  amount  termed  be  $1,500." 

The  amendment  was  lost  by  the  following  vote :  Ayes — Hunt- 
ley, Ringer,  Isham,  Alice,  Stacy.  Noes — Foster,  Johnson,  Miller, 
Gibbs,  Butterfield,  Lyon.  The  original  resolution  was  then  taken 
up  and  lost  by  a  vote  of  the  supervisors  present,  all  of  the  mem- 
bers voting  "no."  W.  W.  Jackson,  of  Adrian,  then  offered  the 
following  resolution,  to-wit : 

"Resolved,  That  we  deem  the  title  to  the  ground  on  which 
the  courthouse  stands  insufficient,  and  that  we  are  unwilling  to 
appropriate  any  money  to  the  erection  of  any  more  buildings 
thereon,"  which  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  nine  to  five,  and  this 
ended  the  first  round. 

On  November  26,  1859,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board  of 
supervisors  the  following  resolution  was  introduced : 

"Resolved,  That  the  sum  of  $1,500  be  raised  by  the  county  to 
build  a  suitable  jail  for  Monroe  county,  no  part  of  said  money  to 
be  expended  until  after  a  vote  by  the  people  of  the  county,  be 
taken  on  a  permanent  location  for  county  seat ; ' '  and  this  resolu- 
tion on  being  put  to  yea  and  nay  vote  was  lost  by  a  decisive  vote. 

As  has  already  been  narrated  elsewhere,  the  first  county 
building  was  erected  at  the  moderate  cost  of  $600,  in  block  4 
of  Damman's  addition  to  Sparta,  and  that  this  site  was  after- 
wards deeded  back  to  Mr.  Damman  and  the  present  block  was 
selected  by  the  county  board  for  county  buildings.  The  necessity 
for  doing  something  to  provide  a  courthouse  came  up  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  county  board,  which  began  on  the  13th  day  of 
November,  1860.  A  committee  on  public  buildings  was  appointed 
consisting  of  Peter  DeCoursey,  J.  A.  Gillman  and  W.  T.  Stevens, 
and  the  following  resolution  was  presented  to  the  board  by  Mr. 
DeCoursey : 

"Resolved,  That  the  sum  of dollars  be  raised  by  tax  on 

taxable  property  of  the  county,  to  be  applied  in  building  a  suit 
able  building  for  a  courthouse  in  and  for  said  county."     This 


216  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

resolution  Avas  referred  to  the  committee  on  public  buildings 
and  at  a  later  date  in  the  session  the  committee  reported  in  favor 
of  the  resolution  and  J.  E.  Ensign  moved  that  the  blank  in  the 
report  be  filled  by  inserting  $5,000.  E.  A.  Rice  moved  an  amend- 
ment striking  out  the  figures  $5,000  and  inserting  five  mills  on 
the  dollar  on  the  taxable  property  of  the  county.  ]Mr.  Rice's 
amendment  was  lost  and  after  some  parliamentary  sparring  ^Ir. 
Gillman  offered  an  amendment  that  $4,000  be  inserted  in  the 
blank,  which  was  carried ;  and  then  E.  A.  Rice  moved  the  adop- 
tion of  the  report,  and  strange  to  say  it  was  lost  by  the  following 
vote :  Yeas — J.  E.  Ensign,  ]\lead,  ]\Iathews,  Gillman.  Noes — 
Hanford,  Campbell,  Cole,  W.  T.  Stevens,  Tolls,  Enderby,  DeCour- 
sey,  Baker,  Gary,  G.  F.  Stevens,  Haywood,  Rowen  and  Rice,  and 
the  committee  was  discharged.  Thus  ended  the  third  round.  At 
that  time  there  were  nineteen  supervisors  on  the  board  and  the 
votes  in  favor  of  the  courthouse  came  from  the  towns  of  Port- 
land. Angelo.  Eaton,  Little  Falls  and  the  village  of  Sparta,  and 
the  votes  against  it  came  from  Glendale,  Wellington.  "Wilton, 
Ridgeville,  Leon,  LeRoy,  Tomah  (town),  Adrian,  Greenfield, 
Lafayette  and,  strange  to  say,  the  town  of  Spai-ta.  Tt  will  be  seen 
by  the  distribution  of  this  vote  that  several  localities  still  hatl 
hopes  and  the  combination  was  quite  strong  against  the  village 
of  Sparta.  But  the  need  of  a  courthouse  and  jail  became,  as  time 
passed,  a  great  necessity,  and  a  move  was  made  in  186;^  to  call  a 
special  session  of  the  county  board.  A  re(|uest  having  been 
signed  by  the  majority  of  the  board  of  supervisors  a  special  meet- 
ing was  called  September  4,  1863,  and  met  at  the  village  of 
Sparta,  at  which  the  following  resolution  was  presented  by  ]\Ir. 
J.  Covey,  who  was  then  the  chairman  of  the  county  board  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  district  attorney  be  reciuested  to  report 
to  this  board  in  writing  what  title  the  county  has  to  the  site 
upon  which  the  building  now  stands  and  which  is  used  for  a  jail :"' 
and  this  resolution,  upon  a  vote,  was  duly  adopted,  and  it  was 
subsequently  moved  and  carried  that  the  district  attorney  be 
instructed  to  put  in  no  defense  to  the  suit  of  J.  D.  Damman 
against  the  county  of  ]\lonroe  to  recover  the  site  on  which  the 
jail  now  stands,  and  accordingly,  as  has  been  related,  the  county 
clerk  was  authorized  to  deed  back  the  property,  and  at  this  meet- 
ing of  the  board  a  resolution  was  adopted  by  which  the  interests 
of  AV.  F.  Bard  in  the  public  square,  opposite  the  Warner  house, 
were  to  be  purchased  and  have  the  same  conveyed  to  the  county. 
Soon  after  providing  for  the  reconveyance  of  the  old  courthouse 
square  back  to  J.  D.  Damman  and  providing  for  the  purchase  of 


THE  COUNTY  SEAT  WAR  217 

the  public  square,  where  the  buildings  now  stand,  the  county 
board  again  adjourned  without  having  made  any  provision  for 
the  erection  of  a  l)uilding,  but  had  gone  to  the  extent  of  procur- 
ing a  site.  But  at  the  regular  session  of  the  board  that  fall,  which 
began  on  the  10th  day  of  November,  the  matter  was  brought  up 
and  furnished  anununition  for  considerable  debate  and  parlia- 
mentary tactics.  ]Mr.  J.  Covey  again  offered  a  resolution,  which 
was  as  follows : 

"While  the  county  of  jMonroe  for  want  of  proper  public  build- 
ings has  leased  annually,  at  a  large  expense,  a  place  for  holding 
courts,  and  often  to  the  very  great  annoyance  of  all  parties  con- 
cerned ;  that  for  the  punishment  of  criminals  a  still  greater  outlay 
has  been  necessary,  the  present  jail  being  wholly  insecure,  un- 
wholesome and  a  disgrace  to  the  age  in  which  we  have  lived ; 

"Therefore,    resolved.    That    there   be   levied   on   the   taxable 

property  of  the  county  the  sum  of dollars  for  the  purpose 

of  erecting  a  suitable  building  or  buildings  for  a  courthouse  and 
jail. 

"Resolved,  That  in  order  to  carry  out  the  foregoing  resolu- 
tion, lessen  the  burden  of  taxation  that  niust  necessarily  arise 
from  it,  the  sum  of thousand  dollars  be  raised  in  the  year 

1863,  the  sum  of thousand  dollars  be  raised  in  the  year 

1864,  and  the  sum  of  — thousand  dollars  be  raised  in  the 

year  1865." 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  vigorous  language  used  in  this  resolu- 
tion even  in  this  day  the  spirit  of  "reform"  was  in  the  air,  and 
"progress"  was  not  to  be  denied.  Supervisor  Kendall,  in  order 
to  settle  things,  moved  to  fill  the  first  blank  in  this  resolution  by 
inserting  the  sum  of  $22,500.  This  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Covey 
and  the  yeas  and  noes  were  called  for.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  at  this  time  the  county  board  system  had  been  abrogated 
by  the  Legislature  and  that  the  system  of  county  commissioners 
was  then  established  and  the  affairs  of  the  county  were  governed 
by  three  commissioners  or  supervisors  elected  from  the  three 
supervisor  districts  in  the  county.  The  board  at  this  time  con- 
sisted of  E.  Kendall  J.'  Covey  and  J.  Rood.  The  vote  on  this 
resolution  was  Kendall  and  Covey  in  favor  and  ]\Ir.  Rood  against 
it,  so  that  it  was  declared  carried,  and  then  Kendall  moved  to 
insert  the  sum  of  $7,000  in  the  first  blank  in  the  second  part  of 
the  resolution,  and  this  was  also  carried  by  the  same  vote.  Move 
was  then  made  by  Kendall  to  put  the  sum  of  $8,500  in  the  second 
blank  in  the  resolution,  which  was  carried  by  the  same  vote,  and 
then  also  moved  to  put  $7,000  in  the  last  blank.    Then  the  whole 


218  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

resolution  was  adoptod  by  tlio  same  vote:     Kendall  and  Covey, 
yes ;  and  Rood,  no. 

The  raising  of  funds  being  tlius  provided  for  the  building  of 
the  tirst  real  courthouse  in  the  county.  A  special  meeting  of  the 
county  board  Avas  called  December  16,  1863,  at  which  the  bids  for 
the  erecting  of  a  courthouse  and  jail  were  opened,  the  matter 
having  been  previously  advertised.  The  contract  was  let  to  one 
W.  AY.  Allis  for  $20,848.50. 

The  erection  of  the  combined  courthouse  and  jail,  which  was 
a  substantial  brick  building,  settled  the  county  seat  matter  for 
some  years.  AYith  the  increase  in  population  and  consequent  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  prisoners,  at  times,  the  attention  of  the 
county  board  members  was  called  to  the  fact  that  the  jail  was  too 
small,  was  "behind  the  times"  in  appliances;  so  that  the  old 
spectre  which  would  not  down,  "Remove  the  county  seat,"  again 
raised  its  head  and  the  trouble  began.  In  1883  and  1884  there 
had  been  considerable  fault  found  witli  the  oil  jail  by  the  State 
Board  of  Charities  and  Reforms,  which  correspond  to  the  State 
Board  of  Control  at  the  present  time,  and  while  no  direct  action 
has  been  taken  to  condemn  the  old  jail  portion  of  the  building, 
still  the  situation  became  quite  acute  as  far  as  the  location  of  the 
county  seat  was  concerned,  and  eastern  IMonroe  county  realized 
that  in  order  to  accomplish  anything  it  was  necessary  that  a 
move  be  made  to  call  a  special  election,  as  provided  by  the  stat- 
utes, to  remove  the  county  seat  from  Sparta  before  any  more 
expensive  liuildings  were  erected,  thus  making  it  a  permanent 
location.  The  citizens  of  Tomah  in  1885  determined  to  make  one 
grand  effort  towards  getting  the  county  seat  removed  to  Tomah 
from  Sparta,  and  a  committee  of  citizens  was  appointed  whose 
business  it  was  to  procure  names  to  a  petition  addressed  to  the 
county  board  asking  that  an  election  be  called,  and  tliat  the 
question  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  the  city  of  Sparta 
to  the  city  of  Tomah  l)e  submitted  to  tlie  qualitied  voters  of  the 
county,  as  provided  by  law.  This  Avork  was  undertaken  in  the 
spring  and  sununer.  A  thorough  canvas  was  made,  particularly 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  and  feeling  l)egan  to  run  high 
with  regard  to  the  matter  as  the  time  approached  for  the  meeting 
of  the  county  board.  The  session  in  November  was  made  mem- 
orable by  reason  of  the  fact  that  this  contest  was  then  to  be  taken 
up.  The  members  of  the  county  board  were  at  that  time  as  fol- 
lows: 

Adrian,  George  P.  Stevens;  Angelo,  E.  AY.  Babcock;  Byron. 
George  A.  Boynigton ;  Clifton,  A.  N.  Anthony;  Glendale,  Leonard 


THE  COUNTY  SEAT  AVAR  219 

Johnson ;  Greenfield,  J.  II.  Gill ;  Jefferson,  A.  Heiser ;  Lafayette, 
George  E.  Hancliett ;  Lincoln,  L.  N.  Sweet ;  Little  Falls,  H.  H. 
Atchison ;  Ncav  Lyme,  J.  B.  Scott ;  Oakdale,  H.  Rogge ;  Leon, 
Thomas  Hobson ;  Portland,  E.  M.  Adams;  Sheldon,  D.  M.  Fulmer; 
Sparta,  P.  H.  Moss;  Tomah,  AV.  B.  Cassels;  Wellington,  J.  P. 
Rice ;  Wells,  James  Wells ;  AYilton,  F.  Gnewikow ;  city  of  Sparta, 
H.  H.  Childs,  N.  W.  Huntley,  L.  S.  Fisher  and  W.  E.  Lee ;  city  of 
Tomah,  L.  S.  Benjamin,  E.  Bartels  and  I.  H.  Fish. 

The  session  of  the  board  opened  with  the  lines  tensely  drawn 
upon  this  proposition,  and  it  was  not  until  Tuesday  morning, 
November  ITtli,  in  the  second  week  of  the  session,  that  the  peti- 
tion for  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  was  presented  by  L.  S. 
Benjamin.     It  was  as  follows: 

"To  the  Honorable  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Monroe  county, 
Wisconsin :  The  undersigned  legal  voters  of  the  county  of  Mon- 
roe, state  of  Wisconsin,  whose  names  appear  on  some  one  of  the 
poll  lists  on  the  last  general  election  held  in  such  county  of 
Monroe,  do  respectfully  petition  your  honorable  body  and  ask 
that  the  county  seat  of  Monroe  county  be  changed  from  the  city 
of  Sparta  to  the  city  of  Tomah,  in  said  county ;  and  that  the 
question  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  be  submitted  to  a  vote 
of  the  qualified  voters  of  ]\Ionroe  county,  as  provided  by  law." 
Dated  September  1,  1885. 

This  petition  was  signed  by  about  2,400  names,  and  was  re- 
ferred to  the  committee  on  petitions  and  elections,  Fred  Gnewi- 
kow, L.  S.  Benjamin,  E.  Bartels,  George  P.  Stevens  and  L.  S. 
Fisher. 

Prior  to  the  session  of  the  board  the  Tomah  committee  had 
circulated  their  petition  over  in  the  towns  of  Little  Falls  and 
New  Lyme,  procuring  a  goodly  number  of  signatures.  This  paper 
mysteriously  disappeared,  or  rather,  was  never  presented  to  the 
board  with  the  other  petitions.  A  petition  was  also  circulated  in 
Glendale  and  Wellington  and  vicinity,  under  the  charge  of 
Leonard  Johnson.  AVhen  Johnson  brought  it  to  the  board  session 
the  paper  had  been  badly  water  soaked,  Johnson  claiming  he  had 
fallen  in  the  mill  pond  with  it  in  his  pocket.  The  names  on  this 
paper  were  in  many  instances  undistinguishable,  and  the  commit- 
tee, after  working  with  microscopes,  were  compelled  to  discard  a 
large  number  of  names  which  were  not  legible.  This,  together 
with  the  petition  that  never  was  presented,  discounted  the  num- 
ber of  names  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  the  action  of  the  board, 
which  followed,  possible.  No  report  was  made  by  the  committee 
upon  this  petition  until  the  next  to  the  last  day  of  the  session. 


220  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COLXTY 

ami  tlicn  it  came  up  for  the  final  struggle  in  the  shape  of  a  ma- 
jority and  a  minority  report.  Tlic  itia.joriiy  i-('])(U't  of  the  com- 
mittee was  as  follows: 

"To  the  Honorable  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Monroe  county, 
Wisconsin — Gentlenu'n  :  AVe,  the  connnittee  to  whom  was  re- 
ferred the  petition  for  the  removal  of  the  county  scat  of  ]\lonroe 
county,  do  report  as  follows: 

"That  we  have  carefully  examined  therein  the  signatures  of 
2,604  legal  voters  of  Monroe  county. 

"That  of  sucli  number  the  names  of  2.107  appear  on  some 
one  of  1li('  ])oll  lists  of  the  last  previous  general  election  held  in 
said  county  on  the  4th  day  of  November.  1884,  being  more  than 
two-fifths  of  the  legal  voters  of  said  county  of  ]\Ionroe  as  dctei- 
mined  by  the  poll  lists  of  said  last  previous  election. 

"That  under  the  law  by  reason  of  the  said  petition  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors  of  Monroe  county,  to  sul)- 
mit  the  question  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  of  ]\Ionroe 
county  to  the  city  of  Tomah,  to  a  vote  of  the  qualified  votei's  of 
said  I\Ionroe  county  at  the  next  general  election, 

"FRED  GNEWIKOW, 
"L.  S.  BENJAMIN, 
"E.  BARTELS, 
"GEORGE  P.  STEVENS, 

"Dated  November  24,  1885.  "Committee. 


)  5 


The  minority  of  the  committee,  during  Ihe  lime  whieli  elai)si'd 
between  the  introduction  of  the  resolution  and  the  handing  in 
of  the  majority  report,  had  evidently  l)eeii  busy  endeavoring  to 
find  a  loop  hole  in  the  {)roceedings.  The  minority  of  the  commit- 
tee consisted  of  one  man,  that  doughty  old  warrior,  L.  S.  Fislu^-. 
who  nuide  the  minority  report  to  the  petition  as  follows: 

"To  th(>  Honorable  County  Board  of  Supervisors  of  .Monroe 
comity,  AVisconsin :  The  minority  of  the  committee  upon  The 
petition  for  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  would  respectfully 
report  that  they  have  carefully  examined  the  ])etition  and  find 
on  it  Ihe  names  of  2.107  persons  whose  names  appear  on  the  j)oll 
lists  of  the  several  towns  and  cities  in  Monioe  county  for  the 
election  oi"  1884. 

"Tlie  minority  of  your  committee  would  further  report  in 
favor  of  a  postponenuMit  of  the  subject  of  the  removal  ol*  the 
county  seat  for  the  following  reasons: 

"1.  There  are  several  petitions,  whereas  the  law  requires 
only  one  petition. 


THE  COUNTY  SEAT  WAR  221 

"2.  There  are  a  large  number  of  names  appearing  on  the  peti- 
tion which  have  been  counted  ])y  your  committee  in  order  to 
make  the  total  number  2,107,  not  less  than  300  in  all  that  were 
not  signed  by  the  persons  they  represent. 

"3.  There  are  a  sufficient  number  of  names  on  the  petition 
that  have  been  counted  that  did  not  agree  with  the  names  on  the 
poll  lists  to  reduce  the  total  number  below  the  aggregate  required 
by  law. 

"4.  That  if  an  election  is  ordered  it  would  be  void  for  the 
foregoing  reasons  and  subject  the  county  to  unnecessary  costs 
and  probably  expensive  litigation. 

"L.  S.  FISHER. 

"Dated  Sparta,  November  24,  1885." 

]Mr.  Fisher  then  moved  that  the  report  of  the  committee  on 
petitions  and  elections  be  referred  to  the  district  attorney,  and 
it  was  so  referred  with  the  understanding  that  the  district  attor- 
ney should  report  on  the  following  morning. 

The  following  resolution  was  then  presented: 

''AVhereas  the  petition  signed  by  2,604  of  the  legal  voters  of 
Monroe  county,  of  which  number  the  names  of  2,107  appear  on 
some  one  of  the  poll  lists  of  the  last  previous  general  election 
held  in  said  county  on  the  4th  day  of  November,  1885,  said  last 
mentioned  number  being  more  than  tw^o-fifths  of  the  legal  voters 
of  Monroe  county,  as  determined  by  the  poll  lists  of  the  said  last 
previous  general  election,  said  petition  asking  the  change  of  the 
county  seat  of  IMonroe  county  from  the  city  of  Sparta  to  the  city 
of  Tomah ;  therefore,  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  the  question  of  the  removal  of  the  county 
seat  of  Monroe  county  to  the  city  of  Tomah  be  submitted  to  a 
vote  of  the  qualified  voters  of  said  county  at  the  next  general 
election,  to  be  held  in  said  county  on  the  2nd  day  of  November, 
1886."  _ 

The  board  then  adjourned  until  the  next  day  and  on  the 
morning  of  November  25th  the  district  attorney  gave  his  opinion 
in  writing  upon  the  petition  presented  for  the  removal  of  the 
county  seat.  AVhile  the  records  of  the  meeting  of  the  board  do 
not  contain  the  opinion,  it  undoubtedly  was  in  favor  of  the 
minority  report,  for  we  find  that  Mr.  Fisher  moved  that  the 
opinion  be  received  and  placed  on  file,  and  then  came  the  tug 
of  war. 

Mr.  Cassels,  of  the  town  of  Tomah,  moved  that  the  majority 
report  of  the  committee  on  petitions  and  elections  be  adopted. 
Mr.  Fisher  moved  that  the  minority  report  be  substituted  for  the 


222  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

majority  ropoi-t.  and  upon  llic  call  of  ayes  and  noes  it  was 
carried  by  the  following  vote:  Babcock,  Boyington,  Ileiser, 
Hanehett,  llohson,  Atchison,  Scott.  Ilaimkee,  Adams,  Fulmer, 
]Moss,  Wells,  Childs,  Huntley,  Fisher  and  Lee,  a  total  of  sixteen 
ayes.  Noes — Stevens,  Anthony,  Johnson,  Gill,  Sweet.  Spooner, 
Rogge,  Cassels,  Rice,  GnewikoAV,  Bartels,  Benjamin  and  Fish,  a 
total  of  thirteen.  ]\Ir.  Fisher  then  moved  the  adoption  of  the 
minority  report,  which  was  carried  by  the  same  vote  precisely, 
sixteen  to  thirteen.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  votes  which  were 
against  the  petition  came  from  Angelo,  Byron,  Jeflferson,  Lafay- 
ette, Leon,  Little  Falls,  New  Lyme,  Portland,  Ridgeville,  Sheldon, 
town  of  Sparta,  "Wells  and  city  of  Sparta;  the  votes  in  favor  of 
the  petition  came  from  Adrian,  Clifton.  Glendale,  LaGrange,  Lin- 
coln, Greenfield,  Oakdale,  town  of  Tomah,  AVellington,  AVilton 
and  the  city  of  Tomah,  so  that  the  votes  were  lined  up  Avith 
regard  to  location  principally,  only  that  George  A.  Boyington,  of 
the  town  of  Byron,  did  not  vote  with  the  eastern  side  of  the 
county. 

And  after  some  other  matters  of  business  this  board  ad- 
journed, and  thus  closed  another  chapter  of  the  struggle  over 
the  county  seat.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  citizens  of  Tomah 
attempted  in  any  way  to  invoke  the  aid  of  the  courts  or  to  make 
any  further  move  at  that  time  in  the  matter. 

The  proceedings  were  instituted  under  the  provisions  of  sec- 
tion 655  of  the  revised  statutes,  and  we  tiiul  in  the  session  of  the 
Legislature  of  the  year  1887  an  amendment  to  that  section  was 
passed  known  as  chapter  35  of  the  laws  of  1887,  which  was,  no 
doubt,  a  part  of  the  plan  to  for  all  time  settle  the  controversy 
as  to  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  in  this  or  any  other  county. 
The  amendment  provided  that  where  the  county  seat  had  l)een 
established  for  a  pei-iod  of  fifteen  years  or  more  and  that  the 
county  has  erected  permanent  buildings  of  the  value  of  not  less 
than  $10,000,  that  the  same  should  not  be  removed  nor  should 
any  application  for  the  removal  thereof  be  submitted  to  a  vote 
of  the  electors  of  the  county  unless  a  petition  signed  by  at  least 
one-half  of  the  resident  freeholders  of  the  county,  as  evidenced 
by  recorded  deeds  in  the  office  of  the  register  of  deeds  of  the 
county,  in  favor  of  such  removal  shall  be  presented  to  the  county 
board:  and  it  furthei-  provided  that  no  election  to  change  the 
county  seat  should  be  held  for  a  period  of  five  years  after  the 
year  in  which  a  courthouse  or  other  county  buildings  costing 
$3,000  or  more  shall  have  been  built  and  occupied  for  county  pur- 
poses.    In  the  provisions  of  this  law  it  is  not  diflficult  to  see  the 


THE  COUNTY  SEAT  WAR  223 

"fiue  Italian  hand,"  to  use  a  slang  phrase,  of  that  staunch  friend 
of  Sparta,  Hon.  J.  j\I.  IMorrow,  who  was  at  that  time  one  of  the 
"third  house"  in  the  Wisconsin  Legislature  and  a  prominent 
man  in  the  affairs  of  the  state.  It  can  very  readily  be  seen  that 
a  petition  of  this  character  cannot  be  obtained  in  the  county  of 
Monroe  or  any  other  county  without  great  difficulty  in  searching 
records  and  procuring  names  qualified  to  sign  such  a  petition. 

The  old  controversy,  however,  would  not  down,  and  in  1890 
the  State  Board  of  Charity  and  Reform,  after  considerable  fault 
found  heretofore  with  the  old  jail,  issued  an  order  condemning  it 
as  unsanitary  and  unfit  for  use  for  the  purpose,  and  this  caused 
the  revival,  somewhat,  of  the  old  feeling  over  the  county  seat.  In 
order  to  bring  it  to  a  head  a  petition  was  circulated  in  the  spring 
of  1890  and  signed  by  a  majority  of  the  county  board,  calling  a 
special  meeting  of  the  board  on  May  7,  1890.  At  that  session  the 
county  clerk  read  a  notice  served  upon  him  by  the  State  Board  of 
Charity  and  Reform  regarding  the  jail,  and  on  motion  of  Super- 
visor J.  M.  IMorrow,  a  committee  was  appointed  consisting  of 
Supervisor  Morrow ;  Earl,  of  Tomah ;  Gill,  of  Greenfield ;  AVells, 
of  Wells,  and  Abbott,  of  Sheldon,  and  this  committee  on  the  fol- 
lowmg  day  rendered  this  report: 

"To  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors  of  IMonroe  County:  The 
undersigned  members  of  your  committee,  to  whom  was  referred 
the  official  notice  of  the  State  Bard  of  Charity  and  Reform  re- 
lating to  the  condemnation  of  the  Monroe  county  jail,  etc.,  have 
had  the  same  and  matters  connected  thereunto  under  considera- 
tion, and  do  report  that  in  our  opinion,  and  for  the  reasons  stated 
in  said  notice,  and  the  law  in  relation  to  the  duties  and  obliga- 
tions of  the  county  under  such  circumstances,  it  is  necessary  to 
provide  for  a  new  jail,  and  to  accomplish  such  purpose  in  a 
seasonable,  proper  and  economical  manner  we  have  prepared  and 
report  herewith  an  ordinance  providing  for  the  construction  of 
a  jail  upon  the  courthouse  square,  and  providing  for  the  means 
to  pay  for  the  same  with  such  other  necessary  details  as  seemed 
to  your  committee  required  to  be  provided  for  the  action  of  this 
board,  and  we  recommend  the  adoption  of  said  ordinance,  which 
is  respectfully  submitted. 

"J.  M.  MORROW, 
"J.  H.  GILL, 
"J.  WELLS, 
"E.  ABBOTT, 

"Committee." 


224  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXKOP]  COUNTY 

Here  again  appears  the  same  old  split,  but  this  time  the  ma- 
jority of  the  committee  were  in  favor  of  the  Avestern  side  of  the 
county,  and  again  we  ha-ve  the  minority  report  by  one  man, 
"Watson  Earle,  of  the  city  of  Tomah,  who  made  a  minority  report 
as  follows: 

"The  minority  of  your  committee  would  respectfully  report 
that  in  his  opinion  the  effect  of  the  improvements  made  in  the 
jail  last  fall  should  be  tried.  The  Board  of  Health,  although  they 
knew  that  the  improvements  were  contemplated,  could  have  no 
knowledge  of  what  the  effects  of  these  improvements  could  be. 
That  the  condition  of  the  jail  is  l)etter  than  it  has  been  at  any 
previous  time  in  twenty  years.  That  tlie  present  condition  of 
the  farming  portions  of  this  county  makes  it  advisable  not  to 
increase  the  burden  of  taxation  without  absolute  necessity.  For 
a  number  of  years  the  crops  have  been  wasted  by  drought,  and 
now  in  the  fall  the  markets  are  almost  worthless  by  reason  of  low 
prices.  Under  these  conditions  the  addition  of  >1^5,000  a  year  on 
this  county's  tax  for  three  successive  years  is  a  grievous  burden 
that  ought  not  to  be  lightly  laid.  That  the  course  of  the  present 
hasty  action  in  tliis  matter  is  purely  visionary,  being  based  not 
on  the  present  condition  of  the  jail,  but  on  the  assumption  that 
at  some  time  in  the  near  future,  perhaps,  eastern  ]\Ionroe  county 
may  demand  the  removal  of  the  county  seat;  and  that  the  num- 
ber of  prisoners  Avhicli  for  the  past  year  averages  three  and  one- 
third  per  cent  neither  calls  for  nor  justifies  such  expenditure." 

And  again  the  old  struggle  was  before  the  county  board  in 
this  form,  and  again  it  was  Supervisor  Fisher  who  moved  the 
adoption  of  the  majority  report  this  time.  Supervisor  AYood. 
from  the  city  of  Tomah,  moved  to  substitute  the  minority  report 
for  the  majority  report,  and  this  brought  on  a  test  vote.  The 
motion  was  lost  by  the  following  vote :  Ayes — Stevens,  Reynolds, 
Swanets,  Lyon.  AYoodland,  Coome,  Rogge,  Gehrke,  Cassels, 
Gnewikow.  Earle,  Tormey  and  AYood,  thirteen;  and  nayes,  Lev- 
erich,  Gill,  liarry.  Jones,  Atchison,  Hoard,  Hannkee,  Abbott, 
Beckler,  Alarsden,  AYells,  Alorrow,  Huntley,  Fisher  and  Brandt, 
fifteen.  The  localities  voting  in  favor  of  the  minority  report 
were  these:  Adrian,  Byron,  Clii'ton,  Glendale,  Lincoln, 
LaGrange,  Oakdale,  Ridgeville,  town  of  Tomali.  AYilton  and  the 
city  of  Tomah,  and  against  it  were  Angelo,  Greenfield,  Lafayette, 
Leon.  Little  Falls,  New  Lyme,  Portland,  Sheldon,  town  of  Sparta, 
AYellington,  AYells  and  the  city  of  Sparta,  so  that  we  find  the 
alignnu'ut  of  this  vote  almost  what  it  was  as  far  as  territory  is 
concerned,  when  the  vote  on  that  famous  county  seat  resolution 


THE  COUNTY  SEAT  AVAR  225 

in  1885  was  taken,  only  that  this  time  Greenfield  on  the  eastern 
side  seems  to  have  changed  places  with  Byron. 

Mr.  Wood,  of  Tomah,  then  moved  that  the  consideration  of  the 
majority  report  be  postponed  and  an  adjonrnment  taken  for  two 
weeks  so  that  the  members  of  the  board  might  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  confer  with  their  constituents,  and  upon  a  call  for  the 
ayes  and  noes  this  motion  was  lost  by  practically  the  same  vote, 
thirteen  ayes  and  sixteen  noes.  This  time  H.  H.  Cremer,  it  ap- 
pears, voted  with  the  noes.  It  was  then  moved  to  adopt  the  ma- 
jority report,  which  was  carried  by  the  same  old  vote,  sixteen  to 
thirteen.  An  ordinance  providing  for  the  building  of  the  county 
jail  was  then  passed  by  the  same  vote,  sixteen  to  thirteen,  and 
the  following  committee,  on  motion,  was  appointed  by  the  chair 
as  required  by  the  ordinance  passed,  as  the  building  committee, 
to-wit :  N.  AV.  Huntley,  of  Sparta ;  H.  H.  Atchison,  of  Little 
Falls;  J.  H.  Gill,  of  Greenfield,  and  AA^illiam  Hannkee,  of  Port- 
land. Subsequently  the  building  committee  carried  out  its  in- 
structions in  full,  contracts  were  let  and  the  present  county  jail 
and  sheriff's  residence  w^as  erected.  As  time  went  on  the  old 
courthouse  building  became  more  and  more  insufficient  for  the 
uses  of  the  various  county  officers  and  courtrooms,  and  again  the 
matter  of  additional  county  buildings  was  presented  at  a  session 
of  the  country  board.  In  1894  an  ordinance  was  introduced  by 
Supervisor  J.  R.  Lyon  at  the  November  session  of  the  board  pro- 
viding for  the  building  of  a  new  courthouse  in  the  city  of  Sparta 
to  cost  not  to  exceed  the  sum  of  $50,000.  It  was  apparently  a 
hopeless  task  on  the  part  of  the  supervisors  from  the  eastern  side 
of  the  county  to  prevent  the  passage  of  this  ordinance,  and  it  was 
carried  by  a  vote  of  twenty-five  to  five.  Supervisor  Coome  being 
excused  from  voting.  Later  in  the  session,  under  the  provision  of 
the  ordinance,  the  chairman  of  the  county  board  appointed  the 
following  building  committee :  Supervisors  N.  AY.  Huntley,  of 
Sparta;  J.  R.  Lyon,  of  Glendale ;  H.  H.  Cremer,  of  Jefiferson;  H. 
Gnewikow,  of  AYilton,  and  D.  AY.  Sowle,  of  Lincoln. 

In  pursuance  of  this  ordinance  the  present  Courthouse  was 
constructed  and  furnished.  The  county  was  fortunate  in  having 
it  erected  at  a  time  when  building  materials  were  cheaper  than 
at  any  time  since  so  that  for  the  sum  of  between  $50,000  and 
$60,000  it  has  a  commodious  and  substantial  building,  completely 
I'urnislied. 

The  erection  of  these  permanent  buildings  of  such  great  value 
has  probably  ended  for  all  time  any  effort  to  renew  the  '^county 
seat  Avar."     The  eastern  side  of  the    county    has    now    become 


226  HISTORY  OF  :\rOXROE  COUNTY 

reconciled  to  the  situation,  as  was  very  appropriately  expressed 
by  a  member  of  the  board  at  the  time  the  building  of  a  new  jail 
was  voted,  the  boys  in  Tomah  concluded  that  "they  couldn't  get 
the  courthouse  tlirough  the  Tunnel  anyhow,"  so  they  gave  up. 
]\rany  interesting  incidents  undoubtedly  happened  outside  of  the 
recorded  procedure  in  this  famous  struggle  during  all  these  years 
M'hich  are  now  lost,  but  on  the  whole  the  record  itself  furnishes 
many  dramatic  climaxes  which  are  lacking  in  the  present  day 
sessions  of  the  county  board. 


CHAPTER  XXlll. 

THE   COUNTRY   SCHOOLS. 

BY  M.  M.  HANEY,  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENT. 

No  history  of  the  county  would  be  complete  that  did  not  in- 
clude at  least  a  few  references  to  the  only  source  of  education 
that  most  boys  and  girls  have  access  to,  namely,  the  common 
schools.  No  attempt  will  be  made  to  go  into  an  exhaustive 
record  of  the  schools  since  the  establishment  of  the  county,  but 
rather  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  first  schools  in  the  county 
and  the  progress  that  has  been  made  through  legislation  and 
methods,  etc.,  up  to  the  present  time. 

SCHOOL   HOUSES. 

As  soon  as  a  few  settlements  were  formed  the  people  began  to 
make  preparations  for  schools.  The  settlements  were  far  apart 
at  first  and  pupils  were  obliged  to  travel  long  distances,  three, 
and  even  four,  miles.  The  first  school  buildings  were  usually 
crude,  temporary  concerns,  designed  to  meet  the  immediate  needs 
of  the  people  until  the  settlements  became  more  numerous  and 
financially  stronger. 

The  following  were  among  the  early  buildings  which  were 
more  or  less  typical  of  the  buildings  throughout  the  county. 
District  No.  2,  town  of  LaGrange — School  house,  12x16  feet ;  shed 
roof.  District  No.  2,  town  of  Sheldon — Small  building  made  of 
unhewn  logs  of  uneven  length,  some  extending  two  or  three  feet 
beyond  the  end  of  building.  This  building  was  roofed  with  slabs 
to  match  the  logs,  that  is,  some  of  them  terminated  at  the  edge  of 
the  roof  and  others  projecting  downward  three  or  four  feet,  and 
some  even  projected  upward  above  the  ridge  of  the  roof.  This 
building  was  banked  with  clay  about  two  feet  high  all  around, 
except  at  the  door,  to  keep  out  the  cold.  In  order  to  save  labor 
the  banking  was  allowed  to  remain  during  the  summer  months 
so  that  it  would  be  on  hand  for  the  next  winter.  The  door  was 
home-made  and  so  low  that  full-grown  boys  and  girls  were 
obliged  to  stoop  to  get  in  and  out.  It  is  not  known  why  the  door 
was  made  this  size  unless  it  was  to  teach  the  pupils  to  stoop  so 

227 


228         lUSTOKY  OF  .MUXKOE  COUNTY 

tht'V  iniglit  not  forget  to  bow  to  tlic  master  on  entering  the  build- 
ing, or  perhaps  it  was  to  teaeli  them  that  tliey  must  stoop  in  order 
to  avoid  many  liard  knocks  in  life's  journey.  No  doubt  some  of 
the  first  school  buildings  Avere  better  than  those  above  described 
and  some  worse  in  some  respects.  Generally  the  first  school  build- 
ings were  small,  cheap,  poorly  lighted,  with  no  ventilation  and 
little  or  no  regard  for  appearances. 

DESKS. 

The  desks  were  made  of  Avhite  pine  and  long  enough  to  seat 
from  twelve  to  sixteen  pupils.  In  one  school  that  the  writjer  has 
in  mind  there  were  only  two  long  desks  in  the  school  house.  They 
were  about  sixteen  feet  long,  extending  lengthwise  of  the  build- 
ing, one  on  each  side,  with  a  seat  in  front  of  each  desk  for  the 
little  folks.  The  larger  pupils  occupied  the  seat  behind  the 
desks.  Usually,  hoAvever,  the  desks  Avould  seat  from  six  to  eight 
pupils,  and  extended  crosswise  of  the  room.  Arranged  in  two 
rows,  with  one  end  of  each  desk  against  the  wall,  leaving  only 
one  aisle  in  tlie  middle  of  the  room.  This  arrangement  made  it 
very  unhandy  to  get  and  out  of  seats,  as  the  pupils  frequently 
were  obliged  to  pass  four  or  five  others  in  order  to  get  out  of 
their  seat  to  go  to  the  recitation  and,  of  course,  go  through  the 
same  process  to  get  back  to  their  places.  The  desks  Avere  all  of 
the  same  size,  no  alloAvance  being  made  for  different  sizes  of 
pupils. 

Later  the  desks  Avere  made  to  accommodate  the  various  sizes 
of  pupils.  A  fcAv  samples  of  those  desks  may  still  be  found  in  the 
schools,  but  most  of  llicni  are  factory  made  double  desks,  and 
eA'en  those  are  giving  Avay  to  the  single  desk. 

SUBJECTS   AND    METHODS. 

Reading.  Avriting,  aritlmicti.'  and  spelling  Aveie  carried  l)y  all 
of  the  pupils,  and  grammai-,  geography  and  history  by  some  of 
the  larger  ones.  In  teaching  reading  the  A,  B,  C  method  Avas 
used,  that  is,  the  pupils  had  to  go  through  the  long,  tedious  proc- 
ess of  learning  the  alphabet  before  they  began  to  read.  Spelling 
Avas  mostly  oral  and  at  least  two  trials  Avere  given  on  a  Avord. 
Since  the  pupils  did  not  carry  many  studies  they  made  up  for 
this  to  some  extent  by  reciting  in  reading  and  spelling  four  times 
a  day.  Some  schools  had  reading  of  the  Bible  and  prayer  CA'ery 
morning.  History  Avas  sometimes  used  as  a  reader,  the  teacher 
asking  a  few  questions  after  the  lesson  Avas  read.  Pupils  that 
read  in  the  history  Avere  looked  upon  by  the  other  pupils  as  being 


TPIE  COUNTRY  SCHOOLS  229 

good  scholars.  There  was  no  classification  of  the  school  by  forms 
or  grades,  and  as  a  rule  no  record  was  kept  of  the  work  done  by 
the  pupils,  and  of  course  no  record  left  for  the  guidance  of  the 
new  teacher.  Not  unfrequently  the  pupils  were  started  in  at  the 
beginning  of  the  books  they  brought  with  them  the  first  day, 
regardless  of  what  they  covered  the  year  before.  This  seems  like 
a  great  waste  of  time,  and  it  was,  but  there  was  one  redeeming 
feature,  namely,  that  some  subjects  were  reviewed  so  often  that 
they  were  firmly  fixed  in  the  pupils'  minds.  Perhaps  manual 
training  should  have  been  added  to  the  branches  taught  in  those 
early  days. 

This  was  pursued  by  the  larger  boys  who  happened  to  pos- 
sess good  pocket  knives,  without  the  aid  or  consent  of  the  teacher. 
The  white  pine  desks  being  excellent  material  to  carve  in,  pupils 
would  sometimes  cut  the  forms  of  horses  and  other  objects  in 
the  desk  and  carve  their  names  also.  This,  of  course,  was  not 
sanctioned  bj^  the  teacher,  yet  it  was  common  to  find  desks  bear- 
ing such  marks. 

APPARATUS. 

The  inside  of  the  school  buildings  as  a  rule  were  in  keeping 
with  the  outside  appearance.  There  was  no  library  or  reference 
books  of  any  kind.  Webster's  unabridged  dictionary  was  the 
only  book  outside  of  texts,  and  that  was  furnished  free  by  the 
state.  There  was  usually  a  partial  supply  of  maps,  and  occasion- 
ally a  reading  chart.  The  blackboard  was  composed  of  boards 
nailed  together  and  painted.  This  was  as  a  rule  poor  in  quality 
and  very  insufficient  in  quantity.  A  piece  3x4  feet  was  all  that 
some  schools  had.  Ciphering  and  sometimes  writing  exercises 
were  performed  with  slate  and  pencil.  It  was  a  rare  thing  to  see 
a  pupil  using  pencil  and  paper. 

TEACHERS  BOARDING  AROUND. 

During  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  years  after  the  county  was 
organized,  the  teachers  boarded  around,  that  is,  the  teacher 
boarded  free  of  charge  with  the  various  families  in  the  district 
that  sent  children  to  school.  The  teacher  stayed  with  each  fam- 
ily in  proportion  to  the  number  of  pupils  that  attended  school, 
usually  one  M^eek  for  each  pupil.  Boarding  around  had  some 
advantage  over  the  present  system,  as  it  afforded  the  teacher  an 
opportunity  to  get  acquainted  with  the  parents  and  home  life  of 
the  children,  thus  enabling  the  various  parties  to  understand 
each  other  better.    The  parents  and  pupils  looked  forward  to  the 


230  IIISTOHV  OF  :\I()XROE  COUXTY 

teaelier  coming  as  an  important  event,  and  you  may  be  sure  the 
teacher  got  the  best  the  family  att'orded.  But  there  was  another 
side  to  the  boarding  ai'oiiiid  lliat  was  not  so  pleasant  for  the 
teacher,  namely,  the  accommodations  were  not  always  what  was 
desirable  and  the  teacher  was  expected  to  entertain  or  be  enter- 
tained to  such  an  extent  that  she  had  little  time  that  she  could 
call  her  own  or  devise  plans  for  presenting  the  various  subjects. 
The  teacher  was  looked  upon  as  the  most  important  personage 
in  the  district,  and  no  Avedding  or  other  social  event  was  consid- 
ered complete  unless  the  teacher  was  present.  The  teacher  was 
supposed  to  be  tiie  best  informed  person  in  the  whole  district. 
The  following  lines  from  the  "Desertetl  Village''  portrays  the 
opinion  of  his  knowledge  held  by  the  country  folks: 

"  'Twas  certain  he  could  write  and  cipher,  too; 
Lands  he  could  measure,  terms  and  tides  presage, 
And  e'en,  the  story  ran,  that  he  could  gauge; 
In  arguing,  too,  the  parson  owned  his  skill. 
For  e'en  though  vanquished,  he  could  argue  still; 
AYhile  words  of  learned  strength  and  thundering  sound, 
Amazed  the  gaping  rustics  ranged  around ; 
And  still  they  gazed  and  still  the  wonder  grew, 
That  one  small  head  could  carry  all  he  knew." 

TOWNSHIP  SUPERINTENDENTS. 

The  schools  of  each  town  were  in  charge  of  a  man  known  as 
township  superintendent.  The  duties  of  the  town  superintendent 
were  to  supervise  the  schools  and  grant  licenses  to  teachers. 
Those  ofificers  were  usually  paid  $1.50  a  day  Avhen  in  service  of 
the  town.  The  teacher's  examination  comprised  much  fewer  sub- 
jects than  at  the  present  time.  The  examination  Avas  mostly  oral 
with  enough  writing  to  give  the  applicant  an  opportunity  to  show 
her  writing.  This  .system  was  abolished  in  18G2  and  the  county 
superintendenc}^  established. 

TEACHERS  AND  WAGES. 

In  those  early  days  there  were  a  much  larger  proportion  of 
male  teachers  than  at  the  present.  The  male  teachers,  as  a  rule, 
taught  only  the  winter  term  and  did  not  make  teaching  a  busi- 
ness. The  spring  terms  were  usually  taught  by  ladies.  As  a  rule 
the  teachers  of  this  early  period  were  not  up  in  professional  and 
academic  knowledge  with   the  t(>achers  of  the  present   tinu\  but 


THE  COUNTRY  SCHOOLS  231 

from  the  standpoint  of  maturity  they  were  ahead.  They  were 
men  and  women,  as  a  rule,  out  of  their  teens.  The  frequent  change 
of  teachers  and  poor  attendance  were  among  the  main  obstacles 
to  progress.  "Wages  varied  very  much  as  at  the  present  time. 
They  ranged  from  $1.50  a  Aveek  to  $16  or  $20  a  month,  and  the 
teachers  boarded  around  and  taught  every  other  Saturday.  In 
some  instances  the  wages  were  as  high,  or  higher,  then  as  at  the 
present  time,  but  those  were  exceptions. 

MODES  OF  PUNISHMENT, 

In  the  early  history  of  the  county  school  government  was  a 
much  bigger  proposition  than  it  is  today.  This  was  due  to  sev- 
eral things,  namely,  to  size  of  pupils,  lack  of  sufficient  employ- 
ment, and  to  the  general  attitude  of  the  people  regarding  punish- 
ment. In  those  days  boys  and  girls  attended  school,  especially 
during  the  winter  months,  until  they  were  grown  up,  eighteen 
and  twenty  years  of  age.  Many  of  them  carried  only  a  few 
branches,  and  of  course  were  not  busy  all  of  the  time,  and  there- 
fore were  harder  to  control.  Then,  too,  many  of  the  parents 
seemed  to  think  that  punishment  was  a  necessary  part  of  the 
child's  education,  and  in  some  way  a  knowledge  of  the  "three 
R's"  should  be  seasoned  and  worked  into  the  individual  by  a 
liberal  use  of  the  rod.     The  words: 

"Schooldays!     Schooldays! 

Dear  old  Golden  Rule  days; 
Reading,  'riting  and  'rithmetic. 
Taught  to  the  tune  of  a  hickory  stick," 

were  based  on  the  methods  and  beliefs  of  those  days.  The 
schoolmaster  that  did  not  do  considerable  punishing  was  not 
thought  to  be  doing  his  full  duty.  However,  many  of  them 
measured  up  to  the  expectations  of  the  district.  As  a  rule  there 
was  plenty  of  timber  near  the  schoolhouses  and  the  teacher 
usually  knew  enough  about  foresting  to  be  able  to  select  the 
toughest  switches,  and  he  knew  also  that  by  laying  them  on  the 
heated  stove  for  a  while  it  would  add  to  their  elasticity.  Several 
of  these  w^ell-seasoned  switches  were  generally  on  hand  and 
placed  in  a  conspicuous  position,  usually  over  the  blackboard. 
Sometimes  those  switches  would  mysteriously  disappear  and  no 
one  could  account  for  their  whereabouts.  However,  a  new  supply 
was  easily  secured,  seasoned  and  put  up.  Should  the  master's 
supply  of  switches  become  exhausted  during  the  session  periods 


232  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

of  the  day,  he  would  souu'tiines  send  one  of  the  small  l)nys  after 
a  new  supply. 

The  prevailing  method  of  punishment  Avas  striking  witii  the 
rod  on  the  palm  of  the  hand  and  on  the  finger  tips.  This  was 
rather  severe  and  much  dreaded  by  the  small  and  middle-sized 
boys,  for  the  boys  got  most  of  the  punishment.  But  to  the  lull- 
grown  boys  it  was  considered  a  game  in  which  it  was  the  teacher's 
part  to  strike,  and  the  boy's  part  to  catch  the  rod  before  the 
teacher  pulled  it  back.  If  the  rod  was  caught  it  was  broken 
and  then  the  stub  was  used,  and  the  game  went  on  till  the  rod 
became  too  short.  It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  the  above  methods 
of  bringing  the  refractory  pupils  to  time  was  practiced  chiefiy 
by  the  male  teachers,  but  w^as  by  no  means  unknown  to  the 
gentler  sex.  About  the  most  dreaded  punishment  meted  out  to 
the  boys  was  to  have  a  boy  sit  between  two  girls  for  an  hour  or 
so.  This  would  cause  the  bashful  country  boy  to  blush  profusely, 
and  usually  it  was  not  necessary  to  repeat  the  punishment  very 
soon.    The  following  lines  illustrate  this  fairly  well : 

"Some  playful  wight  perchance  was  doomed  to  sit 
Between  two  girls,  as  retribution  fit 
For  his  crimes;  and  so  he  learned  e'en  then 
The  truth  that  comes  in  time  to  all  young  men : 
'Tis  more  than  twice  as  hard  for  Adam's  son 

•To  sit  with  two  girls  as  to  sit  with  one." 

Other  methods  of  punishment  which  were  more  or  less  gen- 
eral, were  pulling  the  ears,  slapping  the  face,  and  taking  by  the 
collar  and  given  a  shaking,  etc.  Corporal  punishment  seemed  to 
be  more  freely  used  at  home  and  at  school  than  at  the  present 
time.  Those  having  the  training  of  children  in  charge  have  found 
out  that  it  is  possible  to  train  children  properly  with  little  or  no 
corporal  punishment.  Perhaps  it  should  not  be  dispensed  with 
all  together,  but  should  be  rai'cly  used. 

It  is  possible  in  most  cases  to  keep  a  pupil  under  control 
through  fear,  hut  that  is  not  the  proper  way,  for  it  destroys  the 
confidence  and  affection  the  pupil  should  have  for  the  teacher, 
without  which  it' is  impossible  to  get  the  best  results.  The  good 
teacher  who  possesses  sufficient  knowledge  and  ability  to  teach 
and  whose  heart  is  in  the  work  will  generally  have  no  difficulty 
witli  government.  On  the  other  hand  the  teacher  who  is  una])le. 
on  account  of  academic  or  professional  knowledge,  to  interest  her 
school  will  find  government  (juitc  a  problem. 


THE  COUNTRY  SCHOOLS  233 

SPELLING  SCHOOLS  AND  DEBATES. 

One  feature  of  the  eountrV  school  that  has  about  gone  out  of 
practice  is  the  old-fashioned  spelling  school.  These  spelling- 
schools  were  held  frequently  during  the  winter  term,  and  were 
participated  in  by  old  and  young  alike.  Sometimes  one  school 
Avould  spell  against  another,  but  occasionally  two  persons  were 
appointed  to  choose  sides,  regardless  of  schools,  and  everyone  in 
the  room  was  given  an  opportunity  to  spell,  but  only  those  that 
considered  themselves  good  spellers  accepted.  Those  in  the  con- 
test would  take  a  position  by  the  side  of  the  leader  and  two  lines 
were  formed  that  would  reach  around  the  room. 

Those  that  missed  took  their  seats  and  of  course  the  one  that 
stood  last  won.  Usually  the  winner  was  expected  to  spell  three 
M'ords  after  the  others  were  down.  After  the  spelling  contest 
there  were  reading  and  speaking.  The  spelling  school  was  looked 
upon  as  quite  a  social  event  and  was  attended  by  people  for  miles 
around.  Another  means  of  enjoyment  and  intellectual  improve- 
ment were  the  debates  which  were  usually  held  during  the  win- 
ter terms  also.    The  questions  were  usually  practical  and  simple. 

The  men  and  large  boys  took  part  in  the  discussions.  The 
interest  taken  in  those  discussions  may  be  shown  by  stating  t!iat 
it  was  common  for  people  to  walk  three  or  four  miles  to  hear 
and  take  part  in  the  discussion.  ]\Iany  a  farmer  and  town  official 
will  own  today  that  the  foundation  for  expressing  his  thoughts 
clearly,  to  think  logically  when  standing  before  people,  was  laid 
in  the  old-fashioned  debating  society.  A  literary  society  in 
which  debates  receive  a  prominent  part  should  be  a  part  of  every 
country  school  where  there  are  a  sufficient  number  to  carry  it 
on  successfully. 

TOWNSHIP   LIBRARIES. 

During  the  early  history,  as  has  been  stated  before.  a])out 
the  only  book  found  in  the  school  house  outside  of  the  text  books, 
was  Webster's  Unabridged  Dictionary.  In  1887  there  was 
enacted  a  township  library  law.  This  law  provided  that  10  cents 
should  be  reserved  from  the  school  fund  for  each  pupil  between 
four  and  twenty  years  in  the  district,  the  money  to  be  used  in 
purchasing  books.  But  for  the  first  eight  years  of  this  law  it  Avas 
optional  with  the  town  treasurer  whether  or  not  the  money  was 
set  aside  for  this  purpose. 

Many  of  the  treasurers  did  not  see  fit  to  do  tliis  and  for  a 
while  the  growth  of  the  district  lil)raries  Avas  slow.  In  189.5  tlie 
law  was  made  mandatory  and  since  then  there  has  been  a  rapid 


234  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

additiun  to  the  JiuiiihiT  oL'  l)ooks  in  llic  libraries.  I'nlil  about 
seveu  years  ago  the  town  elei-ks  bad  the  i)Ower  to  select  the 
books  and  since  that  official  usually  did  not  know  just  what  books 
to  select.  Ju'  did  not  alwaj's  make  the  best  selections  and  there 
were  nuuiy  duplications. 

The  county  or  district  superintendent  noAV  makes  the  selecr 
tion  I'oi-  ail  the  schools  under  his  jurisdiction.  He  usually  asks 
the  teachers  to  recommend  the  books  they  desire  and  1)y  this 
method  suitable  books  are  generally  ])rocured.  At  first  the  law 
provided  that  the  books  pass  from  one  district  to  another  so  that 
all  the  pupils  might  get  the  benefit  of  the  books.  This  was  nice 
in  theory  but  did  not  work  out  so  well  in  practice  for  no  one 
felt  or  could  be  held  responsible  for  the  books  and  the  card  cata- 
logue would  be  ineflt'ective. 

Now  the  books  are  selected  for  the  needs  and  conditions  of  a 
particular  district  and  are  not  changed.  It  is  really  a  district 
system  now,  but  the  name  township  is  still  retained.  "When  the 
library  books  were  first  introduced  in  the  schools,  as  a  rule  there 
were  no  book  cases  and  the  books  were  kept  at  the  district  clerk's 
home,  a  part  or  all  of  the  time,  which,  of  course,  Avas  not 
satisfactory. 

Now  every  district  has  a  book  case  and  the  books  are  left  in 
the  school  house.  There  is  a  card  catalogue  made  of  the  books 
so  that  the  material  they  contain  is  available.  These  libraries, 
besides  being  available  for  reference  work  in  connection  with 
various  subjects,  contain  interesting  and  instructive  stories  for 
all  grades  of  pupils  and  also  for  the  adult  population  of  the  dis- 
trict. Under  the  township  library  law,  ^Monroe  county  spends 
about  $1,000  a  year  for  library  books. 

These  books  are  distributed  among  the  Ho  districts  of  the 
county  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  children  between  four 
and  twenty  years  in  each  district.  Each  district  has  a  library 
ranging  from  seventy-five  to  200  books.  The  thing  needed  now 
is  to  make  better  use  of  these  books,  both  for  reference  and  gen- 
eral reading  and  develop  in  llie  boys  and  girls  a  desire  for  good 
reading. 


■o" 


SCHOOL  BOARD  CONVENTION. 

In  1005  there  was  a  law  enacted  requiring  each  county 
superintendent  to  call  a  convention  of  the  school  board  members 
of  county  annually.  About  every  district  in  the  county  was  rep- 
resented in  those  conventions,  and  in  addition  to  the  local  pro- 


THE  COUNTRY  SCHOOLS  235 

gram,  the  state  educational  department   always  sent  a  man  to 
discuss  one  or  more  subjects  chosen  by  that  department. 

Those  conventions  have  proven  to  be  a  very  important  factor 
in  improving  the  rural  schools.  They  have  been  the  means  of 
acquainting  the  board  members  more  fully  with  their  duties, 
powers  and  responsibilities,  have  increased  their  interest  in  the 
schools  and  emphasized  the  importance  of  sufficient  apparatus, 
and  the  necessity  of  obtaining  good  teachers.  These  meetings 
were  held  in  school  buildings  that  were  models  with  respect  to 
seating,  black  boards,  light  and  general  apparatus,  thus  giving 
a  good  idea  of  suitable  building  and  equipment.  These  meetings 
also  helped  standardize  the  schools  of  the  county.  At  first  some 
objected  to  the  law  on  the  ground  that  it  was  a  useless  expense 
without  producing  any  good  results,  but  time  has  proven  that 
the  objections  were  unfounded.  There  is  no  question  whatever 
regarding  the  benefit  of  this  law  and  the  trifling  cost  of  the  dis- 
tricts is  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  benefits. 

COMPULSORY  ATTENDANCE  LAW. 

For  a  great  many  years  there  has  been  a  compulsory  school 
law,  but  until  recently  it  has  been  practically  a  dead  letter,  for 
the  reason  that  the  school  board  was  to  enter  complaints  against 
parents  or  guardians  that  were  not  sending  their  children.  The 
board  was  not  compelled  to  report  and  there  was  no  penalty  for 
not  reporting,  and  for  the  further  reason  that  the  board  did  not 
like  to  make  enemies  of  their  neighbors  l)y  informing  on  them, 
they  did  not  report.  About  five  years  ago  the  Compulsory  Attend- 
ance Law  was  changed  and  made  it  the  duty  of  the  teacher  to 
enter  the  complaint  instead  of  the  school  board.  It  is  man- 
datory on  the  part  of  the  teacher  to  enter  the  complaint,  with  a 
penalty  if  it  is  not  done.  At  present  pupils  between  seven  and 
fourteen  years  and  not  more  than  two  miles  from  the  school 
house  by  the  traveled  road  are  required  to  attend  school  at  least 
six  months. 

Pupils  between  fourteen  and  sixteen  years  must  attend  the 
same  time  unless  they  are  regularly  employed.  The  law,  as  it 
now  stands,  is  quite  effective  and  has  been  the  means  of  giving 
many  neglected  children  the  opportunity  of  attending  school. 

Yet  the  law  is  not  enforced  as  rigidly  as  it  should  be,  and 
many  live  over  the  two-mile  limit  and  can  not  be  reached.  Dur- 
ing the  time  this  new  law  has  been  in  force  many  parents  have 
been  notified  by  the  truant  officer,  the  county  sheriff,  to  send 
their  children,  but  there  have  been  no  prosecutions.     It  is  not 


236  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

clear  to  school  people  why  any  parent  could  be  so  indiflfereut  to 
the  future  welfare  of  his  children  as  to  deny  them  tiie  oppor- 
tunity of  a  fair  chance  in  life  by  neglecting  to  give  the  benefits 
of  the  free  common  schools. 

IMPROVEMENTS  IN  METHODS  OF  TEACHING. 

There  is  quite  a  contrast  between  the  old  methods  and  those 
of  the  present  time.  For  instance,  the  child  was  obliged  to  go 
through  the  slow  and  tedious  process  of  learning  the  alphabet, 
A,  B,  C's,  before  beginning  to  read.  These  letters  were  to  be 
learned  in  order,  backward,  and  in  a  promiscuous  arrangement. 
Then  the  pupil  was  taught  to  pronounce  short  words  of  one.  two 
and  three  letters. 

This  lacked  interest  also  because  the  words  were  usually 
abstract  and  meant  nothing  to  the  child.  Yet  boys  and  girls 
learned  to  read  by  this  unpedagogical  system.  Now  the  cliild 
begins  to  read  by  being  introduced  to  a  familiar  word  repre- 
senting an  object  as — apple,  ball,  etc.,  or  perhaps  the  Avord  is 
used  in  a  sentence,  as  "Roll  the  ball,"  and  the  child  acts  it  out 
by  actually  rolling  the  ball  on  the  floor  or  on  the  teacher's  desk; 
thus  making  the  reading  interesting  and  instructive  from  the 
start.  The  books  for  primary  children,  especially  the  readers, 
have  been  greatly  improved  and  made  more  interesting  for  little 
folks.  The  old  text  books  were  written  mostly  on  the  question 
and  answer  plan,  and  if  the  pupils  gave  the  answers,  they  were 
not  usually  asked  to  go  into  an  explanation  as  to  the  meaning. 
There  has  been  quite  an  improvement  in  text  books  as  Avell  as  in 
the  methods  of  teaching. 

CLASSIFICATION  BY  GRADES. 

Years  ago  the  pupils'  scholarsliip  was  dctci-niincd  largely  l)y 
the  number  of  the  "Reader"  that  he  read  in,  and  if  a  boy  was 
asked  how  far  he  was  in  school  he  would  answer,  "Third  Reader" 
or  "Fourth  Reader,"  as  the  case  might  be.  Later  there  was  a 
course  of  study  gotlcii  oul  by  ttie  state  which  divided  the  work 
of  the  schools  into  three  parts,  called  forms,  and  were  known  as 
the  primary,  middle  and  upper  form. 

This  was  quite  an  improvement  on  the  old  way  and  led  to  a 
more  definite  classification  of  pupils  and  better  records  of  the 
work  done  by  the  individual  popils  and  was  also  the  means  of 
having  the  pupils  take  up  more  of  the  branches  in  the  course. 
Li  1906  the  graded  system  was  introduced.  This  system  divides 
the  course  into  eight  parts  called  grades,  and  it  is  supposed  that 


THE  COUNTRY  SCHOOLS  237 

an  ordinary  pupil,  that  is,  a  pupil  of  average  ability,  good  health, 
that  attends  regularly  and  studies  well,  will  be  able  to  complete 
a  grade  in  a  year  and  finish  the  course  in  eight  or  nine  years. 

This  is  more  definite  than  the  three-form  system,  because  it 
marks  off  the  course  into  years  instead  of  bunching  it  into  three- 
year  parts.  This  system  is  the  same  as  is  used  in  state  graded 
schools  and  in  the  grades  below  the  high  school,  and  is  nothing 
new.  The  graded  system  works  nicely  in  the  country  schools  of 
the  county.  It  is  especially  helpful  to  the  young  and  inex- 
perienced teacher,  and  makes  the  work  more  definite  for  all, 
besides  pupils  moving  from  one  district  to  another  can  readily 
find  their  place  in  the  new  school.  The  graded  system  is  not 
yet  generally  adopted  by  the  counties  of  the  state.  In  fact,  it  is 
not  known  that  any  of  them  outside  of  Monroe  county  uses  it. 
However,  it  is  believed  that  it  will  be  generally  adopted  before 
many  years  as  the  manual  of  the  course  of  study  outlines  some 
of  the  work  by  years  which  is  about  the  same  thing.  A  year's 
work  corresponding  to  a  grade. 

FREE  TUITION  FOR  THE  COMMON  SCHOOL  GRADUATE. 

Some  twenty  years  ago  a  law  was  passed  which  permits  pupils 
holding  common  school  diplomas  to  attend  any  high  school  in  the 
state  free  of  tuition.  That  is,  the  pupil  did  not  have  to  pay  it, 
but  the  town  in  which  the  pupil  resides  pays  the  tuition,  which 
is  $2  a  month.  This  free  tuition  law  stimulated  many 
country  people  that  would  not  have  done  so  if  they  had  to  pay 
the  tuition  directly,  to  send  their  children  to  high  school.  Thus 
it  may  be  seen  that  many  a  boy  and  girl  get  a  high  school  educa- 
tion through  the  merits  of  this  law. 


'&>' 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  SYSTEM. 

About  four  years  ago  a  law  was  passed  off'ering  each  school 
$50  each  year  for  three  years  on  condition  that  the  dis- 
trict would  make  certain  improvements  in  apparatus,  chief 
among  them  was  to  put  in  an  approved  heating  and  ventilating 
plant.  It  was  claimed  for  this  system  that  it  would  heat  the 
room  uniformly  and  keep  the  air  fresh. 

Whether  those  plants  will  heat  as  quickly  and  as  cheaply 
as  the  injacketed  stove  is  a  question  that  there  is  a  difference 
of  opinion  on.  However,  it  is  certain  that  the  ventilation  is 
much  improved  and  the  room  more  healthful  and  conditions 
for  study  much  better.  Nearly  every  district  in  the  county 
took   advantage   of   the  law  which   shows   that   board   members 


238  IIISTOIJV  OK  MONROE  COT'XTY 

were  ready  to  make  use  of  opportunities  for  llie  betterment 
of  the  physical  and  nuMital  development  of  the  ehildren.  While 
tliese  plants  are  not  doing  all  that  was  elaimed  for  them  and 
the  usual  unfair  means  and  misrepresentations  were  practiced 
in  jnany  cases  in  order  to  make  sales,  the  law  has  proven  very 
helpful  for  it  lias  been  tlie  means  of  supplying  necessities  to 
the  school. 

WRITING. 

One  of  tiie  most  important  subjects  and  the  one  that  has 
received  the  least  attention  or  no  attention  at  all  is  penmanship. 
Neither  the  time  nor  the  attention  has  been  given  to  this  sub- 
ject that  it  inerits.  There  are  several  reasons  for  this  but  the 
chief  one  is  that  the  teacher  has  received  no  special  training 
in  this  subject  and,  of  course,  could  not  impart  knowledge  that 
she  did  not  possess.  Usually  ten  or  fifteen  miiuites  was  devoted 
to  writing  each  day  but  as  there  was  no  system  to  follow,  it 
was  turned  into  a  go  as  you  please  exercise.  Yet  in  spite  of 
lack  of  method  of  system,  many  developed  into  fairly  good 
writers.  For  a  couple  of  years  this  subject  has  received  its 
share  of  attention  at  teachers  meetings  and  institutes  which 
has  paved  the  way  for  the  free  arm  movement  whidi  is  being 
introduced,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  school  will  turn  out  easy 
legible  writers.  To  be  a  good  writer  is  quite  an  accomplishment 
and  any  one  tliat  has  proper  control  of  his  muscles,  can  by 
careful  practice  under  proper  instruction  come  into  possession 
of  this  art. 

The  school  of  today  compared  witli  the  school  of  twenty 
years  ago. 

The  school  year  has  been  lengthened  at  least  one  fourth. 
The  building,  apparatus,  and  general  equipment  ai-e  inucli  im- 
proved. 

The  teachers  on  the  whole  are  better  prepared  academically 
and  professionally,  although  many  of  our  teachers  are  too  young 
to  shoulder  the  great  responsibility  that  they  undertake;  in  fact 
some  of  them  do  not  reali/A'  the  enormity  of  the  undertaking. 
Years  ago  it  was  common  to  find  young  men  and  young  women 
attending   school   especially   in   the   winter  months. 

Now  if  you  would  travel  the  county  over,  you  would  not 
find  any  full  grown  boys  and  gii'ls  in  attendance.  The  average 
pupil  of  12  and  13  years  of  age  today  is  as  far  advanced  as 
the  18  and  20  year  old  pupil  was  20  years  ago.  But  where  are 
those  boys  and   girls  14  years  of  age  and  upwards.'     They  are 


THE  COUNTEY  SCHOOLS  239 

not  in  the  country  school;  some  of  them  are  in  the  high  school 
but  most  of  them  are  out  of  school  altogether.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  boys  and  girls  leave  the  country  school  so 
early.  Our  Avhole  school 'system  has  been  severely  criticized 
lately  and  the  common  schools  came  in  for  their  share  and  no 
doubt  it  Avas  coming  to  them.  Yet  the  country  teacher  with 
her  multiplicity  of  duties  has  more  to  do  than  any  one  person 
can  do  well.  She  must  be  janitor,  nurse,  disciplinarian,  and 
mediator,    besides    teaching    all   the    branches. 

The  teacher  that  can  do  this  fairly  well  is  the  best  of  teachers, 
and  it  may  be  said  without  successful  contradiction  that  the 
country  school  gets  better  returns  for  the  amount  of  money 
invested   in   education  tlian   any  other   school   in  the   state. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

INSANE    ASYLUM   AND   HOME    FOR    THE    POOR. 

The  cariiiii;'  lor  the  poor  and  insane  oi'  any  eounty  is  a  problem 
to  whieh  sliould  be  brought  to  bear  level  headed  business  ability 
in  addition  to  the  mere  fact  of  providing  for  the  needs  of  such 
unfortunates;  that  this  department  of  municipal  atfairs  in  this 
founty  has  been  managed  with  business  acumen  having  in  view 
the  best  interests,  not  only  of  the  poor  and  insane  people,  but 
the  welfare  of  the  community  at  large ;  and  a  policy  inaugurated 
Avhich  accrues  to  the  benefit  of  the  taxpayers  is  very  apparent. 
In  1871  the  condition  with  regard  to  the  support  of  the  poor 
liad  become  so  hard  to  handle  without  a  central  home  or  place 
where  some  of  these  people  could  be  cared  for,  that  the  then 
eounty  board  was  compelled  to  consider  the  purchase  of  a  farm 
to  be  used  as  a  home  for  the  poor,  and  as  has  been  stated  in  a 
former  chapter  the  farm  of  David  Cole  of  two  hundred  acres, 
situated  in  the  town  of  Adrian,  Avas  purchased  in  that  year  for 
the  sum  of  $5,000,  but  as  the  county  grew  older  and  the  popula- 
tion more  dense  the  natural  increase  of  the  burden  of  caring 
for  the  poor,  so  developed  the  fact  that  this  farm  was  in  a 
poor  location,  being  quite  a  distance  from  the  county  seat, 
and  the  buildings  were  too  small  for  the  accommodation  of 
those  requiring  assistance;  the  county  board  finally  authorized 
the  sale  of  the  farm  and  purchased  one  lying  just  north  of  the 
city  of  Sparta  and  in  the  town  of  Sparta,  a  very  advantageous 
location  with  a' beautiful  building  site,  upon  Avhich  was  erected 
in  1900  a  large  brick  home  for  the  poor  with  modern  con- 
veniences at  a  cost  of  about  .$11,000.  It  l)ecame  evident  at  this 
time,  as  the  matter  had  been  discussed  eonsideral)ly  before, 
that  the  mHul)er  of  insane  with  which  this  county  was  charge- 
able, ])eing  cared  for  in  otlier  institutions  including  several  county 
asylums,  was  rapidly  increasing  and  the  burden  of  expenses  was 
growing  quite  rapidly;  a  committee  had  been  previously  ap- 
pointed to  investigate  the  subject  of  a  county  asylum  and  its 
report  created  quite  a  strong  sentiment  in  the  county  that  it 
would  be  advisable  for  this  county,  hnviiig  the  approval  of  the 

240 


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INSANE  ASYLUJM  AND  HOME  FOR  POOR  241 

State  Board  of  Control,  to  build  a  county  asylum  for  chronic 
insane.  The  proposal  was  made  to  change  the  poorhouse  then 
erected,  to  an  insane  asylum,  and  to  subsequently  erect  another 
home  for  the  poor  upon  the  same  farm.  After  considerable 
agitation  in  which  the  two  sides  of  the  county  were  arrayed 
against  each  other  the  proposition  finally  was  carried  out  and 
in  1902  another  home  for  the  poor  was  erected  on  another  part 
of  the  farm  near  the  asylum.  The  farm  had  been  enlarged  and 
improved  since  then  by  the  purchase  of  an  additional  120  acres 
of  land  and  by  the  erection  of  a  separate  heating  plant  and 
also  of  a  complete  water  works  system  Avhich  Avas  put  in  in 
1907;  this  system  consists  of  a  steel  tower  ninety  feet  high  with 
an  eighteen  foot  tank  on  the  top  with  a  capacity  of  50,000 
gallons,  standing  on  a  solid  concrete  foundation,  and  from  it 
run  six-inch  pipes  for  the  asylum  and  for  the  poorhouse  and 
and  barns  and  out-buildings,  and  in  connection  with  it  is  a  power 
house  having  a  large  Gould  pump  of  ten  horse  power  and  the 
AVestinghouse  electric  motor.  The  barns  are  all  of  the  most 
modern  construction  and  a  herd  of  dairy  cattle  is  maintained 
upon  the  farm  which  is  kept  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation 
and  now  produces  a  good  income.  Before  the  adoption  of  this 
system  the  county  was  compelled  to  pay  $3  a  week  for  the  main- 
tenance of  each  person  charged  to  it  in  any  of  the  institutions 
to  which  they  were  committed,  but,  of  course,  a  portion  of  this 
was  returned  by  the  state ;  almost  from  the  very  outset  it  be- 
came apparent  that  the  establishing  of  a  county  asylum  was 
a  good  business  venture,  for  not  only  were  the  patients  coming 
from  this  county  gradually  sent  here,  but  patients  from  other 
counties  are  committed  to  this  asylum  for  which  the  county 
receives  the  regular  amount  chargeable  by  the  law  for  the  main- 
tenance of  such  patients.  The  income  of  the  institution  from 
the  farm  and  from  other  sources  has  gradually  increased,  outside 
of  the  appropriation  made  by  the  county  board,  so  that  the 
receipts  of  the  sale  of  produce  from  $79-1:. 71  in  1904  increased 
to  $2,615.58  in  1911  and  at  the  last  report  of  the  trustees  for 
the  year  1910-1911  made  in  November,  1911.  it  is  shown  that 
the  permanent  investment  in  and  about  the  asylum  is  as  fob 
lows:  Farm,  $23,000;  buildings  less  2%,  $29,472.52;  live  stock, 
$5,715.50;  tools  and  implements  less  10%,  $1,449.86;  furniture 
and  furnishings  less  10%,  $1,775.88;  making  a  total  of  $61,415.76. 
The  home  for  the  poor  is  a  comfortable  brick  building  capable 
of  housing  thirty  inmates;  heated  by  steam  and  lighted 
by  electricity,  with  modern  conveniences,  surely  a  home  better 


242  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

fitted,  by  far,  than  the  great  mass  of  people  of  the  county  are 
al)le  to  afford;  the  asylum  at  the  last  report  had  a  total  popula- 
tion of  forty-five  nude  and  twenty-eight  female  patients.  .Mr. 
F.  J.  ]Mooney,  present  superintendent,  and  his  "svife  the  matron 
have  conducted  this  institution  very  successfully  for  the  last 
nine  years,  and  under  ]Mr.  ^looney's  management  the  farm  has 
been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  is  a  model  institu- 
tion;  some  of  the  patients  assist  in  carrying  on  the  farm  opera- 
tions and  it  is  considered  a  good  thing  to  have  them  busily 
employed  Avhen  they  are  able,  under  the  proper  supervision. 
During  the  years  of  the  existence  of  this  institution  for  the 
insane  the  amount  of  the  appropriation  which  the  county  board 
makes  has  gradually  decreased  from  j|^5,000  to  about  $2,500  and 
l)elow  is  given  a  little  list  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures, 
beginning  Avith  1902,  showing  simply  the  gross  amounts. 

1903. 

Year  ending  October  1st:  Receipts  from  the  county  board 
appropriation,  $4,500;  produce  from  farm  to  April  1,  1903, 
$108.69;  error  in  invoice.  $42.19;  balance  on  hand  in  county 
treasury  November  1,  1902,  $165.63.  Total,  $6,301.51.  Expendi- 
tures, total  of  $4,632.81 ;  leaving  a  balance  on  hand  October  1, 
$1,668.70. 

1904. 

Earnings  from  the  state  to  July,  1903,  $810;  receipts  from 
produce,  $794.71 ;  receipts  from  other  sources,  $1,869.67 ;  total, 
$3,474.38 ;  appropriations  from  county  board,  $5,000 ;  balance  in 
asylum  fund,  $85.34;  making  a  total  of  $8,559.72;  total  of  ex- 
penditures, $7,128.25;  leaving  a   1)alance  of  $1,431.47. 

1905. 

Receipts — Balance  of  last  i-eport,  $1,431.47;  earnings  from 
state,  $4,233.31 ;  sales  of  produce,  $548.25 ;  collection  from  other 
sources,  $575.01  ;  balance  in  the  poor  fund  for  maintenance  of 
the  home  for  the  poor,  $1,434.41;  making  a  total  of  $8,248.45; 
total  expenditures,  $6,850.90;  leaving  a  balance  on  hand  of 
$1,397.55.  This  report  shows  that  tlie  cost  per  capita  of  the 
innuites  is  $1.99i/:i  a  week. 

1906. 

Receipts — Balance  on  hand  from  last  report,  $1,397.55;  earn- 
ings from  the  state,  $4,587.05:  collection  for  district  attorney, 
$244 ;    sales   of   produce,    $599.28 ;    maintenance    of   poor   home, 


INSANE  ASYLIT]\I  AND  HOME  FOR  POOR  243 

$1,497.94;  expenditures,  $7,550.42;  balance  on  hand,  $775.40. 
This  report  shows  a  cost  per  capita  of  the  inmates  of  $2,011/3 
a  week. 

1907. 

Receipts — Balance  on  hand  from  last  report,  $775.40 ;  earn- 
ings from  the  state,  $5,794.16 ;  collection  from  district  attorney, 
$278.14 ;  Citizens  Insurance  Company,  $26 ;  sales  of  produce, 
$1,207.69 ;  maintenance  of  poor  home,  $1,712.77 ;  total  receipts, 
$9,794.16;  total  expenditures,  $9,459.63;  balance  on  hand,  $334.53. 
Cost   of  maintenance   per   capita  $2.22   per  week. 

1908. 

Balance  on  hand  last  report.  $334.53;  earnings  from  the  state, 
$5,469.40;  collection  from  district  attorney,  $3,483.60;  sales  of 
produce,  $1,092.27;  maintenance  of  poor  home,  $2.122.98 ;  total 
receipts,  $12,502.78 ;  total  expenditures,  $11,456.96 ;  balance  on 
hand,  $1,045.82.     Cost  per  capita  per  week,  $2.72. 

1909. 

Balance  on  hand  last  report,  $1,045.82 ;  earnings  from  state, 
$5,424.20 ;  collection  from  district  attorney,  $764.75 ;  sales  of 
produce,  $1,526.40;  maintenance  of  poor  home,  $1,978.22;  total, 
$10,339.59;  total  disbursements,  $11,758.04;  balance  overdrawn, 
$1,418.45. 

1910. 

Receipts — Cash  received  from  state,  $6,498.94 ;  cash  received 
from  farm  produce,  $2,392.96 ;  appropriation  by  the  county 
board,  $3,000;  special  appropriation,  $300;  cash  for  maintenance 
of  poor,  $2,576.09;  cash  miscellaneous,  $461;  total,  $15,228.99; 
total   disbursements,   $15,617.17 ;   balance   overdrawn,    $338.18. 

1911. 

Receipts — Cash  received  from  state,  $5,663.76 ;  received  from 
sale  of  farm  produce,  $2,615.58 ;  appropriation  by  the  county 
board,  $2,500 ;  special  appropriation,  $1,715 ;  cash  for  main- 
tenance of  poor,  $2,777.27 ;  cash  miscellaneous,  $867.54 ;  total, 
$16,136.15;  amount  of  total  disbursements,  $13,798.46;  balance 
on  hand,   $2,337.69. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA. 

Situated  in  a  fertile  valley,  surrounded  by  great  advantages, 
on  nearly  all  sides  farming  lands  as  good  as  are  to  be  found 
anywhere,   is   Sparta,   tlie   county   seat    of  this   county. 

Ever  since  it  became  a  village  of  any  appreciable  size  the 
beauty  of  the  location  and  surroundings  have  always  impressed 
itself  upon  visitors  and  at  the  outset  in  this  chapter,  perhaps, 
no  better  description  of  the  beauties  of  the  place  can  be  found 
than  is  contained  in  the  following  extract  which  was  written 
in  August,  1867,  by  a  special  correspondent  of  the  Chicago  Tri- 
bune. Parts  of  the  article  are  here  quoted  and  certainly  the 
description  is  beautifully  worded  and  will  apply  ;is  well  today 
as  it  did  forty-four  years  ago : 

"Imagine  a  beautiful  fertile  valley  through  which  tiows  a 
river  fed  by  numerous  trout  brooks  whose  soft,  clear  waters 
babble  of  the  spring  in  the  highlands  where  they  were  born. 
Surrounded  with  a  chain  of  blutfs,  some  near,  other  remote, 
among  Avhich  winds  the  river  and  its  tributaries  through  smaller 
valleys  which  arc  here  lost  in  the  greater  one.  Near  at  hand, 
scarcely  more  than  one  mile  away,  are  bluffs,  forest  covered, 
whose  well  divided  proportions  are  clearly  cut  against  the  blue 
sky.  On  each  side  of  the  retreating  valleys  the  bluffs  appearing 
on  the  opposite  side  are  confouiuled  in  the  distance  by  misty 
and  dim  lookiug  shadows  as  though  the  valley  was  entirely 
surrounded  by  a  coronal  of  hills. 

"The  flat  land,  smooth,  clcai-  and  grassy,  dotted  Avith  clusters 
of  graceful  trees;  thus  natui-e  planned  and  fashioned  it  and  now 
from  this  elevated  spot  where  I  stand  the  setting  sun  of  a  long 
August  day  illuminates  the  beautiful  village  with  its  din  and 
bustle,  and  tasty  residences  and  farmhouses  which  everyAvhere 
dot  the  landscape."  After  the  opening  of  the  state  roads  between 
Hudson  and  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  by  way  of  Sjiarta  to  Black 
River  Falls,  and  subsequently  from  Portage  to  LaCrosse  in  1849 
settlers  began  to  come  towards  the  western  part  of  the  state, 
particularly  in  what  was  then  LaCrosse  county.     As  has  been 

244 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  245 

written,  IMonroe  county  was  at  one  time  a  part  of  LaCrosse 
and  was  detached  from  it  in  1854.  It  is  undoubtedly  authentic 
tluit  Frank  Petit  must  have  settled  here  in  1849.  "Sir.  Searle, 
who  was  clerk  of  the  court  at  Black  River  Falls  at  that  time, 
made  the  statement  that  he  and  a  man  in  his  employ  visited 
Black  River  Falls  in  September  of  that  year.  In  the  evening 
of  the  first  day  they  encamped  where  Tomah  now  stands,  pro- 
ceeding on  their  way  in  the  morning,  and  owing  to  a  terrific 
storm  they  had  lost  their  way  and  had  nothing  to  guide  them 
except  the  range  of  bluffs.  Their  only  chance  of  getting  out 
of  the  situation  was  to  follow  these  bluffs  and  l)y  them  reaching 
the  Mississippi.  They  had  no  provisions,  but  killed  game  to 
supply  their  needs ;  they  traveled  south,  as  they  thought,  until 
they  came  to  a  small  stream  and  some  small  timber,  where  they 
encamped  for  the  night  as  best  they  could  in  a  drenching  rain 
and  without  food,  as  their  ammunition  being  wet  they  could  not 
obtain  any  game.  The  next  day,  towards  night,  they  struck  a 
trail  near  the  stream  where  the  marks  of  shod  horses  evidenced 
that  some  white  man  had  crossed  there.  They  followed  this 
trail  hoping  to  find  a  human  being  somewhere.  That  night 
they  encamped  near  Castle  Rock  and  the  following  day,  in  a 
storm  which  had  continued  all  that  night,  the  party  struck 
Robinson's  mills,  where  they  obtained  the  first  food  they  had  had 
since  their  own  supplies  gave  out. 

Here  the  travelers  took  a  rest  for  two  days  and  began  their 
return  homeward.  At  the  point  where  the  two  crossed  the 
river  they  determined  to  ascertain  what  description  the  land 
bore  and  they  marked  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  twenty- 
four  in  township  seventeen,  range  four  west,  Avhicli  is  now 
included  in  the  site  of  the  city  of  Sparta. 

Having  discovered  a  chance  for  a  Avater  power  at  this  point, 
^Ir.  Searle  at  once  went  to  Baraboo  and  applied  for  a  warrant 
for  the  land.  On  his  return  he  took  teams  loaded  with  lumber 
and  a  few  men  to  help  him  and  came  to  a  road  over  a  big  ridge 
on  his  land,  but  on  his  way  hither  he  discovered  that  the  real 
mill  site  was  above  that  point,  and  leaving  his  lumber  he  im- 
mediately set  out  for  Baraboo,  and  applied  for  another  warrant, 
but  one  of  his  men  had  betrayed  his  intention  to  Dr.  Angle 
at  Baraboo  who  promised  the  man  a  half  interest  for  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  land  having  on  it  the  mill  site.  These  two  immediately 
set  out  for  Mineral  Point  in  order  to  go  through  the  usual  form 
necessary  to  make  an  entry  and  to  entitle  them  to  full  possession 
of  the  land.     Searle  took  the  stage  and  Angle  Avent  on  horseback 


2-16  IlISTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Mild  tlnis  lijid  tile  advantage  of  speed  and  beat  Scarlc  by  one 
hour,  tlius  beeoiuing  the  owner  of  the  hind.  So  had  the  question 
been  settled  otherwise,  "Angelo"  wouhl  probably  have  been 
called  "Searlo"  or  something  of  the  kind.  Mr.  Kearle  having 
lost  tile  luiddle  site  and  not  knowing  that  a  city  was  to  spring 
up  on  that  forty  acres  took  no  farther  interest  in  this  claim  and 
sold  it  for  ^30.00.  He  also  states  that  upon  looking  for  iiis 
lumber  he  found  that  Petit  had  followed  the  rule  that  necessity 
knows  of  no  hiw.  and  had  used  it  in  building  a  house  for  himself 
near  Castle  Kock.  William  Petit  houglit  a  claim  of  160  acres 
of  land  near  the  crossing  of  these  two  state  roads,  and  Avhere 
the  site  of  the  city  now  is;  he  built  a  log  cabin  on  the  bank  of 
Beaver  creek  at  the  point  about  where  the  library  is  located ; 
when  his  cabin  Avas  completed  on  the  5th  day  of  July,  1851,  it 
was  the   first    building   of  any   kind   erected  in   Sparta. 

The  large  amount  of  travel  on  the  road  and  the  need  of  a 
resting  place  at  this  point,  induced  Petit  to  make  a  tavern 
of  his  dwelling  and  though  the  cabin  contained  but  one  room 
and  a  loft,  the  latter  apartment  having  no  fioor,  except  such 
a  one  as  was  made  of  a  few  rough  slabs  made  for  this  purpose, 
and  put  down  loosely.  There  were  few,  if  any,  beds  in  the 
house  and  travelers  wrapped  their  blankets  about  them  and 
laid  down  upon  the  hard  floor  to  lie  lulled  to  sleep,  if  that  was 
possil)le.  by  the  howling  of  the  hungry  wolves  Avhich  often  stuck 
their  cold  noses  through  the  crevices  between  the  logs  and  snift'ed 
in  anticipation  of  what  a  good  meal  they  could  have,  if  it  Avere 
possible  to   get  inside. 

At  this  time  supplies  had  to  be  brought  from  LaCrosse, 
Avhich  then  consisted  of  a  land  office  and  about  a  dozen  houses, 
a  hotel  and  one  or  two  general  stores.  The  varieties  of  food 
Avere  feAV  and  the  opportunities  to  get  them  Avere  still  fcAver, 
and  consequently  Petit  "s  bill  of  fare  at  the  inn  Avas  very  meager. 

In  August  1851  EdAvard  AValrath  arrived  and  at  once  made 
arrangements  to  settle  and  in  October  of  the  same  year  his 
father,  Kev.  Fredrick  AYalrath,  a  ^Methodist  clergyman,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  "\Yalrath  family  became  residents  of  this  place. 
The  elder  AYalrath  entered  a  claim  a  mile  or  so  south  of  Petit 's 
but  not  having  a  house  built,  in  the  fall  lie  made  arrangements 
and  did  share  the  Petit  cabin  Avitli  the  OAvner,  until  such  time 
as  he  could  build  one.  The  Petit  cabin  being  scantily  furnished, 
and  "\Yalratli  having  no  place  to  store  his  household  goods,  they 
Avere  used  in  common,  but  the  combined  possessions  of  the  tAvo 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  247 

families  were  not  sufficient  for  the  need  of  the  inmates  of  the 
lioiise  and  the  guests.  Great  inducements  having  been  offered 
by  the  state  government  to  parties  in  search  for  homes  by 
offering  thirty  years  time  at  7%  interest  within  which  to  pay 
for  hind  and  the  location  of  the  land  office  in  LaCrosse  caused 
a  great  deal  of  travel  by  the  way  of  Petit 's  tavern,  which 
resulted   in    a    gradual    settlement    of   the    land   near   by. 

Richard  Casselman  also  located  here  in  1851  and  built  a 
log  cabin  on  the  spot  that  is  now  the  northeast  corner  of  Oak 
and  Water  streets  which  he  used  as  a  blacksmith  shop ;  his 
house  was  a  little  back  of  the  shop  towards  the  creek.  William 
Kerrigan,  the  father  of  Mrs.  W.  N.  AYells,  Avas  then  a  lad, 
apprentice  to  Mr.  Casselman  and  came  with  the  Casselmans  to 
this  place.  J.  D.  Damman,  Lyman  Andres,  A.  H.  Blake  and 
Russell  Hill  came  to  Sparta  about  this  time.  Damman  building  a 
log  house  where  the  hotel  Lewis  now  stands  which  was  after- 
wards sold  to  Harron  who  kept  a  hotel  in  it.  A.  H.  Blake  built 
a  log  house  on  a  littk^  hill  not  far  from  Casselman 's  and  Mr. 
Hill   located   a    dwelling   farther   to   the  west. 

The  Rev.  W.  H.  Card,  a  Baptist  clergyman,  came  in  1851 
and  preached  the  first  sermon  in  Petit 's  house.  Ed.  Walrath, 
not  believing  the  minister's  assertion  that  he  would  hold  services 
there  that  Sunday,  went  out  trout  fishing.  AYhen  he  returned 
Mr.  Card  was  half  finished  with  his  sermon,  and  to  save  time, 
and  to  have  dinner  in  season.  Edward  seated  himself  in  the 
doorway  and  at  the  same  time  listened  to  the  elder's  remarks 
and  cleaned  the  fish.  The  minister  was  somewhat  indignant 
at  his  conduct  as  a  lack  of  respect  for  himself  and  for  the  Sab- 
bath, and  frowned  upon  the  young  man.  After  the  services 
were  over  Walrath  asked  Mrs.  Petit  if  she  would  cook  the 
fish,  to  which  she  gave  consent  and  notwithstanding  his  previous 
objection  the  minister  ate  heartily  of  the  trout  which  were  set 
before  him  at  that  meal. 

George  A.  Fisk  who  died  in  1866  came  to  Sparta  in  1851 
and  married  Catherine  E.  Walrath  in  1857 ;  ^Irs.  Fisk  survived 
her  husband  a  great  many  years  and  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age, 
passing  away  October  20,  1910,  and  in  connection  with  the  early 
settlement  of  the  village  it  will  be  of  peculiar  interest  at  this 
point  to  get  in  Mrs.  Fisk's  OAvn  words,  an  account  of  the  first 
winter  passed  by  she  and  her  father,  IMr.  Walrath,  in  Sparta, 
where  they  arrived  on  October  10,  1851.  A  sketch  of  the  first 
winter   of  her   residence   in   Sparta  written  by  Mrs.  Fisk  will 


248  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COT^NTY 

be  read  "with  s])ec.'ial  interest  by  all  and  more  particularly  by 
the  elder  residents  of  the  city.  She  entitles  it,  "My  First  AVinter 
in  Sparta." 

"Ill  l!io  spring  of  1851  my  father  made  up  his  mind  to 
break  up  the  old  home  and  emigrate  to  Wisconsin.  Ilis  children 
were  getting  the  AVestern  fever,  one  son  and  daughter  liad  already 
left  the  home  nest.  It  was  more  than  father  and  mother  could 
bear  so  the  farm  was  sold  and  the  goods  were  packed.  That 
was  the  beginning.  How  Avell  I  remember  the  packing  up.  Three 
large  dry  goods  boxes  about  as  big  as  a  small  barn,  it  seemed 
to  me,  were  bought.  I  remember  father  telling  mother  not  to 
put  in  anything  heavy.  She  had  already  packed  her  splint 
bottom  straight  back  sewing  chair.  Alothcr  made  the  remark  to 
sister  Sarah,  'I   can't  leave  the   chair   I  rocked  all  mv  babies 


in.' 


"In  these  boxes  were  stored  all  things  needful.  Among 
them  Avas  a  red  cherry  bureau,  part  of  her  setting-out  outfit,  as 
it  was  called  in  those  days,  when  young  people  took  each  other 
for  better  or  worse.  It  was  not  very  large  and  was  packed  full 
of  dried  fruits.  Tucked  in  every  corner  of  the  box  was  bedding 
of  all  kinds,  maple  sugar,  twenty-five  yards  of  carpet  and  many 
other  things.  AVe  took  the  packet  on  the  canal  as  far  as  BuiTalo. 
then  across  the  lakes  to  ]\Iihvaukee  and  from  there  to  my  sister's 
home  in  Fond  du  Lac  county  where  we  spent  the  summer,  while 
my  brother  Edward  went  to  LaCrosse  with  a  party  looking 
for  a  homestead.  On  his  return  father  bought  a  horse  and  what 
they  called  a  Democrat  wagon  (fii-st  democrat  ever  in  Sparta "i. 
a  ,ioke  as  well  as  wagon. 

"There  were  some  teamsters  who  wauled  to  see  the  wild 
west -and  they  offered  to  bring  our  goods  through  for  their 
board  and  lodging.  It  took  nine  days.  The  Avay  Avas  long 
and  most  of  it  nothing  l)ut  an  Indian  trail.  Sometimes  they 
came  to  what  was  called  a  swale  or  wet  marshy  ground.  AVe 
would  have  to  bridge  it.  Every  wagon  had  a  scythe  and  great 
forks  fastened  to  one  side.  Father  would  call  a  halt,  grass  and 
hazel  brush  were  cut  and  carried  to  fill  the  wet  places  before 
we  could  cross  over.  Sometimes  the  boys  Avould  want  to  rush 
things  so  as  to  hurry  along,  but  father  would  build  it  safe  for 
others  that  came  after.  AA^e  stopped  one  afternoon  in  Lemonweii- 
A^'alley  to  pick  cranberries.  The  farmer  told  father  he  could 
liave  all  we  could  pick  in  three  hours.  AVe  picked  a  barrel 
and  the  farmer  furnished   tlie  ])ai'rel   to  put  them  in. 

"  We  reached  Sparta  on  the  10th  of  October,  1851,  ju.st  as  the 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  249 

sun  was  setting  so  beautifully  as  we  drove  down  the  hill  near 
where  the  Old  Ida  House  used  to  stand ;  across  the  little  stream 
(Beaver  Creek)  to  the  old  Globe  Hotel.  I  have  never  since  seen 
such  a  beautiful  sunset.  Father  said  to  mother,  'It's  like  Para- 
dise.' The  hotel  had  one  window  and  a  door  with  a  wooden  latch 
and  buckskin  string  to  lift  it.  Father  was  delighted  with  the  out- 
look   over    the    prairie.      Not   many   trees   then. 

"He  took  up  a  claim  beyond  where  the  Milwaukee  de})ot 
noAV  stands.  j\Iy  father  and  brothers  were  carpenters  so  it  did 
not  take  long  to  build  a  log  cabin.  AVe  moved  in  our  new  home 
on  the  loth  of  November  without  a  chamber  tioor  or  window 
or  door.  Rag  carpets  and  blankets  were  tacked  over  tlie  places 
for  windoAvs  and  doors.  That  night  came  the  first  snow.  It 
made  us  wish  for  our  old  home.  The  boys  soon  had  doors  and 
got  windows  from  LaCrosse.  The  lumber  came  frm  Black  River 
Falls  and  it  took  three  days  to   go   and  come. 

"Then  when  the  boxes  were  unpacked  such  a  mine  of  wealth. 
Lots  of  warm  bedding,  a  little  sewing  chair,  red  cherry  stand 
and  bureau,  three  flag  bottom  chairs,  small  book  case  with  Watt's 
sermons  and  Clark's  Commentary  and  other  books,  twenty-five 
yards  of  rag  carpet,  a  bolt  of  cotton  cloth  and  curtain  calico, 
you  could  see  your  face  in  (the  first  ever  in  Sparta),  lots  of 
dried  fruit,  dishes  and  table  linen.  AVe  were  quite  comfortable. 
AYe  had  an  elevated  oven  cook  stove.  They  were  the  style  those 
days.  The  boys  made  some  tamarack  bedsteads  for  the  chamber. 
The  roof  was  shingled  with  shacks,  all  that  could  be  bought  at 
that  time.  It  was  a  terrible  cold  winter  and  lots  of  snow.  Some 
mornings  mother  would  have  to  come  upstairs  and  sweep  up  the 
snow  before  we  would  go  to  breakfast.  Mother  had  tacked 
cotton   cloth   on   the   rafters   over   our  beds. 

"We  only  had  one  mess  of  potatoes  all  winter.  A  lady  where 
father  stopped  when  he  went  to  Black  River  to  preach  gave 
him  a  half  bushel.  ^Mother  said  she  would  cut  out  the  eyes 
and  the  rest  she  would  cook.  I  never  saw  so  many  eyes  in 
potatoes  before  or  since.  In  the  fall  father  bought  two  kinds 
of  rutabagas  of  ]\[r.  Frank  Petit  who  lived  four  miles  out  and 
a-  lot  of  pumpkins.  Grandma  Petit  told  mother  how  to  make 
pumpkin  butter  that  was  delicious.  Those  rutabagas  were  the 
loveliest  things,  all  the  apples  we  had  that  winter.  Some  were 
white. 

"Brother  Edward  made  a  lovely  couch  out  of  those  boxes. 
It  had  back  and  arms  long  and  wide  enough  to  sleep  on  when 
the  preachers  would  raid  us.     AYe  had  so  many  boards  for  the 


250  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

sitting  room,  so  many  for  the  dining  room  and  tlie  rest  for 
the  kitchen.  Our  pantry  was  just  holes  in  the  logs,  boards 
across  and  curtained  with  curtain  calico,  the  same  as  the  couch 
Avas  covered  with  and  everything  matched.  The  sitting  and 
dining  rooms  were  carpeted.  The  boys  made  benches  which 
wei-e  covered  Avith  curtain  calico." 

.Mr.  W'iihiilli.  a  .Methodist  minister,  began  his  missionary  labors 
in  tile  county  by  preaching  his  first  sermon  in  Sparta  in  Novem- 
ber, 1851;  his  congregation  consisted  of  five  persons;  after  tliis 
he  held  meetings  wherever  the  people  Avould  have  him  do  so, 
journeying  for  miles  through  an  almost  travelless  Avoods  to  hold 
services  for  some  family  avIio  had  sent  him  an  invitation.  Some- 
times going  on  horseback  but  oftener  on  foot.  Truly  a  pioneer 
in  the  cause  of  Christianity.  Occasionally  the  entire  population 
of  the  valley  Avould  turn  out  and  accompany  him  in  a  sleigh 
to  some  place  farther  on  in  tlie  Avoods.  and  eA^en  then  the  sleigh 
would  not  b(^  full.  A  ]\Irs.  Parks.  Avho  resided  six  miles  from 
Sparta,  upon  one  occasion  sent  him  word  that  she  and  her  little 
ones  could  not  Avalk  doAvn  to  Petit 's  to  hear  liini  preach  and 
dared  him  to  meet  lier  and  her  family  half  Avay.  And  he  did. 
The  meeting  Avas  held,  the  parties  each  making  a  journey  of 
three  miles  and  ])ack  for  the  sake  of  enjoying  the  services.  During 
uuiny  occasions  this  minister  of  the  gospel  Avas  often  pursued 
by  Avolves  Avith  which  the  forests  abounded.  He  Avas,  hoAvever. 
never  injurinl  by  any  of  these  blood-thirsty  animals,  and  eA^ery 
one  at  tliat  tinu^  Avas  more  or  less  annoyed  by  tliem.  They 
surrounded  dwellings  and  made  the  night  hideous  Avith  their 
hoAvlings,  plundering  Avhenever  an  opportunity  offered,  and  to 
rid  the  nuisance  the  people  resorted  to  ti'aps  as  well  as  hunting 
them    Avith    guns. 

A  number  of  adventures  are  recorded  with  these  aninuils 
and  one  concerns  Captain  Fisk,  avIio,  having  been  out  in  the 
country  in  company  Avith  the  tAvo  daughters  of  ^Nlr.  Walrath. 
Avas  returning  after  dark;  there  Avere  good  roads  and  they  Avere 
going  along  nicely  when  ]\Ir.  Fisk  discovered  they  Avere  being 
chased  by  five  large  Avolves.  He  made  no  meulion  of  the  fact 
to  the  girls  but  Avhipped  the  horses  to  a  fasti-r  speed  but  still 
the  Avolves  Avere  gaining  upon  them  and  matters  Avere  becoming 
serious,  Avhen  the  bolt  that  holds  the  Avhitifle-tree  dropped  out 
thus  necessitating  a  stop,  lie  sprang  out  to  remedy  the  damage 
and  fortunately  found  the  bolt  for  Avhich  he  Avas  searching, 
and  at  that  time  the  girls  noticed  how  strange  his  voice  sounded, 
and  kept  looking  l)ackAvards.    FolloAviug  his  glances  to  see  Avhat 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  251 

was  the  troul)le  they  beheld  the  panting  wolves  almost  within 
reach  of  their  arms.  It  was  a  trying  position,  none  of  the  party 
had  a  weapon  of  defense  and  their  only  liope  was  flight.  The 
horses  had  not  been  frightened  by  the  pursuance  of  the  wolves 
but  became  so  upon  hearing  the  slight  screams  of  the  girls  when 
they  discovered  their  danger.  Fisk  sprang  into  the  sled,  urged 
the  horses  forward  and  struck  backwards  with  his  whip  at  the 
wolves ;  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  strong  wdiip  he  had  the  wolves 
would  certainly  have  jumped  into  the  sled.  Mile  after  mile 
they  went  in  this  way.  It  can  be  readily  imagined  that  minutes 
were  hours  to  the  pursued  party  in  this  race  for  life.  The 
wolves  repelled  by  the  whip  tried  several  times  to  cut  off  the 
flight  by  attempting  to  get  into  the  road  and  trip  against  the 
horses  at  the  point  of  meeting ;  the  constant  bloAvs  with  the 
whip,  however,  caused  them  to  fall  back,  and  the  chase  con- 
tinued, the  wolves  snapping  their  teeth  and  keeping  close  to 
the  sled  until  the  clearing  was  reached  and  the  settlement  ap- 
peared in  view,  and  then  only,  did  the  wolves  give  up  their 
pursuit.  It  was  an  incident  long  to  be  remembered  by  those 
who   w^ere    engaged   in   it. 

Other  wild  animals  as  well  as  wolves  and  also  wild  fowls 
of  all  kinds  were  plentiful  in  this  region  at  this  time ;  old  settlers 
say  that  prairie  chickens  were  so  numerous  that  only  partial 
crops  of  grain  could  be  raised  owing  to  the  fact  that  these  birds 
would  devour  every  kernel  of  grain  they  could  see  and  hang 
around  the  fields  in  great  flocks.  They  were  such  a  nuisance 
that  they  were  obliged  to  destroy  large  numbers  of  them  in 
self-protection. 

The  year  1852  brought  many  interesting  events  and  ]\Ir.  Petit 
in  this  year  laid  out  the  old  court  house  square  and  platted  a 
number  of  lots  around  it ;  there  being  sufficient  population  in 
the  village  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  called  and  a  resolution 
was  passed  to  the  etfeet  that  the  village  should  have  a  name ; 
there  w^as  considerable  discussion  as  to  hoAv  this  name  should 
be  decided  upon,  but  it  was  finally  agreed  that  Mrs.  Petit,  the 
mother  of  the  tw^o  Petit  boys,  should  have  the  privilege  of 
choosing  the  name  and  she  gave  it  the  name  of  ''Sparta." 

A  little  later  in  the  same  year  Lyman  Andrews  built  the 
first  frame  house  in  the  city  upon  a  lot  given  for  the  purpose 
by  Mr.  Petit,  who  was  offering  to  give  lots  to  all  who  would 
erect  buildings  upon  them ;  the  lot  was  at  the  Northeast  corner 
of  the  square  and  the  building  was  erected,  opened  as  a  tavern 
and  was  called  the  Sparta  Exchange.     G.  H.  Ledyard,  a  Portage 


2.12  HISTORY  OF  ,MO.\KOE  COUNTY 

jiian  wlio  had  been  peddling;  tliroiifjli  this  section  of  the  country 
since  its  first  settlement,  opened  a  store  in  the  log  cabin  at  tliis 
time  the  first  store  in  the  village.  'I'lie  fii-st  biiihling  for  use 
as  a  store  was  erected  by  C.  J\athbun  on  what  was  then  known 
as  Cassebnan's  corner  where  the  Greve's  block  was  subse(iueutly 
l)uilt.  Samuel  Fisk  arrived  in  Aucrust  and  lived  in  the  house 
Avith  Casseliiiaii  uiilil  he  could  Imild  one  foi'  his  family.  Tliis 
was  located  wdiere  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  depot 
now  stands;  George  A.  and  W.  ^\.  Fisk  were  the  sons  of  Daniel 
Fisk.  In  the  spring  of  1852  the  first  election  of  any  kind  was 
held  in  tlie  village  and  seventeen  votes  Avere  cast;  T\.  J.  Cassel- 
man,  AVilliam  Petit  and  Lyman  Andrews  were  the  committee 
of  election;  Sparta  being  at  that  time  a  ])art  of  the  town  of 
Leon   in    the   county    of   LaCrosse. 

In  December  of  the  same  year  Samuel  Hoyt  arrived  and 
began  looking  for  a  home;  he  bought  a  lot  from  .Mi-,  llarron 
for  $16  and  built  a  cabin  upon  it  and  subsequently  ^Ir.  llarron 
became  dissatisfied  and  offered  Mi-.  Hoyt  the  lot  adjoining  the 
other  as  a  gift  if  he  would  pui-chase  his  oxen  and  farm  so  lie 
could  leave  the  place.  Hoyl  lundc  llic  purchase  and  Harron 
moved  away. 

People  at  this  time  were  constantly  filing  ncAV  claims  througli 
the  land  office  in  LaCrosse  and  taking  up  land  and  it  was  neces- 
sary, of  course,  to  have  witnesses  to  the  fact  of  their  residence 
on  the  land  for  a  sufficient  time  to  enabh'  tlieiu  to  get  title. 
AVilliam  Petit,  James  Phillips,  AVilliam  King  and  William  Kerri- 
gan it  is  rehilcd  once  went  in  company  to  tlie  land  office  at 
LaCrosse.  Reluming  they  passed  tlii-  cnhin  of  a  Avomaii  known 
as  mother  Paddock,  wlio  was  noted  for  her  masculine  attributes. 
The  old  lady  was  the  possessor  of  a  dog  which  had  a  bad  habit 
of  i-unning  out  and  barking  at  teams  and  Kerrigan,  nu)re  for 
mischief  tlian  anything  else,  fired  at  the  dog  not  thinking  that 
be  could  hit  it  at  so  great  a  distance  and  it  was.  his  misfortiuie 
to  wound  the  animal  in  the  neck.  A  whib^  aft(M'wards  E.  AVali-ath 
and  K.  Tliompson  passed  that  way  and  took  dinner  with  her 
at  which  they  saw  tlie  dog,  which  was  then  fully  recovered 
with  the  exception  that  it  had  lost  its  voice.  It  would  go  all 
through  the  motions  of  barking  b\it  could  not  make  a  souiul. 
Walrath,  for  a  joke  pointed  to  his  companion  and  said:  ''Mrs. 
Paddock,  here  is  the  man  who  shot  your  dog."  Going  to  the 
supposed  offender  with  her  fists  doubled  ui^  and  with  a  threaten- 
ing attitude  the  old  woman  said,  ''Sir,  all  that  keeps  me  from 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  253 

cowhiding  the  man  who  shot  my  dog  is  that  I  believe  him  to  have 
been  drunk  at  the  time,  therefore  not  accountable  for  the  act." 
Thompson  got  a  little  pale  about  the  mouth  and  did  not  seem 
to  have  the  usual  relish  for  his  dinner  and  after  that  both 
AValrath  and  Thompson  failed  to  stop  for  meals  at  ]Mrs.  Pad- 
dock's on  their  way  to  Sparta  from  LaCrosse. 

This  year  the  first  logging  was  done  on  the  LaCrosse  river. 
No  sawmills  had  as  yet  been  built  in  this  section  and  the  logs 
had  to  be  driven  to  Neshonoc.  Kerrigan  and  the  two  Phillips 
l)rothers  did  the  driving.  A  number  of  amusing  incidents  oc- 
curred in  the  log  driving.  It  seems  that  AVilbur  E.  Fisk  had 
started  out  with  the  company  of  loggers,  but  being  inexperienced 
in  log  driving  he  covild  not  keep  his  footing  when  on  the  logs 
in  the  water  and  he  got  on  one  log  which  began  to  roll  rapidly 
and  he  began  to  dance  trying  to  keep  his  feet.  Faster  and 
faster  they  went  and  getting  frightened,  sprang  into  the  water 
and  clasped  the  log  with  his  arms ;  but  the  log  had  acquired 
such  a  momentum  that  he  was  whirled  over  and  over  in  and 
out  of  the  water  with  great  rapidity  and  he  was  finally  rescued 
with  much  diificulty  nearly  strangled  and  chilled  to  the  bone. 
He  did  not  continue  any  farther  in  the  business  but  took  the 
nearest  road  for  home  satistied  that  he  was  not  suited  for  log 
driving.  Later  in  the  same  year  a  sawmill  was  erected  in  Angelo 
by    Seth   Angle. 

The  year  1853  brought  many  interesting  events  to  the  little 
village;  a  post  office  was  established  and  AVilliam  Petit  appointed 
and  installed  as  postmaster  and  made  Richard  Casselman  deputy, 
who  used  his  hat  for  a  post  office.  At  the  beginning  there  was 
only  one  mail  each  week  and  it  did  not  amount  to  more  than 
a  few  letters  and  one  or  two  papers  so  that  it  was  no  great 
task  to  "distribute  the  mail;"  and  as  a  rule  those  who  wanted 
to  get  their  mail  went  to  Mr.  Casselman  and  upon  inquiring 
for  it,  he  would  take  down  the  post  office  from  his  head  and 
hand  out  the  letter  if  there  was  one.  Mr.  Petit,  however,  had 
some  difficulty  with  Casselman  and  appointed  Lyman  Andrews 
his  deputy,  Avho  dignified  the  office  by  keeping  it  at  the  Sparta 
Exchange.  Soon  after  this,  Petit  sold  out  his  entire  interest 
in  the  village  to  A.  F.  Bard  and  moved  away  while  Casselman 
was  appointed  postmaster  and  served  in  this  capacity  for  several 
years.  A.  H.  and  Hilton  Blake  during  this  year  erected  a  saw- 
mill in  the  village  on  the  bank  of  Beaver  creek  and  were  it 
still  standing  it  would  be  in  the  middle  of  Water  street  in  the 


2r,4  TITSTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

down  town  district.  Court  street  was  then  called  Elaine  and 
it  bore  that  name  until  the  erection  of  the  court  house  on  the 
court   house   square. 

There  were  a  few  new  coiners  during  this  year  some  locating 
in  the  village  and  some  on  farms  near  by.  AV.  S.  Newton 
established  a  hardware  on  Oak  street  early  in  ]\Iay.  Andrew 
Allen  in  September  opened  a  store  where  ]\Ir.  Harron  had  former- 
ly kept  a  tavern;  this  year  the  medical  profession  made  its 
bow  to  the  community  in  the  person  of  Dr.  George  A.  MilJigan. 
who  was  most  joyfully  received  ])y  the  inhabitants  and  was 
the  first  physician  to  locate  in  the  county  of  Monroe.  He  is 
still  living  in  the  city  of  Sparta  at  a  very  advanced  ag"  having 
retired  from  practice  a  number  of  years  ago ;  ^laj.  Morrison 
]Mc^lillan  arrived  in  1853  and  located  on  a  farm  in  the  villago 
and  afterwards  became  quite  prominent  in  county  affairs.  Timo- 
thy Barker  was  also  another  of  the  settlers  at  this  time,  he 
building  a  two  story  house;  in  addition  to  these,  there  were 
probably  eight  or  ten  more  new  settlers  in  or  near  Sparta  during 
this   year. 

The  fine  pul)lic  school  system  of  Sparta  had  its  humble  be- 
ginning in  1853  with  the  erection  of  a  small  board  shanty  about 
12  X  16  feet  in  size,  which  afterwards  served  the  double  purpose 
of  a  school  house  and  church.  ]\Iiss  Sarah  AValrath  was  the 
first  teacher  regularly  employed  and  opened  the  teaching  under 
adverse  circumstances  but  with  the  pluck  and  vim  Avhicli  charac- 
terized  the   earlier  inhabitants. 

During  this  year  there  was  a  miniature  Indian  war  precipi- 
tated in  the  vilhige  which  proved,  however,  to  be  almost  entirely 
one  sided  but  which  brought  the  desired  results.  It  seems  that 
the  "Winnebago  Indians,  as  had  ever  been  the  case,  claimed  all 
the  territory  to  be  theirs  previous  to  the  coming  of  the  white 
people;  this  tribe  at  that  time  had  degenerated  somewhat,  were 
very  inferior  to  the  Chippewa  Indians  who  lived  farther  north, 
and  the  settlers  invariably  had  nothing  to  do  with  tlie  AVinne- 
bagos  but  were  annoyed  by  them  at  times,  as  they  would  steal, 
and    in    certain    cases   became    quite   impudent. 

One  instance,  which  aroused  the  ])eople  of  the  village,  oc- 
curred in  the  summer  of  185)},  Avlien  an  Indian  came  to  the 
home  of  R.  H.  ^McMann  in  Big  Creek,  about  four  miles  from 
Sparta  and  demanded  food  of  him  and  ui)on  being  refused, 
pointed  his  riHe  at  the  farmer  and  threatened  to  shoot  him 
unless  it  was  produced.  This  so  enraged  Mr.  ^Ic^Iann  that  after- 
wards  he  made   a    complaint   to   the   authoi-ities  in   Sparta    and 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  255 

the  news  having  gotten  among  the  people,  a  volunteer  company- 
was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  punishing  the  Indians ;  every 
man  in  the  village  and  within  two  miles  around  volunteered 
his  service  and  the  company  was  organized,  numbered  about 
twenty-five  men ;  a  camping  party  of  about  forty  AVinnebagos, 
to  which  the  Indian  belonged  who  had  threatened  Mr.  McMann, 
were  camped  about  two  miles  from  his  farm ;  to  this  point 
marched  the  brave  little  army  intent  upon  punishing  the  AA^inne- 
bago  and  inflicting  a  lesson  which  would  be  lasting.  Upon 
arriving  at  the  Indian  camp,  a  demand  was  made  for  the  Indian 
who  had  threatened  McMann  and  they  were  informed  that  he 
would  be  whipped  as  a  punishment.  To  their  surprise,  the 
AVinnebagos  made  no  resistance  whatever,  but  allowed  the  whites 
to  take  possession  of  the  Indian  and  not  only  that,  but  to  take 
their  guns  away  from  them  which  were  fired  otf  and  stacked 
together.  The  Indian  was  stripped  of  his  clothes  and  severely 
Avhipped  by  Mr.  AIclMann  with  a  blacksnake.  The  red  man, 
however,  stood  with  folded  arms  and  not  moving  a  muscle  on 
his  body,  proudly  erect  and  disdained  to  show  any  sign  of 
suffering.  AA^hen  McMann  had  inflicted  sufficient  punishment, 
the  Indians  were  marched  to  the  village  and  arranged  in  front 
of  the  Sparta  Exchange  where  they  were  given  food  by  the 
proprietor,  Lyman  Andrews ;  they  all  ate  heartily  except  the 
Indian  who  had  been  whipped,  he  refused  to  touch  the  food. 
AVhen  the  meal  was  done  the  settlers  told  the  Indians  to  go 
and  gave  them  to  understand  that  they  must  stay  away  and 
never  be  seen  in  that  part  of  tlie  country  again ;  this  heroic 
treatment  had  its  effect  and  it  is  related  that  there  was  no 
trouble  with  Indians  afterwards,  although  one  time  soon  after 
the  people  of  the  village  had  a  serious  scare  from  a  rumor  to 
the  effect  that  the  Indians  were  to  massacre  the  whites  in  re- 
venge for  this  whipping;  it  proved,  however,  to  be  without 
foundation. 

Eighteen  fifty-four  brouglit  things  of  big  interest  to  the  people 
of  the  little  village;  for  during  the  winter  a  bill  Avas  pending  in 
legislature  to  set  aside  the  county  of  Monroe  from  LaCrosse 
county  and  a  lively  little  contest  was  on  as  to  where  the  county 
seat  should  be  located;  whether  at  Leon,  which  was  then  quite 
a  settlement,  or  at  Sparta;  the  bill  was  finally  passed  and  ap- 
proved by  the  governor  IMarch  21,  and  it  provided  that  Sparta 
should  be  the  county  seat  of  the  county  and  on  the  first  Tuesday 
in  April  the  first  election  was  held  at  which  the  full  quota  of 
officers  were  elected  and  the  records  show  that  a  total  vote  of 


256  IIISTOKY  OF  .AIOXKOE  ("OIXTV 

seventy  was  jjollcd  in  tlic  cnlirc  rounty.  Nearly  all  oL'  the 
eounty  ofHeers  were  residents  of  the  village  of  Sparta  and  con- 
tained  many   well    known   names. 

A.  11.  Hlake  was  elected  county  judge,  E.  AValrath,  sheriff; 
AVilhur  Fisk,  register  of  deeds;  John  Barker,  clerk  of  the  court; 
Samuel  Iloyt,  county  treasurer;  A.  B.  Cornel,  district  attorney. 
This   year  brought  several  new   settlers,   all  of  whom   it   is 
impossible    to   enumerate,    but    among   them    early   in   July   was 
George   AV.   Koot    and    family.      Mr.   Koot   bought   the   house   of 
Lyman  Andrews,  then  known  as  the  Sparta  Exchange,  together 
with  the  stock  of  goods  and  continued  the  business,  hiring  ]\Ir. 
Andrew's  dining  room  table  as  a  counter  for  a  shilling  a  week. 
J.  i\I.  Sugden  came  up   from  St.  Louis  that  year  and  l)uilt  the 
first  brick  chimney  in  the  village  in  Mr.  Root's  house.     Sugden 
erected  a  paint  shop  on  Water  street,  and  it  was  at  the  time 
the  largest  building  on  that  street;  people  called  him  crazy  for 
|)n1ting  up  such  a  large  house  for  a  paint  shop.     Doctor  Gage, 
in  an  article  on  the  early  settlers,  says  of  I\Ir.  Sugden : 

"Sugden,  one  of  the  pioneers  and  a  first  class  painter  and 
paper  hanger,  found  this,  at  that  early  period  a  not  very  inviting 
field  for  these  pursuits,  but  iew  buildings  then  Avarranted  this 
class  of  adornment  and  he  betook  himself  to  bricklaying,  in  the 
Avay  of  making  small  chimneys  for  the  roofs  of  small  houses 
as  a  means  of  turning  an  honest  penny,  and  he  became  known 
as  the  handsome  bricklayer,  l)ut  whether  this  term  was  to  be 
applied  to  the  individual  himself  or  to  his  work  has  never  yet 
been  with  certainty  known." 

Among  others,  Charles  Dickenson  and  family  came  this  year 
and  was  one  of  the  men  who  at  one  time  conducted  the  Log 
Tavei-n  which  stood  where  the  Hotel  Lewis  now  is.  At  the  time 
of  his  arrival  there  were  about  fourteen  houses  in  the  village. 

Things  looked  so  promising  for  the  future  that  a  Fourth  of 
July  celebration  was  indulged  in  and  every  one  within  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  of  the  village  participated,  making  it  a  grand 
occurrence.  George  Flint,  of  LaCrosse.  delivered  the  address 
and  the  day  was  passed  in  amusements  of  various  kinds,  a  dinner, 
and  finished  by  a  dance;  the  day  was  marked  by  a  further  event 
which  became  historical ;  the  siirveyors  of  the  ^Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway  passed  through  theVillage  on  that  day  in  running 
the    line    from    ^lilwaukee   to   LaCrosse. 

Business  advanced  and  among  the  stores  opened  in  1854 
was  that  of  Rich  &  Blake,  ^Fr.  "Wouldrich,  D.  Logan,  S.  D.  Jack- 
son.    In   August,   the   first   ^Master-^Iason   Lodge  was   organized 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  257 

through  the  efforts  of  Major  ]\Ic]\Iillan ;  the  lodge  met  in  a  grove 
for  the  first  time  and  afterwards  held  meetings  in  the  loft  of 
a  small  building.  Among  the  settlers  we  also  note  the  name 
of  Benjamin  Stevens,  a  mechanic,  and  his  son,  0.  D.  Stevens, 
who  afterwards  kept  a  meat  market ;  S.  M.  Holbrook,  an  omnibus 
man,  and  Charles  Goss.  This  year  was  marked  also  by  the 
erection  of  the  Monroe  House,  a  little  frame  hotel,  which  stood 
upon  the  corner  now  occupied  by  the  Baptist  church,  and  Andrew 
Allen  also  built  the  Allen  House,  which  subsequently  was  used 
as  a  store. 

This  year  also  saw  the  publication  of  the  first  newspaper 
ever  issued,  if  it  may  be  called  a  newspaper,  being  the  "Monroe 
County  Citizen,"  which  was  published  by  a  man  by  the  name  of 
L.  Reising,  who  came  from  somewhere  in  New  York  and  brought 
a  little  printing  press.  He  issued  a  few  numbers  of  this  paper 
and,  not  meeting  with  financial  success,  the  publication  was 
discontinued. 

The  majority  of  the  settlers  who  came  in  during  the  year 
1853-54-55  were  from  Cattaraugus  county,  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  and  there  were  so  many  of  them  that  they  became  known 
as  the  "Cattaraugus  delegation." 

AVe  are  unable  to  get  the  names  of  all  of  them,  but  among 
them  L.  S.  Fisher  appears,  who  arrived  in  1855  and  was  elected 
clerk  of  the  county  board  in  1856,  served  as  deputy  postmaster 
under  Casselman  and  in  that  year  opened  the  first  exclusive 
grocery  store  in  the  village  and  in  1857  he  went  into  the  furniture 
business,  doing  well  until  1860,  when  he  was  elected  county 
treasurer,  which  position  he  filled  until  1862,  when  he  became 
commissioner  on  the  board  of  enrollment  for  the  Sixth  Con- 
gressional District ;  subsequently  during  the  latter  part  of  his 
life  served  as  postmaster  a  great  many  years  in  the  city. 

Dr.  S.  P.  Angle  was  also  from  that  county  and  located  land 
and  built  a  sawmill  where  Angelo  now  stands,  and  his  son. 
Oscar,  located  at  that  point  on  a  large  farm,  Oscar  afterwards 
engaging  in  the  livery  business  on  Water  street,  subsequently 
became  sheriff  of  the  county. 

J.  J.  McKay,  the  second  member  of  assembly  of  this  place, 
also  was  a  Cattaraugus  man  and  so  was  Carlton  Rice,  -who  took 
up  practice  in  the  county,  A.  F.  Bard,  L.  Leas.  Joseph  Powell, 
Rufus  Robinson,  L.  Moseley,  G.  Harvey  and  S.  H.  Sturns,  M'ho 
served  so  many  years  as, clerk  of  the  circuit  court,  B.  S.  Winship, 
proprietor  of  the  Winship  House,  at  that  time  the  eating  room 
for  the  INIilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway,  was  a  Cattaraugus  man. 


258  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Iloldeu  &  Ward,  who  conductt'd  the  grocery  store  at  the 
corner  of  Oak  and  Court  street,  the  ]\lcClure  family  all  came 
from  that  county,  settled  here  in  1852.  J.  J.  ]\IcClure  built  a 
store  south  of  the  Globe  Hotel,  which  was  situated  on  what  is 
now  known  as  tlie  library  corner,  he  carried  on  a  boot  and  shoe 
business;  the  Rockwell  family,  S.  H.  Dalaby  came  from  Cat- 
taraugus county,  C.  AV.  ^McAIillan,  who  served  several  terms  as 
sheriff,  was  one  of  the  delegation  and  arrived  in  ]85o.  ^Morton 
Leonard,  Lyman  Andrews,  AVilliam  H.  Blyton,  AY.  S.  Newton, 
and  Henry  Foster  all  came  from  that  county.  sonu»  as  early  as 
1853. 

Hiram  and  Henry  Foster  arrived  in  1855  and  Hiram  built 
the  Globe  Hotel  the  same  year,  but  soon  afterwards  sold  it  to 
AYilliam  Burlingaine,  who  kept  it  for  a  number  of  years.  Henry 
Foster  bought  out  0.  C.  Poles,  who  was  about  to  start  a  harness 
shop  upon  the  arrival  of  the  Fosters  and  he  kept  the  business 
for   a    good   many  years   afterwards. 

Very  few  of  the  old  residents  Avho  came  as  early  as  1855 
are  still  alive,  and  among  them  is  H.  A.  Streeter,  who  now  re- 
sides in  the  city  at  a  very  advanced  age.  He  came  in  1855  and 
his  memory  is  quite  clear  as  to  the  settlement  in  the  village 
at  that  time. 

He  states  that  the  stage  station  at  that  time  was  at  George 
Griffins,  a  log  house  with  a  barn  connected  which  stood  \ipon 
the  Hotel  Lewis  corner.  S.  D.  Jackson  had  a  store  then  some- 
where along  in  where  AIcAIillan's  Furniture  Company  is  now 
located ;  the  building  was  of  rough  boards  and  he  afterwards 
built  a  store  on  what  was  called  the  knoll  Avhere  the  barn  of 
D.  F.  Davis  now  stands.  Air.  Streeter  boarded  when  he  first 
came  here,  but  desired  to  l)uild  a  house  and  makes  the  remark- 
able statement  that  he  started  the  building  on  Alonday,  Avith  tht^ 
help  of  a  man  named  Andrew  Dickenson,  and  had  it  completed 
and  moved  in  by  Tliursday:  it  was  a  frame  building,  very  ]>rim- 
itive  in  its  construction  and  he  i)roeeeded,  after  the  house  Avas 
done,  to  make  a  bedstead,  and  he  states  that  he  made  a  "feather 
bed"  out  of  cotton  l)atten  for  the  mattress. 

A  table  was  erected  of  rough  boards,  several  three-legged 
stools  constructed,  and  this  little  home  was  complete  and  he 
and  his  wife  moved  in  ha]ipy  in  the  possession  of  that  much.  This 
building  stood  where  F.  Baldwin's  blacksmith  shop  is  located. 

Air.  Streeter  bought  the  lot  there,  because  he  thought  the 
l)usiness  portion  of  the  village  would  go  that  way,  as  there  was 
a  jewelry  store  located  there.    He  states  that  AA'illiam  Kerrigan 


TELE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  259 

had  a  blacksmith  shop  in  the  corner  where  Roberts  &  Jones' 
grocery  store  is  located.  The  shop  at  first  having  no  covering 
over  it  whatever,  but  consisted  of  an  anvil  block  and  a  bellows ; 
at  that  time  a  sawmill  was  located  here  where  the  dam  now  is  on 
Water  street  bridge  and  Mr.  Streeter  found  employment  with 
the  proprietor   of  the  mill. 

In  this  year  Sparta  experienced  its  first  serious  flood.  i\lr. 
Streeter  relates  that  owing  to  the  heavy  rains  the  fiood  came 
down  the  creek  in  a  wave,  which  he  states  was  at  least  eight 
feet  high  and  crushed  everything  as  flat  as  a  floor ;  the  dam 
was  washed  out  and  the  mill  ruined;  this  dam  was  rebuilt,  but 
in  its  history  it  was  washed  out  in  the  earlier  days  five  times. 

There  was  considerable  agitation  in  1855  with  regard  to 
the  liquor  question,  and  it  appears  that  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Samuel  Crosby  built  a  building  where  Gustad's  store  now  is 
and  opened  a  grocery  and  liquor  store,  and  thereby,  of  course, 
caused  indignation  among  the  temperance  people. 

C.  AV.  Pott,  a  harness  maker,  who  arrived  in  Sparta  that 
year,  saw  two  Cattaract  men  drinking  in  the  store  and  had  Mr. 
Crosby  arrested  for  selling  liquor  without  license.  This  coming 
up  before  Justice  McKay,  would  not  allow  Mr.  Pott's  testimony, 
saying  that  he  had  not  tasted  the  liquor  and  could  not  swear 
to  what  it  was  and  for  failure  of  proof  the  jury  found  the. de- 
fendant not  guilty.  It  got  to  be  a  regular  thing  and  it  seems 
that  this  man,  Crosby,  was  tried  six  different  times  in  an  effort 
to  convict  him  of  this  oft'ense  of  selling  liciuoi*.  At  last  they  did 
find  sufficient  proof  and  he  was  fined  $20  by  the  justice. 

But  this  did  not  rid  the  place  of  the  liquor  nuisance  and  the 
temperance  people  got  up  another  plan ;  the  women  Avould  take 
their  knitting  work  and  sit  in  the  front  part  of  the  store,  hoping 
thus  to  keep  tlu^  men  away  and  to  break  up  the  business ;  but 
that  did  not  do  as  the  men  who  desired  to  drink  marched  boldly 
in  and  called  for  what  they  wanted,  so  the  ladies  were  obliged 
to  retire  in  good  order  with  the  reflection  that  that  method  of 
stopping  the  liquor  traffic  was  a  failure.  Other  incidents  of  laAv 
suits  in  the  earlier  days  abounded  and  have  naturally  connected 
with  them  the  names  of  J.  M.  Morrow  and  L.  AV. ,  Graves.  It 
is  related  that  in  1857,  G.  W.  Warring  was  then  justice  of  the 
peace  and  it  apears  that  Air.  Graves  and  AVilliam  AYright  were 
the  parties  in  a  suit  before  his  honor,  and  S.  F.  Holbrook,  L.  M. 
Rose,  AY.  S.  Newton  and  AY.  L.  Johnson  were  chosen  as  jurors 
with  A.  Cross,  constable,  in  charge ;  after  hearing  the  evidence, 
the  jury  would  not  agree,  but  the   court  refused  to   discharge 


260  HISTORY  OF  .^lOXROE  COUNTY 

tliem  until  they  were  ready  to  render  a  verdict.  The  jury  Avas 
quite  disgusted  ;il  lliis  and  they  went  back  in  the  room,  climbed 
on  the  table  ami  one  of  tlu'in  removed  a  board  from  the  ceiling 
and  made  their  escape  unknown  by  the  officers,  who  afterwards 
searched  for  them  in  vain,  while  the  reprobates  were  enjoying 
a  game  of  poker  in  the  corner  of  the  Ida  House.  This  is  a  law 
suit  that  never  has  been  finished  as  the  jury  never  rendered  a 
verdict. 

In  1855  and  1856  settlers  arrived  in  such  numbers  that  it  is 
impossible  to  attempt  to  give  the  names  of  but  few ;  buildings 
sprang  up  everywhere  and  the  spot  which  had  so  lately  been  the 
hunting  ground  for  the  Indians  became  alive  with  busy  people. 
S.  D.  Jackson  built  himself  a  residence  and  also  a  store  building 
which  was  afterwards  occupied  by  Dodge  Brothers;  in  1855, 
Jackson  opened  up  with  a  large  stock  of  goods;  subsecpiently 
taking  into  partnership  AV.  AV.  Allis,  who  came  from  California 
in  1858. 

R.  M.  Dunlevy  was  one  of  the  new  comers  in  1855,  and  entered 
into  the  dry  goods  business,  at  first  clerking  for  S.  D.  Jackson; 
he  continued  for  six  or  seven  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time 
became  a  member  of  the  firm,  Mr.  Allis  retiring.  j\Ir.  Jackson 
was  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  best  merchants  in  Sparta 
and  Air.  Denlevy's  experience  with  him  fitted  him  to  enter  into 
the  business  alone  when  Jackson  removed  to  a  larger  field. 
Dunlevy  l)ranched  out  into  the  wholesale  and  retail  business  in 
all  kinds  of  fancy  dry  goods  and  kcjit  a  1)uyiT  in  New  York  and 
Boston   markets. 

During  1855  the  Rev.  L.  C.  Herrick,  a  Baptist  clergyman, 
took  up  his  residence  here  and  1)uilt  a  sawmill  on  Beaver  creek 
near  Allen's  grove,  and  the  same  year  another  Baptist  preacher. 
Rev.  S.  Gustin,  came  to  Sparta  and  went  into  the  nursery  busi- 
ness. These  contended  for  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist  society 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  Ix'come  quite  unfriendly  and  unfor- 
tunately it  resulted  in  the  temporary  disorganization  of  the 
Baptist  society. 

J.  D.  Condit  arrived  in  1855  also,  and  his  brother,  A.  IT. 
Condit.  ])uilt  a  drug  store,  the  first,  on  llie  nortli  side  of  Beaver 
creek  and  also  became  interested  witli  Milton  .Montgomcrx-  in 
publishing  the  AVatchman,  which  was  })ublished  on  the  second 
floor  of  the  building  owned  by  Condit.  J^ortei-  Aylesworth,  a 
blat'ksmith,  ai'rived  in  1856  and  became  proprietor  of  the  AFonroe 
House  which  he  kept  until  1857,  when  he  Avas  l)urned  out.  The 
next  year  he  built  the  old  AVarner  House,  which  stood  some  (tls- 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  261 

tanee  south  of  where  the  present  Warner  House  now  stands. 
Among  others  in  1855  were  L.  M.  Newbury,  E.  J.  Campbell, 
Joseph  Kline,  wlio  settled  in  Leon  Valley,  G.  B.  Holden,  who 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  became  interested  in  the 
Sparta  AVoolen  ]\Iill,  and  J.  D.  McDowell,  who  worked  for  a 
time  for  AV.  S.  Post,  in  the  mercantile  business.  McDowell  went 
into  business  for  himself  in  1857  by  opening  a  boot  and  shoe 
store  Avhich  he  continued  to  carry  on  for  several  years. 

Business  had  grown  to  such  an  extent  by  this  time  that 
banking  conveniences  were  necessary  and  in  1858  the  Bank  of 
Sparta  was  started  by  J.  D.  Hemphill ;  seven  years  later  it  was 
organized  under  the  general  banking  law  as  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Sparta  and  subsequently  in  its  history  it  became  the 
State  Bank,  now  being  known  as  the  Bank  of  Sparta. 

Hagaman  Palmer  arrived  with  his  family  in  1856  in  company 
Avith  five  other  families,  among  them  being  S.  P.  Greenman,  the 
well  known  hotel  keeper,  who  carried  on  the  Ida  House  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  Francis  Brock.  Palmer  went  into  partner- 
ship with  J.  D.  Coudit  in  the  dray  business  and  also  engaged 
in  land  speculation,  entering  and  buying  some  6,000  acres  mostly 
in  Monroe  county.  He  brought  his  five  sons  with  him,  all  of 
whom  afterwards  engaged  in  business  in  the  city ;  William  Palmer 
became  county  clerk :  John  Palmer  in  the  livery  business ;  Daniel 
Palmer  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  H.  Palmer  &  Co. ;  George 
and  Henry  carried  on  a  flour  and  feed  store. 

H.  E.  Kelly,  who  afterwards  became  collector  of  internal 
revenues  started  in  the  dry  goods  business  in  1856.  L.  S.  Bing- 
ham took  up  his  residence  here  and  entered  the  hardware  trade ; 
he  built  a  three  story  building  on  AVater  street  near  Oak.  J.  A. 
AYarner  came  about  the  same  time  and  clerked  for  McFarland 
a  number  of  years,  afterwards  going  into  business  as  a  wholesale 
and  retail  dealer  in  Greve's  block.  AI.  A.  Thayer  and  A.  A. 
Alunn  arrived  the  same  year,  Air.  Thayer  was  register  of  deeds 
for  nine  terms  and  also  went  into  the  banking  business.  J.  AI. 
Alorrow  and  L.  AY.  Graves  arrived  during  the  same  year  and 
so  did  J.  Andrews.  In  company  witli  Frank  Skillman  and 
Captain  Fisk,  AndrcAvs  erected  the  first  foundry  in  the  city, 
which  was  located  near  the  Alilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway 
depot ;  J.  A.  Gillman,  who  arrived  in  1856,  subsequently  became 
owner  of  the  foundry  and  after  that  several  changes  in  owner- 
ship followed  and  passed  into  the  hands  of  J.  J.  Owsley  in  1865 
and  a  year  later  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

During  the  year  1856  a  court  house  was  erected  on  a  piece 


262  IIISTOHY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

of  ImikI  donated  by  J.  D.  Damman,  the  town  reserving  the 
squ;ii-f  mIk'I'c  the  present  eoui-t  liouse  is,  Avhich  was  given  by 
AVilliani  Petit,  for  a  park.  Additions  to  tlie  village  were  platted 
by  J.  D.  Dannnan,  Kiehard  C'asselinaii.  H.  Hill  and  E.  S.  Blake, 
and  at  that  time  there  was  niueh  rivalry  between  the  two  sides 
of  the  river  as  to  which  shonld  have  the  court  house.  The 
second  building,  however,  was  built  in  Petit "s  square  after  some 
li'oiihle  with  Dannnan  over  his  gift.  This  yeai-  a  public  hall  was 
opened,  situated  on  the  corner  of  Oak  and  AVater  streets,  opposite 
the  Greve's  block;  this  building  was  two  stories  high  and  cdih- 
pleted  l;)y  R.  AV.  Bowles,  the  hall  receiving  the  proud  name  of 
"Liberty  Hall;""  and  then  the  village  arrived  to.  the  dignity 
of  having  theatrical  perfoiiuances  for  the  amusement  of  its 
inhabitants;  the  very  first  show  M'hich  appeared  was  a  magician 
who  drcAv  a  large  crowd,  and  it  is  related  that  the  crowd  was 
so  large  that  it  Avas  too  heavy  for  the  floor  and  just  as  the 
magician  was  about  to  perform  one  of  his  startling  feats  the 
floor  gave  way  and  down  went  the  audience  and  magician  with 
all  his  slight  of  hand  machinery  on  top  of  them,  so  that  a  grand 
disappearing  act  was  successfully  performed  which  was  not  in 
the  program. 

The  day  that  the  Liberty  Hall  floor  broke  seemetl  to  he  a  day 
of  accidents;  it  is  related  that  the  frame  of  the  IMethodist  church 
had  just  been  raised  and  Benjamin  Stevens  and  IMorton  Bump, 
two  carpenters,  were  putting  u])  the  frame  of  the  belfry,  when 
one  of  the  ties  broke,  lotting  down  llie  timbers  and  the  workmen 
at  the  same  time;  Stevens  was  severely  hurt,  but  Bump  escaped 
wilii  slight  injury;  during  the  same  day  a  man  fell  from  the 
top  of  a  building  on  Oak  street,  but  was  not  seriously  injureJ. 

Wedding  bells  rang  for  the  first  time  in  1855  when  Edward 
Wairalh  and  Miss  Blake  were  nuirried,  and  in  the  following 
year   Henry   Talmadge  and  Anna   Bradshaw. 

The  hard  tinu\s  of  1857  seriously  etfected  the  business  and 
settlement  of  the  village,  and  during  Ihat  year  Sparta  was  nearly 
at  a  stand  still;  very  few  new  comers  arrived  and  little  occurred 
which  was  of  interest.  The  settlers,  however,  continued  their 
efforts  in  building  up  the  place  and  dui-ing  that  year  1\.  and 
O.  P.  ]\IcClure  built  the  first  grist  mill  which  was  erected  on 
the  site  of  the  old  saw  mill  on  Benver  creek.  Subsequently 
T.  B.  Tyler  erected  a  woolen  mill  on  the  same  site  at  a  cost 
of  .+-^,000.  This  old  building  is  still  standing  and  is  known 
as  the  Sparta  "Woolen  !Mill  i)roperty. 

On    ]\Iay    11,    185?,    under    provisions   of   chapter   52    of    the 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  2G:3 

statutes  of  AVisconsin,  the  village  of  Sparta,  JMonroe  county, 
Avas  incorporated  and  arrived  at  the  dignity  of  a  full  fledged 
municipality. 

The  first  board  of  trustees  was  elected  on  July  1,  1857,  and 
M'as  as  follows :  R.  J.  Cassclman,  president ;  H.  Palmer,  Joseph 
Carmichael.  R.  W.  Bowles,  S.  F.  Holbrook,  C.  Rich  and  J.  A. 
Gillman,  trustees;  L.  S.  Fisher,  clerk;  L.  Andrews,  treasurer, 
and  Chester  McClure,  marshal. 

Among  the  settlers  in  1857  were  Dennis  Lawrence  and  wife, 
the  later  a  fashionable  dressmaker.  AVilliam  Potter,  a  meat 
market  man,  who  afterwards  getting  the  gold  fever,  went  to 
Pike's  Peak  and  was  given  up  for  dead,  but  soon  afterwards 
returned  to  Sparta  and  resumed  his  old  vocation.  Thomas  B. 
Tyler  arrived  in  1857  from  Pennsylvania,  though  a  native  of  the 
east,  he  loved  his  new  location  and  was  one  of  the  men  who  did 
much  to  build  up  the  village. 

A  good  story  is  related  of  Mr.  Tyler  which  is  as  follows : 
Previous  to  his  coming  to  Sparta,  he  had  been  engaged  in  the 
drug  business  at  Coudersport,  Pa.,  and  there  was  ac- 
quainted with  several  men  who  afterwards  came  to  tlie  west. 
So  it  was  no  unusual  thing  for  a  Coudersport  man  to  call  on 
]\Ir.  Tyler's  place  of  business  when  he  came  to  Sparta.  One 
day  J.  D.  Condit  happened  in  at  Mr.  Tyler's  place  of  business 
when  the  latter  was  out,  and  a  few  minutes  later  a  deaf  and  dumb 
man  entered.  Like  all  unfortunates  of  this  class,  this  individual 
began  to  stare  at  everything,  without  making  his  business  known. 
Condit  thought  he  saw  a  chance  to  play  a  joke  on  Mr.  Tyler, 
so  stepped  to  the  door  to  look  for  him,  and  met  him  coming. 
"There  is  a  man  waiting  for  you.  Perhaps  he  is  from  Couders- 
port," said  J.  D.  The  individual  was  now  looking  at  some  pic- 
tures, and  had  his  back  turned  to  the  pair.  Mr.  Tyler  was  a 
quiet,  unassuming  man ;  so  he  brushed  back  his  hair,  straightened 
up  his  collar  and  coughed.  The  stranger  did  not  seem  to  hear 
him.  Mr.  Tyler  again  arranged  his  collar  and  hair,  and  stepping 
a  little  nearer,  said:  ''You  wished  to  see  me,  sir?"  No  answer, 
no  backward  glance.  The  gentleman  reddened  perceptibly,  but 
again  jerked  at  his  collar  and  brushed  back  his  hair,  with  the 
question  now  put  in  louder  tones,  "Did  you  want  to  see  me, 
sir?"  The  stranger  still  continued  his  examination  of  the  pic- 
tures. Redder  and  redder  Mr.  Tyler  grew,  and  when  he  next 
asked  the  question  he  bawled  it  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  The 
man,  however,  took  no  notice  whatever  of  him,  and  a  look  of 
blank  amazement  was  spreading  Tyler's  face,  when  IMr.  Condit, 


264  HISTORY  OF  MONKOE  COUNTY 

Avho  ]iad  stepped  outside  of  the  door,  peeped  in  and  said  in  a 
hoarse  Avhispc)-:  "You  eternal  I'ool,  he's  deaf  and  dunil)." 

The  opening  of  the  ^lihvankee  &  St.  Paul  railroad  to  this 
plaee  in  18.58,  gave  a  new  impetus  to  business  and  to  immigra- 
tion. The  track  was  laid  as  far  as  the  tunnel  from  the  east, 
and  also  westward  from  the  tunnel  to  LaCrosse.  But  the  tunnel 
itself  was  something  that  required  months  to  complete.  An 
engine  and  some  cars  Avere  drawn  over  the  bluffs  for  use  on 
the  western  part  of  the  line ;  and  for  some  six  months  the  trains 
ran  to  and  from  the  tunnel  on  both  sides,  passengers  having  to 
foot  it  across  the  bluft'  from  one  train  to  the  other.  During  this 
time  Sparta  had  no  railway  depot, — a  freight  car,  switched  oft' 
of  the  main  track,  answering  the  purpose,  as  it  was  of  ample 
dimensions  to  hold  the  waiting  passengers  and  their  baggage  at 
that  time.  Later,  a  neat  depot  was  erected  with  other  necessary- 
buildings;  and  later  still,,  a  dining  hall  and  hotel  known  as 
the  ~\Vinship  House. 

The  Letson  Brothers,  in  1858,  put  up  a  sash,  door  and  blind 
factory.  L.  H.  ^Mather  came  to  Sparta  the  same  year,  built  a 
block  of  buildings  on  AVater  street,  and  opened  a  drug  store 
which  he  kept  for  several  years.  Mr.  ^Mather's  enterprise  is  to 
be  seen  all  over  the  city.  He  erected  more  handsome  buildings 
here  than  any  one  man  in  this  place.  J,  W.  Smith  and  family 
made  their  advent  this  year.  ]Mr.  Smith  engaged  at  that  time  in 
the  harchvare  business.  His  son.  J.  E.  Smith,  kept  a  variety  and 
auction  store  on  Oak  street.  J.  J.  French,  a  dealer  in  guns  and 
ammunition,  Avith  II.  Palmer  &  Co.  D.  B.  Howe,  of  the  firm 
of  Ayleswortli  &  Co.  D.  ^McBride  and  family  were  among  the 
new  comers  of  1858.  D.  McBride  was  the  editor  of  the  "Herald," 
which  has  been  conducted  since  that  time  to  the  present  with 
only  a  slight  interruption.  I\lr.  ]MeBride  was  postmaster  at 
Sparta  for  eight  years,  commencing  with  President  Lincoln's 
administration. 

Late  in  Decem1)er  of  the  same  year  another  newspaperman, 
Capt.  D.  "W.  C.  AVilson,  took  up  his  residence  here.  He  did  not 
at  that  time,  however,  enter  a  ju-inting  office.  During  1860  and 
1861  he  served  as  .iustice  of  the  peace.  Tii  the  summer  and  fall 
of  1861,  lie  held  war-meetings,  and  in  November  of  tliat  year 
was  made  lieutenant  of  Company  D  of  the  Eighteenth  "Wisconsin 
Regiment,  going  into  service  January.  1S&2.  He  was  taken 
prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  April  6,  1862,  and 
was  in  various  prisons  in  Alabama  and  Georgia,  until  paroled 
at  Richmond,  Virginia,  which  occurred  in  October  of  the  same 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  265 

year.  Re-entering  service,  he  remained  there  until  1864,  when 
he  returned  to  AVisconsin.  He  was  elected  to  the  assembly  in 
1865,  and  to  tlie  senate  in  1866.  During  1868,  he  was  traveling 
correspondent  of  the  "]\Iilwaukee  Sentinel,"  and  two  years  later 
he  took  a  half  interest  in  the  "Sparta  Eagle."  In  1872  he  bought 
the  whole  ''Eagle"  office  and  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  to 
the  "Monroe  County  Republican."  A.  AV.  AVilson,  a  brother 
of  Captain  Wilson,  also  settled  in  Sparta  in  1858.  Dr.  ]\I.  R. 
Gage  was  another  of  the  new  comers  of  1858,  practicing  his 
profession  here  many  long  years  except  the  two  years  that  he 
Avas  surgeon  of  the  Twenty-fifth  AVisconsin  Regiment.  At  one 
time  after  the  war,  Dr.  Gage  was  connected  witli  II.  Palmer  in  the 
drug  business. 

The  next  year,  1859,  T.  B.  Tyler  built  a  grist  mill  near  the 
Mihvaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad  depot.  This  mill  has  passed 
through  many  hands  since  its  building.  D.  D.  Cheney,  who 
settled  in  this  place  in  1861,  and  H.  Greve  owned  it  at  one  time. 
It  is  now  owned  by  Bergman  Brothers.  The  mill  had  a  capacity 
of  three  hundred  barrels  per  week,  and  employed  six  men.  H. 
C.  Brooks,  was  head  miller,  T.  D.  Freneli.  a  brother  of  J.  J. 
French,  came  from  the  south  this  year,  and  settled  in  Sparta, 
going  into  business  with  J.  M.  Sugden,  a  partnership  which 
lasted  about  four  years. 

Among  the  settlers  of  1861  and  1862  we  find  A.  Saxe,  a  fur- 
niture manufacturer  on  Oak  street ;  J.  J.  Owsley,  who  bought 
out  Tyler's  mill  and  run  it  some  five  years,  during  tlie  first 
year  of  which  time  the  dam  went  out  seven  times.  S.  M.  Owsley, 
a  son  of  J.  J.  Owsley,  now  a  grocer  on  Oak  street ;  R.  S.  AVells, 
surgeon  dentist,  and  AV.  H.  AA^hite,  a  dealer  in  agricultural  im- 
plements. James  Francis  became  a  resident  in  Sparta  in  1861, 
and  a  little  later  went  into  the  grocery  business  at  Johnson's 
old  stand,  corner  of  Oak  and  Court  streets,  which  Air.  Johnson, 
deceased,  had  left  vacant.  Subsequently  he  moved  into  a  brick 
block  further  east  on  Oak  street,  and  then  added  dry  goods  to 
his  stock  of  groceries.  Dr.  Bennett,  a  well-known  physician  of 
Sparta,  located  in  1861, 

George  Dunn  came  in  1861  and  in  connection  with  AI.  Erick- 
son  and  AV.  H.  Blyton,  erected  a  large  block  of  brick  buildings 
between  Alain  and  Oak  streets  on  AVater;  Dunn  opened  a  whole- 
sale and  retail  dry  goods  business  there  and  still  continues  in 
the  same  store  building  with  the  retail  business.  Chauncey 
Blakeslee  came  from  Neilsville  and  commenced  business  with  a 
large  stock  of  dry  goods  in  the  Dunn  building. 


2fi6  IlfSTOHV  OF  :\[OXROE  COUNTY 

The  bcjiinniiig  of  the  AVar  of  the  Jiehellion  affected  the  growth 
and  l)iisiness  interests  of  the  vilhige  to  a  marked  degree;  prices 
went  up  and  tlie  poorer  classes  had  a  hard  time  to  get  the  bare 
necessities  of  life. 

The  citizens  of  Sparta  and  \icinity  exhibited  true  patriotism 
and  furnished  a  large  portion  of  the  several  companies  that  went 
from  the  county.  At  the  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Fort 
Sumptcr  the  indignation  and  war-like  spirit  of  our  modern 
Spartans  were  fully  aroused,  and  at  no  place  in  the  United  States 
was  the  President's  call  for  troops  more  promptly  responded  to 
than  in  this  village.  As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  a  call  had 
been  formally  made  for  volunteers,  enlistments  commenced,  and 
continued  so  briskly  that  only  a  small  portion  of  those  who  ten- 
dered their  service  were  accepted.  The  first  company  organized 
in  Sparta  was  known  as  Captain  Lynn's,  and  its  members  were 
first  enlisted  for  a  period  of  three  months,  but  as  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  troops  were  required  for  a  longer  period  of  service 
the  company  was  reorganized  and  nearly  every  man  who  had 
enlisted  for  the  short  term  reenlisted  for  three  years,  or  during 
the  war.  The  company  was  ordered  about  the  6th  of  June.  1861, 
to  proceed  to  Camp  Utley,  Racine.  AVis..  where  it  was  assigned 
to  the  Fourth  Regiment,  AVisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  under 
Col.  Halbert  E.  Paine,  and  became  Company  I  of  that  regiment. 
It  left  Sparta  with  the  following  named  commissioned  officers: 
Captain,  John  AV.  Lynn;  first  lieutenant,  Levi  R.  Blake;  second 
lieutenant,  Ansyl  A.  AYest. 

Captain  Lynn  was  killed  on  the  gunboat  Tyler,  July  1.").  1862. 
while  on  an  expedition  toward  A^icksburg,  the  steamer  having 
been  fired  into  by  a  rebel  battery.  Shortly  after  this  the  regi- 
ment was  in  a  thirty-days'  siege  of  A'icksburg,  but  disease  so 
weakened  the  men  that  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  siege  was 
abandoned.  They  had  a  successful  battle  at  Bisland,  Louisiana, 
near  Bayou  Teche,  and  a  little  later  they  made  an  attack  upon 
Port  Hudson,  where  Capt.  Levi  Blake  fell  mortally  wounded. 
The  battle  of  Port  Hudson  proved  very  disastrous  to  the  regi- 
ment. On  September  1,  1863,  the  AYar  Department  gave  orders 
that  the  Fourth  AVisconsin  be  equipped  as  cavalry,  and  it  Avas 
thereafter  known  as  the  Fourth  AVisconsin  Cavalry. 

Company  A.  Third  AVisconsin,  Barstow's  Cavalry,  was  organ- 
ized about  mid-summer,  1861.  by  Capt.  Jerry  Dammon,  of  Sparta. 
Its  first  lieutenant  was  Robert  Carpenter,  of  Sparta,  and  second 
lieutenant,  Leonard  Morley,  of  A^'iroqua. 

The  company  left  Sparta  and  proceeded  to  Camp  Barstow, 


t 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  267 

Janesville,  Wisconsin,  where  it  was  mustered  into  service.  The 
regiment  left  the  state  and  went  via  Chicago  to  St.  Louis,  IMarch 
26,  1862.  "While  on  the  Northwestern  railroad,  near  Chicago,  it 
met  with  a  very  serious  accident,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of 
twelve  men.  Company  A  alone  having  seven  men  killed  and  sev- 
eral were  severely  injured. 

Captain  Damman,  who  went  out  in  command  of  the  company, 
resigned  March  9,  1863,  and  was  succeeded  by  Capt.  Robert  Car- 
penter, who  retained  command  until  the  date  of  his  muster  out  of 
service,  January  30,  1865. 

Company  D,  Eighteenth  "Wisconsin  Infantry,  was  raised  in 
the  month  of  November  and  December,  1861,  and  was  called  the 
Northwestern  Rangers.  The  company  was  recruited  by  George 
A.  Fisk,  D.  W^.  C.  W'ilson  and  Peter  Sloggy.  At  an  election  for 
officers  a  vote  of  the  members  of  the  company  was  taken  and 
resulted  in  the  election  of  Fisk  as  captain,  W^ilson  as  first  lieu- 
tenant, and  Sloggy  as  second  lieutenant.  The  company  left 
Sparta  and  proceeded  to  Milwaukee,  January  14,  1861,  and  was 
assigned  to  the  Eighteenth  "Wisconsin  Infantry,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Col.  J.  S.  Albin,  of  Plover. 

This  regiment  was  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  in  the  sieges 
of  Corinth  and  Vicksburg,  at  the  battle  of  Champion  Hills,  and 
at  that  of  Allatoona  mountains,  as  well  as  in  several  lesser  en- 
gagements ;  and  it  suffered  severely  from  disease,  engendered 
by  the  sickly  climate.  Its  gallant  colonel  lost  his  life  at  Shiloh, 
w^hicli  proved  a  disastrous  battle  to  the  raw  recruits.  Yet  Gov- 
ernor Harvey  said  of  them:  "]\Iany  regiments  of  that  fight  may 
well  covet  the  impressions  which  the  Eighteenth  have  left  of 
personal  bravery,  heroic  daring  and  determined  endurance." 

Company  C,  of  the  Nineteenth  W^isconsin  Regiment,  was  or- 
ganized in  December,  1861,  and  mustered  into  service  by  Capt. 
J.  A.  Chandler,  of  Sparta.  Charles  Case  was  first  lieutenant,  and 
Henry  B.  Nichols  second  lieutenant. 

Captain  Chandler  resigned  July  30,  1862,  and  Charles  Case 
was  promoted  to  the  captaincy.  The  latter  also  resigned  and 
Henry  B.  Nichols  became  the  captain  of  Company  C  February 
7,  1863.    The  company  Avas  mustered  out  of  service  April  19,  1865. 

The  Twenty-fifth  Wisconsin  Regiment  w^as  organized  by  Col. 
Milton  Montgomery,  of  Sparta,  and  was  mustered  into  service 
September  14,  1862.  Company  D  was  the  company  enlisted  at 
this  place,  and  its  officers  were :  J.  D.  Condit,  captain,  and  Mort. 
E.  Leonard  and  Charles  S.  Farnham,  lieutenants.  Captain  Con- 
dit resigned  on  account  of  sickness,  July  15,  1863,  and  Mort.  E. 


268  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

Leonard  Avas  put  in  command  of  the  company.  The  latter  was 
wounded  in  the  action  of  Decatur,  Ga.,  July  22,  1864,  but  returned 
to  duty  in  November  of  the  same  year.  At  the  same  battle 
Colonel  ^Montgomery  was  Avounded  and  taken  prisoner.  His  arm, 
which  had  been  shot  off  by  a  rifle  ball,  hung  dangling  to  the  stub 
for  a  period  of  forty-eight  hours  before  amputation  took  place. 
The  gallant  colonel  did  not.  however,  resign  upon  his  release 
from  prison,  but  continued  with  his  regiment  until  mustered  out 
June  7,  1865.  The  regiment  suffered  very  much  from  sickness 
during  its  service.  At  one  time  500  of  the  men  lay  sick,  and 
less  than  a  hundred  were  fit  for  duty.  This  happened  at  Snyder's 
Bluffs,  ]\Iiss.,  in  1863.  The  regiment  Avas  in  several  skirmishes, 
of  which  lack  of  space  prevents  particular  mention. 

The  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin  Regiment  w^as  organized  under 
the  government  call  for  500.000  men.  Company  C  of  this  regi- 
ment was  recruited  by  Capt.  George  A.  Fisk,  of  Sparta,  and  was 
mustered  into  service  ]\Iarch  4,  1864.  Luther  B.  Noyles  was  first 
lieutenant,  and  C.  E.  Bullard  was  second  lieutenant. 

Before  the  close  of  the  Avar  Captain  Fisk  Avas  promoted  as 
major,  and  Stephen  C.  I\Iiles,  a  Avell-knoAvn  Sparta  man,  as  cap- 
tain. 

Company  C  lost  several  men.  C.  L.  Cleves,  DarAvin  Cole, 
DaA'is  Douglass,  A.  B.  Ligales,  P.  C.  "Walker  and  Charles  L. 
McClure  Avere  killed  in  action.  E.  H.  Amidon,  R.  B.  Balcom.  H. 
BroAvu,  Thomas  Casner,  "William  Dayton,  H.  AV.  Hudson,  John 
HopAvood,  Eldridge  Rathbun  and  John  "Wilkinson  died  of  Avounds 
received  in  battle.  Of  those  Avho  died  of  disease  many  gave  up 
life  in  the  Salisbury  and  Anderson\'ille  prisons.  The  folloAving  is 
a  list  of  such  of  Company  C's  men  as  died  of  disease:  George  C. 
Cross,  AYm..  B.  Snyder,  Alfred  0.  Barnes.  IM.  A.  Butts,  Dan.  A. 
Barton,  P.  Farr,  Nathan  Graves,  Henry  HathaAvay,  James  Hub- 
bell,  EdAvard  Nichols,  John  Printz,  Cyrus  Sour,  Samuel  Smith, 
J.  E.  Stevens,  L.  VanBorst,  AValter  YanVickle,  J.  B.  AYolcot  and 
Chas.  Young. 

A  portion  of  the  First  Battery,  the  LaCrosse  Artillery,  Avas 
from  Sparta.  S.  Hoyt  Avas  one  of  the  number.  This  company 
Avon  the  applause  of  Major  General  ^McClernand  and  of  ]\Iajor 
General  Reynolds,  for  gallant  conduct  on  the  field,  and  for  its 
cleanliness  and  good  behavior  in  camp. 

Sparta  sent  142  citizens  to  the  Avar,  sixty-three  of  Avhom  re- 
enlisted  at  tlie  close  of  their  first  tcnii.  The  colonel  of  the  Sev- 
enth AVisconsin  Regiment,  W.  AV.  Robinson,  Avas  a  Sparta  man. 
Col.  AV.  W.  Rol)inson  Avas  born  at  Fairhaven,  Vermont,  December 


i 


RANDOLPH   A.    RICHARDS 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  269 

14,  1819,  and  was  educated  at  Rutland  Academy,  Castleton  Acad- 
emy and  Norwich  Military  Academy.  During  the  Mexican  war 
he  served  as  first  lieutenant  and  captain  in  the  Third  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteers.  He  was  a  resident  of  Sparta  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  having  first  visited  and  selected  a 
farm  near  that  place  in  the  summer  of  1851.  In  the  spring  of 
1861  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  company 
then  being  recruited  here,  giving  it  quite  a  thorough  course  of 
lessons  in  discipline  and  drill.  In  August  of  the  same  year  he 
was  commissioned  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Seventh  AVisconsin 
Volunteers,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  January  31,  1862, 
when  he  was  promoted  colonel  of  the  same  regiment.  He  com- 
manded the  Seventh  Wisconsin  in  the  following  named  engage- 
ments :  Thornburg,  Rappahannock  Station,  AVhite  Sulphur 
Springs,  Gainsville,  Fredericksburg,  FitzHugh  Crossing,  Chan- 
cellorsville.  Laurel  Hill  and  Bethesda  Church,  and  the  Iron 
Brigade  in  the  following:  Brandy  Station,  Beverly  Ford,  Gettys- 
burg, Birchland,  AVilderness,  November,  1863 ;  Wine  Run,  Wil- 
derness, 1864 ;  Spottsylvania  Courthouse,  North  Anna,  Cold 
Harbor  and  Petersburg.  He  was  severely  wounded  in  his  left  leg 
at  the  battle  of  Gainsville,  August  28,  1862,  from  the  effects  of 
which  wound  he  has  never  fully  recovered.  For  services  ren- 
dered during  the  war  he  has  recently  been  appointed  United 
States  Consul  at  Lamatove,  Madagascar. 

Many  of  the  newcomers  of  Sparta  were  in  the  war  previous  to 
their  coming  here.  J.  AV.  Currant,  at  one  time  register  of  deeds, 
and  Michael  McComber  each  lost  a  limb  in  battle ;  Rufus  S. 
and  H.  K.  Dodge  were  also  in  the  army.  H.  K.  Dodge  tells  of 
many  occurrences  of  the  war  which  are  very  remarkable  and 
which  are  not  in  history.  One  of  these  we  will  give  here,  the 
truth  of  which  the  editor  will  not  vouch  for :  Dodge  was  once 
stationed  at  a  point  to  repel  a  large  force  of  rebels,  a  belt  of  trees 
dividing  the  two  armies.  Air.  Dodge  finally  got  out  of  bullets 
and  substituted  some  balls  of  snuff,  which  the  sutler  had  for  sale. 
The  effect  was  wonderful.  In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  rebel 
army  was  sneezing,  and  they  kept  at  it  until  consternation  seized 
them  and  they  broke  ranks  and  fled.  Air.  Dodge  went  in  pur- 
suit and  was  surprised  on  crossing  the  ground  which  they  had 
occupied  to  find  it  strewn  with  noses.  He  says  he  picked  up 
two  and  a  half  bushels  of  them.  AA'hat  use  he  made  of  them  in 
trade  he  does  not  say,  and  as  he  was  the  only  person  who  knows 
the  information  died  with  him. 

The  return  of  peace  brought  with  it  a  renewed  activity  in 


270  IILSTOKV  UF  .MoNKoK  COL'NTV 

business  enterprises  and  llie  growth  of  the  comnuinity,  wliich 
had  been  interrupted  b,y  the  war,  contiiiind  and  many  new  names 
were  added  to  the  roll,  too  many  to  here  enumerate,  among  them 
l)('ing  Colonel  Shuter  and  Dr.  A.  B.  Niehols.  who  opened  a 
Tui'kisli  l)ath  estal)lishment  nnder  the  AVarner  House.  This  in- 
stitution was  conducted  successfully  for  several  years,  and  in 
connection  Avith  artesian  water  Avhicli  has  mineral  properties 
became  quite  a  resort  for  treatment  of  various  diseases.  In  the 
spring  of  1865  the  courthouse  was  built  in  Petit 's  square,  which 
included  the  sheriff's  dwelling,  and  in  that  year  J.  L.  IMather 
built  tlu*  Sparta  paper  mill,  which  a  few  years  later  was  sold 
to  Farnham,  Shuter  &  Co.,  who  in  turn  sold  it  to  0.  T.  Newton, 
and  he  continued  to  operate  it  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  when 
it  went  to  his  sons,  George  and  Harry,  and  having  burned  a  few 
years  after  Avhile  owned  by  these  boys  it  never  was  rebuilt.  The 
water  power,  however,  is  used  in  furnishing  power  for  the  elec- 
tric light  plant,  which  furnishes  light  and  power  to  the  city  and 
vicinity,  running  under  the  corporate  name  of  0.  I.  Newton  Sons' 
Co.  Air.  George  Newtcn  is  at  present  the  manager.  The  paper 
mill  at  OIK"  lime  manufactured  about  4,000  pounds  of  paper  per 
day  and   ('m])l<)y('d  twenty  men. 

A  new  charter  was  obtained  for  the  village  from  the  Legisla- 
ture, Alarch  24,  1866,  and  in  the  folloAving  April  a  charter  chH-- 
tion  was  held  in  which  the  following  officers  were  elected:  J.  T. 
Hemphill,  president,  and  T.  B.  Tyler,  0.  D.  Randall,  T.  D.  Steele, 
AI.  R.  Gage,  D.  G.  Jewett  and  C.  C.  Morrill,  trustees;  George  C. 
Farnham,  clerk;  II.  E.  Kelly,  treasurer;  Samuel  Hoyt,  police 
justice;  John  Humphrey,  marshal,  and  D.  F.  Stillman,  street 
commissioner. 

About  this  time  the  hoj)  fever  had  been  raging  over  this  part 
of  the  country  and  large  numbers  of  persons  in  Sparta  and  vicin- 
ity had  gone  into  the  business.  At  one  lime  it  is  stated  there  were 
over  three  hundred  acres  planted  to  hops  within  a  mile  of  Sparta, 
and  the  same  condition  of  aifairs  was  true  in  ditferent  ]>arts  of 
the  county,  especially  around  the  two  larger  villages,  Sparta  and 
Tomah,  and  the  editoi-  remembers  with  great  ]>leasure  some  of 
his  experiences  at  "hop  picking  time,*'  and  it  in  those  days  be- 
came a  common  thing  to  refer  to  events  which  took  place  at  or 
near  ''hop  i)icking  time." 

The  firm  of  II.  Palmer  &  Co.  were,  perhaps,  the  most  exten- 
sive dealci's  in  hops.  The  tirm  was  composed  of,  in  addition  to 
Air.  Palmer,  U.  Af.  Cargill  and  John  Alotl'at.  They  handled  at 
cue  time  as  high  as  $500,000  Avorth.of  hops  annually. 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  271 

Another  thing  which  struck  this  part  of  the  country  at  this 
time  and  caused  great  excitement  was  the  rumor  that  oil  had 
been  discovered  in  the  valley  of  the  Kickapoo  river,  which  runs 
along  the  southern  portion  of  the  county.  A  man  named  Ticknor, 
Avho  (daimed  to  be  an  oil  operator  from  the  oil  regions  of  the 
cast,  jissured  the  people  of  the  existence  of  oil  in  that  section. 
They  visited  the  spot  and  saw  crude  petroleum  boiling  from  the 
spring;  smelt  it,  tasted  it  and  w^ere  satisfied.  And  the  times  that 
followed  were  indeed  exciting  for  awhile.  A  "Gem  Petroleum 
Company"  was  formed  in  which  this  man  Ticknor  was  the  head 
and  a  heavy  stockholder ;  lands  were  leased  from  farmers  at 
exorbitant  prices  in  that  section,  and  the  capital  of  this  celebrated 
industry  was  the  famous  village  now  known  as  "Oil  City." 
Stocks  in  the  oil  company  were  in  demand  and  everyone  who 
could  raise  enough  money  invested  it  in  a  share  or  more,  and 
this  man  Ticknor,  in  order  to  accommodate  his  friends,  so  to 
speak,  sold  nearly  all  of  his  shares  at  a  large  advance. 

During  this  time  wells  Avere  being  bored  in  the  "oil"  region 
and  after  the  stocks  had  been  pretty  well  distributed  it  was 
discovered  that  all  they  got  from  the  wells  was  water,  not  oil; 
then  the  bubble  burst,  for  it  was  discovered  that  Ticknor  had 
sunk  a  barrel  of  crude  petroleum  under  the  spring  for  the 
purpose  of  deceiving  the  people ;  stocks  went  down  and  the  Gem 
Petroleum  Company  w^ent  out  of  existence;  the  oil  excitement, 
much  to  be  regretted,  had  practically  ruined  several  good  citi- 
zens, financially. 

It  w'as  discovered,  however,  in  digging  the  Avells  near  the 
Kickapoo  river  that  the  water  was  of  remarkable  purity  and  a 
movement  Avas  set  on  foot  to  investigate  the  matter  in  the  city 
of  Sparta,  and  sink  a  well ;  a  meeting  of  citizens  Avas  called 
and  a  subscription  taken  u]^  to  defray  expense  and  George  W. 
Waring  Avas  engaged  as  chief  engineer  and  commenced  the  Avork ; 
a  Avell  Avas  sunk  in  Petit 's  square  and  floAving  Avater  Avas  reached 
at  the  very  first  attempt  at  the  depth  of  three  hundred  and 
fifteen  feet,  the  Avell  floAving  one  hundred  gallons  jjer  minute, 
and  still  fioAvs  in  the  court  house  park.  The  medicinal  qualities 
of  the  Avater  Avere  soon  discovered  by  the  various  citizens  who 
drank  it,  as  a  remedy  for  different  diseases.  It  Avas  used  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  Avater  was  submitted  to  chemical  analysis 
and  it  Avas  discovered  that  it  w^as  composed  of  v^arious  minerals, 
principally  carbonate  of  iron,  Avith  a  fair  percentage  of  car- 
bonate of  magnesia  and  sulphate  of  soda,  togetlier  AA'ith  various 
solutions   of   lithia.    ammonia,   lime,    calcium,   sodium,    iodide    of 


272  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

sodium,  and  several  other  ingredients.  The  carbonate  of  iron 
was  considered  a  fine  tonic,  as  it  helps  digestion  and  reddens  the 
blood  globules,  and  persons  i)artaking  of  this  water  as  a  treat- 
ment for  general  diseases  were  greatly  l)enefited.  Sparta  became 
somewhat  famous  as  a  health  resort,  people  coming  from  long 
distances  to  drink  the  Avaters  and  to  take  treatments  at  the 
Turkish  bath  establishment.  At  the  present  time  this  business 
has  again  Ix'cn  icvived  and  the  basement  of  the  AVarner  House 
fitted  up  as  a  sanitarium. 

In  1867  J.  D.  Condit  purchased  the  Warner  House  and  entered 
into  the  management  of  it;  this  was  a  year  in  which  consid- 
erable building  was  accomplished,  notal)ly,  the  woolen  factory, 
which  was  completed  and  put  in  operation  in  September;  the 
manufacture  of  printing  pax)er  at  the  paper  mill  was  begun; 
the  brick  building  two  stories  high  across  from  the  Hotel  Lewis 
was  built  in  this  year  and  owned  jointly  by  Palmer,  Gage,  T.  B. 
Tyler  and  Simpson  &  Co.  A  large  brick  school  building  was 
erected  on  tlie  site  where  the  grade  school  now  stands  and  the 
building  at  that  time  was  considered  one  of  the  best  and  cost 
$18,000. 

In  looking  over  old  newspaper  files  for  this  year,  1867,  it 
is  amusing  to  know  that  a  game  of  base-ball  was  played  at 
Tomah  in  July  between  the  Sparta  Eagles  and  Tomah  Amateurs, 
in  which  the  score  was  fifty  to  thirty-five  in  favor  of  the  Sparta 
Eagles. 

An  income  tax  which  is  now  the  subject  of  so  much  discus- 
sion is  no  ncAv  thing  in  the  state,  as  it  was  in  existence  during 
the  year  1867,  but  was  finally  discarded  as  a  revenue  measure. 
An  issue  of  the  Sparta  Democrat,  May  28,  1867,  contains  a 
statement  published  of  the  income  taxes  returned  from  the  con- 
gressional district,  comprising  Yornon,  ]\ronroe,  Juneau,  Adams, 
Jackson,  Clark,  Trempclcau,  Uuft'alo,  Pierce,  St.  Croix,  Polk 
and  Burnett. 

The  Opera  House  block  was  l)uilt  dui-ing  1S()7  and  1868  by 
Herman  Greve  and  is  the  building  which  is  still  known  as 
the  old  Opera  block;  J.  A.  Gilhnan  built  a  grist  mill  on  his  land 
in  the  southern  jiortion  of  the  city  in  186S,  having  previously 
straightened  the  river  in  order  to  make  the  water  ])ower;  and 
the  building  of  this  mill  created  considerable  litigation;  the 
Dodge  Bi-others  Company,  of  G.  T.,  R.  S.  and  II.  K.  Dodge,  bought 
a  building  on  cornei-  of  ]\lain  and  AVater  of  S.  D.  Jackson  in 
1872  and  engaginl  in  the  iiuM-cantile  business,  which  establish- 
ment is  still  conducted  at  the  old  site  in  a  fine  brick  department 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  273 

store  building.  The  business  is  now  known  as  the  Dodge  & 
Davis  Department  Store  Company,  a  Corporation. 

Rice  &  Burton  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  the  corner 
of  Franklin  and  Water  streets,  the  firm  subsequently  becoming 
Burton  &  Graves,  and  they  continued  in  business  for  several 
long  years  and  only  retired  in  1910.  D.  J.  Lambourn  opened  a 
drug  store  in  1870  and  Ira  A.  Hill  entered  into  the  same  business 
in  July,  1871.  In  1872  L.  M.  Newbury  and  J.  P.  Ward  erected  a 
large  foundry,  known  as  Sparta  Iron  AYorks.  which  has  several 
times  been  enlarged  and  is  now  owned  and  controlled  by  the 
Canfield  Brothers,  Lee  and  Robert,  and  does  a  flourishing 
business  in  the  manufacture  of  well  drilling  machinery. 

In  1873  the  building  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Rail- 
road through  the  village  marked  a  new  incident  in  its  history; 
and  the  Adllage,  in  order  to  get  this  railroad,  paid  the  company 
$50,000  and  considerable  difficulty  arose  over  the  issue  of  these 
bonds  in  subsequent  years,  but  they  were  all  finally  paid  and 
the  village  relieved  from  the  burden  of  this  great  debt.  These 
bonds  were  voted  by  the  citizens  believing  that  the  railroad 
would  open  up  for  better  trade,  a  very  fertile  region  lying  on 
the  southeast  and  especially  from  the  Ridge  country  and  beyond ; 
though  at  this  time  there  were  several  stage  lines  running  out 
of  Sparta  to  Cataract,  Wilton.  Ontario  and  Viroqua ;  these  lines 
were  run  on  a  regular  scheduled  time  table  like  a  railroad  and 
carried  freight  and  passengers. 

The  next  decade  marked  a  very  substantial  growth  to  the 
village,  not  only  in  building  but  in  trade  and  general  progress, 
with  the  exception  of  a  drawback  or  two  caused  by  disastrous 
fires.  And  in  1876,  in  common  with  villages  and  cities  every- 
where throughout  the  United  States,  Sparta  held  a  fitting  cele- 
bration of  the  centennial  year;  not  only  the  commemoration  of 
the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  independence  of  this 
country,  but  also  to  celebrate  the  progress  of  this  hustling  little 
village. 

In  1876  the  Seminary  building  at  the  corner  of  I\Iain  and  K 
streets  was  commenced  in  the  latter  part  of  September  by  the 
Sisters  of  Charity  of  La  Crosse ;  this  was  the  start  of  an  institu- 
tion which  has  grown  to  large  proportions  and  become  one  of 
the  valuable  educational  institutions  in  this  part  of  the  state  and 
is  treated  more  extensively  at  another  place  in  this  work. 

On  the  28th  of  September  in  this  year  occurred  one  of  the 
most  disastrous  fires  which  has  ever  visited  the  village  or  city; 
it  commencing  at  Lee  &  Palmer's  livery  stable,  in  which  a  large 


274  TIISTOKY  OF  :\I0N1^0E  COUNTY 

I)art  of  their  oquipinent,  including  fifteen  horses,  was  lost,  and 
it  spread  on  Water  street  and  crossed  over  to  Oak  street  and 
destroyed  Heller's  dry  goods  store,  then  situated  on  the  corner; 
tlu'  property  which  was  'hiinicd  including  the  bus  l)arii  of 
lIoll)rook  &  Lee;  Heller  building  and  stock  of  dry  goods;  the 
building  of  James  Francis;  Henry  Foster  "luiildii^g  and  stock 
of  harness  goods:  the  AVilliani  Kerrigan  building;  J.  X.  AVag- 
oner  building;  John  Matchett  Hotel  and  furniture;  C.  H.  Ford 
hop  house  and  fixtures;  G.  B.  Holden  lost  his  valuable  library; 
the  preparations  for  fighting  fire  were  then  not  of  the  best,  but 
finally  was  checked,  the  total  b)ss  of  something  over  $40,000, 
which  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  business  interests  of  the  village 
at  this  time.  Investigation  failed  to  trace  the  cause  of  the  fire, 
although  it  was  decided  that  it  must  have  been  of  incendiary 
origin.  ]Most  of  the  buildings  were  rebuilt  soon  after,  including 
the  Heller  block,  which  was  erected  in  a  more  substantial  man- 
ner than  ever  and  a  new  stock  of  goods  bought  and  opened  for 
business  within  a  year. 

On  the  22nd  day  of  February,  1877,  Sparta  had  been  settled 
for  such  a  length  of  time  tliat  some  of  its  citizens  then  considered 
themselves  "old  settlers"  and  they  liad  a  pioneer  reunion  in 
the  Ida  Hall,  one  at  which  the  loudest  kind  ot  a  time  is  recorded. 
The  principal  movers  in  this  celebration  were  C.  B.  ]Mc('lure, 
Elsa  Rice.  T.  B.  Tyler,  S.  N.  Dickinson,  J.  J.  French.  S.  F.  IIol- 
brook,  r.  AV.  IMcAIillan.  AA\  H.  Blyton,  X.  P.  Lee,  J.  King,  H. 
Austin,  Z.  K.  Jewett,  J.  B.  Palmer. 

In  1887  George  Matchett  assumed  control  of  the  Ida  House, 
which  he  conducted  for  several  years.  Thayer  6c  Kingman 
erected  the  brick  building  now  occu])ied  by  the  Alonroe  County 
Bank  and  in  tlie  same  sunnner  and  at  the  same  time  J.  A.  Harvey 
and  Jacob  Schram  erecte<l   l)ricl<   blocks. 

Early  in  1877  an  excavation  was  conunenced  for  the  building 
of  the  new  AVarner  House  as  it  now  stands  and  in  1879  the 
celebration  of  tlie  comjiletion  of  tliis  building  was  undertaken 
on  a  large  scale;  .).  1).  Coiidil  was  owner  and  builder  and  the 
citizens  took  part  in  this  matter  of  so  dedicating  this  fine  hotel 
structure  in  good  style;  committees  were  appointed  which 
included  the  names  of  prominent  citizens  in  all  of  the  lu^arby 
villages  and  towns  and  invitations  were  issued  quite  generally 
and  which  were  responded  to  very  lilierally.  Guests  arrived 
from  ^Milwaukee,  La  Crosse.  AVin<ma,  Tomah.  Kendall.  Black 
River  Falls,  Alauston  and  even  some  from  St.  Paul  and  ]Minne- 
apolis  to  join  the  festivity,  and  ;i  baiuiuet  was  served,  followed 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  275 

by  dancing,  whieh  was  kept  up  until  the  small  hours  of  the 
morning.  The  receipts  of  the  occasion  M'ere  $765.50  and  the 
amount  of  enjoyment  gotten  out  of  the  occasion  by  the  partici- 
pants was  on  an  equally  large  scale. 

On  September  17  of  this  year  Viroqua  celebrated  the  opening 
of  the  new  railroad  known  as  the  "Viroqua  Branch"  from 
Sparta  through  that  city ;  a  special  train  was  run  and  a  large 
number   of   the    citizens    participated    in    the    celebration. 

Having  survived  floods,  fires,  panics  and  other  smaller  draw- 
backs it  still  remained  for  Sparta  to  have  a  cyclone  and  this 
came  in  due  time,  striking  the  city  about  9  :30  on  the  morning 
of  June  10,  1880,  and  for  a  time  the  destruction  of  the  entire 
city  seemed  imminent ;  as  it  was,  the  Chicago,  Mihvaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway  engine  house  was  wrecked;  M.  B.  Oster's  hop 
house  was  bloAvn  down;  J.  L.  Woy's  elevator  was  unroofed;  the 
depot  school  house  was  moved  of¥  its  foundation  six  or  eight 
feet  while  school  was  in  session ;  the  roof  was  blown  off  the 
D.  D.  Cheney  building  on  Water  street ;  numerous  chimneys 
w^ere  blowai  down  in  different  parts  of  the  city;  at  the  north 
school  house  the  teacher,  Jessis  McMillan,  and  one  pupil  were 
struck  by  lightning;  Patt  ]\Ioss  also  experienced  a  shock  and 
was  knocked  fiat.  The  house  of  A.  B.  Holden  was  blown  down 
and  the  buildings  on  the  fair  ground  wrecked. 

In  1881  Sparta  arrived  at  the  dignity  of  having  an  opera 
house  with  a  real  stage,  which  was  completed  in  what  was  known 
as  the  Old  Opera  block  by  Ira  A.  Hill  and  T.  B.  Tyler,  who  then 
owned  the  building;  the  stage  Avas  nicely  fitted  up  and  equipped 
with  scenery  and  good  setting  was  furnished  for  the  house  and 
for  a  long  term  of  years  was  the  opera  house  for  entertainments 
of  all  kinds,  including  roller  skating. 

There  Avas  little  of  general  interest  during  the  next  ten  or 
tweh^e  years,  Avith  the  exception  of  the  fact  that  it  Avas  incorpo- 
rated as  a  city  in  1883  and  during  this  period  two  of  Sparta's 
beautiful  churches  Avere  erected  and  the  armory  building  Avas 
also  put  up ;  in  1888  the  Methodist  Church  congregation  erected 
and  completed  their  ncAV  church,  Avhich  has  since  been  remodeled 
and  enlarged,  hoAvever,  but  this  building  Avas  the  first  real  sub- 
stantial structure  OAvned  by  the  ^Methodist  Society. 

In  the  folloAving  year  the  daAvn  of  better  municipal  improve- 
ments came  Avith  the  purchase  of  ]M.  A.  Thayer  of  machinery 
Avitli  AA'hich  to  establish  an  electric  light  plant ;  this  Avas  put  into 
operation  in  a  year  or  tAvo  with  the  main  plant  at  the  village  of 
Angelo,  run  by  Avater  poAver.     This  Avas  the   beginning   of  the 


27G  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

excellent  electric  lighting  system  "vvliich  is  now  enjoyed  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  city,  having  been  later  acquired  by  the  0.  I. 
Newton  Sons'  Company  and  enlarged  and  improved  so  that  at 
the  present  time  there  are  two  plants,  one  at  the  Angelo  dam  and 
the  other  at  the  old  paper  mill  dam  in  the  city,  furnishing  street 
lighting  and  power  for  machinery  and  an  excellent  system  of 
lighting  for  stores  and  residences. 

In  1889  the  Congregational  Socidy  comi)leted  its  l)eautiful 
church  ;  and  to  Dr.  "William  Crawford  is  due  great  credit  for  the 
successful  carrying  out  of  this  great  undertaking.  Few  cities 
of  its  size  can  boast  of  so  beautiful  a  church  structure;  after  two 
and  one-half  years  of  struggle  the  society,  on  August  20,  1889, 
held  the  dedicatory  exercises  and  the  church  was  opened  fi»r 
religious  service. 

Following  the  installation  of  an  electric  light  plant  an  agita- 
tion for  a  system  of  water  works  began  in  1890.  but  owing  to 
the  state  of  the  city's  finances  during  that  year  no  move  was 
made  to  install  such  a  system. 

Sparta  having  maintained  a  military  company  for  a  great 
many  years,  being  known  then  as  Company  I  of  the  Third  Regi- 
ment, Wisconsin  National  Guard,  and  the  company  having  occu- 
pied ditferent  buildings  during  its  career  and  suifered  twice 
from  loss  by  fire,  the  patriotic  citizens  of  the  city  got  together 
and  formed  an  Armory  Association ;  George  Dunn  was  elected 
president  and  AVilliam  II.  Blyton  secretary;  this  organization 
took  prompt  steps  towards  the  erection  of  a  commodious  armory; 
stock  was  sold  and  money  sufficient  for  the  purpose  collected, 
and  that  year  a  contract  for  the  building  was  let  to  J.  AV.  Blake, 
of  Viroqua,  for  $4,850;  December  18,  1890,  tlic  Imilding  was 
opened  for  use  by  the  public;  the  dedication  was  observed  l)y 
an  address  by  John  J.  Esch,  which  was  followed  by  a  nuisical 
entertainment,  ])eing  the  production  of  a  "Trial  bv  Jury,"  a 
Gilbert  and  Sullivan  opera  given  by  local  people;  this  building 
was  maintained  for  a  number  of  years  by  the  Armory  Associa- 
tion, being  rented  by  the  military  company  for  its  armory,  and 
has  at  various  times  been  improved;  it  has  now  passed  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  Armory  Association,  as  the  purpose  of  this 
organization  has  been  accomplished,  and  it  is  now  owned  by  the 
Abonita  Guard  Association,  Avhicli  is  the  civil  organization 
comprising  the  members  of  Comi)aiiy  L  of  the  Third  Regiment, 
AVisconsin  National  Guard,  and  such  members  as  have  served  a 
certain  time  of  enlistment  in  the  comi)any ;  the  society  is  prac- 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  277 

tieally  free  from  debt  and  improvements  are  under  contempla- 
tion, to  be  made  during  the  year  1912. 

The  Seventh  Day  Advent  Church  was  erected  and  dedicated 
by  the  society  on  the  31st  day  of  May,  1890. 

On  August  19,  1891,  the  corner-stone  of  the  Masonic  Temple 
on  the  corner  of  ]Main  and  Water  streets  was  laid  with  impressive 
ceremonies.  Within  the  stone  were  deposited  articles  of  his- 
torical interest  which  may  some  day  come  to  light.  The  building 
has  been  greatly  improved  since  then  and  is  owned  by  the 
Valley  Lodge  No.  60,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Coming  down  to  the  year  1896,  an  unprecedented  growth  in 
the  city  by  the  erection  of  business  buildings,  public  buildings 
and  residences ;  it  perhaps  marks  the  year  of  the  greatest  growth 
that  Sparta  has  ever  enjoyed  and  the  cost  and  number  of  the 
buildings  erected  during  that  year  are  worthy  of  note ;  a  com- 
plete list  of  all  the  money  expended  in  building  is  not  here  given, 
but  the  following  is  the  list  of  the  buildings  erected : 

High  school,  $23,000;  grade  school,  $13,000;  boiler  house, 
$850;  depot  primary,  $500;  state  school  buildings,  $7,500;  First 
Baptist  Church,  $5,000;  improvements  on  St.  John's  Church, 
$400. 

Business  Buildings.— W.  G.  Williams,  $8,000 ;  W.  C.  Hoffman, 
$3,000;  E.  E.  Olen.  $6,000;  C.  E.  Rich,  $1,500;  Roelston  &  Rosing, 
$3,800 ;  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  warehouse,  $2,000 ;  Ira  A. 
Hill,  improvements  to  Opera  block,  $2,000. 

Residences. — F.  W.  Swarthouse,  $4,000 ;  J.  :M.  Fanning.  South 
AYater  street,  $1,600;  E.  I.  AYaring,  Jefferson  avenue,  $700;  H. 
Ranum,  Alontgomerj^  street,  $1,000;  Ben  Phillips,  East  ]\Iain 
street,  $700 ;  D.  F.  Jones,  Water  street,  $1,500 ;  C.  E.  Lake,  Water 
street,  $2.000 ;  J.  E.  Broadwell,  Court  street,  $1,000 ;  AY.  W.  Hub- 
bard, Pearl  street,  $1,200;  B.  E.  McCoy,  South  AYater  street, 
$700;  Charles  Abrahamson,  South  Water  street,  $1,200;  J.  P. 
Rice,  South  Court  street,  $2,000;  P.  S.  Sparling,  $2,000;  John 
Smith,  North  Benton  street,,  $1,200;  D.  A.  Baldwin,  $1,800; 
George  H.  Chaffee,  Long  Court  street,  five  cottages  aggregating 
$7,300 ;  George  Newton,  North  AYater  street,  improvements, 
$1,500. 

The  total  amount  which  was  put  into  buildings  and  improve- 
ments for  that  year  was  $115,400. 

It  is  noticeable  how  low  the  amounts  are  as  compared  with 
the  cost  of  building  materials  at  the  present  day. 

In  the  previous  year,  1895,  the  Odd  Fellows  dedicated  their 


278  HISTORY  OF  MUXKOE  COUNTY 

new  hall  and  in  tlic  following  year,  1897,  the  Baptist  Church 
was  finished  and  dedicated  on  the  7tli  day  of  February,  and 
the  year  1896  also  saw  the  dedication  of  the  magnificent  new 
court  house  erected  by  the  county  of  ^Monroe;  the  exercises  took 
place  on  the  Lith  day  of  ]\Iarch  in  that  year  and  were  attended 
by  representatives  from  every  town,  village  and  city  in  the 
county  of  ]\Ionroe ;  the  exercises  were  followed  by  a  banquet  in 
the  evening,  with  probably  more  oratory  let  loose  than  had  ever 
before  been  the  case  in  IMonroe  county,  for  it  was  a  proud 
occasion  for  the  citizens  of  this  county;  they  had  erected  and 
completed  a  court  house  which  is  a  model  both  for  beauty  and 
usefulness.  The  excellent  arrangement  of  the  business  offices 
and  court  rooms  and  the  provisions  of  ample  vault  space  for 
several  long  years  to  come,  Avas  a  wise  foresight  of  the  building 
committee. 

]\Iilitary  circles  were  astonished  l)y  the  fact  that  Company  I 
of  the  Third  Regiment,  AVisconsiu  National  Guard,  was  mustered 
out  in  1895  and  the  citizens  became  thoroughly  aroused  with 
regard  to  the  necessity  of  giving  more  support  to  a  military 
company;  steps  were  immediately  taken  to  reorganize  the  com- 
pany and  a  temporarj^  organization  was  perfected  at  which  T.  0. 
Thorbus  was  elected  captain ;  F.  L.  French,  first  lieutenant,  and 
R.  B.  ]\IcCoy,  second  lieutenant. 

Enlistments  were  rapidly  procured  and  on  July  15,  1S9G,  a 
new  company,  known  as  Company  L,  Third  Regiment,  "Wisconsin 
National  Guard,  was  mustered  in  by  Col.  Charles  King,  the 
adjutant  general  of  the  state  of  AVisconsin,  the  same  official  who 
had  mustered  out  Company  I;  R.  B.  IMcCoy  Avas  mustered  in  as 
captain ;  F.  L.  French  as  first  lieutenant,  and  John  P.  Rice,  second 
lieutenant;  a  large  audience  attended  the  exercises  and  the 
citizens  of  Sparta  felt  that  they  had  redeiMued  themselves  in 
this  particular.  But  there  is  one  thing  Avhich  this  history  will 
not  fail  to  record,  and  that  is  that  while  the  citizens  of  Sparta 
are  patriotic,  they  have  not  at  all  times  interested  themselves 
in  the  military  company  and  it  has  ])een  hard  work  for  the 
officers  of  the  company  to  overcome  the  opposition  which  has 
been  oflfered  t(t  the  enlistment  of  young  men  and  it  has  been 
difficult  at  times  to  nuiintain  the  company  standard. 

Under  Captain  jMcCoy  the  com])any  Avas  rapidly  brought  to 
a  high  state  of  efficiency,  and  none  too  soon,  for  it  Avas  destined 
to  some  actiA'e  service.  Trouble  had  been  brcAving  for  some  time 
in  Cuba  and  early  in  1898  Avar  being  declared  by  this  country 
against   Spain,   there   Avere    exciting   times  in   Sparta.     To   the 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  279 

President's  call  for  troops  Wisconsin  quickly  responded,  and  on 
April  28th,  with  tiags  flying,  cheered  by  thousands  of  friends  and 
relatives,  Company  L  boarded  the  special  train  which  carried  a 
part  of  the  Third  regiment  to  Camp  Harvey  at  Milwaukee.  The 
record  of  the  company  is  told  elsewhere  and  is  a  good  one. 

Spring,  summer  and  fall  passed  slowly.  The  boys  at  the  front 
were  sadly  missed.  Eagerly  the  newspapers  were  read  for  news 
of  them  and  a  letter  from  one  of  the  company  in  Porto  Rico  was 
an  event.  The  glad  news  flashed  over  the  wires  the  latter  part 
of  October  that  the  Third  regiment  had  landed  in  New  York. 
Great  preparations  were  made  to  receive  the  company,  and  at 
10 :30  a.  m.,  October  30th,  the  company  arrived,  truly  having  the 
appearance  of  veterans.  The  celebration  was  elaborate  and  joy- 
ful, with  a  note  of  sadness  for  those  who  had  been  left  behind. 

The  war  over,  business  once  more  settled  down  to  its  usual 
routine.  Rumors  came  that  the  American  Cigar  Company  de- 
sired to  establish  a  company  in  this  part  of  the  state  for  the  sort- 
ing of  tobacco,  and  steps  were  immediately  taken  to  secure  the 
locating  of  it,  and  the  efforts  of  the  citizens  who  had  the  matter 
in  charge  were  so  successful  that  in  May,  1899,  assurance  was 
given  that  the  plant  would  come  to  this  city.  Later  on  ground 
was  purchased  and  buildings  were  erected,  which  were  completed 
and  opened  for  business  January  12,  1902 ;  a  capacity  for  the 
handling  of  1,800,000  pounds  of  tobacco,  or  about  60,000  cases, 
and  during  the  sorting  season  the  plant  employs  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  400  hands. 

Other  good  news  came  to  Sparta  in  1899,  and  that  was  the 
purpose  of  H.  J.  Heintz  to  erect  a  salting  station  in  this  city, 
which  was  done  in  that  year,  and  subsequently  enlarged,  proving 
a  great  benefit  to  the  farmers  in  the  vicinity  in  encouraging  the 
raising  of  cucumbers  for  pickles,  for  v\^hich  a  good  price  is  paid. 

AVhat  proved  to  be  the  most  disastrous  flood  ever  experienced 
in  this  city,  or  even  in  the  county,  occurred  on  the  night  of  June 
11th  and  12th  of  1899.  The  day  had  been  pleasant  up  until  6 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  a  storm  gathered  and  broke  over 
the  city.  For  a  time  there  was  a  bombardment  of  hail  with  it, 
then  it  settled  down  to  a  steady  downpour  of  rain,  which  con- 
tinued hour  after  hour  nearly  all  night.  An  immense  amount  of 
water  fell.  The  streams,  brooks  and  rivers,  especially  the 
LaCrosse  river  and  Beaver  creek  both  ran  over  their  banks  and 
every  creek  and  little  rivulet  in  this  part  of  the  country  over- 
flowed, washed  out  roads,  cultivated  fields  and  bridges  and 
caused  great  damage.     The  city  got  the  full  force  of  the  storm 


280  HISTORY  OF  MoXROE  COUNTY 

and  tlie  desti'iirtioii  ul'  the  Bacon  dam  followed  the  flood  which 
came  down  l^eaver  creek.  Lnmber,  boards,  and  even  a  hay  stack 
or  two  were  washed  in  with  the  torrent  and  lodged  against  the 
Bacon  dam,  and  in  spite  of  all  that  Mr.  Jiacon,  with  what  help 
he  could  procure,  could  do,  they  were  finally  compelled  to  desist 
and  the  structure  w'cnt  out  and  was  swept  away  down  the  stream. 
AVith  the  rush  of  this  tremendous  force  against  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  Conover  building,  which  stood  near  the  dam,  it 
was  seen  that  the  building  Avas  in  danger.  IMr.  Conover  and  his 
wife,  who  lived  on  the  second  floor  of  the  building,  were  unaware 
of  the  situation,  and  being  warned  they  took  what  clothing  they 
could  carry  and  escaped  from  the  building  just  before  it  was 
undermined  and  sw^ept  info  the  flood.  It  fell  into  the  flood  and 
the  water  drove  the  ruins  of  the  building  against  the  bridge  on 
"Water  street,  and  then  with  a  tremendous  noise  it  was  hurled 
under  the  bridge  and  strewn  all  along  the  stream.  Not  a  vestige 
of  the  building  was  left  where  if  had  stood.  It  was  completely 
swept  away  and  swallowed  up  by  the  flood.  The  C.  E.  Kich 
building  next  to  it  was  threatened  for  some  time,  but  the  flood 
receded.  Forces  were  organized  tow^ard  morning  and  with  ])ags 
of  sand  and  trunks  of  trees  kept  the  flood  away  from  the  build- 
ing. Walrath  creek  rose  to  a  tremendous  height  and  swept  out 
the  ^Miller  and  Kasen  dam,  which  had  just  been  completed  from 
a  former  flood.  Telephone  lines  were  dow^n  and  all  the  bridges 
in  the  city  except  two  -were  out  of  commission.  The  road  to  the 
Northwestern  depot  for  some  time  was  under  two  or  three  feet 
of  wafer,  and  the  whole  river  bottom  below  the  paper  mill  was 
covered,  while  the  houses  adjoining  the  banks  were  partially  sub- 
merged. The  night  of  June  11th  Avas  a  wild  night  in  the  city,  one 
long  to  be  remembered,  for  it  seemed  for  a  time  as  though  the 
tremendous  flood  "woidd  carry  away  a  i)()rfion  of  the  business 
buildings  whiili  were  situated  next  to  Beaver  creek,  and  luckily 
no  lives  were  lost.  No  estimate  has  been  made  of  the  actual 
damage,  but  it  reached  a  large  sum. 

For  the  second  time  Avithin  the  period  of  little  over  a  year 
Sparta  experienced  another  serious  flood  on  the  nights  of  Octo- 
l)er  27th  and  28th.  Beaver  creek,  running  through  the  heart  of 
the  city,  Avith  a  reputation  for  mischief  of  many  years  past,  rose 
to  the  highest  point  if  had  ever  reached,  and  OAving  to  the  fact 
that  the  tAvo  dams  upon  it  Avere  in  better  shape  to  resist  the  flood 
than  ever  before,  no  great  damage  Avas  done.  The  Bacon  and 
Evans  dams,  hoAvever,  both  Aveut  out  eventually  Avifhout  any  in- 
jury to  any  of  the  buildings  around  its  banks,  but  flie  bridge 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  281 

approaches  at  Montgomery,  Main  and  Oak  streets  were  severely 
damaged  and  the  abutments  of  the  Oak  street  bridge  were  so 
badly  torn  that  they  had  to  be  rebuilt.  The  LaCrosse  river  also 
rose  rapidly  and  flooded  the  low  sections  between  Railroad  street 
and  Court  street,  which  looked  so  threatening  that  the  fire  alarm 
was  rang  and  the  people  routed  out.  The  LaCrosse  river  reached 
such  a  height  on  Long  court  and  the  flat  in  front  of  it  that  the 
sidewalk  to  the  Northwestern  depot  was  carried  over  to  the  west 
side  of  the  street,  and  some  of  the  dwellings  were  flooded.  Quite 
serious  damage  was  done  at  the  Newton  plant  at  Angelo,  where 
they  Avere  making  extensive  repairs  to  the  dam.  The  coffer-dam 
was  carried  out  and  the  whole  plant  had  a  narrow  escape  from 
destruction. 

As  a  result  of  correspondence  conducted  in  the  previous  year 
or  two  Dr.  F.  P.  Stiles  received  a  letter  dated  February  8,  1902, 
from  Andrew  Carnegie,  agreeing  to  give  $10,000  to  the  city  of 
Sparta  for  the  erection  of  a  public  library.  The  city  council  ac- 
cepted the  offer,  which  resulted  in  the  handsome  building  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  city  library,  which  has  proven  to  be  a  great  boom 
to  the  people  of  the  city. 

In  1903  the  citizens  of  Sparta  planned  and  carried  out  a 
Fourth  of  July  celebration  which  is  worthy  of  note.  The  prepara- 
tions were  elaborate  and  quite  unique.  After  an  immense  parade 
in  the  morning  with  the  usual  exercises,  in  the  afternoon,  upon 
stages  which  had  been  erected  in  the  street,  free  performances 
were  given  for  the  people  by  artists  hired  for  that  purpose,  which 
continued  during  the  entire  afternoon  and  evening.  This  method 
was  so  successful  that  it  has  been  carried  on  in  many  of  the  large 
cities  of  the  state  in  celebrations  of  this  character. 

In  December,  1903,  the  city  of  Sparta  took  an  appeal  from  the 
equalization  of  assessments  made  by  the  county  board  to  the  cir- 
cuit court  of  Monroe  county.  The  board  appointed  Van  S.  Ben- 
nett, of  Viroqua ;  Chester  Lyon,  of  Mauston,  and  C.  S.  Van  Auken, 
of  LaCrosse,  as  the  commissioners.  After  a  thorough  investiga- 
tion and  a  hearing  at  which  a  large  number  of  witnesses  were 
sworn,  the  commission  found  in  favor  of  the  city  of  Sparta  and 
reduced  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  city  from  $1,957,000  to 
$1,859,150,  a  reduction  of  about  $88,000. 

The  year  1904  marked  the  passing  away  of  several  of  Sparta's 
most  prominent  citizens.  On  February  16,  1904,  David  D.  Cheney 
died  at  Biloxi,  Miss.  ]\Ir.  Cheney  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
in  the  city  of  Sparta,  a  man  who  had  accumulated  large  wealth 
by  reason  of  his  excellent  business  ability. 


282  HI  STORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

Soon  afterwai'ds  the  news  flashed  over  tlie  Avires  from  Pasa- 
dena, Cal.,  that  Ira  A.  Hill,  one  of  Sjiartn's  most  prominent 
citizens,  had  died  in  that  city  on  that  date. 

An  event  of  some  historical  importance  occurretl  on  June  o, 

1904,  when  the  famons  Li1)erty  Bell,  from  the  old  statehonse  in 
Boston,  passed  lliroii^ii  iicrc.  being  taken  on  a  trip  Hirouyh  the 
country  so  tluit  llic  people  migfht  see  this  famons  bell.  The  spe- 
cial ti'iiin  carrying-  it  ni'i-ived  hitc  in  the  afternoon  and  halted  at 
the  station  for  about  ;i  luilf  hour,  giving  llic  thousands  of  people 
Avho  had  collected  ample  opportunity  to  view  it.  AVlien  the  train 
pulled  out  three  mighty  cheers  were  given  for  the  "Old  Liberty 
Bell.''  It  certainly  was  a  lesson  to  see  the  reverence  with  which 
this  object  was  viewed  by  the  people  generally. 

On  Sunday  morning,  January  22,  1905,  the  St.  Patrick's 
Catholic  church  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire.  The  fire  started 
in  the  basement  and  before  it  could  be  brought  under  control  the 
entire  church  was  enveloped  in  the  flames.  It  was  an  old  wooden 
building,  which  had  been  first  erected  in  1867  down  near  the 
^Milwaukee  depot  and  moved  to  the  present  location  in  1877.  In 
1883  St.  Patrick's  congregation  was  incorporated.  The  congre- 
gation luckily  had  $1,500  of  insurance  on  the  building,  so  that  it 
was  not  a  total  loss.  Steps  were  innnediately  taken  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  handsome  new  chiu'ch,  and  on  Sunday,  June  24,  1905, 
the  corner-stone  of  the  new  edifice  was  laid  Avith  impressive  cere- 
monies by  Bishop  Sch.weboch,  of  LaCrosse,  and  on  June  5,  1907. 
the  bishop  again  visited  the  church  and  presided  at  the  dedica- 
tion ceremonies,  which  were  very  elaborate.  The  equal  of  this 
beautiful  Iniilding  is  hard  to  find  in  a  city  of  this  size  anywhere 
in  the  state  of  AVisconsin.  Its  magnificent  proportions  are  very 
sightly  and  tlie  interior  is  handsonu^ly  appointed  and  decorated. 

On  October  2(j,  27  and  2S  the  Western  Wisconsin  Teachers' 
Association  held  its  session  in  this  city.  There  was  an  attendance 
of  over  600  teachers,  with  several  prominent  educators,  among 
them  C.  P.  Cary,  state  superintendent  of  pul)lic  instruction.  This 
meeting  Avas  procured  by  the  efforts  of  Prof.  F.  M.  J.u-k,  who 
Avas  then  superintendent  of  the  Sparta  schools.  The  sessions  of 
the  associ.'ilidu  were  very  interesting  and  instructive  and  tlie 
pul)lic  addresses  delivered  by  Mr.  Cary  ;md  othei-s  were  greatly 
enjoyed  liy  tlu^  citizens  of  Sparta. 

After  a  long  series  of  years  in  Avhich  effoi-ts  hatl  been  made 
to  collect  sufficient  funds,  the  soldiers'  monument  Avas  at  last 
completed.     It  Avas  placed  in  the  North  park,  and  on  May  30. 

1905.  it  Avas  formally  dedicated  and  presented  to  the  city.     The 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  283 

celebration  was  in  charge  of  John  W.  Lynn  post,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  a  general  invitation  was  issued  to  the  citizens 
of  the  county  to  participate.  The  Henry  AV.  Cressy  post,  G.  A.  R., 
of  Touiah,  came  over,  accompanied  by  their  friends,  150  strong, 
bringing  their  drum  corps;  and  a  large  representation  was  present 
from  the  towns,  villages  and  cities  of  the  county.  A  dinner  was 
served  at  the  armory  from  11:30  to  12:30,  and  in  the  afternoon  a 
great  parade,  led  by  the  Sparta  band  of  twenty-five  pieces,  headed 
by  Company  L  and  the  Grand  Army  veterans,  passed  through 
the  streets  to  North  park,  where  the  formal  exercises  were  held. 
After  an  address  by  INlr.  Beebe,  giving  the  history  of  the  monu- 
ment, it  was  presented  to  the  city  by  AY.  H.  Blyton,  and  accepted 
in  behalf  of  the  city  by  A.  J.  Carnahan,  president  of  the  city 
council,  after  which  an  eloquent  address  was  delivered  by  Con- 
gressman John  J.  Esch.  Perhaps  to  Dr.  D.  C.  Beebe  more  than 
any  one  man  is  credit  due  for  the  success  of  this  great  under- 
taking. He  exerted  great  efforts  to  bring  it  about,  and  it  was 
one  of  the  proud  moments  of  his  life  that  he  was  able  to  stand 
before  it  and  deliver  his  address,  reciting  the  struggles  wiiich 
had  been  gone  through  to  accomplish  it. 

On  ]May  17,  1907,  the  new  Bank  of  Sparta  building  was  com- 
pleted and  opened  for  business ;  truly  a  handsome  building,  one 
of  the  best  to  be  found  in  this  part  of  the  state,  and  reflects  great 
credit  upon  its  builders  and  the  institution. 

Sparta  has  had  its  full  share  of  fire  and  floods,  especially 
floods,  and  another  disastrous  one  was  experienced  July  21,  1907. 
At  this  time,  however,  the  damage  which  was  done  was  not  very 
serious  and  confined  more  to  one  locality  in  the  city.  The  old 
IMiller  and  Kaiser  dam  at  the  City  mills,  near  the  St.  Paul  depot, 
then  owned  by  Bergman  Brothers,  again  went  out  and  the  flood 
swept  away  the  railroad  bridge  just  below  it.  The  bridge  on  East 
avenue  was  also  let  down  on  one  end  and  so  badly  racked  that 
it  was  some  time  before  it  was  repaired  so  that  travel  could  go 
over  it. 

October  10th  the  local  camps  of  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  entertained  the  state  grand  encampment  of  Odd  Fellows. 
IMany  visitors  were  present  and  there  was  a  large  attendance  of 
delegates  from  all  over  the  state. 

During  1908  a  number  of  municipal  improvements  were  under- 
taken, especially  with  regard  to  the  sewer  system  in  various 
parts  of  the  city,  and  the  year  marked  also  the  inauguration  of 
the  free  letter  carrier  system  by  the  post  office  department.  This 
went  into  operation  June  1,  the  city  having  been  divided  into 


284  iiiSTUKV  UK  ,MONKOE  CULNTV 

three  districts,  and  as  a  result  of  civil  service  examinations  here 
for  the  purpose,  K.  A.  Merrill,  J.  R.  Pulinan  and  IT.  G.  Angle  were 
appointed  carriers. 

Dr.  D.  C.  Beebe,  who  was  postmaster  at  the  time  the  service 
was  inaugurated,  lived  long  enough  to  see  it  in  full  operation 
when  he  passed  away  on  June  9,  1908,  one  of  Sparta's  most  pro- 
gressive and  best  loved  citizens. 

This  year  is  also  marked  by  taking  from  the  ranks  of  its  prom- 
inent men,  Kufus  S,  Dodge,  a  pioneer  merchant,  wlio  died  July 
31,  1908,  very  suddenly.  Tlie  business  which  bears  his  name  is 
one  which  has  attracted  attention  to  the  city  of  Sparta,  and  is 
today  its  principal  mercantile  establishment. 

An  event  of  unusual  interest  in  musical  circles  was  a  band 
carnival  held  on  September  2  and  3,  1908,  which  was  participated 
in  by  two  regimental  bands,  the  Third  Regiment  band  from 
Viroqua  and  the  First  Regiment  band  of  Baraboo,  together  with 
bands  from  Reedsburg,  Tomah  and  Sparta.  They  were  consoli- 
dated into  one  huge  organization,  which  gave  a  parade  in  tlu^ 
business  portions  of  the  city,  making  a  volume  of  tone  which 
sounded  like  an  immense  pipe  organ.  Band  concerts,  horse  rac- 
ing and  various  sports  furnished  amusement  and  enjoyment  to 
the  vast  throng  of  Sparta  people  and  visitors  who  participated. 

The  Fair  store,  opposite  the  Hotel  Lewis,  was  discovered  to  be 
on  fire  early  in  the  morning  of  January  31,  1909,  and  for  a  time 
the  entire  block  of  business  buildings  was  threatened.  The 
weather  Avas  ])itterly  cold,  l)ut  the  firemen  succeeded  in  confining 
the  blaze  in  this  building,  which  was  completely  l)ui'n<Ml  inside, 
and  the  stock  of  general  merchandise,  owned  by  Sam  Herch,  was 
a  total  loss. 

Henry  Esch,  father  of  Congressman  John  J.  Esch,  and  one 
of  the  pioneer  residents  of  the  county,  passed  away  early  in  April 
at  a  ripe  old  age. 

Death  also  claimed  T.  0.  Tliorl)us  on  September  28.  1909.  alter 
a  brief  illness.  ]Mr.  Thornbus  was  a  very  public-spirited  citizen 
and  held  a  prominent  place  in  the  community  for  many  years. 

December,  3909,  marked  the  forming  of  the  Jefferson  Leaf 
Tobacco  Company,  under  the  management  of  \V.  T.  Jefferson, 
formerly  manager  of  the  American  Cigar  Coinpany  plant  in 
Sparta.  The  Jefferson  company  was  incorjiorated  and  imme- 
diately secured  the  Shattuck  building  on  Oak  street,  where  the 
])usiness  of  buying  and  selling  tobacco  is  now  conducted  on  a 
large  scale. 

A  much-needed  improvement  was  made  by  the  city  in  the 


THE  CITY  OF  SPARTA  285 

spring  and  summer  of  1910  in  tearing  up  the  old  cedar  pavement 
on  "Water  street,  from  Franklin  street  south  for  several  bloc-ks, 
and  putting  in  brick  pavement  with  a  solid  concrete  foundation. 
The  work  cost  about  $10,000,  the  most  of  which  was  borne  by  the 
adjacent  property. 

Old  residents  were  made  happy  in  ]\Iay  by  a  visit  of  Gov. 
James  N.  Gillett,  of  California,  to  his  boyhood  home.  Sparta 
claims  Governor  ''Jim"  as  its  own,  and  he  seemed  to  enjoy  meet- 
ing old  friends  and  acquaintances  immensely  and  spent  several 
days  looking  them  up.  The  governor  is  one  of  the  tine  examples 
of  what  an  American  boy,  without  advantages,  can  make  of  him- 
self, and  his  autobiography  in  another  chapter  should  be  read  by 
everyone. 

On  IMay  25,  1910.  at  precisely  2:48  in  the  afternoon,  the 
first  spike  was  driven  on  the  ^Milwaukee,  Sparta  &  Northwestern 
Railway  at  the  starting  point  of  this  new  road  in  this  city.  The 
honor  of  performing  this  ceremony  was  given  to  AVilliam  M. 
Forseman,  the  agent  of  the  Northwestern  company  at  Sparta,  and 
was  accomplished  in  the  presence  of  several  officials  of  the  new 
company  and  many  citizens,  thus  marking  another  epoch  in  the 
railway  history  of  the  city  of  Sparta  and  one  which  undoubtedly 
will  prove  to  its  advantages  in  the  future. 

After  long  efforts  Congressman  Esch  was  enabled  to  wire  to 
Postmaster  Brandt  in  June,  1910,  the  good  news  that  he  had  se- 
cured an  appropriation  of  $60,000  with  which  to  purchase  a  site 
and  erect  a  government  postoffice  building  in  Sparta.  Later  on 
the  postoffice  department  sent  a  representative  to  the  city  to 
select  a  site,  and  after  a  thorough  investigation  this  official  an- 
nounced his  decision,  favoring  the  lots  back  of  the  AYarner  House 
on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Court  streets,  including  the  Hemstock 
dray  barn  property.  This  site  Avas  subsequently  purchased  and 
a  commodious  postoffice  building,  containing  offices  for  the  offi- 
cials of  the  government  military  reservation,  will  undoubtedly  be 
erected  within  a  year  or  two  from  the  publication  of  this  M'ork. 

Two  of  Sparta's  pioneer  citizens  passed  away  in  1911.  L.  S. 
Fisher,  many  years  postmaster,  died  March  17th,  and  John 
Moffat,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers,  who  did  much  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  Sparta,  died  ]\Iarch  27th. 

The  year  as  a  whole  was  uneventful,  marked  onlv  bv  the  nat- 
ural  growth  of  business,  retarded  somewhat  by  the  rather  strin- 
gent financial  situation  which  prevailed  for  a  time  throughout  the 
country. 

The  Sparta  of  1912  is  truly  a  beautiful,  progressive,  modern 


286  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

littk'  city,  Avith  its  4,0(10  pcoj)!!'  l)iisy  in  vai-ioiis  Avalks  of  life;  its 
miles  of  paved  .streets,  with  beautiful  lioulevards  in  some  por- 
tions; a  little  city  whose  inhal)itants  have  given  it  a  reputation 
not  only  for  business,  })ut  as  a  eleanly  and  well  kept  town;  care- 
fully elip|)f(l  lawns,  well  li'iuimcd  sliadc  trees,  homes  neatly 
painted,  all  combine  in  the  title  so  often  heard,  "Beautiful 
Sparta.'' 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
SPARTA  SCHOOLS. 

A  woman,  a  rare  and  noble  soul,  whose  name  is  numbered 
among  the  pioneers  of  '55,  was  given  the  task  of  first  establishing 
the  cause  of  education  in  the  little  village  on  the  banks  of 
Beaver  creek,  and  it  was  not  a  task  which  she  undertook  at  a 
request  of  any  school  board,  but  because  she  was  a  large-hearted, 
kind  woman,  well  educated  and  bright,  whose  pity  was  aroused 
by  the  children  of  this  little  village  roaming  the  streets  without 
school  advantages,  that  Elizabeth  Trux  voluntarily  assumed  the 
duties  of  teacher,  procured  a  room  and  gathered  around  her 
eighteen  pupils  and  thus  inaugurated  the  cause  of  education  in 
Sparta,  aud  it  grew  mightily  with  the  passage  of  time,  from 
1855,  when  the  first  school  house  was  built,  to  the  present.  Her 
own  language  will  convey  the  difficulty  which  was  encountered 
by  ]\Irs.  Trux  in  this  little  pioneer  school,  and  we  here  quote 
from  an  article  written  by  her  in  1897  the  following: 

"As  there  was  no  school  here  Avhen  we  came  and  I  had  had 
some  experience  as  a  teacher,  I  opened  a  school  on  the  6th  day 
of  April,  1855,  with  eighteen  children.  Besides  teaching  them 
to  read  and  spell  I  taught  them  to  sew  and  to  work  perforated 
cardboard  and  often  kept  them  with  me  for  company  until  tea 
time,  sometimes  taking  them  out  to  pick  flowers  and  Avinter- 
greens ;  I  think  they  were  all  very  happy  and  I  am  sure  I  was, 
for  I  loved  the  little  ones  dearly.  There  was  at  that  time  a  frame 
building  on  the  corner  of  Oak  and  "Water  streets,  now  occupied 
by  the  Williams  block,  facing  Oak  street,  containing  three  rooms. 
One  was  ]\Ir.  S.  D.  Jackson's  store,  another  the  postoffice,  and 
as  the  other  had  just  been  vacated  we  were  fortunate  to  secure  it. 
Here  we  kept  house  and  taught  school  in  the  same  room.  In 
about  two  weeks  jMr.  Pott  and  J\lr.  Scheler  with  their  families 
came  from  Pennsylvania  and  bought  the  building,  so  we  were 
obliged  to  move  into  one  room  of  what  was  known  as  the  'Old 
Log  Fort,'  which  stood  just  back  of  where  Mr.  Foster's  harness 
store  now  stands,  facing  Water  street.  Mr.  Thomas  Blyton's 
people  lived  in  the  next  room  and  another  family  in  the  back 

287 


288  HISTORY  OF  :\rONKOE  COUNTY 

room.  Uur  room  contained  onr  cook  stove,  l)ed,  and  such  other 
furniture  as  ■we  possessed,  witli  the  same  benches  made  of  slabs 
that  we  had  in  the  other  school  room.  More  children  came  until 
Avo  had  twenty-eight  in  that  small  room  and  it  was  pretty  well 
tilh'd.  In  a  few  weeks  ]\lr.  Blyton's  people  moved  into  a  house 
they  had  built  and  I  had  the  room  they  vacated  for  a  school 
room ;  new  families  came  with  more  children,  and  our  number 
increased  until  we  had  forty-seven.  "When  tlie  school  had  been 
rnnning  a  little  more  than  tAvo  months  Mr.  Edward  Canfield,  who 
owned  the  house,  came  from  Connecticut  Avith  his  family  and 
Avanted  the  Avhole  of  it.  so  the  school  had  to  be  giA'en  up  for 
Avant  of  a  room  in  Avhich  to  hold  it. 

"In  June  the  first  school  house  Avas  built  on  tlie  present  site 
of  the  West  Primary  and  is  noAv  occupied  as  a  residence  in  the 
southAvestern  part  of  the  city. 

"Miss  Ann  Shepherd,  an  experienced  teacher  from  Fond  du 
Lac,  Avas  the  first  teacher  in  the  first  public  school.  I  taught 
as  a  substitute  for  her  for  one  month  Avhile  she  Avas  sick,  and 
such  a  school  Avas  never  taught  before ;  there  Avere  one  hundred 
pupils  of  all  ages,  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  Avith  the  books 
they  had  brought  Avith  them,  and  as  there  Avere  no  books  to  be 
bought  in  Sparta,  there  Avere  no  two  books  alike,  Avhich  made 
each  pupil  a  separate  class,  and  made  it  \'ery  hard  for  the 
teacher,  as  avcII  as  for  the  scholars.  I  sometimes  Avonder  if  the 
members  of  our  schools  at  the  present  time  can  appreciate  the 
Avonderful  |)i-iviloges  they  have  in  getting  an  education." 

Pioneer  days  in  the  schools  Avere  pretty  much  alike  in  this 
county,  a  story  of  struggles  for  better  things,  better  school  houses, 
better  equipments,  better  teachers,  better  everything  that  starts 
the  young  American  on  his  Avay  in  the  Avorld  Avith  something  of 
an  education,  Avhether  he  is  rich  or  poor;  and  progress  at  times 
found  hanging  on  her  skirt  the  old  saying,  "What  is  good  enough 
for  our  forefathers  is  good  enough  for  us"  fallacy,  but  be  it 
said  to  the  credit  of  the  good  sense  of  the  citizens  of  Sparta 
exercised  as  a  Avhole  that  running  through  all  the  years  has  been 
a  disposition  to  give  to  the  schools  anything  Avhich  in  reason 
ought  to  l)e  provided,  a  loyalty  Avhich  has  borne  rich  fruit  in 
the  past  and  Avill  continue  to  do  so  in  the  future. 

Perluips  there  is  no  subject  more  choice  to  the  people  than 
the  history  of  the  schools  of  any  community,  for  in  a  great  degree 
characters  are  built,  careers  mapped  out.  iuul  i)erhaps  men  of 
history  here  receive  the  fundamental  education  upon  Avhich  to 


SPAKTA  SCHOOLS  289 

build  for  the  future.  But  of  the  details  of  the  earlier  years  little 
can  be  gathered;  with  the  gradual  change  of  methods  and  better 
equipments  the  village  schools  kept  pace  with  modern  methods, 
resulting  in  the  establishment  of  a  high  school  which  was  accom- 
plished during  the  time  of  Professor  Bloomingdale.  Of  him  no 
better  description  can  be  given  than  that  which  is  contained  in 
an  article  written  by  Dr.  D.  C.  Beebe  in  1897,  after  long  service 
on  the  school  board,  from  which  we  quote  as  follows : 

"I  see  way  back  in  the  '60s  an  important  personage  in  educa- 
tional affairs  here.  He  really  is  the  pioneer,  for  no  worthy 
pretentions  to  aggressive  educational  work  were  made  here 
before  his  time.  He  was  rough  in  manner,  untidy  in  dress,  of 
strong  personality,  had  a  tender  heart,  and  an  unflinching  cour- 
age that  never  forsook  his  convictions,  let  come  what  would. 
Closely  allied  and  almost  inseparable,  w^as  the  educational  insti- 
tution of  the  place  at  that  time — the  new  brick  school  building 
just  finished  and  equipped. 

"Prof.  J.  Bloomingdale  was  not  only  principal  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sparta  schools,  but  he  was  the  oracle,  the  com- 
pendium, the  beginning  and  end  of  all  matters  that  savored  of 
public  education.  He  planned  with  great  nicety  the  new  school 
building,  and  superintended  its  construction  with  jealous  care; 
and  when  it  was  completed,  it  was  to  him  the  embodiment  of  all 
that  was  then  worth  knowing  in  school  architecture.  I  remem- 
ber distinctly  the  first  quasi-theatrical  that  I  enjoyed  in  the  new. 
building  on  one  public  Friday.  It  was  a  grand  success.  The 
house  was  filled  Avith  proud  fathers  and  mothers.  The  stage 
appointments  were  admirable,  and  the  costumes  of  the  players 
all  that  the  delighted  patrons  could  wish.  The  principal,  with 
unshaven  face  and  bushy,  frouzled  hair,  seemed  enveloped  in  a 
halo  of  glory  as  the  good  work  went  on. 

"Professor  Bloomingdale  was  a  type  and  teacher  of  the  old 
school,  and  as  such  he  held  the  ground  without  a  rival.  Death 
called  him  home  before  his  eyes  ever  saw  the  dawn  of  the  new 
educational  era.  AYhat  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  acme  of  school- 
house  perfection  fell  far  short  of  what  is  demanded  for  our 
children  today. ' ' 

The  building  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  quotation  was  the 
brick  high  school  building  built  on  the  present  site  of  the 
grade  school  in  1868-69  at  a  cost  of  about  $13,000,  and  was  con- 
sidered at  that  time  as  a  high  school  building  well  in  advance 
of  the  usual  buildings  devoted  to  this  purpose.     How  the  school 


290  niSTOHY  OF  MOXUOE  COUNTY 

systi'iii  developed  is  eoiieisely  Mild  (Mitirely  described  hy  AVilliam 
J  I.  JMytou  in  iin  .irtiele  on  llie  Sparta  S(.'lio(,ls,  from  wliieh  we 
quote  very  i'rcely  as  follows: 

"Prior  to  ]87()  the  progress  of  our  sehools  Avas  retarded  by 
false  notions  of  economy.  To  1)e  sure,  we  lind  built  fi'om  lime 
to  time  fairly  good  school  buildings,  but  evidently  hut  little  care 
Avas  given  to  the  matter  of  selecting  experienced  teachers.  If  a 
suitable  and  competent  principal  Avas  secured  it  seemed  to  be  the 
policy  of  the  authorities  to  fill  the  other  places  in  the  schools 
at  the  lowest  possible  cost.  Not  until  after  a  special  meeting  of 
the  electors  of  the  district,  Avliich  was  held  on  the  27th  of  July, 
1876,  at  which  time  the  people  there  present  unanimously  re- 
solved to  organize  a  free  high  school  district  under  the  laAV  of 
the  state,  being  chapter  322,  general  laAvs  of  1875,  Avas  sufficient 
attention  given  to  the  selection  of  sul)ordinate  teachers  and 
adoptiiig  Avholesome  rules  and  regulations.  AVhen  this  Avas  done 
the  school  seemed  to  at  once  spring  into  neAV  life  and  began  to 
attract  attention.  Sparta  schools  had  been  under  the  immediate 
care  and  direction  of  Professors  Bloomingdale,  Smith,  Cummings, 
AVinter  and  Clark,  and  the  corps  of  teachers  liaA^e  been  increased 
from  seven  in  1870  to  sixteen  in  1897.  The  question  of  providing 
more  and  better  accommodations  for  the  school  appeared  to  liaA^e 
been  settled  for  all  time,  as  many  of  our  people  then  supposed,  by 
the  erection  of  the  high  school  building  in  1868-69  at  a  cost  of 
$13,000,  but  as  the  population  of  the  district  increased  the  demand 
for  more  and  better  school  buildings  became  so  f>ressing  that  not- 
Avithstanding  the  additions  and  alterations  heretofore  made  to 
the  several  buildings  the  school  board  iit  the  annual  district  meet- 
ing on  July  1,  1895,  reported  as  folloAvs : 

"  'The  problem  of  Avhat  Ave  are  to  do  Avitli  oui-  overeroAvded 
school  Avithout  more  school  loom.  has  conl'ronted  the  school  board 
for  more  than  a  year.  When  the  present  high  school  building 
Avas  built  the  school  census  of  the  district  shoAved  betAveen  oOO 
and  600  ehildi'en  of  school  age,  tln^  census  just  taken  shoAVS  over 
one  thousand  children  of  school  age.  It  has  finally  come  to  this — 
something  must  be  done,  some  plan  must  be  devised  that  Avill  re- 
lieve these  overeroAvded  schools  or  they  Avill  greatly  suffer  for 
the  ensuing  yeai".  Indeed,  if  no  relief  is  provided  the  board  is 
of  tile  opinion  thai  the  half-day  plan  should  be  a(lo])ted  and 
preferable  to  crowding  so  many  pupils  together.'  Upon  the  fore- 
going report  and  at  the  suggestion  of  many  citizens  the  people 
Avere  jirompted  to  act,  and  the  result  Avas  finally  recorded  on  July 
8,  1895,  by  the  adoption  of  proper  b^gal  resolutions  authorizing 


SPARTA  SCHOOLS  291 

tlie  raising  of  necessary  funds  to  purchase  additional  ground  and 
to  build  a  new  high  school  building." 

"The  school  board  immediately  took  the  proper  steps  to  secure 
the  necessary  ground,  caused  plans  and  specifications  to  be  pre- 
pared for  such  new  building,  and  on  the  26th  day  of  September, 
1895,  awarded  the  contract  for  the  ncAV  building  to  L.  V. 
Huschka,  of  Sparta,  for  the  sum  of  $18,379.66,  and  work  thereon 
was  promptly  begun,  and  the  present  high  school  building  was 
completed  and  ready  for  occupancy  September  1,  1896.  The 
destruction  of  the  old  high  school  building  by  fire  on  December 
2,  1895,  again  called  for  prompt  action  and  an  additional  outlay 
of  money.  Again  the  people  were  assembled  in  special  meeting 
on  December  30,  1895,  to  authorize  the  construction  of  a  new 
building  to  take  the  place  of  the  one  destroyed,  which  was  done 
without  a  dissenting  voice.  On  July  6,  1896,  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  district,  more  money  was  voted  and  the  result  of  the 
action  of  the  taxpayers  in  tiie  district  is  the  two  fine,  substantial 
school  buildings  of  which  we  are  all  so  justly  proud.  AYith  the 
loss  of  the  West  Primary  building  by  fire  on  January  3,  1892.  the 
high  school  building  on  December  2,  1895,  and  the  AY.  C.  T.  U. 
building,  in  Avhie-h  the  high  school  Avas  temporarily  located,  on 
April  6,  1896,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  duties  of  the  school  officers 
and  teachers  have  not  been  altogether  easy  to  perform  and  the 
demands  on  the  taxpayers  by  no  means  light.  How^ever.  we  have 
survived  and  today  M^e  are  in  possession  of  fine  buildings  and 
equipments  which  have  cost  as  follows : 

"High  school  building,  $18,379.66;  seating  and  furnishing, 
$938.75 ;  intermediate  building,  $12,280 ;  seating  and  furnishing, 
$628.55;  Depot  school  building,  $601.05;  boiler  house  and  boiler, 
$1,703;  East  Primary  building,  $1,200;  AYest  Primary  building, 
$1,020.55;  estimated  value  of  school  grounds,  $9,800;  making  a 
grand  total  of  $49,551.56  invested  for  school  purposes.  The  an- 
nual current  expenses  of  conducting  the  schools  have  increased 
from  $6,668.21  in  1876  to  $11,617.76,  being  an  increase  of 
$4,919.52.  AYhile  this  is  cpiite  a  large  increase  it  is  not  so  large  in 
proportion  as  the  increase  in  the  number  of  scholars." 

The  above  article,  written  in  1897,  certainty  shows  a  remark- 
able amount  of  progress  made  in  the  building  of  buildings  and 
equipping  the  high  school  and  the  ward  schools  of  the  city,  and 
since  that  time  new  school  houses  have  been  built  for  the  depot 
primary  and  the  east  and  west  primaries  so  that  the  buildings 
now  owned  l)y  the  school  district  are  all  modern  and  up-to-date 
in  every  particular,  and  with  the  addition  of  a  department   of 


292  HISTORY  OF  .AlOXKOE  COUNTY 

domestic  science  and  anotlier  of  manual  training  in  connection 
-svitli  the  high  school,  has  brought  the  Sparta  schools  down  to  the 
present  time  as  thoroughly  ecpiipped  and  efficiently  managed, 
giving  all  the  advantages  that  any  high  school  in  the  state  can 
offer,  except,  perhaps,  not  as  complete  equipped  in  the  laboratory 
for  scientific  investigation  or  as  large  a  reference  library  as  is 
desirable. 

Tlie  training  of  the  child  has  indeed  largely  changed  in  the 
last  forty  or  fifty  years;  not  only  in  the  course  of  study  arranged 
for  his  benefit  mentally,  but  also  much  attention  is  paid  to  the 
pliysical  growth  and  restraints  of  bad  habits  of  body.  Sensible, 
muscle-making  and  health-giving  athletic  exercises  are  now  rec- 
ognized as  of  imperative  importance.  A  substantial  foundation 
for  special  or  professional  work  is  now  laid  in  the  high  school. 
For  not  only  is  domestic  science  and  manual  training  taught,  but 
stenography,  typewriting,  bookkeeping  and  commercial  pursuits 
are  also  a  part  of  the  courses  of  study.  Scientific  methods  of  in- 
quiry on  particular  lines  of  knowledge  as  developed  through 
laboratory  work  and  in  other  ways  in  bringing  practical  educa- 
tion to  every  high  school  student,  in  fact,  in  all  lines  and  in  all 
courses  of  study  the  Sparta  high  school  has  proved  to  be  one  of 
the  best  and  has  turned  out  many  fine  examples  of  young  Ameri- 
can manhood  and  Avomanhood.  whose  careers  as  citizens  in  various 
parts  of  the  country  have  demonstrated  the  thoroughness  with 
which  the  foundition  of  their  education  and  physical  lives  was 
wrought. 

"ATHLETICS." 

In  the  earlier  days  in  the  high  school  baseball  was  more  or 
less  prominent,  and  in  fact  was  the  principal  game  to  wliich  at- 
tention Avas  devoted  by  the  students,  and  perlmj)s  was  never 
better  played  than  in  the  time  of  Professor  AVinters.  At  that 
time  the  McCoy  boys,  S.  H.  Burroughs,  Palmer.  Reck  brothers. 
Caliioun  and  Leyden  were  almost  expert  players.  Later  came 
Gould,  Burr  and  ^Moseley,  who  had  foremost  parts  in  connection 
Avith  the  game.  In  the  spring  of  '96  Sparta  won  the  champion- 
shij)  of  the  AVestern  AVisconsin  High  Schools  for  ])aseball.  Track 
and  field  athletics  began  with  the  advent  of  ^Ir.  A.  F.  Barnard 
as  a  teacher  in  the  school  during  '94  and  '95.  A  field  day  was 
held  in  June,  189.").  l)etween  tlie  ^lauston  and  Sparta  schools  at 
the  latter  place,  and  Sparta  won  many  of  the  events.  This  was 
nothing  more  than  a  start,  however,  and  during  the  succeeding 
year   a   league   was   formed   called  "The   West   AVisconsin   High 


SPARTA  SCHOOLS  293 

School  Athletic  League,""  which  had  in  view  the  promotion  and 
maintenance  of  general  athletics  and  comprising  the  towns  of  Vi- 
roqua.  Tomah,  JMauston  and  Sparta,  and  the  field  day  between 
the  teams  representing  these  several  towns  was  held  at  Sparta, 
June  6,  1896.  This  league  was  maintained  for  two  or  three  years, 
l)ut  owing  to  the  lack  of  support  on  the  part  of  the  various  or- 
ganizations, it  was  finally  dropped. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  more  records  were  not  kept  of  the 
various  athletic  events  during  the  past  years  with  which  the 
high  school  has  been  connected,  but  as  a  rule  since  '96,  when 
athletics  took  in  a  larger  field  of  events,  including  football  and 
the  ordinary  track  and  field  sports,  the  Sparta  high  school  has 
maintained  a  prominent  place  in  high  school  athletics  and  at 
times  has  taken  a  championship  or  two. 

Particular  attention  during  the  latter  years  has  been  paid  to 
the  football  team,  and  perhaps  the  greatest  success  was  attained 
by  the  team  of  1908,  under  the  captainship  of  Earle  Jefferson, 
when  the  Sparta  team,  having  defeated  LaCrosse  in  past  contests 
for  seven  straight  times  on  the  home  grounds,  an  exciting  game 
was  played  at  LaCrosse  between  the  two  teams  on  Thanksgiving 
day.  Fully  five  hundred  people  went  to  LaCrosse  on  that  day  to 
witness  the  game  and  give  moral  and  ''vocal"  support  to  the 
Sparta  team.  The  game  was  close,  well  contested  and  exciting 
throughout,  the  score  finally  being  twelve  to  ten  in  favor  of 
Sparta,  and  this  added  eight  straight  victories  over  LaCrosse.  It 
was  indeed  a  victory,  for  LaCrosse  had  been  very  energetic  in 
perfecting  her  team  and  had  gone  to  considerable  expense  in 
employing  a  coach,  the  home  team  having  been  coached  l)y  Dr. 
Barlow,  a  dentist  residing  in  the  city,  himself  an  athlete  and 
deeply  interested  in  everything  that  pertained  to  athletics.  An 
athletic  association  exists  in  connection  with  the  high  school  to 
which  students  are  eligible,  and  it  is  connected  with  the  Inter- 
scholastic  Athletic  Association  of  AVisconsin,  under  the  rules  of 
which  all  contests  are  held. 

THE  SPARTAN. 

A  little  quarterly  magazine,  entiled  The  Spartan,  is  published 
by  the  students  of  the  high  school,  which  originated  in  the  early 
part  of  the  fall  term  of  1885.  Numerous  publications  were 
received  from  different  schools  and  colleges  in  Wisconsin  and 
the  neighboring  states,  among  them  being  the  University  Press 
and  Badger  of  our  own  state.  As  these  papers  continued  to  arrive 
and  were  almost  invariably  accompanied  by  requests  for  an  ex- 


29-t  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

cliaii^c.  tlic  idea  yratlually  sugyi-stt'd  ilself  that  tlie  liigli  school 
might  be  able  to  get  out  a  journal  of  its  own,  and  after  consider- 
able investigation  it  was  finally  decided  to  i)ul)lisii  a  school  ])ai)ci-, 
and  witli  that  end  in  xicw  tlic  studcnls  ])i-oceeded  to  elect  a  board 
of  editors,  and  The  Spartan  made  its  first  appearance  on  the  20th 
of  November,  1880.  In  its  first  issue  the  purpose  of  the  publica- 
tion was  set  torlli  as  follows: 

The  Spai'tan  aims  first,  to  ])e  a  true  representative  of  the 
Sparta  High  School.  It  is  to  be  the  pi-oduction  of  the  scholars 
as  a  body.  Its  columns  will  always  be  open  for  the  expression  of 
honest  opinions,  and  the  only  test  for  the  admission  of  articles 
will  be  merit  and  originality.  We  purpose  to  insert  each  montli 
several  original  essays  on  live  subjects,  subjects  that  will  Ite 
interesting  both  to  the  students  and  to  the  community  at  large. 
No  pains  will  be  spared  in  iiuiking  the  alumni  column  one  of  the 
most  valual)lo  departments  of  llie  paper,  for  we  wish  The  Spartan 
to  be  indispensable  to  all  graduates  and  former  students  of  the 
school."  The  editorial  board  of  the  publication  was  selected 
from  different  classes,  each  class  having  one  or  more  represent- 
atives. At  the  outset  it  was  the  intention  to  publish  the  pai)er 
once  each  month,  but  oAving  to  the  amount  of  school  work  tnat 
was  not  always  found  adv«isable,  so  that  it  resolved  publications 
of  four  numbers  each  year. 

Outside  of  the  articles  coutril)uted  by  students  there  have 
been  frequent  articles  by  the  alunnii  and  former  members  of  the 
school,  which,  from  time  to  time,  have  proved  of  great  interest. 
It  is  the  plan  of  each  board  of  editors  to  produce  an  attractive 
and  valuable  magazine,  and  particular  attention  is  paid  to  the 
printing  and  illustrations.  The  paper  is  supported  pi-incipally 
from  subscriptions  of  the  students  and  alumni  and  (piite  an 
amount  is  also  received  from  advertisements,  and  the  business 
and  professional  nu'u  of  the  city  are  glad  to  render  assistance  to 
this  meritoi'ious  work  by  giving  small  advertisements,  which  are 
carried  throughout  the  yeai'.  The  little  paper  has  proved  to  be 
of  considerable  value  in  |>n'S('rviiig  in.  this  form  tlu^  records  of 
graduating  classes  and  of  some  atliletic  events,  and  also  oratorical 
contests  and  debates.  It  was  published  for  two  years.  com]ileting 
two  volumes  of  eight  nund)ers  each,  aftei-  which  the  publication 
was  di'opped  for  a  luuuber  of  years.  Jt  was  finally  revived  in 
1898  and  1ms  been  published  continuously  ever  since,  having 
reached  its  fifteenth  \olume  in  the  school  year  of  1911  and  1912, 
and  now  is  one  of  the  pcnnaiiciit  institutions  of  the  high  school. 


SPARTA  SCHOOLS  295 

SOCIETIES. 

Numerous  societies  sprung  up,  had  their  day,  and  were  no 
more,  especially  those  of  a  musical  nature,  although  in  1908, 
1909  and  1910  a  very  creditable  glee  club  was  maintained  among 
the  boys  of  the  high  school  known  as  the  ''Owl  Glee  Club."  It 
has  a  membership  of  something  like  twenty  voices,  and  was  quite 
successful  in  its  work.  There  was  also  a  girls'  glee  club,  called 
the  "Greig  Choral  Society,"  and  in  the  fall  of  1909  a  high  school 
orchestra  made  its  bow  to  the  public  and  proved  to  be  a  very 
popular  organization  during  its  one  or  two  seasons  of  existence. 
The  oldest  society  in  point  of  years  is  the  Jefferson  Debating 
Club  for  boys,  which  was  organized  during  the  fall  of  1897  and 
has  been  in  existence  ever  since.  This  is  a  society  conducting  de- 
bates and  literary  exercises  and  has  developed  good  material  and 
furnished  several  debating  teams,  which  in  the  past  has  held 
up  the  honor  of  Sparta  High  in  contests  Avith  other  schools. 

The  Girls'  Athena  Society,  a  debating  club,  is  also  successfully 
maintained,  and  its  meetings  have  proved  to  be  interesting  and 
instructive  to  its  members.  The  athletic  society  has  been 
previously  mentioned.  But,  perhaps,  the  most  interesting  asso- 
ciation from  the  point  of  its  membership  is,  of  course,  the 
Alumni  Association,  which  numbers  as  its  members  all  of  the 
living  graduates  of  the  Sparta  High  School.  This  association 
meets  once  a  year,  during  the  holiday  season,  between  Christmas 
and  New  Year's,  and  indulges  usually  in  a  reception  and  a  ban- 
quet, followed  by  a  program  of  varied  interest. 

This  society  numbers  among  its  members  many  who  have 
achieved  prominence  in  different  walks  of  life.  They  are  scat- 
tered in  many  states  and  to  attempt  to  enumerate  them  would 
be  a  task  indeed,  and  we  will  be  content  with  mentioning  here 
some  of  the  more  prominent.  Of  course  there  comes  to  the  mind 
at  once  the  name  of  John  J.  Esch,  who  has  achieved  a  national 
reputation  in  congress  as  the  representative  from  this  district ; 
Frank  Oster,  Julian  Bennett  and  Howard  Teasdale,  all  have 
been  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter  on  the  legal  fraternity ; 
Corwin  J.  Steele,  of  the  class  of  '77,  became  a  prominent  physician 
at  Milwaukee,  AVis. ;  Dr.  Carl  Beebe  and  Dr.  Spencer  Beebe, 
now  both  of  this  city,  prominent  physicians  in  this  part  of  the 
state ;  Dr.  Albert  J.  Miller,  of  the  class  of  '92,  who  served  in  the 
Philippines  in  the  United  States  troops,  and  is  now  located  in 
California;  A.  R.  Smith,  of  '87,  an  attorney  practicing  at  Bara- 


296  HISTORY  OF  :\rONROE  COUNTY 

1)00;  R.  B.  ]\U-Coy.  at  i)resent  county  judge  of  IMonroe  county; 
S.  R.  Burrouglis,  quite  prominent  in  insurance  circles,  who  en- 
gages ill  luisiness  now  in  Sparta.  There  are  c|uite  a  number  of 
the  legal  fraternity  who  did  not  graduate  from  the  Sparta  High 
School  but  received  a  portion  of  thcii-  education  in  it.  who  are  all 
referred  to  in  a  previous  chapter  on  the  "legal  fraternity." 

Among  the  alumna^  may  be  mentioned  ]\Iiss  Laura  Miller,  now 
a  prominent  educator  in  ^Montana  ;  ]\Iiss  Bell  Ady,  who  graduated 
from  the  school  in  '81,  afterwards  taking  a  course  of  music  in 
the  Boston  Conservatory,  and  for  some  time  filled  a  position  in 
the  Sparta  school ;  Mary  L.  Bisbee,  a  poet  of  her  school  genera- 
tion, now  in  California.  But  to  go  over  the  whole  list  will  con- 
sume more  space  than  Ave  can  devote  to  the  subject  and  it  will 
suffice  to  say  that  the  graduates  of  Sparta  High  School  as  a  rule 
have  made  good. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  graduates  of  Sparta 
High  School,  arranged  by  classes,  from  1877  to  and  including 
1912: 

Class  of  1877 — ]Mary  E.  Greene,  Emma  ]McKeu/.ie,  ]Mary 
McKenzie,  AVilliam  J.  Hughes,  Lizzie  H.  Palmer,  Annie  Streetou 
and  Corwin  J.  Steele. 

Class  of  1878 — Addie  Ellis,  AV.  F.  SaAvyer,  Hallie  Smith,  Julian 

» 

Bennett.  R.  F.  Jones,  Fannie  Palmer.  Eliza  Canfield,  Frank  Oster, 
Jessie  ]\IcjMillan,  J.  C.  Prill,  Kate  IrAvin,  HoAvard  Teasdale,  John 
J.  Esch,  Stella  Brock,  E.  K.  Holden  and  Lizzie  Hill. 

Class  of  1879 — Jennie  Wells,  ]\Iary  Harr,  ]\Iary  ]\IorroAV, 
Charles  J.  Smith,  Sarah  Gould,  ]\Iary  Foote,  Josie  Fisk,  Charles 
L.  Smith.  Lillie  Sarles,  Nellie  Harvey,  Florence  Thayer,  AVilliam 
Graves  and  Ella  James. 

Class  of  1881 — Angle  DorAvin,  ^Mamie  ^Merrill,  Franc  ]\IcMil- 
lan.  Belle  Ady,  Lottie  King  and  Etta  Kilmer. 

Class  of  1882 — George  Grossman.  Alviii  Regan,  Addie  ]\I.  Sa- 
bin,  Fannie  Cook,  "NVm.  F.  Jones,  Louis  Brooks,  Jennie  ]McAIillan 
and  Gertie  Bancroft. 

Class  of  1883— Stella  Bancroft  and  Luella  Tyler. 

Class  of  1884 — George  Petis,  Flora  Dalaba,  Lou  BaldAvin, 
I\Iamie  Sarles,  Anna  Beckler.  ^Minnie  Lee,  George  Stevens,  Neeta 
]5aldwin,  Nellie  Hanchett  and  Carl  Beebe. 

Class  of  1886— Franc  C.  Angle,  George  E.  Gray,  Rose  E.  Hel- 
ler, ]\Iiriaiii  J.  JcAvett.  Hattie  AV.  LaAvrence,  Dora  E.  Link,  Mary 
A.  Smitli,  AValter  AI.  Smith  and  Alary  P.  SpafTord. 

Class  of  1887— Robert  B.  AlcCov,  Laura  L.  Aliller.  Nellie  A. 


SPARTA  SCHOOLS  297 

Morse,  Everett  R.  Pease,  Alonzo  R.  Smith  and  Grace  ]\I. 
McAVithey. 

Class  of  1888— Julia  :\r.  Beebe,  ]\Iary  L.  Bisbee,  Mary  B. 
Brooks,  IMartlia  Davenport,  Grace  E.  Lee,  Kate  j\lc]Millan,  Lillian 
M.  Moftatt,  Anton  Moe  and  C.  Floyd  McClnre. 

Class  of  1889 — Spencer  D.  Beebe,  Josephine  Brennan,  Pauline 
M.  Bedenk,  Agnes  Davenport,  Robert  B.  Dunlevy,  Walter  E. 
Kaser,  Charles  J.  O'Connor,  John  W.  Palmer,  Lillian  B.  Clark, 
Helen  R.  Gray,  Eva  A.  Gray,  Gertrude  Nutting,  Margaret  B. 
Lewis,  Harriet  Richardson,  John  M.  Fanning  and  Carl  ]\L  New- 
berry. 

Class  of  1890— George  AY.  Ascott,  Harry  D.  Baldwin,  Seth  R. 
Burroughs,  Alary  AL  Calhoun,  A\"m.  B.  Calhoun,  Olive  C.  Chadsey, 
John  L.  Herbst,  Louis  T.  Hill,  Alice  K.  Hill,  Albert  E.  Hollister, 
Frank  AA^.  Horner,  Harriet  AL  Alanley,  Lelia  R.  Palmer,  Helen 
Richardson,  Bertha  Sargent,  AVilliam  Thorbus,  Alina  AL  AA'are 
and  Henry  A.  AVaste. 

Class  of  1891 — Flora  A.  Angle,  Alargaret  A.  Jones,  George  AL 
Link,  Alabel  L.  Alasters,  Lila  D.  Newberry,  Alabel  A.  Payne, 
Louise  Foote,  Clare  L.  AIcAIillan,  Charles  Stimson,  Alaggie  Tay- 
lor and  Hugh  H.  A\^illiams. 

Class  of  1892 — Alame  L.  Beebe,  Frederick  Brooks,  Nellie  Car- 
gill,  Albert  Fonken,  Ella  L.  Hewitt,  Carl  H.  Lewis,  Clara  Olson, 
Albert  L.  Aliller,  K.  Josephine  Alueller  and  AA^illiam  D.  Tallman. 

Class  of  1893 — Bess  R.  Baldwin,  Nellie  Dodge,  Inez  E.  Berry, 
Alice  Hettman,  Alaude  Jewett,  Delia  Johnson,  Kate  AIcAulift'e, 
Leonora  O'Connor,  Eva  J.  Rhodes,  Kate  H.  Sterger,  Nellie  E. 
Sullivan,  Julia  AA^hite,  AVilliam  P.  Dunlevy,  Daniel  Fisk,  AA^ill 
Ford,  Carl  Foster,  Clarence  Fulmer,  Alilon  R.  Gould,  Edmund 
Gray,  Henry  C.  Hanson,  Theodore  Lewis,  Ossian  R.  Link,  AYill  G. 
Alerrill,  John  Sehrara  and  Jessie  AL  AVright. 

Class  of  1894— Nellie  AL  Bnsh,  John  AL  AYoy,  Emma  E. 
Gantka,  Bernard  Alulrenin,  Lena  A.  AVright,  Rose  L.  Finn,  Carrie 
A.  Huftman,  Anna  J.  Evans,  Stella  0.  Thorbus,  Clara  A.  Fowler, 
Jessie  J.  Sias,  Ruth  AL  Hanchett,  Jas.  J.  Bowler,  Alaude  AVoy, 
Anna  B.  Durrie,  Alary  A.  Barber,  Tillie  I.  Olson,  Thresia  Inger- 
soll.  Lulu  E.  Bush,  Josephine  Erickson,  Arthur  Hollenbeck  and 
Nellie  Throbus. 

Class  of  1895 — Herbert  N.  Leete,  Bessie  Rutledge,  Joseph 
Brown,  Jessie  Lake,  Edward  E.  Sands,  Silas  AL  Lewis,  Harold 
Stevens,  Lena  Freenlee,  George  Dudley,  Alinnie  Van  Antwerp, 
Addie  King,  Rollie  Hogue,  George  Bowler,  AVayne  Aloseley,  Ger- 


298  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COI^XTY 

trude  Nodine,  Josio  Dammoji.  ^rM<j:Lri<'  liowlci-,  ^lilo  Babcock  and 
Carl  II.  Gould. 

Class  of  189G — Artliui-  Avers.  Gcorijo  Esch.  Clyde  Smith, 
Alfred  AVliite,  CJrace  Brown,  Lnla  Converse.  Ella  Erickson,  Effie 
King.  John  Brown,  Frank  Frazier,  Griffith  Roberts,  Robert  Teall, 
Susan  Beswick.  Nellie  Brown,  Anna  Doxrud,  Nellie  Freeman, 
Ella  .Mul renin  and  Etta  ]\lelntyre. 

Class  of  1897 — Letha  Ordway,  Blanche  AVebb,  Nettie  Lewis, 
]\Iay  Varlin,  ]\Iabel  ]\IcGary,  Anna  Jenkins,  Nellie  Sias,  Allie  Bur- 
rouirhs,  Sadie  Hettman,  Carl  Newton.  Colburn  AVhilc,  Jason  Wil- 
liams, Herman  Hanchett,  Ray  Palmer,  Nellie  Jones,  Lillian  L. 
Dudlej^  George  Hanchett  and  Frank  Schneller. 

Class  of  1898 — Alice  Beebe,  Norman  Durrie.  Ella  Eseh, 
Blanche  Gray.  Alark  Jewett,  Gertrude  Jones,  Bess  Palmer, 
Francis  Seidell,  Nellie  Bradley,  Nellie  AVoods,  Evan  Evans,  Jane 
Gallagher,  Earl  HoAvard,  Earl  Kemp,  AVinnie  Alulrenin  and 
Myrtle  AVood. 

Class  of  1899 — Stena  Sands.  Grace  Blackman,  Agnes  Bowler, 
Paul  Bush,  Sadie  Edminson,  Susie  Fish,  Genevra  Jolinson,  Elma 
Landt,  Hattie  Alurphy,  Louis  Nelson.  Alae  Robinson,  Emma  Sax- 
ton,  Marie  Seidel,  AVinnifred  Smith,  Annie  Teall.  Georgie  AVhit- 
comb,  Ella  Bowler,  Alabel  Bush.  Fred  Chaml)erlain.  Dorothy 
Everett,  Clara  Jackson,  Elizabeth  J<'nkins,  Charlotte  Shermer 
and  Harry  Alasters. 

Class  of  1900 — Anna  Abrahams,  Bona  Brownell.  Blanche 
Chamberlain,  Alay  Hubbard,  Gertrude  AIcAuliflfe,  Anna  Nyberg, 
Katherine  Romanowsky,  Netta  Sholts,  J\Iabel  Tuthill.  Alfred 
Clark,  Augusta  Dellman,  Tillan  Goltz,  Elizabeth  llotner.  Alattie 
Howard,  AVard  Jewett,  Dwight  Leete,  Blanche  Alorrison.  Hilda 
Olson,  Ethel  O'Leary,  Norton  Saxton,  Ernest  Servis,  Fred  Smith, 
Bess  Thayer  and  Angcline  Taylor. 

Class  of  1901 — Carrie  Ditman.  Blanche  Boydeu,  Elsie  Cam- 
eron, Jennie  Johnson,  Fern  Scott,  Ida  Clark,  Isaac  Lewis.  Dora 
Sherwood,  Elizabeth  Teall,  Carroll  Ayers,  Alary  Babcock,  Ernest 
Brooks,  Etta  Homer,  Hattie  Hutson,  Lottie  Johnson,  Clara  Knud- 
son,  Lula  Nelson,  Russell  Rath,  Edwin  Rich,  Zel.  S.  Rice,  Charles 
Roy,  AVill  Rutledge,  Meta  Smith,  Robert  Rutledge.  Ray  AVebster, 
Everett  AVilliams  and  Rachel  AVilliams. 

Class  of  1902 — Cora  Abrahams,  Bess  Blackburn,  Herman  Can- 
field,  Alabel  Heasty,  Doris  AIcAulift'e,  Emma  Aloy.  (Jeorge  Seidel. 
Cornelius  Shea.  Edward  Strait.  Robert  Alerrill.  Francis  Smith, 
Charles  Potter.  Ruth  Dalaba,  Ethel  Link,  Edith  AlcCormick, 
Eli/ab<Hi   Oliver,   Floyd   Rogers,   Ray  Smith,   Alargaret   A'oung, 


SPARTA  SCHOOLS  299 

Charles  Carnalian,  Frank  Newlon,  Horace  Howell,  Leon  Moss 
and  Rollie  Quackenbusli. 

Class  of  1903 — Andrea  AYinterfield,  Grace  Shotts,  IMaiide 
Nieol,  Florence  Jones,  Clara  Jankel,  Clara  Jackson,  Mae  Hitch- 
cock, Maud  Farnham,  Effie  Edminster,  Julia  Cholvin,  Roy  Sliat- 
tuck,  Sadie  Slayton,  Daniel  Clark,  Alice  Brackett,  Earl  Brandt, 
Fannie  Babcock,  Lawrence  Dake,  Harvey  DorAvin.  Laura  Davis, 
David  Jones,  Eva  IMoffatt,  Guy  Palmer,  Jacob  Putman,  Grace 
Sharp  and  Catherine  Johnson. 

Class  of  1904 — i\Iae  Rice,  Lucretia  Van  Zandt,  Lydian  Bush, 
Harriet  Ball,  ^Margaret  Dougherty,  ^Mildred  Evenson,  Arthur  Fish, 
Nellie  Hitchcock,  jMyrtle  Hoftman,  Gertrude  Johnson,  JNIartha 
Jankel,  Edward  Leverich,  Verne  Lovell.  Esther  Moy,  Lester 
j\Ioss,  Dorcas  Prill,  Sophie  Roy,  Tom  Teall  and  Ethel  AA^illiams. 

Class  of  1905 — Alvin  J.  Graf,  AVill  H.  Graf,  Theresa  Hanson, 
David  Jones,  Bess  Heasty,  Mary  Hutson,  Helen  Jennings,  Mabel 
Huschka,  Nettie  Jordan,  Laura  Kyle,  Carl  Kelley,  Alice  Thorbus, 
Fidelia  Van  Antwerp,  Edwin  Moy,  jNIabel  Sherldon,  Harry  AVhite, 
Elsie  Tucker  and  Arthur  AValters. 

Class  of  1906 — Nellie  Marie  Ball,  Sydney  David  Jones,  Edna 
Caroline  Dieke,  Gwen  M.  Jones,  Luella  Anna  Graf,  Helen  Pitkin 
Leete,  Carl  Glenn  Gililand,  Winfred  Owsley,  James  Andrew 
Johnson,  Ella  Louise  Schlaver,  Grace  Emma  AVhite,  Loren  Ernest 
Austin,  Harold  Edwin  Blackman,  Endora  Deldee  Burrows,  Nor- 
man Lee  Jewett,  Gloria  Alta  Alengelt,  IMinnie  May  Evans,  Neil 
Martin  iMolley,  Ella  Everson,  Jason  Nieol,  Vena  Rae  Hemstock, 
Aimee  Ethel  O'Brien,  Clarence  Edwin  Hitchcock,  John  Howard 
Prill,  Otilde  Josephine  Jackson,  INIaria  Delia  Sahrt,  Catherine 
Magdalena  Kulm,  Harry  Ross  Shetfer  and  Harold  Kasson  Thurs- 
ton. 

Class  of  1907 — Price  McConnell,  Evan  Lewis,  Percy  Leverich, 
Nora  Abrahamson,  Hubert  Blank,  JMark  Jones,  Julia  Harvey, 
Stella  Kitchum,  Rachel  Nieol,  Hazel  Nieol,  Alertie  Jackson,  Grace 
Shoemaker,  Gorman  Moffatt,  Carl  Jones,  Harry  Longwell,  Win- 
nie Rooker,  Arthur  Blank,  Lottie  Graf,  Bennett  Stiles,  Sarah 
Jones,  Nora  Alulrennin,  Benjamin  Sias,  Reuben  Rogers,  Jay 
Webb,  Jessie  Rutledge,  Frank  Van  Antwerp,  JMiriam  Lamborn, 
IMark  Quackenbush,  Anna  Potter,  David  Simpson,  Elizabeth  Trux, 
Edgar  Clough,  Arthur  Nichols,  Ernest  Dorwin,  Tracy  Huschka 
and  Nina  Hubbell. 

Class  of  1908 — jNIabel  Davis.  George  Barker,  Hazel  AVolcott, 
Rose  Seidel,  Gretehen  Esch,  Harold  Barker,  Harriett  Brackett, 
Mabel  Parks,  Grace  Baldwin,  Grace  Van  Antwerp,  ]\Iinnie  Poss, 


300  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOK  COUNTY 

Anton  Boison,  ]\Iarie  Dowd,  Francis  Huston,  ^Nlj^rtlo  Butler,  Eu- 
gene ^Matteson,  Hazel  Hubbard,  Lillian  Farnhain,  John  AVolf, 
Inez  Lloyd,  Jessie  ^Morrison,  Eleanor  Smith,  P>ed  Newman, 
Kiesling  Tluiyer.  Pearl  Trij)]!,  Blanche  Davis,  ]\rarie  AVintertield, 
Irene  Jordon,  Arthur  Hoffman,  Sophy  A])rahams,  Pearl  Kichai-d- 
son,  Lillian  Jensen,  Arbie  Brooks,  Fred  Ileitman,  Luella  Walters 
and  Frank  Glynch. 

Class  of  1909 — Jennie  AVebster,  Andrew  Johnson,  Elinor  Sher- 
man, Earl  Jones,  Lettie  Jackson,  Chester  Jackson,  Forrest  Rich- 
ards. Anna  Jones,  Otis  AVestby,  Blanche  Wagner,  Earle  Jetferson, 
]Maude  Sharp,  Celia  Krotzman,  Moses  Smith.  Malx'l  Matteson, 
James  McDonald,  Edith  Pratt,  Eugene  Ilesselberg,  Gertrude 
Gladden,  Ethel  Crowe,  George  Brooks,  Grace  AValters,  Percival 
Hutson.  Grace  Simpson,  Olga  Larson,  Delia  ]\Ierrill,  ]\largaret 
Ileasty,  Harold  Dorwin.  Bessie  Hutson  and  James  INIerrill. 

Class  of  1910— Alta  AVolcott,  Harry  AValters,  Sylvia  Richard- 
son, Ethel  MeClure,  Earl  Jones,  Ethel  Doyle,  Agnes  McGarvey, 
Lila  Blank,  Jessie  Swarzlow,  Ida  Jones.  Delbert  Dawley,  Jessie 
Holinbeck,  Edna  Janes,  Rachel  Davis,  Edith  Clark,  Alma  Winter- 
field.  Earl  Leverich,  Margaret  Laing,  Clara  Barker,  Elmer 
Abrahamson.  Anna  Axelson,  Jennie  Hitchcock.  Chauncey  Beebe, 
Jessie  Powell,  Lucy  Smith,  Helen  Haddow,  Joseph  Dana,  Elsa 
Baldwin,  Pearle  Kelley,  Ralph  Williams,  Liilia  Lund,  Harriet 
Herman,  Harry  Ilersh,  Edith  Ileasty,  Ella  Shaw  and  Lulu 
Herrick. 

Class  of  1911— Floyd  Rath.  Grace  Sarles,  Leita  Bestow, 
Stephen  ]\lcDonald.  Fern  Smith,  Lisle  ]\Iayfield,  Jennie  Jones, 
Roy  Dunbar,  ]\Iae  ^Morrison,  Frank  ^McDonald.  Christina  AVinter- 
field,  Ruth  AlcCabe,  Clyde  Ewers.  Zella  Keene.  Dorothy  Oswald, 
Lawrence  Carroll.  Lila  Bartlett.  Emma  Hansen,  Charles  AIcGone- 
gal,  Hazel  Alatteson,  Amelia  AVright,  Burton  Evans,  Bernice 
Everson,  AVilliam  Kammalade,  Esther  Freeman,  Alerritt  Newton, 
Alyrtle  Jones.  Fred  Enckhausen.  Dorothy  Hansen.  AValter  Evans. 
Alaude  Alaytield,  David  AVilliams.  Harrietta  Rathbun,  Vaughn 
Lee  and  Edna  Richards. 

Class  of  1912 — Inga  Christopherson,  Don  Divoll,  Ilulda  Erick- 
son,  Doris  Escli.  .Mae  Finger.  Rena  Fi-ank,  Fi-ed  Hansen,  f^mil 
Ilersh,  Cecil  Ilorswill.  Kuby  Jackson,  Ethel  Jones,  Elsie  Kielberg, 
Dorothy  Kyle,  Victoria  Larson,  Spencer  Lucas,  Alina  Alorgau. 
Serenus  Paulson,  Alice  Prill.  Grace  Reed,  Doris  Richards,  Esther 
Roberts,  Blanche  Rooker,  Frances  Sarles,  Earl  Thurslon.  Emma 
AValters  and  Grace  AVi-iffht. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
TPIE  BANKS  OF  SPARTA. 

Within  four  years  after  the  passage  of  the  law  which  created 
the  county  of  Monroe,  the  citizens  of  Sparta  were  furnished  with 
banking  facilities  through  the  organization  of  the  Bank  of  Sparta 
in  1858.  From  that  time  until  the  present  the  banking  business 
has  been  conservatively  and  safely  conducted  with  the  exception 
of  a  private  banking  institution  of  M.  A.  Thayer  and  Company, 
which  originally  was  established  in  the  70 's  by  M.  A.  Thayer  and 
R.  S.  Kingman,  but  which  failed,  together  with  the  bank  estab- 
lished by  Mr.  Thayer  at  Tomah  in  1893. 

The  other  banking  institution  have  been  distinguished  for  a 
steady  and  substantial  growth.  Two  of  them  are  housed  in  their 
own  buildings  and  the  third  will  undoubtedly  acquire  its  home 
within  the  next  few  years. 

The  combined  capital  of  the  three  institutions  in  Sparta  is 
now  $100,000.  The  total  amount  of  of  the  surplus  of  the  three 
institutions  combined  is  $17,250,  and  the  total  amount  of  re- 
sources is  $1,257,933.10. 

The  Bank  of  Sparta,  which  is  the  oldest  bank  in  the  state  of 
"Wisconsin  west  of  Madison,  was  organized  in  1858  by  John  T. 
Hemphill,  who  came  from  ]\Iilwaukee,  AYis.,  and  Samuel  JMcCord, 
of  ]\Iadison,  Wis.  It  was  inaugurated  under  the  banking  laws  of 
1852  and  opened  for  business  on  the  26th  day  of  July  in  tiiat 
year,  in  the  north  half  of  the  one-story  frame  building  which  is 
now  No.  120  North  Water  street  and  occupied  by  the  Grand 
Rapids  Llilling  Company.  The  other  half  of  the  building  at  that 
time  was  occupied  by  the  postofiice.  Both  Mr.  Hemphill  and 
Mr.  McCord  were  experienced  bankers,  formerly  having  been 
connected  with  the  Marshall  &  Ilsley  Bank  at  ^Milwaukee,  Wis., 
the  latter  being  connected  with  the  State  Bank  of  ^ladison.  In 
1860  ]\Ir.  McCord  sold  his  interest  in  the  institution  and  moved 
to  Milwaukee. 

A  statement  of  the  l)ank  at  this  time  is  interesting  and  the  fol- 
lowing is  copied  from  the  semi-annual  report,  dated  July  2,  1860, 
on  file  with  the  register  of  deeds  of  ]\Ionroe  county : 

301 


302  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXROE  COUNTY 

KP:80L'liCES. 

Loans    and    discounts !f2r).274  Gl 

Overdrafts    40  GO 

►Stotdcs  on  deposit  witli  state  treasurer ]  9,000  00 

Bills  of  solvent  banks 4,681  00 

Bills  of  suspended  banks 17  00 

Due  from  banks  and  bankers 7,434  73 

Specie   2,145  55 

Total    ^58,552.49 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital $2:).0()()  00 

Registered  notes  in  circulation 15,280  00 

Deposits    15,925  40 

Due  others 2.347  09 

Total   ^t:58,552  49 

The  remarkable  fact  about  tliis  statement  is  what  appears  to 
be  the  small  amount  of  cash  entered  in  this  statement  as 
"specie"  as  only  $2,145.55,  but  it  will  l)e  ol)served  th;it  the  bank 
at  that  time  issued  its  notes  for  circulation,  which  amounted  to 
over  $15,000. 

In  the  fall  of  1860  the  bank  removed  to  the  corner  of  AVater 
and  ]Main  streets,  into  Avhat  was  known  as  the  "Goss  building," 
now  the  site  of  the  INIasonic  Temple,  and  while  there  plans  were 
made  for  a  more  su])stantial  home.  In  1864  the  bank  erected 
the  first  brick  business  building  in  the  village,  designed  by  a 
^Milwaukee  arcliitcct,  and  a  very  tine  building  at  the  tinie.  This 
was  occupied  by  tin.*  institution  until  it  Avas  replaced  in  1906-07 
l)y  the  present  ])ank  building,  except  for  temporary  occupancy 
of  a  building  opposite  during  the  construction  of  the  new  bank. 

AVhen  the  natioiud  hanking  system  was  established  througii- 
out  the  country  the  Bank  of  Sparta  reorganized  in  1865  as  the 
First  National  Bank  and  increased  the  number  of  its  stock- 
holders. The  oflicers  then  chosen  were:  John  T.  Hemphill,  pres- 
ident ;  T.  B.  Tyler,  vice  president,  and  Thomas  AV.  Wilson, 
cashier.  Later  Air.  Wilson  removed  to  Alinneapolis  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  AVilliam  AVright. 

On  Alay  8,  1873,  E.  H.  Canfield  entered  the  office  as  book- 
keeper, was  elected  assistant  cashier  in  1877,  and  cashier  in  1878, 
having   faithfully   served  the  bank   continuously  to  the  jiresent 


«WA>jiMwM«e.^^ 


BANK  OP   SPARTA 


THE  BANKS  OF  SPARTA  303 

time,  except  inree  years,  during  which  he  was  out  on  account  of 
ill  health. 

In  1878  the  hank  surrendered  its  national  charter  and  reor- 
ganized as  a  state  i)ank,  resuming  its  original  name  of  Bank  of 
Sparta. 

In  1879  Ira  A.  Hill  hecame  identified  with  the  institution  and 
was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  l)oard  of  directors.  At  the  retire- 
ment of  Ml'.  Hemphill  in  1883,  who  removed  to  Indian  territory, 
Mr.  Tyler  was  elected  president  and  Mr.  Hill  vice  president. 
They  held  these  offices  until  1886,  when  Mr.  Tyler's  death  oc- 
curred and  Mr.  Hill  was  elected  president,  in  which  capacity  he 
continued  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1904. 

In  1898  Messrs.  D.  D.  Cheney  and  D.  AA^  Cheney  became  in- 
terested in  the  institution,  the  former  being  elected  vice  president 
and  the  latter  assistant  cashier.  D.  D.  Cheney  retired  as  vice 
president  in  1901,  but  continued  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  until  his  death  in  1904.  D.  AY.  Cheney  succeeded  his 
father  as  vice  president  and  at  the  death  of  Mr.  Hill  was  elected 
president  to  succeed  him,  which  office  he  holds  at  the  present 
time. 

Louis  T.  Hill  entered  the  bank  as  a  bookkeeper  in  1893,  and 
was  elected  assistant  cashier  in  1897  and  vice  president  in  1904, 
which  position  he  now  holds.  A.  AV.  Barney,  who  had  formerly 
been  connected  with  the  Alonroe  County  Bank,  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  Bank  of  Sparta  in  1901  and  was  made  assistant 
cashier,  and  later  the  same  year  was  promoted  to  vice  president. 
A.  AV.  Ryon  entered  the  employ  of  the  bank  in  1908  and  was  in 
1911  promoted  to  the  position  of  assistant  cashier.  J.  D.  Button, 
formerly  in  the  grocery  business  in  the  city  of  Sparta,  was  em- 
ployed as  assistant  cashier  in  1911;  Pearl  Kelley,  assistant  book- 
keeper, and  Charles  Aylesworth,  night  watchman. 

The  management  of  this  institution  has  during  its  fifty-four 
years  of  existence  aided  many  men  and  many  business  enter- 
prises in  their  growth  from  small  beginnings  to  greater  success 
and  usefulness,  and  numbered  among  its  present  customers  are 
the  sons  and  grandsons  of  those  who  were  valued  customers  of 
the  bank  in  its  earlier  days.  It  moved  into  the  present  hand- 
some banking  building  on  Alay  17,  1907;  truly  one  of  the  most 
artistic,  commodious  and  substantial  buildings  of  its  character  to 
be  found  anywhere.  It  occupies  thirty-five  feet  front  and  is 
is  eighty-five  feet  deep,  is  of  classic  design  and  massive  in  out- 
lines; the  front  is  of  Indiana  Bedford  stone;  the  interior  arrange- 
ment of  the  bank  is  according  to  the  best  modern  ideas  for  an 


304  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROP:  COUNTY 

institution  devoted  solely  to  country  banking  purposes,  with 
every  convenience  for  l)t)tli  the  patrons  of  the  bank,  its  officers 
and  employees ;  there  is  a  three-story  vault  built  independently  of 
the  structure,  the  walls  being  lieavier  than  standard  and  rein- 
forced witli  steel  rods  and  beams;  ample  customers'  room  and 
directors'  room  and  all  modern  conveniences  are  found  in  con- 
nection ;  in  front  are  the  offices  of  AVilliam  H.  Blyton  &  Co.  and 
D.  W.  Cheney.  The  wood  work  of  the  interior  is  mahogany  and 
beautifully  grained  wood  was  selected,  especially  for  this  pur- 
pose. In  the  interior  finish,  beauty,  Avithout  too  much  ornament, 
was  sought,  and  the  result  is  pleasing  in  every  particular.  At 
the  last  statement  of  the  bank  its  total  resources  were  $734:, 975.46, 
and  carrying  dei)osits  of  $672,845.46. 

Monroe  County  Bank.  This  institution  was  opened  for  busi- 
ness October  26,  ]894,  with  a  capital  of  $25,000.  The  institution 
purchased  the  banking  building  on  the  corner  of  AVatcr  and  Oak 
streets,  whicli  has  formerly  been  occupied  by  ]\I.  A.  Thayer ;  a 
very  advantageous  location  for  business  purposes,  and  it  has 
remained  in  this  building,  which  it  now  owns,  ever  since.  The 
interior  of  the  banking  room  has  been  remodeled  and  modern- 
ized in  every  particular  and  now  has  a  handsome  equipment  of 
the  most  up-to-date  facilities  for  tlie  handling  of  the  large  busi- 
ness which  this  institution  enjoys.  Its  first  officers  were  George 
D.  Dunn,  president ;  AY.  G.  AYilliams,  vice  president  and  A.  AV. 
Harney  cashier.  Directors:  George  D.  Dunn.  A.  Thoi'bus.  W.  G. 
AVilliams,  C.  :\r.  ^Masters,  L.  D.  Merrill  and  AV.  T.  Sarles. 

During  its  existence  this  bank  has  been  conservative  in  its 
investments  and  has  been  of  much  service  to  many  business  enter- 
prises which  have  been  assisted  through  its  help.  It  has  built  up 
a  strong  clientage  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best  conducted 
and  managed  l)anks  of  its  kind. 

The  present  officers  are:  President,  George  D.  Dunn:  vice- 
president,  AV.  G.  AVilliams ;  cashier,  0.  G.  Lindemann ;  assistant 
cashier,  David  L.  Jones ;  bookkeeper.  F.  B.  Heitman. 

At  the  last  statement  made  by  it  the  resources  of  \ho  institu- 
tion were  $.S28.1 71 .!»(),  with  deposits  of  $286,977.65. 

Citizens  State  Bank.  This  bank  was  established  on  Alay  25, 
1907,  the  officers  Ix'ing  AV.  A.  Jones,  president;  II.  IM.  Newton, 
vice  president;  AV.  ^I.  Gioler,  cashier;  T.  C.  Longwell,  assistant 
cashier,  and  wlnle  yet  young,  the  bank  has  rapidly  increased  its 
resources  and  has  every  indication  to  good  success  in  the  future. 
At  the  present  time  it  occupies  rented  quarters  in  the  I.  0.  0.  F. 
building,   on  the   corner   of  Oak   and  AYater  streets,   which   are 


THE  BANKS  OF  SPARTA  305 

neatly  fitted  up  for  the  purpose  of  the  institution;  its  present 
officers  are :  President,  W.  A.  Jones ;  vice-president,  H.  M.  New- 
ton ;  cashier,  T.  C.  Longwell.  Directors :  J.  C.  Prill,  C.  M.  Beebe, 
A.  J.  Carnahan  and  H.  J.  Masters. 

At  the  last  report  the  resources  were  $194,787.74,  carrying 
deposits  of  $166,481.59. 


CHAPTER  XXYIII. 
LODGES  AND  SOCIETIES  OF  SPARTA. 

It  is  the  intention  in  tliis  chapter  to  give  brief  historical 
accounts  of  the  lodges  and  societies  which  came  in  existence  in 
the  city;  there  have  been  a  number  of  organizations  in  the  past 
"which  have  been  disbanded  and  the  records  of  which  are  not 
available,  thus  preventing  any  detailed  account  of  their  history 
at  this  time ;  among  these  orders  was  a  lodge  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  "Workmen,  which  was  organized  in  1876,  and 
also  a  lodge  of  Good  Templar,  which  has  had  rather  a  fitful  exis- 
tence at  different  times. 

Pearly  in  1880  there  was  organized  in  the  city  a  civic  organiza- 
tion called  the  "Board  of  Trade,"  having  for  its  purpose  the 
advancement  of  the  interests  of  the  village  along  manufacturing 
and  mercantile  lines  and  promoting  in  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  municipality;  this  organization  continued  for  some  time,  but 
finally  disbanded  for  lack  of  interest.  No  institution  of  the  kind 
was  in  existence  again  until  1908,  when  the  citizens'  club  was 
corporated  and  furnished  rooms  in  the  Schram  building  on  AVater 
street.  The  object  of  tliis  organization  Avas  practically  the  same 
and  for  the  time  it  accomplished  considerable  good  in  several 
ways,  but,  like  the  Board  of  Trade,  interest  in  it  waned,  and  it 
finally  dissolved,  sold  its  furniture  and  fittings,  and  in  1911 
became  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  business  men  of  Sparta  have 
now  no  organization  of  the  character  which  looks  after  promot- 
ing the  general  welfare  of  flic  city  and  there  seems  to  be  no 
disposition  among  the  business  men  to  maintain  such  an  organ- 
ization. 

Valley  Lodge,  No.  60,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  A  dispen- 
sation was  granted  l)y  the  grand  lodge  of  Wisconsin  on  August 
17,  IS")!,  and  Valley  Lodge  duly  instituted.  The  first  meeting 
was  held  in  the  house  of  R.  S.  Kingman,  August  26.  1854,  when 
^lorrison  AIc^NIillan  was  installed  as  worshipful  nmster.  The 
charter  Avas  granted  June  1.").  1855,  Mr.  McMillan  being  the  first 
Avorshipful  master  under  the  charter;  since  an  hirli  time  there  have 
been  twenty-three  Avorshipful  masters  and  eighteen   secretaries; 

306 


LODGES  AND  SOCIETIES  OF  SPARTA  307 

the  former  are:  Morrison  McMillan,  A.  D.  Soper,  A.  II.  Condit, 
A.  H.  Isham,  M.  R.  Gage,  S.  N.  Dickenson,  S.  S.  Field,  D.  C.  Hope, 
C.  M.  Masters,  T.  D.  Merrill,  P.  S.  Sparling,  N.  W.  Huntley, 
L.  M.  Stevens,  H.  T.  Child,  C.  AV.  Hines,  J.  C.  Prill,  E.  A.  Richard- 
son, G.  H.  Chaffee,  H.  D.  Baldwin,  T.  C.  Longwell,  H.  J.  blas- 
ters, AA^.  B.  Ford,  E.  R.  AYilliams,  and  A.  J.  Frye.  Secretaries: 
Chester  McClure,  R.  AA^  Bowles,  E.  F.  Clinton,  M.  Alontgomery, 
J.  AI.  Sngden.  Fred  Lee,  H.  E.  Kelley,  E.  Aylesworth,  A.  Oppen- 
hemer,  E.  C.  Caskey,  J.  J.  French,  C.  E.  Boyden,  J.  M.  Sugden, 
C.  AV.  Pott,  S.  T.  Lewis,  R.  A.  Alerrill,  AV.  AIcBride  and  D.  B. 
Laing. 

In  the  year  1891  the  Alasonic  fraternity  purchased  lots  nine 
and  ten,  Tyler's  addition,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  AA^ater  and 
Main  streets,  and  a  corporation  was  formed  which  erected  a 
Masonic  Temple ;  stock  in  this  institution  was  held  by  members 
of  the  different  Alasonie  liodies  until  1910,  when  Valley  Lodge, 
No.  60,  having  accumulated  sufficient  funds,  took  over  the  build- 
ing and  now  owns  it  absolutely,  j)ractically  free  from  indebted- 
ness ;  the  lodge  rooms  are  handsomely  fitted  up  and  are  used  by 
the  Alasonic  bodies,  including  the  Commandery  of  Knights 
Templar  and  by  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 

Valley  Lodge  has  at  the  present  time  126  members  of  good 
standing,  and  its  officers  are  A.  J.  Frye,  AV.  AI. ;  F.  A.  Brandt, 
S.  AV.;  F.  L.  French,  J.  AV. :  AA^  S.  Telfer,  S.  D. ;  L.  R.  Aloore, 
J.  D. ;  L.  D.  Alerrill,  treasurer ;  D.  B.  Laing,  secretary ;  J.  H. 
Chaff'ee,  chaplain  ;  P.  S.  Sparling,  tyler. 

Sparta  Chapter,  No.  19,  R.  A.  M.  Dispensation  was  granted  by 
the  grand  chapter  of  AA'isconsin  January  9,  1859,  upon  the  peti- 
tion of  Alorrison  AIclNIillan,  Soloman  Howe,  A.  II.  Condit,  AA^.  S. 
Lane,  A.  R.  McLean,  Thomas  Beitcher,  Robert  Langley,  E.  San- 
ford  Blake,  E.  F.  Clinton,  J.  AV.  Alillour,  Israel  Graves,  Chester 
AlcClure,  E.  S.  AIcBride,  J.  D.  Condit  and  R.  C.  AIcAIann. 

The  first  meeting  under  this  dispensation  was  held  in  Jack- 
son hall,  on  the  evening  of  Alarch  11,  1859,  at  which  time  Alor- 
rison AIcAIillan  Avas  installed  as  high  priest.  On  the  3rd  day  of 
February,  1860,  the  charter  was  granted  by  the  grand  chapter 
and  the  chapter  was  constituted  and  the  officers  installed  on  the 
19th  day  of  April  following ;  A.  H.  Condit  being  the  first  high 
priest  under  the   charter. 

During  the  forty-three  years  of  its  existence  the  chapter  has 
had  twenty-three  high  priests;  the  institution  is  in  a  prosperous 
condition  and  numbers  ninety-five  members  in  good  standing. 

The  present  officers  are  G.  H.  Bunnell,  high  priest ;  AV.  j\I. 


308  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Forsmau,  king;  G.  II.  Chaffee,  scribe;  D.  B.  Laiiig,  secretary; 
A.  W.  Barney,  treasurer;  Thomas  Teall,  captain  of  the  host;  R.  A. 
Richards,  principal  sojourner;  AV.  IMcBride,  royal  arch  captain; 
E.  R.  AVillianis,  master  of  third  veil;  George  Dreyer,  master  of 
second  veil ;  A.  II.  Frye,  master  of  the  first  veil,  and  P.  S. 
Sparling,  sentinel. 

Sparta  Commandery,  No.  16,  Knights  Templar.  The  charter 
of  this  oi-ganizatioii  was  granted  by  the  grand  commandery  of 
the  state  of  "Wisconsin  on  the  6tli  day  of  September,  1882,  and 
the  following  were  the  first  officers  installed :  S.  N.  Dickenson, 
eminent  commander;  N.  W.  Huntley,  generalissimo;  J.  D.  Condit, 
captain  general ;  the  commandery  has  always  occupied  the  lodge 
rooms  in  tlie  IMasonic  Temple  for  its  meetings,  and  there,  in  con- 
nection M'ith  these  rooms,  are  a  set  of  cedar  lockers  which  house 
the  uniforms  and  eciuipments  of  the  order;  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  commandery  includes  the  Royal  Arch  Chapters  at  Tomali, 
Black  River  Falls,  New  Lisbon,  Necedah  and  Sparta,  and  at  tiie 
present  time  the  membership  is  100  sir  knights. 

Its  present  officers  are  R.  A.  Richards,  eminent  commander; 
Louis  T.  Hill,  generalissimo ;  George  Dreyer,  captain  general ; 
TV.  ]\IcBride,  senior  warden ;  William  Forsman,  junior  warden ; 
George  H.  Chaffee,  prelate;  F.  E.  BaldAvin,  recorder;  A.  \V. 
Barney,  treasurer ;  P.  S.  Sparling,  standard  bearer ;  John  Kemp, 
sword  bearer;  E.  R.  AVilliams,  warden,  and  J.  T.  Sargent, 
sentinel. 

Sparta  Chapter  No.  18,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  This  order 
Avas  instituted  on  the  5tli  day  of  May,  lb9I,  with  the  following 
charter  member's :  A.  H.  Isham,  INIiss  INIary  Isham,  'Mv.  and  ]Mrs. 
James  Skillman,  ]Mr.  and  ^Irs.  J.  Schram.  ]\lr.  and  ]Mrs.  S.  T. 
Lewis,  Mr.  and  INIrs.  E.  A.  Clark,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  N.  AVright,  Mr. 
and  ]\Irs.  L.  D.  Merrill,  Mrs.  D.  B.  Cheuev  and  :\Irs.  Villiam 
Meyer. 

This  is  an  order  to  which  the  Avives,  daughters,  mothers,  sis- 
ters and  children  of  iMasons  are  eligible,  and  is  in  part  of  a  social 
nature.  It  has  rendered  much  assistance  in  the  past  to  the  sick 
and  needy  members  of  the  order.  It  first  occupied  a  hall  over 
tlie  ]\Ionroe  County  bank,  but  now  is  installed  in  the  ^Masonic 
Temple,  and  meets  twice  a  month ;  it  occasionally  gives  social 
parties,  wliich  are  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  members  and  tlieir 
friends. 

The  present  officers  are  Emma  Baldwin,  Avortliy  matron;  Dr. 
J.  C.  Prill,  patron;  Genevieve  Masters,  associate  matron;  Jennie 
Horseman,    conductress ;    ]\Iillie    Enckhauseu,    secretary ;    Jennie 


LODGES  AND  SOCIETIES  OF  SPARTA  309 

Brewster,  associate  conductress;  Sarah  Merrill,  treasurer;  Anna 
Salsbury,  Adah ;  Bell  Robie  Lee,  Ruth ;  Dorcas  Chamberlain, 
Esther ;  Elizabeth  Davis,  Martha ;  Lorena  Hay,  Electa ;  Alice 
Baldwin,  warder ;  J.  T.  Sargent,  sentinel ;  Eva  Williams,  chap- 
lain, and  Lena  Taylor,  organist. 

Sparta  Lodge  No.  94,  I.  0.  0.  F.  The  present  charter  of  this 
organization  was  granted  on  the  21st  day  of  January,  1899,  with 
PI.  Palmer,  R.  Langley,  L.  D.  Fisher,  D.  C.  Fuller  and  S.  P.  Green- 
man  as  charter  members.  There  was  a  lodge  of  this  order  organ- 
ized in  Sparta  on  or  about  the  year  1858,  but  it  disbanded  and 
the  records  of  it  are  not  available.  The  present  lodge  numbers 
about  150  members,  and  is  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

In  the  year  1887  it  acquired  the  property  known  as  the  old 
Heller  block  on  the  corner  of  South  AVater  and  Oak  streets,  in 
which  Avas  added  a  business  block  on  the  west,  so  that  this  order 
is  now  the  owner  of  a  handsome  property  with  paying  business 
tenants  below,  and  a  tine  suite  of  lodge  rooms  on  the  second 
floor,  including  a  large  and  commodious  dining  room  and 
kitchen;  the  property  is  valued  at  the  present  time  at  $10,000. 

Its  present  officers  are  E.  F.  Babcock,  N.  G. ;  AV.  S.  Jones,  V. 
G. ;  D.  L.  Jones,  secretary;  W.  0.  Naset,  P.  S. ;  W.  H.  Blyton, 
treasurer. 

Sparta  Encampment  No.  36,  I.  0.  0,  F.  This  is  the  uniform 
rank  of  the  order  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  was  instituted  January 
19,  1870.  Its  charter  members  were  A.  W.  Kemp,  S.  P.  Green- 
man,  G.  Simpson,  S.  B.  Hamilton,  J.  H.  Allen,  J.  N.  Tarr  and  W. 
F.  Cook. 

This  is  an  order  of  a  military  character,  and  is  handsomely 
equipped  with  uniforms,  each  member  carrying  a  sword ;  its 
membership  consists  of  about  forty  at  the  present  time,  and  its 
meetings  are  held  at  the  hall  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  its  present 
officers  are  F.  J.  Van  Antwerp,  chief  patriarch ;  A.  P.  Anderson, 
senior  warden ;  0.  J.  Jackson,  scribe ;  F.  J.  Sheldon,  junior 
warden,  and  J.  B.  Aimer,  high  priest. 

Mineral  Springs  Lodge  of  Rebeccas  No.  41.  This  is  an  organ- 
ization for  women,  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  the  charter  was  granted  for  its  institution  by 
the  grand  lodge  on  December  3,  1874,  and  was  organized  w^ith 
the  following  charter  members :  A.  W.  Kemp,  G.  S.  Shaw,  Sam- 
uel Hoyt,  E.  E.  Olin,  L.  Green,  D.  H.  Smith,  H.  A.  Streeter,  W.  P. 
Meyer,  Mrs.  A.  AV.  Kemp,  Mrs.  G.  S.  Shaw,  Mrs.  Samuel  Hoyt, 
Mrs.  E.  E.  Olin,  Mrs.  L.  Green,  Mrs.  G.  H.  Smith,  Mrs.  H.  A. 
Streeter  and  Airs.  AV.  P.  Aleyer. 


310  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

This  orgaiii/atiun  is  notewortliy  for  its  charitable  deeds,  and 
has  been  a  great  help  to  the  nienil)ers  of  the  order,  and  they  fre- 
quently give  soeial  entertainments  at  the  commodious  lodge 
rooms  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  which  are  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  par- 
ticipants.    It  numbers  113  members,  and  its  present  ofifieers  are: 

^Irs.  Virginia  Brewster,  N.  G. ;  Mis.  Inez  Ileasty,  recording 
secretary;  ]\Irs.  Fayette  Baldwin,  treasurer;  ]\Irs.  Bell  ]Milhii-d. 
past  X.  G. ;  Mrs.  Jennie  Sheldon,  L.  S.  N.  G. ;  Mrs.  Ole  Jackson, 
L.  S.  vice  G. ;  i\Irs.  Evan  Lewis,  conductor :  David  S.  Jones,  out- 
side guard;  Mrs.  Emma  Talbot.  V.  G. ;  ^Irs.  John  Ilotfinan.  finan- 
cial secretary;  Mrs.  ]\Iaud  AVest,  chaplain;  ^Irs.  Ada  Goodman, 
R.  S.  N.  G. ;  ilrs.  Jennie  Brandt,  R.  S.  vice  G. ;  Mrs.  Alice  Bors, 
warden;  Mrs.  David  S.  Jones,  inside  guard;  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith, 
lodge  deputy. 

Knights  of  Pythias,  was  organized  July  9.  1874,  with  the  fol- 
lowing charter  members:  ^1.  R.  Gage.  A.  AV.  AVilson,  C.  Blakes- 
lee,  AY.  H.  Nott,  J.  :\r.  Morrow,  J.  A.  Harvey.  C.  B.  :\IcClure, 
D.  C.  Beebe,  AY.  Goodale.  J.  B.  Palmer  and  N.  P.  Lee.  The  lodge 
had  a  warrant  granted  to  them  under  Avhich  they  worked  until 
July  1,  1875,  when  their  charter  was  received  from  the  grand 
lodge.  They  were  authorized  by  the  Avarrant  to  organize,  con- 
stitute and  establish  a  lodge  of  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Sparta, 
county  of  Monroe,  state  of  AYisconsin,  to  be  known  at  Sparta 
Lodge,  No.  18,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

The  first  officers  of  the  lodge  were  M.  R.  Gage.  C.  C. ;  D.  C. 
Beebe,  Y.  C. ;  AY.  H.  Nott.  P.  C. :  C.  Blakeslee,  P. ;  J.  AI.  Alorrow. 
M.  A. ;  A.  AY.  AYilson,  K.  R.  S. ;  C.  D.  AlcClure,  AI.  F. ;  J.  Harvey, 
M.  E. ;  N.  P.  Lee,  L  G. ;  AY.  Goodale,  0.  G. 

The  lodge  has  occupied  ditferent  halls  during  the  time  of  its 
existence,  and  it  is  now  very  comfortaldy  housed  on  the  second 
floor  of  the  Grossman  building,  where  they  have  commodious 
quarters  fitted  up  and  club  rooms. 

The  lodge  at  present  numbers  members,  and  its  present 

officers  are  F.  R.  Salsbury,  C.  C. ;  E.  A.  Richardson,  A^  C. ;  A.  F. 
Baldwin,  prelate;  F.  DeBruin,  AI.  of  AY.;  AY.  S.  Jones,  K.  R.  S. : 
C.  E.  AIcAIillan,  IM.  of  F. ;  A.  J.  Carnahan,  AI.  of  E. :  S.  C.  Letson, 
!M.  of  A.,  and  C.  E.  Simpson,  guard. 

Sparta  Camp,  No.  560,  M.  W.  A.  This  order  was  installed  in 
the  city  of  Sparta  on  the  18th  day  of  April.  1888,  with  the  follow- 
ing officers:  AL  A.  Thayer,  V.  C. ;  AY.  H.  Aloseley,  AY.  A.;  C.  AI. 
Beebe.  clerk;  C.  C.  Herbst,  banker;  Beebe  &  Sarles.  physicians: 
AVilliam  Schaller,  watchman;  AY.  E.  Coats,  eelate;  J.  A.  Siiolts, 


LODGES  AND  ROCIETIES  OF  SPARTA  311 

manager ;  George  McDowell,  secretary ;  John  Guy,  escort.  There 
were  in  all  about  twenty  charter  members. 

The  order  has  had  a  steady  and  prosperous  growth  and  now 
has  438  members,  among  whom  are  thirty-nine  social  members, 
who  do  not  participate  in  the  insurance  benefit  of  the  order ;  the 
lodge  occupies  handsome  quarters  in  what  is  known  as  the  old 
Opera  block,  leasing  the  entire  upper  floor  of  this  building,  in- 
cluding the  dance  hall,  which  it  rents  for  public  entertainments 
at  various  times  and  from  which  considerable  revenue  is  derived. 

Its  present  officers  are  W.  P.  Bamber,  consul ;  M.  H.  Babcoek, 
advisor ;  C.  E.  Stevenson,  banker ;  C.  M.  Van  Antwerp,  clerk ; 
Ed.  Arnold,  escort;  August  Keifer,  sentry;  C.  Merrow,  watch- 
man ;  Sarles,  Beebe  &  Beebe  and  H.  H.  Williams,  physicians ; 
D.  Hemstock,  R.  E.  Nicol  and  C.  H.  Leach,  managers ;  M.  E.  Put- 
man,  chief  forester. 

This  lodge  is  a  member  of  the  LaCrosse  Valley  Association  of 
]\Iodern  Woodman,  which  gives  an  annual  picnic,  and  on  June  5, 
1912,  the  annual  picnic  was  held  in  the  city  of  Sparta,  with  an 
elaborate  program  and  a  large  attendance. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  SPARTA  FREE  LIBRARY. 

AVhat  is  now  the  "Sparta  Free  Library,"  was,  at  the  time  of 
its  first  organization  and  starting  in  the  world,  in  the  winter  of 
1861  and  '62,  termed  the  "Young  ]\Ien's  Library  Association" 
of  Sparta.  It  had  its  origin  in  the  desire  of  a  number  of  citizens, 
at  that  time,  who  possessed  culture  and  literary  tastes,  to  found 
a  library  which  should  be  a  credit  to  the  place  and  which  should 
not  only  be  a  public  benefit  in  the  direction  of  promoting  a 
greater  knowledge  of  books  and  the  higher  aesthetic  culture 
Avhich  comes  from  the  study  of  standard  works  by  well-known 
writers,  and  valua])le  also  as  a  means  of  reference,  but  which 
should  be  the  basis  for  an  association  of  kindred  minds  and 
tastes,  for  purposes  of  mutual  intellectual  improvement.  The 
matter  of  organizing  a  library  association  had  been  discussed  in 
public  and  private  for  some  two  or  three  years  before  it  finally 
took  shape  and  formed  itself  into  a  definite  purpose.  Among  the 
citizens  who  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  l)eginning  of  the 
Young  Men's  Library  Association,  and  to  whom  the  credit  of  its 
inception  and  organization  mainly  belong,  may  be  named  ^Messrs. 
Romanzo  Bunn,  afterwards  United  States  district  judge  for  the 
western  district  of  "Wisconsin ;  Thomas  B.  Tyler,  J.  T.  Hemphill, 
Judge  George  E.  Pratt,  D.  McBride,  Dr.  M.  R.  Gage,  Milton 
Montgomery,  :\r.  A.  Thayer,  E.  S.  AVhitaker.  H.  R.  Hayden,  L.  B. 
Noyes  and  a  number  of  others.  The  exact  date  of  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  association  cannot  be  stated  with  certainty,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  early  records  of  the  institution  have  been  lost ; 
and  for  the  same  reason  but  tew  details  of  the  organization  and 
progress  of  the  association  can  be  given,  except  such  as  can  be 
gathered  from  the  memories  of  the  early  projectors  of  the  enter- 
prise. It  was  organized  as  a  stock  association,  and  the  members 
subscril)ing  for  shares  at  $5  each.  AVitli  the  fund  thus  raised,  the 
light  preliminary  expenses  were  defrayed,  and  a  small  but 
judiciously  selected  assortment  of  books  procured.  Not  an  incon- 
siderable part  of  the  infant  library  also  Avere  the  donation  of 
members  and  others  who  gave  such  volumes  as  they  could  spare 

312 


THE  SPARTA  FREE  LIBRARY  313 

from  their  private  collections,  and  thus  a  by  no  means  insignifi- 
cant beginning  was  made. 

The  officers  elected  at  the  start  were  a  president,  vice  presi- 
dent, secretarv,  treasurer  and  librarian.  R.  Bunn  was  chosen 
first  president  of  the  association,  with  E.  S.  AVhitaker  secretary 
and  T.  B.  Tyler  treasurer,  and,  subsequently,  by  Judge  George 
Pratt,  who  filled  the  office  for  a  considerable  time.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  R.  S.  Wells  as  librarian. 

The  new  Young  Men's  Library  Association,  during  the  first 
year  of  its  existence,  experienced  the  usual  vicissitudes  of  such 
institutions,  the  interest  in  it  being  active  for  a  time,  and  then 
subsiding  in  to  rather  a  state  of  quietude,  broken  at  intervals  by 
spasmodic  revivals  when  a  concert  or  dramatic  entertainment 
was  arranged  for  its  benefit,  or  when  an  annual  election  of  offi- 
cers took  place.  The  Civil  War  was  then  at  its  height  and  filled 
too  large  a  share  in  men's  minds  to  permit  their  giving  much  at- 
tention to  matters  literary  and,  moreover,  the  class  really  imbued 
with  a  love  of  books  and  reading  was,  as  is  generally  the  case  in 
western  towns,  exceedingly  limited  part  of  the  total  population. 
It  is  not  singular,  therefore,  that  although  expenses  were  kept  up 
and  frecjuent  additions  were  made,  on  the  whole  the  association 
rather  languished  after  the  first  year  of  its  organization.  The 
library  rules  were  defective  in  not  requiring  a  deposit  on  the 
loan  of  the  books,  and  as  a  consequence,  large  numbers  of  the 
volumes  became  scattered  and  lost.  The  labor  of  keeping  track 
of  them  was  not  a  paying  task,  and  as  may  be  imagined,  could 
not  be  performed  effectively  under  the  circumstances.  After  a 
time,  and  during  one  of  the  occasional  periods  of  activity,  a 
change  was  made  and  new  rules  were  adopted,  one  requiring  a 
deposit  from  those  borrowing  books  from  the  library,  the  deposit 
being  refunded,  less  10  cents,  on  the  return  of  the  book.  This 
reform  kept  the  library  intact,  but  the  question  of  the  revenue 
was  still  a  perplexing  problem.  The  membership  dues  had  been 
originally  fixed  at  $2  per  annum,  but  as  the  number  of  members 
diminished  from  neglect  and  non-payment  of  dues,  this  source 
afforded  no  surplus  for  incidental  expenses  and  the  procuring 
of  new  books.  The  Sparta  Dramatic  Club,  a  local  dramatic 
organization,  came  to  the  rescue  at  several  different  occasions 
and  gave  entertainments  for  the  benefit  of  the  library,  from 
which  considerable  amounts  were  realized  and  for  which  the 
members  thereof,  among  whom  were  prominent  Messrs.  ]\I.  S. 
Powell,  the  brothers  H.  R.  and  Harrison  Hayden,  D.  S.  Whitaker, 
George  Farbham,  Mrs.  George  Whitcomb,  Mrs.  M.  A.  Harris,  Mr. 


314  HISTORY  OF  MOXKOK  COrXTY 

and  l\Irs.  L.  B.  Noyes  and   otliri's.  dcsci-xinti-   fu!l  credit   i'or  tlie 
liberal  aid  they  lluis  fciulcrcd  in  tin-  inst  ilut ion. 

Finally  it  became  apparent  that  the  library  would  have  to  be 
put  on  some  different  basis  in  oi'dt'r  to  give  it  permanence  and 
provide  for  its  growth  and  stability.  The  membership  had 
dwindled  from  TOO  down  to  tliirteen  in  the  winter  of  lS7;5-4.  A 
meeting  of  the  thirteen  was  held  in  the  office  of  llie  librarian. 
Dr.  AVells,  and  it  was  proposed  to  form  a  new  organization  under 
the  state  law,  then  recently  passed,  authorizing  villages  and 
cities  to  estal)lish  free  public  libraries.  The  first  meeting  was 
held  May  8,  1874.  at  whidi  the  organization,  under  the  state  law. 
was  effected.  By  this  arrangement  the  library  became  a  village 
institution,  subject  to  municii)al  authority,  and  its  afiFaii-s  in 
charge  of  a  board  of  trustees. 

AVhen  the  library  had  finally  become  a  village  institution,  it 
Avas  located  in  the  upper  room  of  a  store  Iniilding  opposite  tin* 
old  Ida  House,  which  is  now  the  Hotel  Lewis;  when  Dr.  AVells 
left  town  the  library  was  removed  to  the  second  floor  of  the 
Schram  building  on  Water  street,  where  it  remained  for  a  good 
many  years,  until  the  present  library  building  was  erected. 

In  1900  there  was  considerable  agitation  with  regard  to  the 
erection  of  a  building  for  the  library,  and  Dr.  AV.  T.  Sarles  had 
taken  some  steps  towards  calling  a  meeting  for  the  purpose  of 
making  some  arrangenu^nts  looking  to  that  end,  but  in  the  mean- 
time Dr.  F.  P.  Stiles,  having  learned  through  reliable  sources 
that  money  could  be  procured  from  Andrew  Carnegie  for  a 
library  building  in  this  city  if  proper  application  was  made,  pre- 
pared such  a  letter,  which  resulted  in  ]\Ir.  Carnegie  agreeing  to 
give  the  sum  of  $10,000  for  the  construction  of  a  library,  upon 
the  condition  that  a  permanent  provision  should  be  made  by  the 
city  of  an  amount  each  year  equaling  10  per  cent  of  the  gift  to 
maintain  the  same.  Tiiis  was  very  readily  granted  by  the  Com- 
mon Council,  and  the  libi-ary  board,  after  considering  several 
sites,  purchased  the  old  Cilobc  Hotel  property,  at  the  corner  of 
IMain  and  Court  streets,  being  a  lot  150  north  and  south  and  130 
east  and  Avest ;  in  1901,  plans  for  the  building  having  been 
adopted,  the  library  board  appointed  C.  I\I.  ]\1  asters,  F.  P.  Stiles 
and  George  A.  Kichardson  as  a  building  conunittee.  The  work 
was  commenced  early  in  1902  and  linished  during  tlu^  month  of 
April,  190;{. 

It  was  found  when  the  building  was  nearly  completed,  that 
the  sum  given  would  not  be  sufficient  to  complete  the  building 
and  to  build  sidewalks,  grade  and  si^cmI  the  ground,  and  an  appli- 


THE  SPARTA  FREE  LIBRARY  315 

cation  -was  made  to  jMr.  Carnegie,  who  granted  the  sum  of  $2,000 
more,  upon  the  same  condition  that  the  provision  amounting  to 
10  per  cent  of  the  gift  shoukl  be  provided. 

The  library  building,  a  handsome  brick  and  stone  structure 
containing  commodious  and  nicely  furnished  reading  rooms  with 
hot  water  heat  and  electric  lights,  is  one  of  the  most  convenient 
and  tasteful  buildings  of  its  character  to  be  found  anywhere. 
Considerable  credit  is  to  be  given  to  the  building  committee  for 
the  tliorough  manner  in  which  their  work  was  carried  out,  and 
especially  to  George  A.  Richardson,  who  devoted  a  great  deal  of 
time  in  superintending  the  construction  of  the  building  and  in 
the  furnishing  and  fitting  of  it  to  its  present  condition;  he  has 
served  for  more  than  twenty  years  as  president  of  the  library 
board,  all  without  any  compensation  whatever  and  purely  for  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  the  library  succeed ;  that  it  has  been  an 
institution  of  great  value  to  the  citizens  of  Sparta  there  can  be 
no  question,  containing  as  it  does  at  the  present  time  7,288 
volumes,  consisting  of  all  classes  of  literature  and  comprising 
valuable  reference  works.  At  the  present  time  there  are  about 
twenty-five  periodicals,  consisting  of  magazines  and  newspapers 
taken.  The  library  is  open  daily  under  the  charge  of  Miss  Jennie 
Scouten,  who  has  been  librarian  since  1894,  and  whose  extensive 
knowledge  of  library  work  and  her  invariably  courteous  treat- 
ment to  patrons  of  the  institution  has  made  her  hosts  of  friends. 
At  the  present  time  Miss  Lila  Newberry  is  assistant  librarian, 
and  has  been  for  three  years.  The  present  library  board  consists 
of  George  A.  Richardson,  Dr.  F.  P.  Stiles,  Dr.  Carl  Beebe,  Mrs. 
C.  C.  Newton,  IMrs.  Paul  Schaller  and  Mr.  H.  J.  Masters. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 
THE  SPARTA  FAIR  ASSOCIATION. 

The  title  of  this  chapter  is  used  to  designate  in  a  general  way 
the  fair  associations,  which  have  existed  for  a  great  many  years 
under  diiferent  titles,  on  this  side  of  the  county. 

The  first  organization  of  the  character  was  called  ''The  ]\Ion- 
roe  County  Agricultural  Society,"  and  was  organized  at  a  very 
early  date  in  the  history  of  the  county ;  in  1857  Robert  E.  Gillette, 
of  Tomah,  whose  name  is  so  closely  connected  with  the  history  of 
that  city,  a  zealous  worker  in  all  things  which  pertained  to  the 
welfare  of  the  county,  suggested  the  advisal)ility  of  organizing 
an  agricultural  society  and,  after  considerable  agitation,  it 
culminated  in  a  meeting  of  representative  citizens  of  the  city 
who  were  favorable  to  the  project. 

Those  who  exhibited  the  greatest  interest  in  promoting  the 
organization  were  R.  E.  Gillette,  Samuel  Hoyt,  T.  B.  Tyler,  L.  S. 
Fisher  and  Amos  Kendall;  after  some  discussion  the  society  was 
formally  organized  early  in  1858,  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of 
Wisconsin  then  existing,  which  provided  for  the  organization  of 
state  and  county  agricultural  societies,  and  it  adopted  the  name 
of  "Monroe  County  Agricultural  Society.'' 

The  first  officers  elected  were  Samuel  Hoyt,  president ;  L.  S. 
Fisher,  secretary,  and  Amos  Kendall,  treasurer. 

The  association  held  its  first  fair  in  Sparta  in  September, 
1858,  in  what  was  then  knoAvn  as  "Denny's  Lot,"  situated  on 
South  AVater  street,  where  the  0.  I.  Newton  Son's  Company 
electric  light  office  and  the  adjacent  lumber  yard  is  situated;  at 
least  one  man  is  living  who  attended  this  fair  in  the  jicrson  of 
Fred  A.  Ilolden.  assistant  register  of  deeds. 

]\Ir.  Ilolden  relates  that  the  fair  was  quite  a  success,  and  that 
the  exhibits  consisted  of  cattle  and  agricultural  products,  and 
the  sports  consisted  of  foot  races  and  a  Avrestling  match,  in  Avhich 
a  -Ml-.  Uui-linganu^  challenged  all  comers.  He  states  that  there 
were  only  three  teams  of  horses  at  the  fair,  lieing  the  ones  owned 
by  Scpiire  Andrews,  who  then  Avas  the  landlord  of  the  "]\Ionroe 
House;"  his  father.  A.  D.  Ilolden.  owning  a  span  and  also  one  of 

:n6 


THE  SPARTA  FAIR  ASSOCIATION  317 

the  Bard's.  The  rest  of  the  inhabitants  from  the  country  came 
with  ox  teams  and  with  the  old-fashioned  liueh  pin  Avagons, 
which  were  greased  with  tar.  This  seems  peculiar  at  the  present 
day,  but  it  seems  to  be  the  fact  that  tar  was  used  as  a  lubricator 
for  wagons  in  those  days.  The  receipts  of  the  exhibits  were 
rather  light,  but  exceeded  the  disbursements,  and  the  people  who 
attended  were  unanimous  in  the  claim  that  the  gathering  was  a 
great  success. 

In  1863  the  society  became  the  purchaser  of  the  present  fair 
ground,  situated  west  of  the  city,  for  which  $725  was  paid  and  a 
deed  received  from  the  owner  on  the  third  day  of  September  in 
that  year.  The  plat  originally  consisted  of  an  entire  forty  acres, 
but  this  being  too  much  for  the  purposes  of  the  societ3^  all  but 
twenty-five  acres  were  disposed  of  and  are  comprised  in  the 
present  fair  grounds. 

The  purposes  of  this  society  was  to  promote  the  annual  gath- 
erings at  which  the  best  products  of  the  soil  and  the  dairy  were 
exhibited;  improved  machinery  and  implements  for  agricultural 
and  dairy  purposes  were  exhibited,  and  farmers,  merchants, 
manufacturers  and  all  classes  of  industries  joined  in  making  ex- 
hibits of  their  specialty,  for  which  liberal  premiums  were  offered 
in  all  lines. 

Fairs,  which  were  more  or  less  successful,  were  held  in  the 
succeeding  years,  and  by  means  of  donations  from  citizens,  it  was 
kept  going  financially  and,  up  to  1880,  was  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition ;  at  that  time  a  tornado,  which  passed  through  this  section 
of  the  country,  caused  a  severe  loss  to  the  society,  as  the  build- 
ings on  the  grounds  Avere  completely  demolished,  causing  a  great 
expense  to  rebuild  and  repair ;  by  prudent  management,  how- 
ever, the  debt  was  paid  and  the  society  once  more  placed  upon 
a  good  financial  footing. 

The  society  continued  its  existence  until  about  1892,  when 
interest  in  it  lagged  and  no  fairs  were  held  and,  in  May,  1894.  it 
was  succeeded  by  the  "Sparta  Driving  and  Agricultural  Associa- 
tion," which  was  incorporated  by  AV.  T.  Sarles,  Fred  Gross. 
M.  R.  Gage,  ^X.  P.  Palmer,  L.  D.  Merrill  and  F.  L.  French,  whose 
names  appear  on  the  original  articles  of  incorporation. 

This  society  acquired  the  old  fair  grounds  and  improved  the 
racetrack  and  held  horse  races  at  difi^erent  times  during  the 
season  of  such  sports,  and  revived  the  old  fair  and  conducted  the 
same  for  a  great  many  years. 

No  fairs  were  held  during  1909  and  1911,  and  the  society,  as 
then  in  existence,  transferred  its  whole  property  in  the  winter  of 


318  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOK  COIXTY 

1911-12  to  tlie  "Sparta  Fair  Association,"  suiifiidcrcd  all  llicir 
stock,  and  tlie  organization  Avhicli  now  owns  the  pi-opcrty  is  coin- 
posed  pi'incipally  of  farmers;  it  has  been  thoroughly  reorganized 
with  AV.  H.  llancliett  i)resident  and  AV.  A.  llolden  secretary. 

Active  preparations  ai'c  ])eing  made,  and  undouhtcdly  the 
year  1912  will  see  the  resumption  of  holding  an  annual  lair  in 
the  fall  of  the  year.  There  are  upon  the  grounds  at  the  present 
commodious  grand  stands,  a  large  exlubition  building  for  farm 
products,  mercantile  exhibits  and  all  those  requiring  indoor 
space,  a  large  and  commodious  barn  with  1)0X  stalls  for  racing 
stock,  ample  cattle  sheds  and  barns  for  the  stock,  togetlier  with 
pens  for  pigs  and  sheep  and  a  large  house  Avhere  cliickens  and 
other  domestic  birds  are  exhibited ;  all  together,  the  plant  is 
very  complete;  a  good  half-mile  track  for  racing,  in  the  center  is 
a  baseball  ground.  There  is  an  artesian  well  on  the  grounds 
which  furnishes  the  best  of  water  to  the  l)arns  and  stock  sheds. 

The  neAV  fair  association  starts  with  bright  prospects,  has  a 
very  large  number  of  stockholders,  as  no  person  is  allowed  to 
OAvn  more  than  one  share  of  stock,  and  whatever  place  it  takes 
in  the  future  history  of  the  county,  it  certainly  does  not  lack  for 
good  equipment,  good  membership  and  ample  opportunity. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
MANUFACTURES  AND  BUSINESS  ENTERPRISES. 

IManufactui'ing  was  inaugurated  in  the  little  village  of  Sparta 
in  1853,  when  A.  H.  and  Hilton  Blake  erected  a  sawmill  upon 
the  banks  of  Beaver  creek ;  were  it  still  standing  it  would  now  be 
located  about  in  the  center  of  Water  street;  this  was  the  only 
sawmill  here  in  this  vicinity,  except  the  one  which  is  situated  in 
Angelo,  having  been  built  there  in  1852  by  Seth  Angel. 

Messrs.  Blake  run  this  sawmill  until  about  1857,  when  the 
same  was  purchased  by  K.  and  0.  P.  ]\IcClure,  who  destroyed 
the  old  building  and  built  the  first  grist  mill  in  Sparta ;  this  was 
situated  about  forty  feet  east  of  the  old  building.  This  grist  mill 
was  operated  by  I\IcClure  Brothers  for  several  years  to  great  ad- 
vantage, the  farmers  bringing  their  grain  to  the  mill  from  a 
great  distance  to  be  ground. 

In  June,  1867,  the  property  was  bought  by  T.  B.  Tyler  and 
T.  D.  Steele  for  .$27,000 ;  they  erected  on  the  site  of  the  grist  mill 
a  woolen  mill,  at  an  estimate  cost  of  $30,000,  and  commenced  the 
operation  under  the  firm  name  of  T.  B.  Tyler  &  Co. ;  they  con- 
tinued to  operate  the  mill  until  1872,  when  they  sold  it  to 
II.  Greeve.  At  that  time  the  greater  part  of  the  original  plat 
belonging  to  the  mill  property  had  been  disposed  of  as  building 
lots. 

From  that  time,  1872  to  1878,  the  mill  did  not  meet  with  a 
great  deal  of  success,  not  running  regularly,  and  in  September  of 
the  latter  year,  T.  B.  Gibson  bought  the  mill  and  commenced 
operation  ]\Iay  1,  1879,  manufacturing  woolen  goods,  making  a 
specialty  of  fine  white  blankets,  which  became  quite  noted.  In 
the  spring  of  1881  Mr.  Gibson  made  several  improvements  in  the 
work  in  order  to  fill  the  demand  for  his  goods,  and  increased  the 
machinery ;  he  manufactured  fine  white  blankets  and  ^Mackinaw 
cloth,  tlie  latter  being  a  grade  of  goods  used  for  out-clothing  for 
lumber  and  woodsmen.  The  business  ran  at  that  time  up  to  a 
capacity  of  $50,000  worth  of  goods  per  year  and  employed  as 
high  as  twenty-five  hands ;  it  was  operated  as  a  woolen  mill  for 
several   years,  until   it  passed  into   other  hands   and  the   manu- 

319 


320  IIISTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

facture  of  goods  was  no  longer  continued ;  the  building  was  used 
for  various  purposes  at  different  times  up  until  about  1909,  when 
it  was  sold  to  AV.  A.  Ileinstoek,  and  is  now  used  as  a  livery  stable. 

As  early  as  1864  the  village  of  Sparta  boasted  of  a  paper  mill, 
which  was  erected  in  that  year  by  John  L.  Mather,  at  a  cost  of 
$42,000.  In  1871  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Oran  I.  Newton, 
who  ran  it  until  1879,  Avhen  he  rebuilt  the  entire  plant  at  a  cost 
of  over  $50,000.  The  mill  Avas  situated  on  the  LaCrosse  river, 
when  the  water  power,  which  is  now  used  by  the  0.  I.  Newton 
Son's  Electric  Light  Company,  was  first  put  in.  The  mill's 
capacity  was  over  6,000  pounds  of  paper  daily,  and  employed  as 
high  as  twenty  hands,  using  in  the  manufacture  of  a  certain  kind 
of  paper  five  tons  of  straw  daily.  In  addition  to  the  manufacture 
of  wrapping  paper  and  paper  bags,  !Mr.  Newton  dealt  very 
largely  in  other  grades  of  paper,  and  built  up  a  large  trade 
throughout  the  Northwest,  keeping  several  salesmen  on  the  road 
constantly. 

After  his  death  the  mill  was  operated  by  his  sons,  Harry  i\I. 
and  George  Newton,  until  it  burned  some  years  later.  AVith  the 
destruction  of  the  plant  the  business  went  out  of  existence,  as 
the  Newton  boys  did  not  rebuild  it,  but  used  the  Avater  power  for 
operating  the  electric  light  plant,  which  they  subsequently  ac- 
quired, and  the  general  powerhouse  of  which  is  situated  on  the 
site  of  the  old  paper  mill  at  the  present  time. 

Among  other  industries  which  have  gone  out  of  existence  and 
which  were  prominent  at  one  time,  was  the  carriage  works  of 
Messrs.  E.  and  A.  Thorbus,  Avhich  was  established  in  the  village 
of  Sparta  in  the  fall  of  1866  by  the  senior  partner  of  the  firm. 
]\lr.  Thorbus  commenced  business  in  an  old  frame  building  and, 
during  the  first  year,  turned  out  seventy-five  wagons  of  various 
kinds,  the  greater  part  of  which  were  heavy  vehicles,  adapted  for 
hauling  and  fai-m  work.  In  1870  A.  Thorbus  Avas  admitted  as  a 
partner,  bringing  both  business,  capital  and  energy,  and  during 
this  year  the  firm  erected  a  warehouse  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  which 
they  occupied  for  many  years.  AVhen  the  Avorks  were  run  to 
their  full  capacity,  they  employed  twenty-five  hands  and  kept  in 
stock  al)out  450  vehicles  of  various  kinds. 

As  the  years  went  by  the  manufacture  of  Avagons  Avas  gradu- 
ally discontinued  and,  finally,  under  the  name  of  E.  Thorl)us  & 
Son,  the  busini^ss  Avas  conducted  ]>rincii)ally  as  a  headquarters 
for  farm  machinery  up  to  the  time  of  the  death  of  E.  Thorbus.  It 
Avas  afterAvards  continued  by  the  estate  under  the  management 


MANUFACTURES:  BUSINESS  ENTERPRISES         321 

of  the  son,  C.  T.  Thorbus,  until  a  few  years  ago,  when  he  sold  it 
to  Davis  &  Jones. 

There  are  three  feed  mills  at  present  being  operated  in  the 
city.  One  on  Water  street  by  G.  H.  Bunnell,  he  having  acquired 
the  Bacon  mill  dam  and  operates  it  at  the  present  time ;  a  pros- 
perous business,  manufacturing  flour  of  different  grades  in  a 
small  way  and  being  very  useful  for  the  farmers  for  feed  grind- 
ing. 

The  old  mill  by  the  St.  Paul  depot  is  now  owned  by  Bergman 
Bros.,  both  of  these  properties  have,  in  the  past  years,  gone 
through  so  many  different  hands  that  tlie  records  of  them  cannot 
be  gotten  at  the  present  time. 

Both  have  had  various  ups  and  downs,  and  the  trouble  Avitli 
the  water  power,  especially  the  dam,  has  taken  the  course  that 
is  common  with  the  dams  constructed  of  wood  and  dirt.  At 
present  it  appears  to  be  operated  successfully,  being  owned  by 
Bergman  Brothers,  who  have  increased  its  clientage  since  they 
came  in  the  business. 

The  old  McCoy  mill,  situated  on  the  lower  end  of  Court  street, 
is  still  operated  with  the  water  power  which  had  been  in  ex- 
istence for  so  many  years.  It  is  used  as  a  feed  mill  and  has  built 
a  large  clientage  among  the  farmers  of  the  south  and  west. 

Monroe  County  Telephone  Company.  This  company  was 
organized  in  a  small  way  in  the  year  1897,  with  eighty-five 
phones  and  with  V.  V.  Willey,  E.  V.  Benjamin  and  H.  C.  Jackney 
as  incorporators,  who,  in  December,  1907  sold  out  their  hold- 
ings to  about  thirty  local  men,  who  have  since  owned  it.  It  has 
grown  steadily  and  extends  its  lines  in  all  directions  in  the 
county,  and  in  the  year  1904,  it  closed  a  contract  with  Bell  Tele- 
phone Company  by  which  it  is  also  connected  directly  with  long- 
distance lines,  which  is  a  great  convenience  to  its  patrons;  it 
operates  at  the  present  time  552  miles  of  rural  routes  and  city 
lines,  with  950  telephones ;  has  its  central  office  in  the  Teasdale 
building,  where  a  fine  equipment  is  maintained  with  modern  and 
most  improved  switch-boards,  and  in  connection  a  rest  room  for 
the  girl  operators. 

The  plant  is  valued  with  all  its  connection  lines  at  about 
$50,000,  and  owes  its  success  principally  to  Senator  Howard 
Teasdale,  who  has  been  the  secretary  and  general  manager  of 
the  organization  since  its  start. 

The  present  officers  are  C.  M.  Beebe,  president ;  W.  G.  AYil- 
liams,  vice  president ;  H.  Teasdale,  secretary  and  general  man- 
ager, and  W.  McBride,  treasurer. 


322  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOP:  COUNTY 

Sparta  Grain  Separator  Company.  This  company  lias  tlie 
distinction  of  building  a  machine  lor  the  separating  of  Avheat 
and  oats  and  tlic  cleaning  of  wheat  and  oats,  which  is  the  work 
of  a  Sparta  man,  JMr.  George  W.  Richardson;  ^Ir.  Richardson 
worked  a  great  many  years  upon  his  idea  and  finally  succeeded 
in  getting  a  patent  on  a  machine  which  would  accomplish  the 
Avork,  so  longed  desired  by  mill  and  elevator  men,  that  is  a 
machine  which  Avould  clean  wheat  and  other  mixtures  of  grain, 
separating  them,  thus  making  the  grade  higher. 

The  company  Avas  organized  in  Ihe  year  1902,  in  the  manu- 
facture of  this  machine,  and  started  in  a  small  way  in  its  present 
location  and  met  with  success  and,  finally,  in  the  year  ]909,  the 
entire  plant  was  sold  to  C.  T.  Thorbus,  who  is  now  the  sole 
owner;  he  has  perfected  the  machine  in  various  ways  and  en- 
larged the  plant  at  difit'erent  times  and  the  machines  have  been 
sold  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  at  the  present  time 
Mr.  Thorbus  has  organized  a  stock  company  at  AVinnipeg, 
Canada,  for  the  manufacture  of  Richardson  Grain  Separators,  so 
that  starting  from  a  small  beginning,  this  business  promises  to 
extend  itself  over  a  large  territory.  Several  sizes  of  these 
machines  are  manufactured,  from  a  small  machine  for  mills,  up 
to  a  large  machine  of  big  capacity  for  handling  grain  in  ele- 
vators. 

American  Cigar  Company.  This  is  not  an  industry  by  local 
capital,  but  is  one  of  tlic  many  i)lants  of  this  great  company 
which  is  operated  in  ditferent  i)arts  of  the  United  States  for  the 
sorting  and  grading  of  tobacco ;  the  company  located  here  in  the 
year  ]9()1,  and  erected  several  large  brick  buildings,  near  the 
Northwestern  depot,  upon  Ihe  land  donated  to  it  by  the  city  for 
this  purpose;  to  this  plant  is  l)rouglit  a  large  stock  of  tobacco, 
bought  in  different  parts  of  AVisconsin  by  the  diflferent  agents  of 
the  company,  and  here  it  is  sorted,  graded  and  packed ;  the  gen- 
eral manager  and  staff  are  employed  the  year  around  at  the 
plant,  and  during  the  sorting  season  it  has  enijiloyed  as  high  as 
5UU  hands  in  the  handling  of  tobacco. 

There  is  also  an  e(|ui{)nH'nl  of  machinery  for  curing  tobacco, 
by  which  the  leaf  is  started  in  one  end  ol'  the  nuichine  and  at  the 
end  of  a  few  hours  comes  out  tlie  othor  side,  cured  and  ready  for 
use.  This  is  a  very  complicated  machine,  and  reqiiires  the  atten- 
tion of  an  ('\])ci-t  to  operate  it  and  accomplish  the  results,  which 
otherwise  reciuires  considerable  time. 

The  present  general  manager  is  IT.  S.  AFcGiffin,  with  a  corps 
of  assistants. 


MAXUFACTUEES:  BUSINESS  ENTERPRISES         323 

Jefferson  Leaf  Tobacco  Company.  This  organization  was  in- 
corporated l)y  AV.  T.  Jefit'erson  and  his  son  Harley,  in  connection 
with  several  others,  in  the  year  1909.  Mr.  W.  T.  Jefferson  had 
formerly  been  a  manager  of  the  plant  of  the  American  Cigar 
Company  here  and  also  state  manager  for  that  institution ;  he  re- 
tired from  its  service  in  1909  and  organized  the  Jefferson  Leaf 
Tobacco  Company ;  his  long  experience  in  the  business  in  Vir- 
ginia and  in  AVisconsin  fitted  him  to  engage  at  once  in  this  busi- 
ness, and  the  company  leased  commodious  quarters,  situated  on 
"Water  street,  where  it  congregates  its  stock  of  leaf  tobacco,  sorts 
and  packs  it.    It  employs  about  fifty  hands. 

The  present  officers  of  the  corporation  are  W.  T.  Jefferson, 
president ;  D.  AY.  Cheney,  vice  president ;  H.  W.  Jefferson,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer. 

Sparta  Iron  Works.  Originally  established  as  an  iron 
foundry,  the  present  plant  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  oldest  estab- 
lished industry  in  the  city.  In  1857  Captain  Fisk  erected  the 
first  foundry  in  response  to  a  demand  growing  up  in  this  section 
of  the  state  for  such  a  business ;  he  afterwards  sold  an  interest 
to  Frank  Skillman  and  Jeremiah  Andreas;  this  firm  ran  the 
business  until  1860,  when  Skillman  acquired  the  entire  business, 
buying  out  the  other  two,  and  conducted  it  until  1865,  when  he 
sold  out  to  LoAvrie,  Mock  &  Stevens ;  this  firm  sold  to  H.  Greve, 
and  he  in  turn  was  bought  out  by  J.  J.  Owsley,  during  Avhose 
ownership  the  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

In  1867  Lowrie,  Irwin  &  Gilbert  built  another  foundry  near 
where  the  present  works  are  located,  and  this  was  finally  pur- 
chased by  the  Sparta  Manufacturing  Company,  and  again  the 
plant  was  destroyed  by  fire.  L.  ]\I.  Newbury  bought  what  was 
left  and  built  another  shop  in  1869,  sold  a  half  interest  to  J.  P. 
AVard,  and  in  1872  built  what  is  the  main  building  of  the  present 
works.  AVard  sold  to  Air.  Satterlee  and  the  firm  of  Newbury  & 
Satterlee  carried  on  the  business  extensively,  at  times  employing 
as  many  as  sixteen  hands. 

The  works  passed  into  the  hands  of  Carl  Newbury  and  J.  U. 
Durant,  by  whom  it  was  formed  into  a  corporation ;  the  entire 
plant  was  taken  over  by  Lee  and  Robert  Canfield,  who  are  the 
principal  stockholders,  and  the  business  has  been  conducted 
under  their  management  ever  since.  Gradually  the  foundry  and 
casting  business  was  dropped  and  the  entire  plant  is  now  devoted 
principally  to  the  manufacture  of  well  drilling  machinery,  and 
in  this  business  the  Canfield  brothers  have  made  a  success  which 
is  hardly  realized  by  the  citizens  of  Sparta  ;  modest  and  unassum- 


324  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

intr.  they  have  developed  surprising  business  ability,  employ 
about  forty  hands,  five  of  whom  are  traveling  salesmen,  and  their 
machinery  is  sold  all  over  the  United  States,  in  Canada,  Porto 
Rico,  Africa,  India  and  the  South  American  states  and  elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

CHURCHES    OF   SPARTA. 

CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH. 

The  Congregational  church  liad  its  beginning  with  the  com- 
ing of  Rev.  AV.  F.  Avery,  who  arrived  October  24,  1854;  having 
finished  his  studies  at  Amherst  College,  Massachusetts,  he  started 
West  and,  upon  his  arrival,  found  everything  crude  and  primi- 
tive, but  he  entered  into  the  work  with  great  earnestness ;  after 
three  and  a  half  years  his  health  broke  down  from  overwork. 
At  first,  there  being  no  meetinghouse,  services  were  conducted 
in  private  houses,  the  church  being  formally  organized  June  22, 
1855,  commenced  the  building  of  a  church  in  the  winter  of  1856, 
which  was  formally  dedicated  June  11,  1857 ;  it  was  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $3,800  complete.  The  first  deacons  of  the  church  were 
Joseph  Avery,  the  father  of  the  pastor;  Guy  C.  Hoyt,  and  H.  M. 
Sandford.  Deacon  Avery  was  untiring  in  his  efforts  in  behalf  of 
his  church,  and  it  was  through  his  efforts  that  the  church  build- 
ing was  erected.  The  first  board  of  officers  was  elected  March 
8,  1856,  consisting  of  six  trustees,  being  George  AV.  Root,  G.  C. 
Hoyt,  E.  S.  Blake,  E.  Lathrop,  Joseph  Avery  and  A.  F.  Childs. 

In  1858  Rev.  Avery  resigned,  and  from  that  period  to  1867  the 
pulpit  was  occupied  by  five  different  clergymen ;  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Carmichael  became  the  pastor  in  1866  and  served  for  nine  years, 
being  followed  by  Rev.  Geo.  F.  Hunting  for  two  years,  and  he  in 
turn  succeeded  by  Rev.  Frank  T.  Lee,  who  entered  the  pastorate 
January  23,  1879.  During  his  time  the  church  made  rapid 
progress. 

The  Rev.  AVilliam  Crawford  followed  him,  commencing  the 
work  April  8,  1883,  and  continued  as  pastor  for  about  eighteen 
years,  and  it  was  during  his  long  pastorate  that  the  church 
reached  its  climax  of  success ;  Dr.  Crawford,  a  most  earnest 
Christian,  of  great  executive  ability,  a  profound  scholar  upon 
whom  his  college,  Amherst,  has  conferred  the  degree  of  D.D., 
was  closely  allied  with  the  best  interests  of  Sparta,  and  the 
memory  of  the  great  work  accomplished  by  him  will  long  linger 

in  the  minds  of  the  people  of  Sparta.     It  was  during  his  pastor- 

325 


32G  HISTORY  OF  ]\IOXROE  COUNTY 

ate,  ami  largely  due  to  his  efforts,  that  the  present  beautiful 
cluireh  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  ii^20,U()0  and  dedicated  June 
23,  1879. 

This  church  is  far  beyond  the  cliurch  building  ordinarily 
found  in  a  city  of  this  size;  it  is  l)uilt  upon  grand  architectural 
lines,  handsome  in  appearance,  fitted  inside  with  a  large  pipe 
organ  and  modern  church  furnishings,  a  large,  roomy  audi- 
torium, tlie  acoustic  properties  of  which  are  excellent,  church 
])arlors  Avhicli  can  be  opened  into  the  main  auditorium  and  a 
Avell-appointed  basement  dining  room  and  kitchen,  in  which 
church  suppers  are  frequently  held. 

Rev.  E.  AV.  lluelster  was  called  to  the  pastorate  from  the 
East,  succeeding  Dr.  CraAvford,  in  January,  1901 ;  upon  his  re- 
tirement, after  considerable  discussion,  the  Rev.  F.  AV.  A\'alker 
Pugh,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  the  city,  was  en- 
gaged as  pastor,  and  the  two  church  organizations  formed  an 
alliance;  the  Baptist  church  being  so  small  in  num])ers  that  to 
maintain  a  clergyman  was  almost  out  of  the  question ;  the  coali- 
tion Avas  effected ;  the  two  church  societies  joined  in  supporting 
the  church  Avork  of  the  Congregational  church,  although  each 
organization  still  retains  its  olftcers  and  each  conducts  its  annual 
church  meeting  as  before.  The  arrangement  seems  to  be  a  A'ery 
happy  one,  as  the  congregation,  thus  augmentedj  supports  the 
church  very  Avell. 

Rev.  Harding  Hogan  succeeded  Dr.  Pugh.  having  been  the 
pastor  for  about  tAvo  years  last  past ;  Rev.  Hogan  is  a  fortunate 
addition  to  the  local  clergy,  a  man  of  broad  mind,  a  deep  student, 
gifted  far  beyond  the  ordinary  Avith  eloquence,  his  sermons, 
habitually  delivered  AA'ithout  the  aid  of  a  manuscript,  are  models 
of  logic,  thought  and  diction.  There  are  the  usual  societies  con- 
nected AA'ith  the  church  Avhich  maintain  the  ordinary  church  ac- 
tivities and  do  much  charity  A\'ork,  and  the  church  is  fortunate 
in  having  a  large  choir  of  mixed  voices,  ably  conducted  by  Dr. 
S.  D.  Beebe. 

THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

Sparta  Avas  visited  for  the  first  time  by  a  Catholic  priest  in 
1858,  in  Ihe  ]>erson  of  the  Rev.  Father  Rrtche.  Avho  celebrated 
mass  in  a  lailroad  shanty.  At  lliat  time  there  Avere  but  few 
Catholic  families  in  the  village,  but  Avith  the  advent  of  Father 
]\Iontague,  who  succeeded  Father  Roche  in  18G0,  began  the 
groAvtli  of  the  congregation  UJitil  in  llie  year  lS(iT  a  frame  ehureh 
AA'as     built,     under    the     direction     of     Father     Alarco;     Father 


CHURCHES  OF  SPARTA  327 

Montague  was  succeeded  by  Father  Stroker  about  1864,  and  he 
in  turn,  by  Father  Gallagher  about  1865,  and  Father  Marco. 

This  building  was  located  somewhere  near  the  present  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  Company  depot,  and  the 
first  members  of  tlie  congregation  were  H.  Fanning,  Thomas  and 
Pat  Brennan,  H.  Schroff,  D.  Sullivan,  P.  Fitzgerald,  C.  Bedenk, 
H.  C.  MuUer,  T.  McGargle,  H.  Carr.  AY.  Lennon,  M.  Bransfield, 
Thomas  and  Bernard  Mulrenin.  Ed  Barry,  William,  Thomas,  Ed 
and  John  BoAvler,  Pat  Davis,  Con.  Carroll,  Jacob  Poss,  J.  Ant- 
weiler,  John  AYagner  and  Alec  Allen,  five  of  whom,  Pat  and 
Thomas  Brennan,  AA^illiam  and  Thomas  Bowler  and  Thomas  Mul- 
renin, are  still  living. 

The  Rev.  Father  Quigley  succeeded  Father  i\Iarco  as  the 
pastor  in  1867,  and  he  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Father 
Dorward  of  Tomah,  who  on  the  14th  day  of  August,  1876,  was 
succeeded  in  turn  by  Rev.  J.  B.  IMetzler,  who  held  the  pastorate 
until  August,  1877.  when  the  Rev.  Joseph  Bauer  relieved  him ; 
he  officiated  until  1877,  when  Rev.  J.  AVicker  took  charge,  until 
1879,  when  Rev.  J.  B.  AViedman  succeeded  him.  The  church  first 
erected  in  1867,  near  the  depot,  was  moved  to  the  present  loca- 
tion in  1877 ;  the  membership  at  that  time  consisted  of  about 
fifty  families. 

Rev.  Father  T.  H.  Beau  succeeded  Father  AYiedman  in  the 
pastorate,  and  after  a  short  pastorate  of  a  few  months  by  Rev. 
J.  Kennedy,  he  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Father  H.  F. 
Flock,  who  marks  the  twenty-fifth  j^ear  of  his  pastorate  in  1912. 
During  the  latter 's  pastorate  the  old  church  was  enlarged  and 
remodeled  at  an  expense  of  about  $2,000.  Until  about  1897  two 
mission  churches  were  attached  to  the  Sparta  church,  one  at 
Summit  of  about  fifty  families,  and  one  at  Pine  Hill,  near  Sham- 
rock, of  about  twenty  families.  Since  1897  the  Sparta  congre- 
gation has  service  every  Sunday ;  the  aforesaid  church  at  Summit 
now  having  a  resident  pastor,  and  the  church  at  Pine  Hill  being 
attended  from  Black  River  Falls. 

On  Sunday  morning,  January  22,  1905,  the  church  was  totally 
destroyed  by  fire,  which  started  in  the  basement  and,  it  being  an 
old  wooden  building,  it  soon  went  up  into  flames.  The  congre- 
gation, luckily,  had  $2,300  of  insurance  on  this  building,  so  that 
it  was  not  a  total  loss. 

Steps  were  immediately  taken  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
church,  and  on  Sunday,  September  24,  1905,  the  cornerstone  of 
the  new  edifice  was  laid  with  impressive  ceremonies  by  Bishop 
Schwebach,  of  LaCrosse,  and  on  June   5,  two  years  later,  the 


328  HISTORY  OF  :\lOXR0P:  COUNTY 

bishop  again  visited  the  elnireh  and  presided  at  the  dedicatory 
ceremonies,  Avliieli  were  very  e]al)orate.  The  clnirch  OAvns  the 
entire  ])lock  upon  wliidi  its  huildinos  are  situated,  Avith  tlie  ex- 
ception of  four  h)ts  Avhieh  are  owned  bj'  the  Franciscan  Sisters 
and  upon  which  stands  the  St.  Mary's  Domestic  Science  school 
building. 

The  congregation  has  a  membership  of  something  over  100 
families,  who  are  steady  supporters  of  the  church,  besides  about 
fifty  who  are  occasional  contributors.  Though  not  large,  the 
congregation  has  made  a  splendid  showing  the  last  few  years  in 
erecting  a  new  parsonage  at  a  cost  of  !|<4,000 ;  buying  new  prop- 
erty to  the  value  of  $6,000,  and  building  the  new  church  at  a 
cost  of  $30,000  with  a  residue  debt  of  only  $15,000  at  the  present 
time  and  that  is  being  paid  at  a  rapid  rate. 

ST.  MARY'S  DOMESTIC  SCIENCE  SCHOOL. 

This  is  not  financially  connected  with  St.  Patrick's  congrega- 
tion, but  is  a  separate  institution  conducted  by  the  Franciscan 
Sisters  of  LaCrosse,  "Wis.  Originally  the  building  which  was 
considerably  smaller  than  now,  was  used  as  a  school  and  after- 
wards it  was  changed  to  a  girls'  orphanage,  for  which  purpose 
it  Avas  used  until  1889,  when  the  orphans  were  taken  to  LaCrosse, 
and  it  then  became  a  boarding  school  until  about  the  year  1905. 

The  sisters  then  determined  to  undertake  the  opening  of  a 
domestic  science  school  in  connection  with  the  St.  ]\Iary's  Con- 
vent, and  it  became  a  success  from  the  start;  it  then  was  neces- 
sary to  enlarge  the  buildings  to  accommodate  the  increasing  at- 
tendance. The  building  was  thoroughly  remodeled  and  enlarged 
and  school  formally  opened  on  I\Ionday,  January  6,  1908.  It  is 
equipped  with  a  large  and  commodious  kitchen,  a  spacious  dining 
room,  sewing  room,  class  room,  bright,  airy  dormitories,  a  well- 
equipped  laundry,  several  music  rooms,  all  well  lighted,  steam 
heat  and  ventilation  and  provided  with  all  modern  improve- 
ments, arranged  with  a  view  to  the  practical  convenience  and 
comfort  of  the  pupils. 

This  is  a  school  for  girls,  and  its  principal  purpose  is  to  teach 
domestic  science  and  all  its  branches,  which  includes  for  the  first 
year,  cooking  and  serving  of  meals,  table  etiquette,  study  in 
composition  and  nutrient  value  of  various  foods,  housekeeping 
and  home  management,  laundering  in  all  its  branches,  plain 
sewing,  mending  and  darning,  the  making  of  simple  garments, 
common  and  fancy  needlework.  The  second  year  of  the  course 
includes  also  home-nursing,  care  of  the  sick  and  the  sick  room, 


CHURCHES  OF  SPARTA  329 

making,  cutting  and  fitting  of  garments  and  art  needlework. 
Music  is  also  taught,  tlie  music  department  being  well  provided 
with  rooms  and  instruments.  Orchestra  concerts  and  musical 
programs  are  provided  for  the  entertainment  of  the  pupils  and 
their  friends ;  there  is  also  a  course  of  drawing  and  painting, 
which  is  optional  for  those  who  desire  to  take  it.  In  connection 
with  the  other  instructions  in  the  school,  religious  instruction  is 
given,  and  the  training  and  discipline  Avhich  will  cultivate  in  its 
pupils  the  Christian  virtues  and  special  traits  of  womanly  char- 
acter that  should  be  prominent  in  good  Christian  homes. 

The  following  is. a  list  of  the  graduates  of  the  school:  1910 
— Veronica  Elner,  New  Ulm,  Minn.  1911 — Emily  Shornar,  La 
Crosse,  Wis. ;  Gertrude  Beecher,  Eau  Claire,  Wis. ;  Pauline  Hil- 
debrand,  Sheboygan,  Wis. ;  Catherine  Schmitt,  St.  Lucas,  la. 
1912 — Clara  Belter,  Athens,  AVis. ;  Anna  Beil,  Athens,  Wis. ; 
Mary  Greiner,  Athens,  AVis. ;  Clemence  Canar,  Mondovi,  AVis. ; 
Florence  Schlosser,  Eau  Claire,  AVis. ;  Anna  Alariek,  Eau  Claire, 
AVis. ;  Sophia  Duren,  Cazenovia,  Wis. ;  Clara  Muehlenkamp,  Nor- 
walk,  AVis. ;  Elizabeth  Rick,  Plain,  AVis. ;  Alary  E.  Hughes,  Green- 
wood, AVis. 

The  total  attendance  for  the  year  1911-12  was  forty-five 
pupils. 

THE  ORDER  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART. 

This  city  is  fortunate  in  being  selected  as  one  of  the  three 
points  in  the  United  States  where  is  established  a  home  for  the 
members  of  this  order. 

In  August,  1911,  the  property  known  as  the  Judge  Romanzo 
Bunn  residence,  on  South  Court  street,  was  purchased,  which  in- 
cludes about  thirteen  acres  of  land,  and  became  a  mission  house 
of  this  order,  and  on  September  27th  it  was  dedicated  by  the 
Rev.  James  Schwebaeh,  bishop  of  LaCrosse,  with  impressive 
ceremonies.  This  order  was  originally  founded  in  France,  by 
Very  Rev.  Jules  Chevalier,  December  8,  1851,  but  in  consequence 
of  the  French  anti-clericalism,  the  society  was  moved  from 
France,  wdiere  it  had  a  magnificent  basilica,  dedicated  to  our 
Lady  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  which  annually  attracted  thousands  of 
pilgrims  and  established  its  headquarters  in  Holland,  from  which 
it  rapidly  spread  over  many  countries.  The  mother  home  is  now 
located  in  Rome. 

The  chief  activities  of  the  order  are  the  missions  of  the  South 
Sea  and  Philippine  Islands ;  the  society  is  especially  strong  in 
New  Guinea,  where  it  has  a  complete  organization,  headed  by  an 


380  HISTORY  OF  IMOXROE  COUNTY 

arclil)isli()|)  willi  140  ])riests  and  100  lay  bretiircn  ;  in  llic  i'liilip- 
piue  Lslands  tlicro  are  twenty-five  priests  and  twenty  lay  breth- 
ren. Altlioujrli  1lic  missions  are  dang^erons  and  ditficult,  they  are 
declared  lo  he  llic  most  pi'ospt'i'oiis  of  any  througlioul  the  world, 
and  the  ordci-  lias  at  this  time  a  total  membership  of  600  priests 
and  200  lay  brothers.  At  tiie  mission  home  in  tliis  city  tliere  are 
at  tlie  present  time  an  average  of  about  seven  priests  who  are 
here  for  rest  from  their  arduous  labors. 

The  home  is  well  located  geographically,  and  it  is  expected 
in  the  future  that  it  will  grow  in  usefulness  and  be  the  home  of 
many  of  these  missionaries  during  the  times  in  which  they  are 
permitted  to  retire  from  active  service  and  recruit  their  health 
and  strength. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  the  country  it  seems  that  the 
Methodist  denomination  Avas  first  on  the  ground  in  Sparta  in  the 
person  of  Rev.  Frederick  Walrath,  who  preached  the  first  sermon 
in  1851  to  a  congregation  of  five  persons,  services  being  held  in 
the  cabin  of  iNlr.  Petit. 

Rev.  AValrath  continued  to  hold  services  from  that  time  until 
1854,  the  membership  numbering  about  twenty-five  persons ;  in 
that  year  the  first  regularly  appointed  pastor  took  charge,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  ^layne.  Although  regularly  assigned  to  this  clnirch, 
the  organization  did  not,  in  fact,  take  place  until  1850:  at  that 
time  Rev.  Reuben  R.  Wood,  presiding  elder  of  the  LaCrosse  dis- 
trict, AVisconsin  conference,  appointed  Frederick  AValrath,  AV.  J. 
Tucker,  Albert  II.  Blake,  Benjamin  Stevens  and  J.  W.  Harding 
as  trustees  of  the  church  at  Sparta,  to  hold  in  trust  all  church 
property;  the  organization  being  completed  according  to  the 
laws  of  the  state  by  the  presiding  elder  acknowledging  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  certificate  before  E.  S.  Blake,  notary  public,  at 
Sparta,  on  the  16th  day  of  February,  1856,  the  document  being 
filed  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk  on  the  same  date. 

In  1856  a  neat  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  H'2,500. 
and  about  that  tinu'  a  bell  was  presented  to  the  church  by  the 
members  of  the  community,  the  sum  of  $450  having  been  raised 
by  subscription  for  that  jMu-pose.  and  became  a  great  addition 
to  the  building.  The  eliureii  was.  of  course,  regularly  sujiplied 
inuler  the  system  used  in  the  Methodist  conference,  Avith  })astors, 
during  the  first  years,  and  for  a  great  many  years  the  five-year 
rub'  being  in  force;  a  record  of  all  of  the  pastors  is  not  available, 
but  among  them  have  been  humi  of  high  intellectual  attainments, 


aiLRCIIP:S  OF  SPARTA  331 

among  them  might  be  mentioned  the  Rev.  Seamann,  Rev.  Trimm, 
Avho  became  presiding  elder  of  this  district  a  few  years  ago ; 
Rev.  AVright,  who  afterwards  was  sent  to  Europe  in  the  mission- 
ary work;  Rev.  Bauchop,  who  believed  in  practical  patriotism, 
joined  the  Sparta  military  company  and  received  a  commission 
as  lieutenant,  serving  for  a  time  faithfully  and  well. 

Rev.  L.  A.  Brenner  perhaps  accomplished  the  greatest  amount 
of  improvement  in  church  property,  for  during  his  incumbency 
for  a  few  years  ending  in  1911,  the  church  Avas  greatly  improved 
and  enlarged,  and  through  his  etforts  money  was  raised  and  a 
magnificent  pipe  organ  purchased  and  installed ;  the  building  en- 
tirely fitted  with  beautiful  stained  glass  windows. 

In  the  past  years  the  church  has  had  able  managers  among 
its  trustees,  and  has  acquired  the  title  to  most  of  the  block  upon 
Avhich  the  church  building  is  situated ;  has  erected  a  fine  parson- 
age for  the  pastor's  use,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  appointed  resi- 
dences in  the  city. 

During  the  fall  of  1911  the  conference  of  the  LaCrosse  dis- 
trict was  held  at  this  church;  at  this  meeting  Rev.  L.  A.  Brenner 
was  appointed  district  superintendent,  a  fitting  reward  for  good 
and  faithful  service.  The  church  has  a  large  membership,  is  in 
a  good  condition  financially,  and  wields  a  considerable  influence 
in  the  community ;  has  many  societies  connected  with  it,  espe- 
cially among  the  young  people,  and  strong  Sunday  school  and 
Epworth  League ;  the  pastor  at  the  present  writing  being  Rev. 
Straw. 

FIRST  BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

Was  organized  September  9,  1854,  with  sixteen  members,  its 
first  pastor  being  the  Rev.  James  Squier;  after  an  existence  of 
some  months  the  church  disbanded  and  was  reorganized  on  the 
29th  of  June,  1856,  with  twenty-two  constituent  members,  who 
adopted  the  New  Hampshire  confession  of  faith,  and  during  the 
first  year,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  AY.  H.  Card,  the  member- 
ship increased  by  the  addition  of  fifty-one  persons ;  in  1 858  the 
first  church  building  was  erected  on  Benton  street ;  subsequently 
this  was  disposed  of  and,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  S.  S. 
ATalker,  a  church  building  was  erected  on  the  corner  of  Oak  and 
Court  streets,  the  present  site ;  in  1895  the  congregation  having 
grown  to  substantial  proportions,  erected  the  beautiful  church 
Avhich  occupies  the  site  Avhich  was  formally  dedicated  February 
7th,  1897.  The  church,  during  the  succeeding  years,  had  varied 
success,  but  gradually,  through  removals  from  the  city,  the  mem- 


332  HISTORY  OF  ^^lOXROE  COUNTY 

bershij)  clwiiulknl  to  a  })uiiit  wliieh,  as  has  l)i'eii  said,  resulted  in 
the  coalition  with  the  Congregational  society  during  the  pastor- 
ate of  the  Rev.  F.  AV.  AValker  Pugh  ;  at  the  publication  of  this 
history  the  arrangement  still  continues,  a  striking  illustration 
that  letting  down  the  bars  in  denominational  religion  results  and 
can  result  in  greater  good. 

THE   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

The  first  services  of  this  church  were  held  at  what  was  known 
at  "Union  Block,"  just  south  of  Assembly  hall,  by  Rev.  Fayette 
Durlin,  missionary  stationed  at  LaCrosse ;  he  visited  Sparta  oc- 
casionally thereafter  for  some  time.  Bishop  Kemper  made  the 
first  Episcopal  visitation  in  1859,  at  which  time  Mrs.  J.  AV.  AVal- 
rath,  ]\Irs.  J.  D.  Condit  and  Mrs.  J.  AY.  Smith  received  the  rite  of 
confirmation.  In  1860  the  first  Sunday  school  was  organized  by 
a  few  ladies  at  the  home  of  ]\Irs.  0.  D.  Kaiidall,  which  held  its 
first  sessions  at  Liberty  hall.  In  1861  the  lot  was  purchased 
where  the  little  church  noAv  stands,  and  in  1863  a  plain  church 
"was  erected  through  the  efforts  of  the  few  meml)ers  and  the 
donations  from  all  classes  of  citizens.  In  April,  1863.  St.  John's 
Church  Avas  formally  organized  with  the  Rev.  AV.  P.  Ten  Broeck 
as  pastor.  !Many  clergymen  have  been  assigned  to  tliis  little 
church,  Avhich  has  had  a  varied  existence,  at  times  no  services 
being  held,  at  others  occasional  service  and  at  times  having  a 
missionary  priest  regularly  in  charge. 

Of  late  years  the  most  determined  effort  to  inaugurate  a  re- 
vival of  the  church  membership  and  work  was  undertaken,  with 
the  coming  of  Rev.  A.  J.  R.  Goldsmith  from  England,  sent  here 
by  Bishop  Nicholson;  he  arrived  in  July.  1906.  and  remained 
about  two  years,  during  which  time  he  was  ordained  by  Bishop 
AYebl) ;  he  resigned  and  went  to  Arapahoe,  Neb.  In  September, 
1909,  Rev.  Robert  T.  ]\IcCutchen  assumed  charge,  holding  regu- 
lar services  up  to  the  time  when  he  received  an  appointment  from 
the  general  board  of  missions  in  New  York  City  as  missionary  to 
the  Philippine  Islands,  with  residence  at  Sagada,  for  whicli  duty 
he  and  his  wife  left  Sparta  early  in  1911.  The  church  has  since 
been  closed,  except  for  occasioiud  services  which  have  l)een  sup- 
plied by  Rev.  Link  fioiii  Alauston. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
TOMAH,  MENOMONEE  CHIEF. 

It  having  been  established  beyond  the  question  that  the  city 
of  Tomah  was  named  from  Tliomas  Carron,  or  "Tomah,"  which 
is  the  French  pronunciation  for  Thomas,  a  biography  of  this 
remarkable  man  merits  a  place  in  this  work.  There  seems  to 
have  been  a  great  deal  of  uncertainty  in  the  past  among  the 
people  of  Tomah  who  have  been  interested  in  investigating  its 
early  days  and  the  reason  for  the  name,  and  it  has  frequently 
been  written  that  he  was  a  Winnebago  chief,  but  through  the 
efforts  of  the  Wisconsin  State  Historical  Society  the  principal 
facts  in  his  life  have  been  gathered  and  are  here  presented. 

Tomah  was  the  most  noted  of  the  sons  of  the  old  Carron,  a 
celebrated  Menomonee  chief,  and  was  born  in  1752  in  the  old 
King's  village,  opposite  Green  Bay.  He  was  a  man  of  magnifi- 
cent appearance,  being  six  feet  tall,  with  dark  eyes  and  handsome 
features,  and  was  very  prepossessing,  with  a  lordly  bearing.  He 
looked  every  inch  a  king  and  one  writer,  Grignon,  says  that  he 
was  the  finest  looking  chief  that  he  had  ever  seen.  He  was  firm, 
prudent,  peaceable  and  conciliatory,  and  wfss  sincerely  loved 
alike  by  the  white  and  red  men  of  his  time.  In  his  early  man- 
hood he  became  the  acting  chief  of  the  ^Menomonee  tribe, 
although  he  had  no  hereditary  title  to  the  chieftainship.  This 
was  held  at  the  time  by  a  man  about  as  old  as  himself,  who  was 
an  idiot.  Tomah  merely  ruled  as  the  acknowledged  strongest 
man  of  his  nation,  and  this  he  continued  to  do  for  a  great  many 
years.  The  Indian  tribes  around  him  are  represented  as  being- 
afraid  of  him,  which  is  mentioned  as  a  singular  fact,  that  he 
never  engaged  in  Avar  with  any  of  them  while  in  control  of  the 
nation,  but  seemed  to  inspire  awe  by  his  great  ability. 

The  home  of  this  tribe  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Green  Bay,  l)ut 
the  Indians  at  different  times  roamed  tJiis  entire  country,  and 
no  doubt  at  some  time  the  chief  Tomah  occupied  for  a  brief  space 
some  portion  of  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Tomah  as  his  camp- 
ing grounds  and  made  the  acquaintance  of  some  settler  or  settlers 
in  that  region,  who  were  so  impressed  with    his    bearing    and 

333 


334  HISTORY  OF  :\10NHOK  COUNTY 

frii'n(llin(\s.s  that  liis  name  was  jji-oposed  for  the  little  early  settle- 
ment, and  (^ver  since  the  village,  and  afterwards  the  city,   has 
horiK^   his  name.     An  account  Avritten  by  James  AV.  Biddle,  of 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  of  a  visit  to  the  Indian  trilx'S  at  Green  Bay  and 
vicinity  along  in  1810  and  1817,  gives  many  interesting  events  in 
the  history  of  this  great  chief.     jMr.  l^iddle  relates  that  on   his 
visit  he  learned  that  in  1810  or  1811  Tecumseh  was  forming  his 
great  combination  for  drivint:  llic  Americans  back,  who,  like  the 
waves  of  the  sea,  were  encroaching  upon  their  hunting  grounds. 
AYith  this  vicAV   he   visited   Green   Bay,   obtained  a  council    and 
hearing  from  Tomah  and  his  people,  whom  he  addressed  in  a  man- 
ner he  best  knew  how  to  do,  and  in  the  course  of  which,  in  true 
Indian  spirit,  he  pictured  the  glory,  as  well  as  certainty  of  suc- 
cess, and  as  omens  of  this  recapitulated  to  them  his  own  hitherto 
])rosperous  career — the  number  of  battles  he  had  fought,  tlic  vic- 
tories he  had  won,  the  enemies  he  had  slain,  and  the  scalps  he  had 
taken  from   the   lieads    of    the    warrior-foes.     Tonuili    appeared 
sensible  of  this  influence,  for  he  was  opposed  to  leading  his  people 
into  war.     His  reply  was  in  a  tone  to  allay  this  feeling,  and  he 
closed  Avith  the  remark  to  tliem  that  they  had  heard  the  words  of 
Tecumseh — heard  of  the  battles  lie  had  fought,   the  enemies  he 
iiad  slain,  and  the  scalps  he  had  taken.     He  then  paused,  and 
while   the   deepest   silence   reigned   throughout   the   audience   he 
slowly   raised  his   hands,  and  his  eyes  fixed   on  them,  and   in   a 
lower  I)iit  not  less  prouder  tone,  continued,  "But  i1  is  my  boast 
that  these  hands  are  unstained  with  Imiiuiii  blood!*'     The  eflt'ect 
is  described  as  tremendous — nature  obeyed  her  own  impulse;  an 
admiration   Mas  forced  even  from  those  who  could  not.   or  did 
not,  approve  of  the  moral  to  be  implied,  and  the  gravity  of  the 
council  Avas  disturbed  for  an  instant  by  a  murmur  of  ai)proba- 
tion,  a  tribute  of  genius,  overpowering  at  the  moment  the  force 
of  education  and  of  haliit.     He  concluded  Avith  remarking  that 
he  had  ever  supported  the  policy  of  peace,  as  his  nation  Avas  small 
and  consequently  Aveak;  1li;it  he  Avas  I'lilly  awai-e  of  llie  injustice 
of  the  Anu'ricaus  in   tlu-ii-  encroadiiiienls  upon  the  lands  of  Ihe 
Indians,  and  for  them  feai'ed  its  consecjuences.  I)u1   llial    he  saw- 
no  I'elief  for  it  in  going  to  Avai-.  aiul  therefore,  as  a  national  tiling, 
he  Avould  not  do  so,  but   that  if  any  of    his    young    nuMi    Avere 
desirous  of  leaving  their  hunting  grounds  and  foUoAving  Tecum- 
seh they  had  his  permission  to  do  so.     His  prudent  councils  pre- 
vailed. 

The  further  report  of  Mr.  Biddle.  given  in  his  oavu  language, 
is  as  folloAvs:     "I  always  thought  this  an  odd  speech,  a  very 


TOMAH,  MENOMONEE  CHIEF  335 

remarkable  one  to  come  from  a  savage,  for  such  Tomali  was  by 
l)irth  and  edneation,  but  by  nature  I  always  thought  him  one  of 
the  grandest  specimens  of  humanity  I  had  ever  seen.  I  had  not 
met  with  him  at  Green  Ba^' ;  I  was  only  a  few  days  here  in  1816 
and  hurried  with  business,  nor  did  I  hear  much,  if  anvthing,  of 
him,  until  after  meeting  him  the  next  year  at  ^lackinaw.  The 
tirst  I  lieard  of  him  was  a  prescription  of  his  to  Col.  John  Bowyer, 
tlie  Indian  agent  at  Green  Bay,  for  the  gout,  of  which  my  brother, 
EdAvard  Biddle,  told  me,  and  a  very  rational  one  I  thought  it,  '  to 
drink  no  whiskey,  live  on  lean  meat  and  wild  rice  and  scarify 
his  feet.'  This  led  me  to  make  inquiries  about  him  when  I  found 
that  my  brother  had  become  a  warm  friend  of  his — an  admirer 
of  him. 

"When  at  Mackinaw  early  one  morning  in  the  latter  part 
of  May  or  early  in  June,  1817,  I  had  come  out  of  my  lodgings 
and  observed  approaching  me  one  of  tlie  many  Indians  then  on 
the  island,  and  taking  a  look  at  him  as  he  emerged  from  the  fog, 
then  very  heavy,  I  was  struck  as  he  passed  in  a  most  unusual 
manner  by  his  singularly  imposing  presence.  I  had  never  seen, 
I  thought,  so  magnificent  a  man.  He  was  of  large  size,  perhaps 
full  six  feet,  with  hue  proportions,  a  little  stoop-shouldered,  and 
dressed  in  a  someAvhat  dirty  Indian  l)lanket,  and  had  scarcel}^ 
noticed  me  as  he  passed.  I  remember  it  as  distinctly  as  if  it  was 
yesterday.  I  watched  him  until  he  disappeared  again  in  the  fog 
and  remember  almost  giving  expression  to  a  feeling  which  seemed 
irresistibly  to  creep  over  me,  tliat  the  earth  was  too  mean  for 
such  a  man  to  walk  on  !  The  idea,  to  be  sure,  was  discarded  the 
moment  it  came  up,  but  existence  it  had  at  this,  my  first  view,  of 
Toraah.  1  had  no  knowledge  at  the  time  who  he  was  or  that 
Tomah  was  on  the  island,  but  while  standing  there  before  my 
door  and  under  the  influence  of  the  feeling  I  have  described, 
Henry  Graverat,  the  Indian  interpreter,  came  up  and  I  inquired 
of  him  whether  he  knew  an  Indian  who  had  just  passed  by?  He 
replied  yes.  that  it  was  Tomah,  chief  of  the  IMenomonee  Indians, 
who,  with  his  people,  had  arrived  late  the  evening  before  and 
were  encamped  at  the  'Point;'  that  Tomah  had  just  been  with 
him  to  ask  a  council  with  the  Indian  agent,  Maj.  Wm.  H.  Puthuff. 
The  council  was  held  at  10  o'clock  and  I  made  it  my  business  to 
attend. 

"To  understand  what  follows,  I  must  make  a  short  digression. 
The  British  for  many  years  had  paid  annual  contributions,  termed 
by  them  Indian  annuities,  giving  each  member  of  the  tribe  a  suit 
of  clothes,  consisting  of  a  shirt,  leggins,  breech-clout  and  blanket 


336  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

— and  each  family  a  copper  kettle,  knives,  axes,  guns,  ammuni- 
tion, etc.  For  these  each  tribe  came  regularly  in  the  spring  or 
fall,  either  to  ^Mackinaw  or  Drummond's  island  or  the  Sault  Ste. 
]\Iarie.  Tomah  was  a  British  Indian.  He  had  not  himself  engaged 
in  the  war,  but  his  feelings  were  with  the  British,  as  were  per- 
sonally some  of  his  young  men.  He  had  arrived  on  ^Mackinaw 
island  Avith  his  whole  people  on  their  way  to  Drummond's  island 
to  receive  their  usual  annuity,  and  stopped  at  ^Mackinaw  to  rest 
over  night.  There  was  nothing  novel  to  us  in  this  as  a  number 
of  tribes  had  previously  arrived,  stopped  and  had  a  council,  at 
which  they  told  their  story,  always  winding  up  with  professions 
of  love  for  their  'Chemuckiman  Nosah,'  or  American  father,  who, 
they  hoped,  would  open  his  heart  and  give  their  people  some 
meat  to  stay  them  on  tlieir  journey,  and  his  breasts  to  give  them 
some  milk — i.  e.,  whiskey — to  make  them  joyful.  This  was  the 
usual  winding  up  of  all  such  councils.  AVhen  the  council  in  this 
instance  had  met  and  the  proper  time  offered,  Tomah  arose  and 
stated  to  ]\Iajor  Puthuff  that  he  had  arrived  Avith  the  Menoinonee 
nation  the  night  before  on  their  Avay  to  visit  their  Britisli  father, 
and  that  having  stopped  on  the  island  to  rest  over  the  night  he 
had  thought  it  his  duty  to  report  the  fact  to  his  American  father. 
"With  this  simple  announcement  he  sat  down.  Puthuff,  a  little 
nettled,  made  a  short  reply  and  the  council  broke  up. 

"Coming  out  of  the  council  house  I  waited  for  ]\Iajor  Puthuff 
and  remarked  to  him  tliat  Tomah  would  want  some  provisions 
for  his  people,  and  that  I  wished  he  would  give  me  an  order  for 
that  purpose.  'D — n  the  rascal,  why  didn't  he  ask  for  it,  then?' 
'I  suppose,'  said  I,  'being  a  British  Indian,  he  is  too  proud.' 
'AVell,  let  him  starve  then.'  'If  all  are  to  starve  who  are  proud, 
God  help  manj^  that  I  know  of,  major.'  I  had  no  difticulty  in 
prevailing  in  the  matter  as  the  government  had  made  provision 
for  such  issues  to  Indians,  and  Graverat  and  I  made  out  an  esti- 
mate proper  under  the  circumstances  to  give,  and  Tomah  and 
his  people  continued  their  voyage. 

"In  a  few  days  he  and  they  returned,  dejected  and  disconso- 
late. A  change  had  come  over  the  spirit  of  British  policy.  They 
had  just  come  out  of  a  long  and  exhausting  dance,  led  them  by 
Napoleon,  and  were  counting  the  cost.  They  had  been  casting 
around  to  find  where  surest  and  readiest  to  cut  off  drains  upon 
their  treasury  and  judging  tiiat  they  had  no  further  need  of  Indian 
services,  lopped  off  the  whole  list  of  Indian  annuities.  This  was 
already  known  to  ^lackinaw  and  had  been  told  to  Tomah  upon 
his  arrival,  but  he  Avould  not,  or  did  not,  believe  it.     He  found 


TOMAH,  MENOMONEE  CHIEF  337 

it,  however,  too  true.  There  were  no  annuities  there  for  him 
or  for  any  of  the  other  tribes,  many  of  whom  were  there,  and  it 
was  anticipated  at  one  time  that  they  would  rise  against  the 
British  force  there  and  take  what  they  could  get.  But  this  was 
not  attempted. 

"My  brother  Edward,  then  and  now  at  Mackinaw,  had  been 
well  acquainted  with  Tomah  at  Green  Bay,  and  immediately 
after  his  return  to  the  island  he  came  into  the  store,  spoke  a 
few  words  to  my  brother  and  left.  I  had  seen  the  interview 
and  watched  the  result  without  making  any  inquiry,  for  I  saw 
that  my  brother,  who  greatly  loved  Tomah,  was  imbued  with 
all  his  melancholy.  In  a  few  moments  a  young  Indian  came  into 
the  store  with  a  three-gallon  keg,  which  my  brother  bade  the 
young  man  in  the  store  to  fill  with  wdiiskey,  which  was  charged 
on  the  books  to  Tomah.  I  was  looking  over  the  books  but  a  few 
years  ago  and  saw  the  entry  on  the  ledger,  which  brought  with 
it  a  train  of  wild  and  melancholy  thoughts.  This  insult  from 
the  British  authorities,  as  he  took  it,  was  more  than  his  proud 
heart  could  bear.  For  himself  he  might  have  borne  up  against  it, 
but  for  his  people,  and  in  the  sight  of  those  whose  good  offices  he 
had  refused  to  ask,  he  could  or  would  not.  The  keg  Avas  brought 
to  him  in  his  tent,  from  which  he  drank  alone,  and  to  an  excess 
that  relieved  him  on  the  third  day  of  pride,  grief,  joy  and  care. 
He  was  buried  on  the  island.  I  was  present  at  his  funeral  and 
witnessed  his  daughter,  a  young  girl  of  nineteen  or  twenty,  as 
she  mournfully  sang  his  death  song  at  the  head  of  the  coffin  just 
before  lowering  into  the  grave  all  that  was  mortal  of  Tomah.  I 
never  saw  so  distressed  and  broken-hearted  a  people.  They  said 
they  were  no  longer  a  nation,  no  longer  anything.  Tomah  could 
alone  command  and  keep  them  together,  but  now  they  would  be 
scattered  and  lost.  We  made  a  collection  and  bought  them  pro- 
visions which  carried  them  home,  where  they  organized  under 
some  other  chief,  until  driven  from  their  old  hunting-grounds 
by  you  land-grasping  AYisconsiners !" 

Tomah  died  and  was  buried  at  Mackinaw,  July  8,  1818,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six  years.  On  his  grave  IMr.  John  Law,  of  Green 
Bay,  erected  a  monument  with  the  following  inscription : 

"Here  rests  the  body  of  Thomas  Carron,  grand  chief  of  the 
Folle  Avoine  (Menominee)  nation,  who  departed  this  life  July  8, 
1818,  aged  sixty-six  years,  regretted  by  all  who  knew  him." 

Thus  lived  and  died  this  great  man,  for  great  he  was  in  his 
day,  a  heroic  figure  of  commanding  ability,  gifted  with  that 
nobility  of  character  and  breadth   of  mind  which  makes  men 


338  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

great,  whether  civilized  or  savage ;  and  his  great  influence  among 
his  people  and  the  surrounding  tribes  did  much  in  keeping  the 
friendly  relations  -with  the  early  settlers,  whom  he  invariably 
protected.  He  was  fully  as  great  as  Phillip,  of  Pokanoket,  or 
Pontiac,  or  Tecumseh,  not  as  well  known  perhaps,  but  exhi1)iting 
traits  of  character  which  called  for  great  admiration,  and  the 
city  which  bears  his  name  may  well  be  proud  of  it. — Ed. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
CITY  OF  TOMAH. 

Woven  around  the  adoption  of  the  name  of  this  beautiful  city 
are  a  number  of  interesting  facts.  How  and  why  it  was  given 
this  name  appears  a  little  later  in  the  chapter.  "Tomah"  is  truly 
an  euphonious  word,  pleasing  to  hear,  giving  the  idea  of  gentle- 
ness and  yet  sturdy  strength.  The  village  and  the  city  bears  the 
name  of  that  celebrated  Menomonee  chief  whose  life  and  char- 
acter show  him  to  have  been  a  mighty  man  among  his  people 
and  in  his  time.  So  the  city,  his  namesake,  has  become  a  familiar 
word  throughout  the  state  and  stands  for  sturdy  municipal 
strength  and  progress. 

Contrary  to  the  general  belief  as  to  who  was  the  first  settler 
upon  the  site  of  the  city,  credit  usually  being  given  to  Robert 
E.  Gillett,  stands  forth  the  fact  that  Jesse  Boorman  was  the  first 
actual  settler  and  the  first  man  to  acquire  title  to  any  portion  of 
the  land  upon  which  the  city  is  now  situated. 

When  in  1854  Mr.  Boorman,  who  was  then  living  in  Wal- 
worth county,  was  informed  by  an  itinerant  preacher  that  the 
region  to  the  west,  near  the  Mississippi  river,  was  the  "Promised 
Land,"  the  first  idea  of  the  new  settlement  began  to  take  form. 
In  that  year  jNIr.  Boorman  drove  through  from  Walworth  county 
to  LaCrosse  and  entered  three  forties  of  land,  which  are  now  a 
portion  of  the  site  of  the  city.  He  came  back  and  located  the 
land  and  proceeded  to  clear  a  portion  of  it,  going  back  to  Wal- 
worth county  in  the  winter  and  returning  in  the  spring  to  further 
improve  the  land. 

To  digress  from  the  story  at  this  point  it  seems  fitting  to  give 
a  short  sketch  of  Mr.  Boorman 's  life.  He  was  born  July  4,  1830, 
in  Kent  county,  England.  When  about  six  months  of  age  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  this  country,  embarking  at  Liverpool  in  a 
sailing  vessel  and  landing  in  New  York  on  New  Year's  day,  1831, 
the  voyage  having  occupied  six  weeks. 

The  family  soon  located  in  ChautauqvTa  county.  New  York, 
where  they  lived  for  three  years,  moving  from  there  to  Green 
county,  in  sight  of  the  Catskill  mountains,  where  they  resided  for 

339 


340  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

three  years  more.  Mr.  Boorman's  father  then  decided  to  "go 
"west,"  left  that  location  and  went  to  Schenectady  by  way  of 
Buffalo,  coming  to  AViseonsin  by  the  lake  route,  passing  through 
Chicago  and  then  on  to  AValworth  count.y  by  teams,  arriving 
there  early  in  June,  1837,  when  "Wisconsin  was  still  a  territory. 
John  Boorman,  Jesse's  father,  entered  320  acres  of  land  in  AVal- 
worth  county;  his  son,  Jesse,  remained  at  home  and  assisted  in 
working  the  farm  until  1854,  when  he  located  the  120  acres  of 
laud  wliich  Mill  be  described  hereafter,  securing  a  patent  signed 
by  James  Buchanan,  then  President. 

In  1855  he,  with  his  brother-in-law,  came  to  Madison  by  rail 
and  then  walked  from  there  to  the  present  site  of  Tomah  and 
established  a  farm  home,  where  he  lived  for  many  years  until 
1903  when,  owing  to  his  advanced  age,  he  retired  from  active 
farm  life  and  has  since  resided  in  the  city  of  Tomah.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Lucilica  Constance  Ryland,  November  4,  1858. 

In  1855  Robert  E.  Gillett,  accompanied  by  Robert  Howie, 
arrived  upon  the  scene.  Mr.  Gillett  purchased  some  land  which 
lay  south  and  east  of  the  present  location  of  the  city,  and  went  to 
Walworth  county  during  the  Avinter  of  1856-57  and  offered  to 
trade  land  with  ]\Ir.  Boorman.  Mr.  Boorman  requested  him  to 
wait  until  spring,  when  he  would  be  on  the  premises  again. 
Accordingly  in  the  spring  of  1857  Boorman  came  back.  At  that 
time  he  had  no  idea  that  this  location  might  be  a  good  trading 
point  with  the  advent  of  the  railroad  which  it  was  rumored 
would  be  constructed  through  from  ^Milwaukee,  and  the  land  he 
owned  not  being  the  best  for  agricultural  puposes,  on  April  24th 
he  traded  with  Mr.  Gillett.  On  that  day  he  gave  Gillett  a  deed 
of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter,  the  northwest 
quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter,  and  tlie  southwest  quarter  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  four,  township  seventeen,  range  one 
west,  which  deed  was  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  register  of 
deeds  in  volume  four  of  deeds,  on  page  285,  on  April  24,  1857. 
For  this  land  ^Ir.  Boorman  received  an  equal  amount  and  sixty 
acres  "to  boot,"  which  comprised  a  portion  of  the  old  Boorman 
farm,  upon  whicli,  with  additional  purchases,  he  remained  as 
stated  until  1903. 

]\rr.  Gillett  had  four  forties  in  section  nine,  joining  section 
four  on  tlie  south,  and  the  impulse  which  led  to  the  selection  of 
tliis  point  for  a  village  is  an  interesting  story.  Robert  A.  Gillett, 
the  son  of  Robert  E.,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty  years  was 
employed  with  the  surveying  party  which  staked  out  the  route 
of  the  Alilwaukee  and  LaCrosse  Railroad  from  ^Milwaukee  to  the 


CITY  OF  TOMAH  341 

Mississippi  river.  His  father,  Kobert  E.,  instructed  him  to  find 
out  from  the  engineer  in  charge  of  the  work  at  what  point  the 
line  of  railroad  was  most  likely  to  be  built  to  the  north,  and  in 
tlie  course  of  events  it  was  found  that  Council  House  creek  was 
the  most  likely  and  logical  point  for  such  an  extension.  Word 
was  sent  back  to  Milwaukee  and  a  movement  was  immediately 
started  to  buy  the  property  necessary  for  a  town  site.  This  was 
done  at  what  would  be  considered  a  trifling  cost  in  these  days. 
The  United  States  government  and  the  state  of  AVisconsin  held 
title  to  the  land  and  settlers  were  able  to  secure  it  at  very  reason- 
able prices.  The  land  grants  were  secured  by  Robert  E.  Gillett 
and  a  tract  covering  a  mile  in  length  and  a  half-mile  in  width 
was  secured  south  of  and  abutting  upon  the  projected  railroad, 
which  the  founder  often  stated,  and  firmly  believed,  would  some 
day  be  a  railroad  center.  His  untimely  death  prevented  him  from 
seeing  his  dream  realized  even  to  a  small  degree. 

In  1855  Griswold  Gillett,  the  father  of  Robert  E.,  took  up 
160  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  southeast  corner  of  the  original 
village,  on  a  land  warrant  for  service  rendered  the  United  States, 
government  in  the  war  of  1812.  This  became  the  homestead  of 
the  family,  and  on  this  farm  the  third  house  in  the  village  was. 
built.  After  the  trade  which  had  been  made  between  Robert  E. 
Gillett  and  Jesse  Boorman,  plans  were  at  once  made  for  laying 
out  the  town  site.  AVhen  the  plot  of  ground  was  selected  it  was 
necessary  to  find  a  name  for  the  proposed  village,  and  it  appears 
that  the  son,  Robert  A.  Gillett,  after  the  perusal  of  an  old  history 
of  the  state  in  Avhicli  a  record  was  found  telling  that  an  old  and 
highly  esteemed  Indian  chief,  contemporaneous  with  and  friendly 
to  Chief  Oshkosh,  had  at  one  time  gathered  his  tribe  for  confer- 
ence in  the  council  house  located  on  the  headwaters  of  what  is 
now  known  as  Council  creek,  he  chose  the  name  "Tomah,"  which 
was  accordingly  adopted.  In  connection  with  this  chapter  it  is 
eminently  fitting  that  here  be  given  a  short  account  of  the 
founder  of  the  city  and  his  son,  remarkable  men,  both  of  them,  in 
many  ways. 

Robert  E.  Gillett  Avas  born  in  Mesopotamia,  0.,  on  the  23rd 
day  of  June,  1809.  He  was  one  of  the  three  sons  of  Griswold 
Gillett  and  Elvina  Tracy,  both  of  whom  were  pioneer  settlers 
of  the  western  reserve  of  Ohio.  Born  in  the  first  decade  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  Robert  E.  Gillett  combined  the  spirit  of  the 
pioneer  with  an  appreciation  of  the  value  of  education,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  to  become  identified  with  the  educational  move- 
ment of  which  Oberlin  college,  Ohio,  was  the  center,  and  became  • 


342  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

thf  first  financial  secretary  of  the  society  or  group  of  earnest  men 
antl   women   who  laid  the  foundation  of  this  Avonderful  school. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character  and  strong  convictions,' and 
his  love  of  justice  prompted  him  to  take  up  the  cause  of  abolition, 
and  lie  Avas  known  throughout  tlie  South  as  a  "black  abolition- 
ist."   Ilis  home  in  Oberlin  later  ])ecame  a  station  in  the  t'iiiiious 
"underground  railroad,"  and  tlie  shop  over  his  kitclien  was  used 
for  sheltering  negro  slaves  on  their  way  to  Canada  and  freedom. 
At  one  time  he  Avas  chosen  by  a  Southern  judge  as  guardian  of 
five  mulatto  children.     Family  records  do  not  sIioav  the  date  of 
this  period  in  his  career,  but  tliere  Avere  three   ^Miner  children 
and  tAVO  LalNIar  children,  the  latter  being  a  branch  of  the  family 
of  AA'hich  Senator  LalMar  of  late  fame  belonged.     These  children 
Avere  taken  to  Oberlin  and  their  estates  administered  in  a  just 
and  satisfactory  manner,  and  all  fiA^e  in  due  time  graduated  from 
Oberlin  college.     His  activity  in  tlie  cause  of  abolition  Avas  cai'- 
ried  on  until  the  election  of  President  Lincoln,  of  Avhom  he  Avas 
a  staunch  supporter.     Just  before  his  death  his  services  Avere 
recognized  by  President  Lincoln,  avIio  commissioned  him  ^Minister 
to   Venezuela,   but   death    came    before    he    could    assume    the 
responsibility  of  this  mission.    In  the  early  days  of  the  settlement 
of  JMonroe  county  he  Avas  one  of  the  fcAV  judicial  officers  in  tiie 
community,  holding  for  a  short  time  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace. 

He  AV'as  married  September  8,  1833,  to  INIarie  Ann  Bussell. 
Tavo  children,  Robert  Arthur  anci  Mary  A.,  Avere  the  fruits  of  this 
marriage.  In  1837  his  Avife  died  and  a  year  later  his  marriage 
to  Lucy  Kellogg  took  place.  The  children  by  this  marriage  Avere 
Ruth  K.,  Theodore  AV.,  Julia  King  and  Frederick  F.  About  a 
year  after  the  death  of  his  second  Avife  he  married  Lois  Ann 
Ingraham,  October  27,  1849,  a  AvidoAv  Avith  tAvo  children,  a  son 
and  a  daughter.  The  son  died  at  an  early  age.  The  daughter. 
Lucy,  lived  a  short  time  in  Tomah,  died  in  early  Avomanhood, 
mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Robert  E.  Gillett  died  at 
Tomah,  September  28,  1861. 

No  history  of  Tomah  Avould  be  complete  Avithout  reference, 
at  least,  to  "Grandma  Gillett,"  or  "Aunt  Lois,"  as  she  Avas 
knoAvn  to  the  family,  but  universally  knoAvn  and  called  in  the 
last  years  of  her  life  "Grandma  Gillett"  by  the  people  of  Tomah. 
She  possessed  the  true  pioneer  spirit  and  it  Avas  to  her  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart  that  the  social  life  of  the  neAv  settlement  OAved 
much.  Her  interests  were  Avith  everybody,  her  charity  kncAv  no 
limit  except  that  of  the  means  to  do  Avith,  and  her  religion  Avas 


CITY  OF  TOMAII  343 

of  a  type  which  is  so  rare  and  sweet  that  it  has  left  its  imprint 
on  all  who  kneAV  her.  She  survived  her  husband  many  years 
and  was  known  and  loved  by  the  children  of  Tomah  for  three 
generations. 

Robert  Arthur  Gillett,  son  of  the  founder,  was  born  in  Elyria, 
0.,  July  6,  1834.  As  a  mere  boy  he  traveled  on  horseback  and 
on  foot  as  far  as  the  Indiana  line,  going  two  or  three  times  to 
Boston  with  his  father,  who  was  engaged  in  the  business  of 
drover.  He  lived  in  Ohio  until  about  seventeen  years  of  age, 
when  he  took  his  worldly  goods,  consisting  of  a  team  of  horses, 
a  wagon  and  a  cow,  boarded  a  steamboat  at  Cleveland  and  went 
west,  arriving  in  Milwauke  in  due  course  of  time,  where  he 
engaged  in  teaming.  During  the  early  period  of  the  settlement 
of  Tomah  he  owned  and  operated  a  sawmill  at  LaCrosse,  and 
after  the  panic  of  1857  wiped  out  his  resources  and  his  health 
demanded  a  change  of  climate,  he  again  "went  west,"  this  time 
to  the  gold  fields  of  Colorado,  with  a  wagon  train  of  emigrants 
composed  of  Wisconsin  people,  many  of  whom  never  returned  to 
this  state.  He  was  located  at  Pike's  Peak  and  vicinity  for  about 
eighteen  months,  returning  home  at  the  beginning  of  the  civil 
war,  being  called  back  to  his  father's  death  bed. 

As  has  been  stated  previously,  after  reaching  Milwaukee  and 
being  employed  by  Kellogg  &  Strong  in  teaming,  he  joined  the 
surveying  party  which  blazed  the  trail  of  the  Milwaukee  & 
LaCrosse  Railroad.  As  the  road  building  progressed  he  followed 
the  railroad  business  and  was  the  first  station  agent  at  Iron  Ridge, 
at  Horicon  and  at  Tomah  for  a  short  time,  where  the  family  were 
located,  living  in  the  log  house  on  his  grandfather's  farm.  After 
the  death  of  his  father  he  became  the  administrator  of  the  estate, 
and  although  his  grandfather,  Griswold  Gillett,  was  still  living, 
he  became  the  virtual  head  of  the  familj^  In  1862  he  married 
Sarah  Caroline  Turner  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Tomah,  acting 
as  recruiting  agent  for  the  army. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-third  Regiment, 
Wisconsin  Volunteers,  and  was  commissioned  captain  of  Com- 
pany K  of  that  regiment.  His  discharge  came  with  the  close  of 
the  war.  His  family  consisted  of  five  children,  Charles,  Matie, 
Theodore  W.,  who  died  in  1872;  Minnie,  who  died  in  1902,  and 
Sarah  Lettie,  who  died  in  infancy  in  1872.  During  the  few  years 
following  the  war  he  endeavored  to  unravel  the  tangled  afi^airs 
at  Tomah,  but  in  1866  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  task  as  too 
big  for  his  limited  capital.  He  was  elected  chief  clerk  of  the 
AVisconsin  asserablv  in  1866,  and  after  the  close  of  the  session  of 


344  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

the  legislature  that  year  he  reengaged  in  the  transportation  busi- 
ness and  was  contracting  agent  for  the  AVestern  Transportation 
Company  for  nearly  thirty  years.  During  tliis  time  he  also  tilled 
many  of  the  clerical  positions  at  ]\Iadison  during  the  winter 
months  and  Avas  always  active  in  state  politics. 

In  1872  his  wife  died  and  a  year  later  he  married  Serepta  A. 
Atkinson,  of  LaCrosse.  He  was  actively  engaged  in  ])usiness  in 
^Milwaukee  up  to  1905,  when  he  again  Avent  west,  this  time  to 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  but  returned  the  same  year.  His  second  wife 
died  in  December,  1905,  at  Fox  Lake,  AVis.  His  last  years  were 
spent  with  his  daughter,  ]Matie  AVarren,  at  Fox  Lake,  at  whose 
home  he  passed  aAvay  December  28,  1907,  after  a  most  active  and 
useful  life. 

Resuming  our  narrative :  After  completing  the  trade  Mr.  Gil- 
lett  employed  AYilliam  Spear,  a  civil  engineer,  of  LaCrosse,  who 
made  the  original  plat  of  the  village  settlement  on  the  south  half 
of  section  four  and  a  part  of  the  north  half  of  section  nine,  the 
plat  being  completed  June  4,  1857,  and  the  future  city  began  to 
be  a  reality. 

The  manner  in  w^hich  this  original  plat  was  laid  out  reflected 
the  tendencies  and  character  of  Mr.  Gillett  in  a  most  gratifying 
manner,  Superior  avenue  being  made  100  feet  wide  and  all  other 
avenues  running  north  and  south  seventy  feet  wide,  and  all  cross 
streets  sixty  feet  wide.  His  generosity  was  further  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  for  a  time  after  the  plat  was  completed  he  offered 
to  give  free  lots  to  any  who  would  build  buildings  upon  them. 
In  the  southeast  corner  of  the  village  he  set  aside  a  ten-acre  tract, 
known  as  the  Gillett  reserve.  Here  was  to  be  the  home  of  the 
founder  of  the  village.  This  tract,  however,  was  destined  never 
to  fulfill  its  original  purpose,  and  in  1869,  or  early  in  1870,  was 
divided  and  sold  to  AYatson  Earle  and  Judge  George  Graham. 
Directly  north  of  this  plat  a  piece  of  ground  was  set  aside  for 
a  female  seminary,  a  beautiful  place,  well  wooded  and  sloping 
eastward  to  Council  creek.  This  project  was  never  carried  out 
owing  to  the  death  of  Islr.  Gillett  in  1861.  His  monument,  how- 
ever, is  the  attractive  Gillett  park  which,  through  the  enterprise 
of  later  generations,  has  been  made  into  a  delightful  spot. 

S.  D.  Hollister,  who  came  to  the  village  soon  after  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Gillett,  owned  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  four,  and  in  August,  1858,  platted  what  is 
known  as  " Hollister 's  first  addition''  to  Tomah.  The  survey  was 
made  by  C.  C.  ^Miller,  a  civil  engineer,  lately  settled  in  the  village, 
and  this  plat  was  added  to  and  became  a  part  of  the  village 


CITY  OF  TOMAH  345 

proper.  This  was  followed  the  same  year  by  "Railroad  addi- 
tion," platted  by  Robert  E.  Gillett  and  McLean  Stoughton,  on 
August  7,  1858,  being  also  surveyed  by  C.  C.  Miller.  Then  came 
"Hollister's  second  addition,"  which  was  platted  August  19, 
1859,  so  that  in  the  space  of  two  years  the  little  settlement  began 
to  take  form  and  shape  as  a  municipality.  Buildings  sprang  up 
like  mushrooms,  people  came  in  rapidly  from  the  east  to  swell 
the  population,  and  in  1858  Tomah  was  incorporated  into  a  village 
having  facilities  for  transportation  by  the  opening  of  the  Mil- 
waukee and  St.  Paul  Railroad,  became  an  important  trading 
point. 

The  first  building  of  which  there  is  any  record  built  in  the 
village  proper  was  the  cabin  built  by  Cady  Hollister  and  occu- 
pied by  him  and  his  wife  and  son,  Solomon  Hollister,  which  was 
erected  on  the  hill  where  the  high  school  building  now  stands. 
The  cabin  built  by  Robert  E.  Gillett  in  1856,  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Benjamin  farm,  was  the  second  building  erected 
and  is  still  standing,  being  joreserved  as  one  of  the  few  land- 
marks still  remaining  to  remind  us  of  pioneer  days.  This  cabin, 
according  to  Robert  Howie,  was  originally  started  by  two  hunters 
whose  names  are  unknown,  but  was  afterwards  enlarged  and 
finished  by  Mr.  Gillett. 

Robert  Howie  at  the  writing  of  this  work  is  still  living  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  deserves  more  than  passing 
mention  in  this  book.  Meeting  Robert  E.  Gillett  on  his  way  to 
the  future  village  they  became  acquainted,  and  Mr.  Howie  came 
with  him  and  worked  for  him  a  great  many  years.  Mr.  Howie 
was  born  in  Ayrshire,  Scotland,  August  6,  1830.  When  about 
twenty-six  years  of  age  he  left  his  native  country  and  landed  in 
New  York  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1856,  and  came  directly  to 
Wisconsin.  ]Mr.  Howie  engaged  for  several  years  in  farm  and 
mill  work,  and  among  his  early  emploj^ments  was  that  of  carrying 
mail  between  Tomah  and  Sparta.  This  he  did  on  foot  through 
the  wilderness,  following  the  Indian  trails,  and  it  is  related  that 
he  made  the  trip  from  Tomah  to  Sparta  and  back  in  one  day, 
sometimes  carrying  as  much  as  $2,000  in  orders  and  cash  in  his 
mail  sack.    This  trip  he  made  twice  a  week. 

After  leaving  the  employment  of  Mr.  Gillett  he  assisted  C.  C. 
IMiller  in  surveying  for  several  months,  and  then  engaged  in 
teaming  from  Sparta  to  Tomah  and  LaCrosse,  hauling  many  of 
the  early  families  and  their  goods  to  Tomah,  and  was  well  known 
throughout  all  that  region.  About  1858  Mr.  Howie  began  to  farm 
the  land  which  he  had  purchased  from  Gillett  and  others,  con- 


346  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

sisting  of  100  aei'es  in  and  around  Toniali.  lie  first  erected  Ijarns 
for  stock  and  then  built  his  frame  residence,  which  still  stands 
upon  the  original  site,  having  been  enlarged  and  improved.  In 
1871  hf  was  nian-icd  to  Agnes  Alexander,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  to  tliem  Avas  born  five  children.  During  the  course  of  his  life 
he  has  had  many  hardships  to  undergo.  One  time  his  jaws  were 
broken  by  Ihc  kick  of  a  horse;  at  another  time  he  was  run  over 
by  a  Avagon  load  of  hay.  In  the  winter  of  1857,  Avhen  the  snow 
covered  this  territory  to  a  depth  of  five  feet  on  the  level,  he,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Gillett,  befriended  the  Indians  in  many  ways 
and  Avon  their  love  and  friendship. 

As  early  as  1854  AV.  AV.  Jackson  and  AVebster  Kenyon,  Avith 
several  others,  settled  in  the  toAvn  of  Adrian,  at  a  point  Avhich 
they  afterAvards  called  Jacksonville.  Tavo  years  afterAvards  Gil- 
lett built  a  saAAmiill  in  the  northern  part  of  the  village  of  Tomali, 
Avhich  Avas  run  for  him  by  Jackson  and  Kenyon. 

When  the  surA'cyors  Avere  coming  through  the  route  of  the 
]\IilAvaukee  and  LaCrosse  Raihvay  a  keen  rivalry  existed  betAveen 
the  village  of  Tomah  and  Jacksonville  as  to  the  route  of  the 
original  line,  ^luch  pressure  Avas  brought  to  l)ear  upon  the 
surveying  party,  but  Mr.  Gillett  in  his  engaging  and  logical  Avay 
finally  induced  the  surveyors  to  nuike  the  line  Avhere  it  noAv 
stands,  instead  of  sAvinging  farther  to  the  south  and  going 
through  Jacksomilic ;  in  th.e  meantime  a  plat  had  been  made 
of  Jacksonville  and  its  inhabitants  had  full  faith  that  the  railroad 
Avould  go  through  their  community  and  there  Avould  be  estab- 
lished a  future  city;  they  Avere  doomed  to  disapjiointment,  hoAV- 
ever,  and  Jacksonville  dwindled  to  a  mere  settlement  and  later 
became  only  a  farming  community,  and  thus  the  dream  of  a 
municipality  faded  aAvay,  the  victim  of  circumstances. 

To  attempt  to  folloAv  out  the  arrival  of  the  earlier  settlers 
is  a  task  for  Avhich  no  record  noAV  serves,  to  name  them  all  in 
the  first  fcAv  years  of  pioneer  days  is  noAv  an  impossible  task; 
many  familiar  names,  hoAvever,  are  remembered  and  are  here 
given  as  Avell  as  can  be  done  at  this  time;  James  Garnock  and 
family  came  Avith  Robert  IloAvie  in  1855.  ]Mr.  Garnock  soon  after 
opening  a  blacksmith  shop  and  building  a  residence  on  Avhat  is 
still  the  old  (Janioek  homestead;  William  IMunkett  came  from 
Walworth  county  the  same  y<'ar:  AVilliani  AlcLauren  also  came 
Avith  Mr.  IIoAvie  and  -lames  (iarnock  and  settled  in  the  town  near 
tiu'  village. 

The  year  1856  saAV  the  coming  of  S.  Jennings,  O.  W.  Kellogg, 


CITY  OF  TOMAII  347 

Joseph  D.  Cady,  who  afterwards  liought  a  lot  on  Superior  Avenue 
and  Imilt  a  house,  Alden  Cremer,  Amasa  Meloy,  Harvey  Bush, 
who  built  the  third  house  or  cabin  in  the  vicinity,  being  situated 
somewhere  near  the  present  cemetery,  C.  C.  Miller,  the  civil 
engineer,  who  built  a  log  cabin  about  where  Watson  Earle's 
liouse  now  stands  and  afterwards  secured  the  property  on  the 
ridge  in  later  days  known  as  the  "Beers"  place.  In  1856  or 
1857  Dr.  Walker  and  Dr.  Goyer  arrived,  which  was  first  on  the 
ground  is  not  known,  but  they  came  at  about  the  same  time  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  a  few  years  later.  Dr. 
Rouse  Bennett  located  here  and  went  into  the  army  as  a  surgeon 
soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  civil  war.  The  Bradley 
boys,  Josiah,  Charles  and  Henry,  came  in  1857. 

In    1858    James    Rockwood    and    his    four    sons,    Theodore, 
Delorama,   Edgar   and   James  N.   moved  into  the   village   from 
Limerick  Avhere  they  had  located  about  two  years  before,  there 
being  at  that  time  a  saw  mill  operated  there  by  Jackson  and 
Kenyon.    Mr.  Rockwood  secured  the  piece  of  property  where  the 
old  Grant  house   stood  and  proceeded  at  once  to   erect   a  barn 
on  the  back  end  of  it.  AVhen  the  barn  was  finished  he  moved  and 
started  to  keeping  boarders.     He  at   once,   however,   began  the 
construction  of  a  hotel  building  on  the  corner  and  at  its  com- 
pletion  called   it   the   "Rockwood   House,"   vxhich   he   ran   until 
1867  when  he   sold  the  property  to  a  man  named  Smith  from 
Leon  or  LaFayette ;    it  being  right  after  the  war  he  changed  the 
name  to  the   "Grant  House,"  in  honor  of  General  Grant,   and 
conducted  a  hotel  for  a  number  of  years,  when  the  property  was 
sold  to  Mike  Gondrezick. 

John  Dodge  came  in  1858  and  built  a  sliop  having  over  it 
a  public  hall  on  the  site  where  the  old  Dr.  Vincent  residence 
stands:  afterwards  this  building  was  moved  down  to  the  St.  Paul 
depot  and  enlarged,  being  converted  into  a  hotel,  which  was 
known  for  many  years  as  the  "Dodge  House." 

In  every  history  there  must  necessarily  be  the  "First  Events" 
which  are  so  often  alluded  to  and  concerning  which  at  times  there 
is  nuich  discussion ;  the  year  1856  saw  the  birth  of  the  first 
white  child  in  the  little  settlement,  being  a  daughter  who  came 
to  brighten  the  home  of  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Amasa  Meloy,  March  6 ;  she 
Avas  named  Hattie  and  grew  up  to  womanhood  in  the  village ; 
the  first  male  child  was  Frank,  the  son  of  C.  C.  Miller,  born  in 
June  of  the  same  year.  He  now  resides  at  Pasadena.  Cal.,  where 
he  runs  a  large  hotel. 


348  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

The  cause  of  education  received  a  feel)le  start  at  this  time, 
school  being  held  in  a  eorucrib  for  a  brief  period;  afterwards 
conducted  in  a  building  built  for  the  purpose. 

The  year  1857  was  indeed  a  red  letter  year  for  the  village, 
for  with  it  came  many  new  families,  including  Aslier  Ilaynes, 
Reuben  SchafTer  and  many  others;  (\  AV.  Kellogg,  who  was  a 
Methodist  clergyman,  commenced  religious  services  that  year, 
holding  church  on  the  first  Sunday  in  July  in  a  new  barn  erected 
by  Robert  E.  Gillett,  which  Gillett  said  he  wanted  to  have  "dedi- 
cated"; the  first  business  building  Avhicli  Avas  put  up  Avas  a  small 
store  building  erected  by  I!lder  Kellogg  on  the  corner  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Ziegler  store  ;  Kellogg  put  in  a  small  stock  of  groceries 
and  drugs.  Soon  after  that  Asher  Haynes  built  a  store  and 
dwelling  combined  a  little  further  south  in  the  same  block  and 
entered  into  the  mercantile  business.  The  premises  w'ere  after- 
wards occupied  for  a  number  of  years  by  Dr.  J.  II.  ]Mosele}' ;  part 
of  the  building  is  still  standing,  though  the  place  has  been  fre- 
quently remodeled  during  these  modern  times. 

A  school  house  Avas  built  on  the  site  where  the  home  of 
Harvey  M.  Sowle  now  stands  and  school  regularly  commenced 
with  an  attendance  of  eight  pupils  under  the  direction  of  Emma 
Bush,  daughter  of  Harvey  Bush  as  teacher.  The  old  school  house 
stood  on  that  place  for  a  great  many  years,  one  of  the  landmarks, 
afterwards  used  for  dwelling  purposes  until  torn  down  by  ^Mr. 
Sowle.  Elder  Kellogg  also  built  the  first  frame  house  in  the 
village  in  that  year  upon  the  knoll  on  a  lot  given  to  him  by 
Mr.  Gillett.  This  house  is  still  standing,  although  greatly 
changed  in  appearance  upon  what  the  later  generations  called 
'* Kellogg 's  Hill,"  and  the  editor  has  many  pleasant  recollections 
of  coasting  down  this  hill  on  bright  moonlight  Avinter  nights. 

On  November  13,  1856,  a  resolution  AA^as  passed  by  the  County 
Board  of  Monroe  County  detaching  from  the  toAvn  of  Adrian  all 
of  toAvnship  seventeen  range  one  Avest  and  constituting  it  a  ncAv 
toAA'n  to  be  knoAvn  as  the  toAvn  of  Tomah.  There  Avas  at  this  time 
only  a  temporary  government  in  the  so  called  village  and  this 
was  the  beginning  of  municipal  government  in  the  tOAvn  and 
of  course  the  village  Avhich  Avas  then  a  part  of  it.  This  resolution 
provided  that  the  first  election  should  be  held  in  the  house  of 
James  Randall  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  1857,  for  the  election 
of  toAvn  ofificers;  it  seems,  hoAvever,  that  Avhen  the  time  came 
for  the  election  it  Avas  not  held  at  IMr.  Randall's,  but  in  the  home 
of  John  Sexton,  Avho,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  toAvn  officers, 


CITY  OF  TOMAII  349 

charged  $3.00  for  the  use  of  his  house ;  at  that  election  John  J. 
Stacy  was  chosen  chairman,  Benjamin  IMeacl  and  C.  A.  Adams 
supervisors,  Harvey  Bush  town  clerk,  Alden  Cremer  treasurer. 

The  following  year  1858  the  village  was  incorporated,  but  the 
charter,  however,  was  not  granted  by  the  legislature  until  several 
years  later;  1858  saM^  the  completion  of  the  railroad  from 
Milwaukee  to  LaCrosse,  with  exception  of  a  small  strip  at  Tunnel 
City ;  the  rails  being  laid  from  the  east  to  the  tunnel  and  starting 
on  the  west  side  of  it,  going  to  LaCrosse;  the  tunnel  was  not 
completed  until  about  seven  months  later  and  during  this  interval 
the  company  was  compelled  to  run  a  stage  over  the  tunnel  hill 
to  transfer  passengers  from  one  side  to  the  other ;  the  opening 
of  this  line  to  traffic  caused  a  large  increase  in  the  population  of 
the  village. 

The  population  now  demanding  it  a  petition  was  gotten  out 
and  forwarded  to  the  postmaster  general  asking  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  post  office  and  this  was  granted  early  in  1859  and 
the  office  established  amidst  the  rejoicing  of  the  inhabitants;  it 
seems  that  in  those  days  people  did  not  cpiarrel  about  who  should 
be  appointed  postmaster,  Cady  Hollister  Avas  appointed  to  that 
office  which  was  rated  fourth  class,  at  which  rating  it  continued 
until  1867  when  it  was  made  a  monej'  order  office,  and  the  records 
show  that  the  first  money  order  was  purchased  by  a  Mrs. 
Charles  AV.  King  for  the  sum  of  $50.00;  by  1860  manufacturing 
interests  began  to  come  and  different  lines  of  business  to  open 
up,  until  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  when 
the  little  village  did  more  than  its  share  in  sending  to  the  front 
a  large  number  of  its  best  citizens. 

While  there  was  no  company  recruited  and  organized  at 
Tomali  Dr.  Foote,  who  had  located  there  some  years  before,  raised 
quite  a  number  of  men  and  took  them  to  New  Lisbon  where  they 
enlisted  in  Company  H  Tenth  AVisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry  of 
which  company  Dr.  Foote  was  a  lieutenant.  A  great  many 
enlisted  at  Sparta,  some  at  LaCrosse,  some  went  to  other  parts 
of  the  state  to  enlist,  so  that  the  record  of  those  who  went  from 
the  village  of  Tomah  into  the  great  struggle  is  impossible  to 
compile  at  this  time. 

The  implements  of  industry  were  in  great  part  laid  aside  for 
those  of  war  and  while  business  was  carried  on  in  all  lines  in  a 
desultory  way,  all  watched  the  course  of  that  great  struggle, 
which  appeared  at  times  to  have  no  end ;  a  reign  of  sadness 
existed  most  of  the  time,  from  which  it  slowlv  recovered  at  the 


350  HISTORY  OF  :\IONKOE  COUNTY 

close  of  the  war.  AVitli  the  deelaration  of  peace  and  tlie  return 
of  the  soldier  lioys  who  survived,  an  era  of  ])rosperity  l)egan  and 
a  numher  of  stores  and  dwellings  were  erected  in  lliis  and  the 
succeeding  years  and  the  people  branched  out  in  all  kinds  of 
business. 

During  the  war  period  there  were  some  new  arrivals,  notably 
Harry  Howard,  who  came  in  1860  and  bought  a  farm  next  to 
Robert  Howie;  Lewis  S.  Barnes,  in  IHfil,  who  innnediately  went 
into  business,  became  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  and  mer- 
chants for  nearly  a  half  century ;  AVatson  Earle  came  in  1868  and 
built  the  little  feed  store  which  existed  for  so  numy  years  on  the 
site  of  the  fine  block  now  owned  l)y  him  on  Superior  avenue,  at 
first  he  kept  a  meat  market  and  then  Avent  into  the  feed  business 
and  later  putting  in  groceries.  A.  D.  Benjamin  also  came  in  that 
year  in  March,  and  his  brother  Tj.  S.  Beiijainiii  in  .June  of  1863; 
Edwin  Eaton  arrived  in  1865  and  went  into  business;  A.  AV. 
Gibbs,  who  had  oi'iginally  settled  at  Ridgeville,  moved  to  Tomah 
in  1864  and  put  up  a  livery  stal)le,  purchased  considerable 
property  and  later  platted  Gibbs  Addition;  Sam  Gunn  also  came 
in  1864  and  went  at  first  into  the  lumlier  business;  in  1866  Dr. 
J.  F.  Richards  moved  up  from  ^lilwavdvee  and  entered  into  the 
practice  of  medicine ;  L.  S.  Griggs  moved  in  from  LaGrosse  that 
year;  James  Tormey  also  arrived  and  at  onee  entered  into 
business,  some  time  later  being  joined  by  William  Prettyman,  and 
the  firm  of  Tormey  &  Prettyman  was  a  household  word  for 
years;  we  neglected  to  mention  \ho  advent  of  Col.  J.  P.  Tracy 
who  came  in  1861  and  erected  a  store  l)uilding  down  at  the  lower 
end  of  Superior  avenue,  which  was  at  first  used  as  a  sort  of  a 
hotel.  Thomas  McCaul  moved  here  in  1867  and  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  the  large  real  estate  holdings  he  now  enjoys. 

In  1866  the  legislature  granted  a  charter  to  the  village  and 
in  1867  the  first  village  officers  were  elected;  they  were  as  fol- 
lows: President,  D.  C.  Proctor;  police  justice,  D.  R.  ]Meloy; 
village  trustees,  William  Ruiikel,  L.  S.  Barnc-;,  John  Dodge,  H.  L. 
Crandall,  A.  AV.  Gibbs  and  Mr.  Shepherd;  village  clerk,  W.  H. 
Wright;  treasurer.  J.  11.  Clian-eton;  street  commissioner,  Levi 
Benjamin.  It  appears  tli.it  the  new  administration  started  in 
with  a  wave  of  reform  right  away  by  j^assing  an  ordinance 
imposing  a  fine  of  $40.00  upon  a  i>erson  eaught  playing  cards 
in  a  saloon,  thus  the  cause  of  good  government  started  at  once. 

In  1867  all  of  the  above  otfieials  were  engaged  in  business 
and  several  other  well  known  names  call  iliemselves  to  mind, 
.).  .1.  Kil)be,  Avho  kept  a  feed  store;   David  Johns,  who  conducted 


CITY  OF  TOMAH  351 

a  wagon  factory  and  blacksmith  shop;  J.  A.  Wells,  who  estab- 
lished the  Tomah  Journal;  George  Runkel,  who  afterw^ards 
engaged  in  milling  and  established  the  first  bank. 

In  1871  and  1872  Tomah  in  common  with  all  new  western 
towns  felt  the  shock  of  the  Jay  Cooke  failure  and  business 
received  a  setback  from  which  it  was  many  long  years  in  recover- 
ing; in  1871,  however,  the  building  of  the  Wisconsin  Valley 
Railroad  from  Tomah  to  Grand  Rapids  in  AVood  county  did  much 
to  revive  business  and  marks  the  beginning  of  a  rapid  growth 
in  population ;  many  families  moved  in,  as  they  knew  that  Tomah 
would  be  the  division  point  of  the  new  road  and  the  increase  in 
population  of  the  village  was  nearly  five  hundred. 

One  thing  in  which  all  Tomahites  are  interested  is  the  old 
reliable  ' '  Sherman  House " ;  at  the  close  of  the  war  Joseph 
McGinnis'  father  had  a  little  building  on  the  old  Sherman  House 
corner  which  was  about  16x24  in  which  he  had  a  shoe  shop  in 
front  and  lived  in  the  back  end ;  it  is  impossible  to  supply  exact 
dates,  but  along  about  the  last  year  of  the  war  Mr.  Schultz,  father 
of  Adolph  Schultz,  bought  the  property  of  McGinnis  and  erected 
a  large  frame  building  upon  it  and  commenced  keeping  boarders; 
he  sold  the  property  to  H.  G.  Boyington  after  he  had  improved 
it  by  building  what  was  called  the  north  ^ring;  in  this  wing 
upstairs  was  the  only  public  hall  and  stage  in  town  for  a  number 
of  years;  Boyington  ran  the  hotel  as  the  "Boyington  House" 
for  a  great- many  years  and  when  the  Opera  House  Block  was 
built  by  Thomas  ]\IcCaul,  Mr.  Boyington  turned  the  public  hall 
into  sleeping  rooms.  Along  in  the  early  eighties  the  property 
was  sold  by  ]\Ir.  Boyington  to  R.  F.  Parshall  who  built  on  what 
is  known  as  the  east  wing  and  rented  the  place  to  Frank  Sherman, 
of  Mauston,  who  conducted  the  hotel  up  to  the  time  of  his  death 
for  a  long  term  of  years  as  the  "Sherman  House"  and  finally 
purchased  it ;  under  his  management  and  that  of  his  excellent 
wife  and  daughter,  Mrs.  Altenberg,  the  hostlery  became  famous 
for  its  excellent  home-like  cooking,  cleanliness  and  home  appear- 
ance and  became  a  favorite  resort  for  traveling  men,  a  reputation 
which  has  been  sustained  to  this  day  under  Charles  Hamilton, 
the  present  owner,  who  clerked  for  many  years  for  ]Mr.  Sherman. 
In  1907  the  Sherman  House  property  was  sold  to  the  Tomah 
Cash  Mercantile  Company  and  the  buildiiigs  were  purchased  by 
Charles  Hamilton  Avho  moved  them  to  the  present  location  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  same  block  and  later  added  another 
story,  putting  in  steam  heat  and  improving  the  entire  property 
so  that  it  is  today  a  modern  little  hotel  in  every  particular. 


352  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

In  187ti  the  old  Grant  House,  then  owned  by  M.  Goudreziek, 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  Tlie  building  had  been  raised  up  by  Mr. 
Goudrezick,  a  basement  with  a  barroom  and  offices  put  under 
it  and  the  building  greatly  improved.  It  was  destroyed  with  its 
contents  December  17th  of  that  year. 

But  to  go  back  to  the  chronological  narrative.  The  period 
from  1872  to  1890  did  not  hold  many  noteworthy  events,  per- 
haps the  most  important  of  which  was  the  mustering  into  the 
AVisconsin  National  Guard  of  Company  K  on  May  28,  1884. 
Numerous  business  blocks  and  residences  were  built  during  the 
time,  and  in  1883  the  city  Avas  incorporated  by  the  granting  of  a 
charter  by  the  legislature,  which  was  known  as  chapter  134:  of 
the  laws  of  1883,  and  the  city  of  Tomali  was  a  reality. 

Eighteen  hundred  ninety-three  marked  the  Thayer  bank  fail- 
ure at  Tomali  and  Sparta,  which  affected  the  financial  interests 
of  so  many  people  of  the  county  and  wrought  great  hardsliip 
upon  many,  and  adding  to  this  the  fact  that  it  was  panic  year 
business  in  all  lines  suffered  in  consequence. 

Eighteen  hundred  ninety-four  was  quite  a  lively  year  in 
politics,  especialh^  on  the  Republican  side,  for  it  was  the  time  of 
the  memorable  convention  in  this  senatorial  district  to  nominate 
a  candidate  for  state  senate,  the  district  comprising  Jackson, 
Monroe  and  Vernon  counties.  It  was  in  this  celebrated  contest 
that  C.  A.  Goodyear,  D.  F.  Jones  and  J.  J.  Gillivray  were  candi- 
dates, a  deadlock  causing  several  adjournments  to  diflf'erent 
places. 

In  September  of  that  year,  after  considerable  agitation,  a  spe- 
cial election  Avas  held  upon  the  question  of  the  issuing  of  $15,000 
bonds  for  a  water  works  system.  The  election  resulted  in  a  ma- 
jority of  303  for  the  proposition,  and  the  following  year  the 
first  water  works  system  was  installed. 

On  September  23,  1894:,  occurred  the  first  disastrous  fire  in 
the  city's  history.  It  started  about  9:20  in  the  evening,  breaking 
out  in  the  second  story  of  the  Joe  Disper  building,  in  block  25, 
in  the  business  district  on  Superior  avenue.  A  high  wind  blowing 
at  the  time  soon  spread  the  flames  to  adjoining  buildings  and  the 
entire  block  of  business  buildings  was  consumed.  A.  AV.  Rice's 
small  frame  building,  used  as  a  barber  shop  and  dwelling,  was 
partially  wrecked  in  an  attempt  to  check  the  flames.  The  fii'e 
department  consisted  of  a  chemical  engine,  which  was  totally 
inadequate  to  handle  such  a  fire.  The  block  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street  was  threatened  but  by  the  heroic  efforts  of  the  fire- 
men and  citizens  it  was  saved. 


CITY  OF  TOMAH  353 

Stocks  of  goods  were  moved  out  into  the  streets  and  thieving- 
began  more  or  less,  and  in  order  to  aid  the  police  force  in  guard- 
ing all  of  this  property  that  night,  the  men  of  Company  K  volun- 
teered for  that  service  and  stood  guard  until  morning,  when 
arrangements  were  made  by  the  several  owners  to  care  for  their 
goods.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  losses,  and  it  will  be  noted  how 
small  the  value  of  buildings  is  compared  with  the  present  time : 
Gondrezick  building,  $2,000;  Grutsch  building,  $2,000;  stock, 
$350;  Disper  building,  $1,000;  Johnson  &  Simpson,  hardware, 
building  and  stock,  $2,800;  G.  Eeel,  building  and  stock,  $4,000; 
Aller  &  Button,  $1,600;  Blome  building  and  stock,  $1,800;  Barnes 
building  and  stock,  $4,000 ;  Rice  building  and  stock,  $1,300 ;  Root 
stock,  $200;  Johnson  &  Bongers,  stock,  $2,000.  Building  opera- 
tions were  at  once  begun  and  the  year  1895  saw  the  block  rebuilt 
with  substantial  brick  business  blocks  and  in  better  shape  than 
ever. 

From  this  time  until  1898  business  resumed  its  normal  condi- 
tion; prosperity  reigned,  business  in  all  lines  was  good.  In  that 
year  the  war  cloud  began  to  take  form  early.  Trouble  with  Spain 
had  been  brew^ing  for  some  time.  The  blowing  up  of  the  Maine 
in  Havana  harbor  was  the  needed  touch  to  fire  the  American 
spirit,  and  war  was  formally  declared  by  congress.  This  meant 
troops  and  at  once.  After  all  the  years  that  Company  K  had 
been  in  existence,  after  all  the  criticism  that  it,  in  common  with 
other  companies  of  the  "Wisconsin  National  Guard,  had  received 
from  some  classes  of  citizens  who,  perhaps,  might  have  been 
thoughtless  in  their  statements,  after  all  the  years  of  being  "tin 
soldiers"  in  the  minds  of  some,  the  opportunity  came  at  last  for 
active  service  in  the  field,  and  how  was  it  met  by  this  little  com- 
pany of  home  boys?  It  was  necessary  as  the  law  then  stood,  the 
national  guard  being  state  troops,  that  the  men  volunteer  in- 
dividually for  service  in  this  war.  Early  in  April  the  company 
was  assembled  for  this  purpose  and  the  proud  fact  was  recorded 
that  sixty-seven  out  of  the  entire  sixty-eight  officers  and  men 
volunteered  to  go  to  the  front. 

On  April  27,  at  4  o'clock  a.  m..  Captain  AVarren  received  tele- 
graphic orders  to  proceed  to  Milwaukee,  where  the  regiment 
M'ould  be  mobilized  together  with  the  other  two  AVisconsin  regi- 
ments. That  morning  the  special  train  bearing  the  other  com- 
panies on  this  line  took  Company  K,  equipped,  eager  and  ready 
for  the  business  in  hand.  That  they  met  the  issue,  every  officer 
and  man,  and  came  back  with  a  record  to  stand  for  all  time  to 
their  credit,  is  told  in  another  chapter. 


354  niSTORY  OF  .AlUXROK  COUNTY 

The  eominunity  was  shocked  on  June  20th  at  the  shooting  of 
AVilliain  AVotzel  l)y  A.  F.  l^ynch.  Tliis  affair  resulted  in  two  long 
and  expensive  trials,  which  resultinl  finally  in  Lynch  being  de- 
clared insane  and  sent  to  ]\Iadison. 

In  June,  Lieut.  Frank  L.  French,  of  Company  L,  Tliird  Wis- 
consin Volunteer  Lifantry,  was  sent  back  to  enlist  recruits  for 
the  Second  battalion,  Companies  B,  K,  L  and  M,  and  from  the 
17th  of  June  for  a  few  days  enlisted  enough  men  to  till  up  Com- 
pany K  to  war  strength,  they  being  promptly  sent  on  to  Chick- 
aiiiauga  pai'lv',  whci'c  tlic  regiment   was  then   in  camp. 

In  August  the  first  note  of  sadness  came  from  the  war  with 
the  deatli  of  Private  Paul  Curtius,  of  Company  K,  ol'  tyi)]uud 
fever,  at  Cliarleston,  S.  C.  His  })0(ly  was  returned  home  and  the 
funeral  held  on  August  ir)th,  which  was  largely  attendetl. 

Time  dragged  slowly  on.  News  came  from  the  boys;  now  they 
were  at  Charleston,  then  embarking  to  go  to  Cuba.  Orders 
changed,  they  were  on  their  way  to  Porto  Rico,  where  they  ar- 
rived in  July.  After  that  llie  news  from  the  front  came  only 
occasionally.  ^Many  anxious  hearts  at  home  Avaited,  for  they  did 
not  know  wdiat.  The  campaign  was  soon  over  as  far  as  hostilities 
were  concerned,  but  danger,  greater  than  ever,  of  fever  in  that 
tropical  climate,  still  remained  and  wrought  havoc  in  the  ranks. 
At  last,  however,  the  latter  part  of  October  came  the  .joyful  news 
that  the  "boys  are  coming  home."  Great  preparations  were  at 
once  undertaken,  committees  appointed,  and  a  fitting  celebration 
of  tlieir  return  arranged  for.  On  the  morning  of  October  31st 
the  special  train  l)earing  the  Second  battalion  steamed  in  the 
station  at  Tomah  amidst  the  elieers  of  thousands  assembled  to 
greet  the  boys.  They  filed  out  of  their  coach,  each  to  be  greeted 
by  Ids  loved  ones;  then  swung  into  line  for  their  last  march  of 
the  campaign,  to  their  armoiy.  l^ut  they  were  no  longer  boys. 
Hardship  and  suffering  had  left  their  mark  on  every  one.  The 
boys  of  a  few  months  before  Avere  men  now  with  lines  on  tlu'ir 
faces,  but — they  were  "home."  After  an  informal  lunch  at  the 
armory  they  dispersed  to  their  families  and  friends. 

On  Thanksgiving  day,  in  November,  a  great  banquet  was  ten- 
dered to  llie  company,  an  elaborate  jirogram  was  carried  out. 
The  company,  in  common  Avith  the  other  companies  of  the  regi- 
ment, were  placed  on  furlough  for  sixty  days,  and  finally  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  of  the  United  States  the  following 
January, 

On  Deceml)ei'  2?).  1898,  the  new  Calholic  cluirch  was  formally 


CITY  OF  TO:\IAH  355 

dedicated  by  Bishop  Schwebaeh.  This  handsome  structure, 
erected  at  a  cost  of  many  thousands  of  dollars,  standing  on  an 
eminence,  is  one  of  the  show  places  of  Tomali. 

In  May,  1899,  the  Third  regiment  was  reorganized  as  a  state 
organization,  with  Orlando  Ilohvay  as  its  colonel,  and  Company 
K  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  state  in  May  by  Col. 
George  Graham,  manj^  of  the  veterans  of  the  Porto  Rican  cam- 
paign going  into  the  company,  and  its  commissioned  officers  were 
the  same  who  had  recently  been  mustered  out. 

On  February  12,  1901,  a  serious  fire  occurred  in  the  store  of 
the  Tomah  Cash  IMercantile  Company,  which  had  succeeded  C.  A. 
Goodyear,  in  Avhicli  there  was  a  loss  of  about  $2,000,  mostly  on 
the  stock. 

''"Wash"  Snow,  as  he  was  familiary  called,  a  veteran  engineer 
in  the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  JMihvaukee  &  St.  Paul  Company, 
and  a  long-time  resident  of  Tomah,  was  killed  June  25th  at 
Portage.  James  P.  Galiger,  at  one  time  county  superintendent 
of  schools,  passed  away  on  July  21st. 

At  the  school  meeting  in  July  the  proposition  came  up  to 
build  a  new  high  school  building,  the  old  building  being  over- 
crowded and  it  being  very  evident  that  a  move  of  that  kind  was 
necessary.  The  meeting  adjourned  without  taking  any  action 
until  early  in  August.  At  the  adjourned  meeting,  after  consid- 
erable discussion,  a  resolution  was  passed  appropriating  $25,000 
for  a  new  high  school  building,  resulting  in  the  erection  of  the 
present  handsome  and  well-appointed  structure. 

The  assassination  of  President  ]\IcKinley  shocked  the  com- 
munity, as  it  did  all  others.  On  September  19th  a  memorial 
meeting  was  held  at  the  armory  in  which  addresses  were  made 
by  Captain  Butters,  Rev.  Johnathan  Smith,  Rev.  Louis  Wurst 
and  others.  At  about  this  time  the  agitation  was  commenced 
for  a  sewerage  system  and  for  street  paving  by  the  Advancement 
Association,  and  went  to  the  extent  of  consultation,  and  E.  Sands, 
a  civil  engineer,  as  to  the  cost,  etc.  This  matter  came  up  later  on 
for  action  and  caused  considerable  heated  discussion  among  the 
citizens  as  will  be  seen. 

On  the  night  of  November  31,  1902,  the  post  office  was  broken 
into  and  robbed  of  stamps  and  cash  to  the  amount  of  $1,400.  The 
safe  was  blown  open  by  the  burglars  and  some  of  the  fittings  of 
the  office  damaged.     The  robbers  made  their  escape. 

Tomah  had  for  years  numbered  among  her  citizens  many 
men   who   were   almost   experts   with   the   shotgun.     A  shooting 


356  IIISTOKV  OF  MOXKOE  COUNTY 

(•lul>  or  gim  club  had  been  in  existence  for  a  number  of  years, 
which  had  joined  the  AVisconsin  League  of  Gun  CIuIjs,  and 
Toniah  was  successful  in  securing  the  fourth  annual  tournament 
of  the  organization,  which  was  held  Alay  25  and  26,  1903.  At 
this  meeting  there  were  gun  clubs  from  Appleton,  Antigo, 
Columbus,  AVcst  Superior,  ^Merrill,  .Marshlicld,  ]\lonroe,  the  Na- 
tional Gun  Clul)  and  the  South  Side  Gun  Club,  of  ^lihvaukee, 
Palmyra,  Khinelaiuler,  Kacine,  Sparta,  Two  Rivers,  Viroqua, 
Waupaca,  Wausau  and  INIarinette,  in  attendance.  There  were 
eighteen  contests  or  events  on  the  program.  The  big  event,  how- 
ever, was  the  one  of  twenty-five  targets  for  the  championsliip  of 
the  state.  This  was  won  by  Charles  D.  Johnson,  of  Tomah,  who 
made  the  remarkable  record  of  twenty-five  straight  hits. 

During  the  month  of  May  a  unique  school  institute  Avas  held 
at  the  government  Indian  school,  being  an  institute  conducted 
somewhat  on  the  lines  of  public  school  gatherings.  The  insti- 
tute Avas  conducted  by  Superintendent  Compton,  of  the  Tomah 
Indian  school,  and  was  participated  in  l)y  about  fifty  instructors 
and  superintendents  from  five  or  more  different  states.  The 
meeting  Avas  held  May  6th  and  7th,  and  Avas  A-ery  interesting. 
As  a  result  of  the  agitation  mentioned  before  regarding  seAverage 
and  paving,  the  first  step  Avas  taken  in  September,  1903,  Avhen 
macadam  pavement  Avas  put  on  tAvo  blocks  of  the  business  sec- 
tion of  the  city,  a  much-needed  improvement,  as  before  that  \he 
street  had  been  simply  a  clay  road,  requiring  constant  filling  and 
Avorking,  and  in  Avet  Aveather  Avas  sometimes  inches  deep  Avith 
mud. 

Word  was  received  that  R.  P.  Hitchcock,  a  former  resident, 
passed  aAvay  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  on  November  20tli.  Mv.  Hitchcock 
Avas  one  of  the  early  merchants  of  Tomah,  and  for  a  great  many 
years  prominent  in  municipal  affairs.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master by  President  Cleveland,  serving  one  term. 

During  November  of  this  year  tlie  city  authoriti(^s  closed  a 
deal  by  Avhich  the  city  became  the  oaviht  of  the  old  "Whitfield'' 
property,  for  use  as  a  city  nmrket.  A  little  later  on.  however, 
the  dwelling  upon  it  Avas,  and  is  noAv.  used  for  housing  the  ])ublic 
library,  and  the  prciuiscs  have  not  been  used  foi"  market  purposes. 
Here  Avill  undoubtedl.A'  be  the  site  of  the  ncAV  "Buckley ""  public 
library  building. 

On  ^lay  11,  1904,  Company  K  inaugurated  the  custom  of  cele- 
brating the  date  when  the  company  Avas  mustered  into  the  gov- 
ernment service  in   the   S]->miis]i    Avai-.      A   larg(>  ]'>arade.   headed 


CITY  OF  TO]\IAH  357 

])y  the  Third  regiment  baud,  iiiehidiiig  Company  K,  Spanish 
War  Veterans  and  others,  went  to  Gillet  park,  where  appropriate 
exercises  Avere  had,  followed  by  sports  in  the  afternoon  and  a 
large  ball  in  the  evening.  This  custom  has  been  continued  since 
with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  years. 

Alva  Stewart  Goodyear,  formerly  lieutenant  and  later  cap- 
tain of  Company  K,  died  at  Chicago,  May  13,  1904.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  the  Tomah  High  School  and  a  veteran  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  a  large  delegation 
of  his  comrades  and  friends.  An  old  pioneer  in  the  person  of 
Amos  Greenfield  passed  away  on  May  16th.  Mrs.  C.  A.  Good- 
year, mother  of  Captain  Goodyear,  soon  followed  him  and  de- 
parted this  life  at  Chicago,  May  25,  1904.  In  December  of  this 
year  this  section  was  visited  by  a  very  severe  blizzard,  which 
resulted  in  considerable  suffering,  especially  by  live  stock.  It 
lasted  for  three  days,  December  28,  29  and  30,  and  will  long  be 
remembered  by  the  inhabitants.  Railroads  were  blocked,  tele- 
graph and  telephone  communication  cut  off  for  some  time,  and 
business  generally  was  demoralized. 

In  January,  1905,  on  the  6th,  Company  K  indulged  in  a  jolli- 
fication in  unveiling  the  "Pfister  trophy,"  which  the  company 
had  won  during  the  past  year  by  its  excellent  work  in  all 
departments.  This  trophy  is  given  for  the  best  all  around  com- 
pany in  the  state  and  is  held  for  one  year  until  won  by  some 
other  or  the  same  company  upon  its  record.  In  February  the 
Crescent  Glee  Club,  of  Sparta,  Avith  about  thirty-five  male  voices, 
visited  Tomah,  gave  a  short  program  at  the  Indian  school  in  the 
afternoon  for  the  pupils  and  a  concert  at  the  armory  in  the 
evening,  Avhich  Avas  greatly  enjoyed  by  a  large  audience. 

February  23rd,  the  old  Advancement  Association  having 
passed  into  history,  the  business  men  of  the  city  met  in  a  pre- 
liminary session  to  take  steps  to  organize  a  new  Advancement 
Association.  This  Avas  brought  to  a  succesful  conclusion,  the 
society  organized  and  a  formal  opening  of  the  rooms  secured  for 
it  in  the  Lynch  block  took  place  on  the  evening  of  ]\Iarch  24th. 
This  organization  has  been  a  great  benefit  to  the  city  in  many 
AA'ays,  as  it  makes  concerted  action  possible  on  propositions  affect- 
ing the  commercial  interests  especially.  Its  committees  have 
been,  and  are,  actiA^e  in  the  interests  of  the  city  generally  and 
through  their  efforts  many  municipal  improvements  have  been 
furthered.  Another  block  of  macadam  paving  Avas  put  in  dur- 
ing the  spring  of  1905  on  Superior  avenue,  betAveen  IMonoAva  and 


358  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXROE  COUNTY 

Juneau  slrei'ts.  \Villi  tlic  coiiiplt'tit)!!  ul'  tliis  the  agilatiuii  for 
sewerage  and  paving  was  renewed,  and  this  marked  the  begin- 
ning of  a  long  fight  in  the  city  council,  which  resulted  in  a  dead- 
lock in  September  and  nothing  was  accomplished  that  year. 

On  January  23,  1906.  Harvey  Seymour,  a  conductor  on  the 
Vallo}'  division  of  the  Chicago,  ^Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway, 
was  instantly  killed  in  the  yards  at  Tomah.  In  February,  on  the 
16th,  Oscar  Zimmerman  Camp  No.  20,  Spanish-American  AVar 
Veterans,    was    organized    with    Capt.    AV.    AV.    Warren    as    com-  ' 

mandcr.     The  camp  was  named  after  a  member  of  the  company  ' 

Avho  died  in  Porto  Rico  during  the  campaign.  The  organization 
has  been  successfully  maintained,  as  has  a  good  membersliip.  ' 

The   spring   of   1006   marked   a   hot   campaign    for  municii^al 
officers.    The  long  draAvn  out  fight  on  the  former  council  regard-         '' 
ing  sewerage  and  paving  resulted  in  a  united  action  of  the  people 
who  desired  those  improvements.     Hon.  Thomas  McCaul,  under 
whose  administration  of  former  years  as  mayor  the  first  improve- 
ment was  inaugurated,  that  of  water  works,  was  drafted  as  the 
candidate  for  mayor  of  the  party  in  favor  of  improvements  and         ' 
a  campaign  began  which  was  the  most  bitterly  fought,  perhaps, 
of  any  in  the  history  of  the  city.     It  resulted  in  the  election  of 
Air.  AlcCaul  and  enough  members  of  the  council  to  break  the        i 
deadlock  which  had  existed  before  that,  and  prospects  then  began 
to  look  bright  for  paving. 

Tomah  was  now  indeed  a  city  with  all  the  things  that  go  to 
make  up  municipal  life,  so  there  must  be  a  strike;  and 
there  was  one,  not  a  very  l)ig  one  to  be  sure,  but  a  num- 
ber of  men  employed  in  the  bridge  works  of  the  Chicago,  Alil- 
Avaukee  and  St.  Paul  company  took  it  into  their  heads  to  walk 
out,  which  they  did,  claiming  increased  pay.  The  strike  was  of 
short  duration,  however,  as  men  were  too  easy  to  get  in  this 
locality.  The  strikers  went  back  to  Avork  and  the  industrial  war 
was  over.  AiM 

Lieut.  Irving  Jones,  first  lieutenant  of  Company  K  during  the 
Sj)auish  war,  was  instantly  killed  at  the  tOAvn  of  Lake,  near  Alil- 
waukee.  by  the  cars,  on  July  2,  1906.  Air.  Jones  had  formerly 
been  employed  in  the  bridge  shops  of  the  St.  Paul  company  here 
as  a  painter.  He  served  with  distinction  in  the  campaign  in 
Porto  Rico,  and  when  the  company  reorganized  became  first  lieu- 
tenant of  tlie  company,  wliich  position  he  lield  for  a  sliort  time 
until  he  moved  away  Avith  his  family. 

As  Avas  stated  in  this  chapter,  quite  a  number  of  the  citizens 
of  Tomah   enlisted   in   Company    11.    Tenth    AVisconsin   Infantry, 


CITY  OF  TOI\IAH  359 

during  tlie  rebellion,  and  on  October  7th  and  8tli  a  reunion  of  the 
Tenth  AVisconsin  was  held  at  Tomah,  participated  in  by  a  large 
number  of  the  survivors  of  that  regiment.  The  sessions  were 
marked  by  much  interest  in  the  way  of  reminiscences.  A  banquet 
closed  the  meeting  fittingly. 

The  advance  of  years  had  began  to  tell  upon  the  earlier  citi- 
zens, and  one  by  one  they  dropped  away.  January  6,  1907,  Capt. 
Charles  K.  Erwin,  so  long  identified  with  Tomah,  died  at  Savanna, 
111.,  the  funeral  being  held  at  Tomah  on  January  11th.  Captain 
Erwin  came  to  Tomah  in  1868  after  a  brilliant  record  in  the  war 
of  the  rebellion.  He  went  into  the  mercantile  business,  in  which 
he  continued  until  1892.  In  1881  he  was  elected  state  senator 
from  this  district,  and  served  in  that  office  until  1888.  In  1889 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Tomah  and  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  office  was  made  superintendent  of  the  new  State  Home 
for  the  Feeble  Minded,  which  had  just  been  built  at  Chippewa 
Falls,  which  position  he  held  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  councils  of  the  head  organization  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  AVorld,  and  was  well  known  throughout  the  state  in 
his  time.  He  enlisted  in  the  Forty-seventh  Illinois  on  October 
22,  1862,  and  rose  through  the  various  grades  to  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain. He  Avas  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  of  Henry  W. 
Cressy  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

An  old  land-mark  went  up  in  smoke  the  latter  part  of  Janu- 
ary in  the  old  freight  depot.  This  building  was  the  depot  and 
freight  house  of  the  St.  Paul  road  in  early  years.  A  new  building 
was  erected  by  the  company  farther  west  for  freight  purposes. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  common  council,  February  19,  1907,  plans 
were  adopted  for  a  sewerage  system  for  the  city  and  five  and 
one-half  miles  was  ordered  laid.  Tomah  received  a  boom  in  the 
form  of  the  railroad  shops,  which  were  located  here  and  build- 
ings erected  during  1907.  The  works  were  moved  here  from 
Milwaukee  and  brought  a  large  number  of  families.  This,  in  con- 
nection with  the  bridge  works,  which  had  been  moved  to  the  city 
in  1890,  made  a  large  plant  employing  several  hundred  men,  with 
a  pay  roll  of  several  thousand  dollars  per  month,  added  greatly 
to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  city.  Nineteen  hundred  and 
seven  was  a  year  of  tornadoes.  On  July  5th  the  city  barely  es- 
caped the  effects  of  the  terrible  cyclone  which  did  so  much  damage 
in  the  town  of  Oakdale.  This  storm,  which  wrought  so  much 
damage  and  loss  of  life  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county, 
passed  within  a  short  distance  of  the  city,  but  fortunately,  did  no 
damage  here.     In  August,  on  the  10th,  however,  the  city  did  not 


360  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

escape  so  easily.  A  tornado  struck  the  place  witli  mii'.-li  force, 
tearing  down  1li<'  partially  completed  walls  of  tlic  new  Cash 
Store  on  the  old  Sherman  House  corner,  wrecked  the  hay  harn 
of  Henry  Meineckc  on  his  fai-ni  just  west  of  the  city  limits,  blew 
down  telegraph  and  telephone  lines  and  did  much  damage  in  a 
minor  way  to  ])uildings  in  the  city. 

John  Little,  an  old-time  resident,  a  veteran  of  tlic  civil  Avar, 
and  one  of  the  oldest  engineers  on  the  St.  Paul  road,  died  in  Col- 
orado on  October  20,  1907.  ]\Ir.  Little  was  an  old  and  respected 
member  of  the  community,  a  member  of  Henry  W.  Cressy  Post, 
and  for  many  years  identified  Avitli  the  growth  and  improvement 
of  the  city.  He  was  a  strong  ^Mason  and  served  in  several 
capacities  at  dififerent  times  in  that  order. 

In  January,  1908,  Tomah  people  contributed  liberally  to  the 
relief  of  the  cyclone  sufferers  and  $1,300  was  raised  by  the  Busi- 
ness I\Ien's  Club  and  used  for  that  purpose.  The  old  fight  on 
street  paving  came  up  in  the  council  in  February  and  was  again 
held  up  in  that  body,  and  the  Avar  began  once  more.  At  a  meeting 
on  March  16th  plans  Avere  adopted  by  the  council  for  paving 
Superior  avenue.  At  the  spring  election  AV.  J.  Mc]\Iullen  Avas 
elected  mayor  and  the  project  Avas  again  halted  after  a  fight 
betAveen  the  mayor  and  the  council.  The  council  meeting  of  July 
6th  Avas  a  Avarm  one  indeed.  Brick  paA'ing  Avas  adopted,  hoAvever, 
by  a  close  vote,  but  at  a  later  meeting  in  July  the  entire  project 
received  a  body  bloAv  from  Avhicli  its  advocates  did  not  recover 
until  about  the  middle  of  August.  By  that  time  the  people  had 
practically  settled  doAvn  to  Avhat  they  Avanted,  and  on  August 
18th  the  paving  ordinance  Avas  finally  adopted. 

The  remodeled  and  enlarged  Catholic  school  building  Avas 
dedicated  by  Bishop  SchAvebach  on  Septem])er  17,  1910.  On  July 
22nd  of  this  year  AVilliam  Feitiug,  one  of  Tomah 's  solid  l)usiness 
men,  passed  aAvay  at  his  home.  He  came  to  Tomah  in  1868  and 
engaged  in  the  tailoring  Inisiness.  In  1890  he  built  the  present 
Feiting  block  on  Superior  avoinie.  in  Avhich  the  business  has  ever 
since  been  conducted,  his  sons.  AVilliam  and  Frank,  succeeding  to 
the  management.  ]\lr.  Feiting  Avas  a  progressive  husincss  man, 
ahvays  found  on  the  right  side  of  municipal  questions,  and  highly 
respected  by  his  business  associates  and  the  community  generally. 

But  the  Avorst  Avas  to  come,  that  is.  some  people  might  say  so, 
and  some  say  it  Avas  the  best,  for  after  a  campaign  on  the  tem- 
perance cpiestion  Tomah  Avcnt  "di-y"  at  the  spring  election  of 
1910  by  a  majority  of  five  votes.  This  A'ote  Avas  so  close  that  the 
gentlemen  avIio  Imd  t In  retofor(^  boon  engaged  in  the  "Avet  goods" 


CITY  OF  TOMAH  361 

business  determined  to  liave  a  contest  upon  the  matter  and  ac- 
cordingly engaged  attorneys  and  brought  the  matter  into  court. 
But  after  one  or  two  hearings  the  contest  was  dismissed  and 
Tomah  M^as  sure  "dry,"  and  it  stayed  dry,  the  law  being  rigidly 
enforced  by  the  authorities. 

This  condition  existed  for  a  year  and  in  the  meantime  an 
election  had  been  held  on  the  amount  of  the  license,  which  was 
increased  to  $800.00.  The  following  spring  another  election  was 
held  on  the  license  question  at  which  license  was  carried  by  a  fair 
majority  and  the  city  has  remained  "wet"  up  to  this  time. 

After  all  the  agitation,  turmoil  and  strife  over  the  paving 
question  the  final  completion  of  the  brick  paving  of  Superior  ave- 
nue and  the  continuation  of  the  macadam  road  from  the  head  of 
Superior  avenue  out  to  the  cemetery,  was  nevertheless  a  matter 
of  great  pride  and  rejoicing  to  the  citizens  generally,  for  nowhere 
in  the  country  can  be  found  a  handsomer  street ;  outside  of  the 
business  district  the  boulevarding  of  the  center,  with  its  closely 
clipped  lawn  and  artistic  setting  of  shrubbery  makes  a  beauti- 
ful appearance  in  the  summer  months.  With  this  has  come  the 
desire  of  the  citizens  in  some  section  to  improve  the  side  avenues, 
and  with  the  improvements  in  Gillett  park  it  can  truly  be  said 
that  no  prettier  or  well-kept 'city  can  be  found  anywhere  in  this 
great  state.  In  addition  to  that  there  is  pervading  the  atmos- 
phere of  Tomah  a  sort  of  a  progressive  spirit  which  can  best  be 
described  by  saying  that  its  people  "hang  together"  when  any- 
thing important  is  necessary.  It  is  true  that  among  themselves 
they  have  honestly  differed  upon  questions  of  municipal  policy, 
but  let  any  matter  of  general  interest  to  the  city  be  proposed  and 
they  get  into  line  quickly  as  one  big  community  and  tackle  any 
question  which  may  arise  with  true  "Tomah  spirit,"  and  gener- 
ally carry  out  what  is  undertaken.  This  is  a  happy  condition  for 
any  municipality  and  its  benefits  are  more  than  demonstrated  in 
this  hustling  little  town.  It  has  increased  in  population  until  it 
is  now  but  a  few  hundred  behind  its  sister  city,  the  county  seat ; 
its  business  interests  are  large  and  varied  and  the  volume  of  busi- 
ness transacted  in  the  course  of  a  year  compares  with  that  of  the 
county  seat  most  favorably  and,  in  fact,  is  greater  than  most 
cities  of  its  size  in  the  state.  Surrounded  nearly  on  all  sides  by 
a  good  farming  country,  it  is  the  central  market  for  a  large  region, 
affords  excellent  markets  for  stock  and  produce,  and  now  has  the 
benefit  of  transportation  over  l)oth  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and 
St.  Paul  and  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Eailways.  Every- 
thing points  to  a  healthy  growth  in  the  future,  and  could  old 


■M2  HISTORY  OF  .MONKOK  COLXTY 

Chief  "Toiiiali"'  come  l<ack  fi-oni  llic  'Ihippy  Hunting  Grounds" 
and  gaze  upon  his  namesake  he  would  surely  feel  a  great  thrill  of 
pride  that  such  a  city  bears  his  name,  wrap  his  spirit  blanket 
around  his  tall  form,  turn  and  stalk  back  into  the  Great  Beyond 
Avith  a  smile  of  contentment  on  his  nol)l(!  countenance  that  for  all 
time  his  name  would  be  perpetuated. 

]\Iany  old  records  of  the  city  have  become  lost  or  been  de- 
stroyed so  that  no  detailed  list  of  the  men  who  have  served  their 
comnnmity  in  official  positions  can  now  be  given.  Suffice  it  to 
say  tliat  as  a  rule  they  haxc  iiccn  broad-minded  and  painstaking 
citizens  who  have  served  their  fellow  citizens  well  and  faithfully. 
The  population  of  Tomah  at  the  census  of  1910  was  3.419. 

The  officers  of  1912  are  :  AY.  B.  Cassels,  mayor ;  AYilliam  Koop- 
man,  citv  clerk;  E.  A.  Daherr,  treasurer;  Theodore  Schmidt, 
assessor ;  E.  Bartels  and  A.  E.  Hollister.  justices  of  the  peace. 
Supervisors — H.  B.  Sowle,  First  ward ;  A.  Kress,  Second  ward ; 
H.  Coome,  Third  ward.  Aldermen — First  Avard,  F.  F.  Button, 
Daniel  Crowlet ;  Second  ward,  Emil  Schmidt,  E.  J.  Kelley ;  Third 
ward,  E.  E.  Griswold,  James  McClatchie ;  city  attorney,  AY.  B. 
Navlor. 


CHAPTER  XXXY. 
THE  TOMAH  SCHOOLS. 

Just  as  it  should  be.  the  cause  of  education  was  practically 
the  first  public  institution  started  by  the  people  who  originally 
settled  in  the  future  village.  A  few  weeks  after  the  arrival  of  the 
early  settlers  and  after  their  establishment,  plans  were  made  for 
opening  a  school  of  some  kind.  At  first  a  corn  crib  was  the  only 
building  available,  Avhich  was  situated  west  of  the  cemetery  of 
today. 

Miss  Emma  Bush,  who  had  been  attending  school  in  ]\Iihvau- 
kee,  being  the  daughter  of  Harvey  Bush,  a  pioneer  merchant, 
returned  home  and  was  ofit'ered  the  position  as  teacher.  The  first 
class  consisted  of  the  members  of  three  families,  JMrs.  Lottie 
Wood,  mother  of  Miss  IMinnie  AA^ood,  who  is  now  teaching  in  the 
city  schools,  and  her  sister  and  two  children  from  a  third  family. 
The  teacher  and  pupils  soon  found  tliat  it  was  not  pleasant  to  hold 
school  in  a  corn  crib  and  during  the  next  summer  it  was  trans- 
ferred to  a  log  house  which  stood  near  the  site  of  the  AVatsen 
Earle  residence.  The  front  part  of  the  building  was  used  as  a 
storeroom,  and  it  is  related  that  one  night  two  sacks  of  flour 
which  were  stored  there  were  broken  open  by  some  pigs  who  had 
gotten  into  the  building,  and  the  next  morning  the  school  room 
was  found  to  be  literally  dusted  all  over  with  flour. 

Ten  children  attended  the  first  school,  but  when  the  railroad 
came  through  in  1858  the  little  village  grew  rapidly  and  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  a  larger  building,  which  was  soon  erected 
on  the  corner  where  Harvey  Sowle's  residence  now  stands.  This 
was  the  first  building  erected  for  school  purposes  in  the  village 
and  it  was  used  a  great  many  years,  and  afterwards  turned  into 
a  residence.  •  At  one  time  the  father  of  the  editor  of  this  work, 
Dr.  J.  F.  Richards,  lived  in  it  with  his  family  during  a  time  of 
the  building  of  his  residence  in  that  village,  and  it  is  to  be  pre- 
sumed that  the  editor  received  some  of  his  early  education  by 
alisorption  from  the  atmosphere  surrounding  this  educational 
building. 

There  still  was  luit  one  teacher,  Init  the  increase  in  population 

363 


364  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXKOE  COUNTY 

required  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  teaching  force.  Soon 
school  was  held  in  various  places  in  the  village  which  could  he 
procured  for  the  purpose.  One  of  these  temporary  class  rooms 
was  above  a  blacksmith  shop  located  south  of  the  residence 
owned  by  H.  H.  Sherwood.  Another  was  in  a  store  building  sit- 
uated in  the  middle  of  the  block  north  of  the  postoffice,  and 
classes  were  also  held  in  the  building  located  near  tlie  freight 
depot,  these  locations  being  selected  on  account  of  the  con- 
venience of  the  families  living  in  the  different  parts  of  the  village. 
During  these  early  school  years  there  was  no  regular  course  of 
study.  A  student  was  allowed  to  take  as  few  or  as  many  branches 
as  he  wished,  and  could  drop  a  suliject  or  begin  it  a  second  time. 
Latin  was  introduced  in  the  school  in  1868  Avhen  there  was  an 
instructor  who  was  capable  of  teaching  that  language.  At  an- 
other time,  when  no  other  form  of  language  was  being  taught,  a 
class  of  French  was  organized  by  the  wife  of  a  principal.  It 
seems  that  a  teacher  then  taught  the  subject  he  knew  the  most 
about.  All  teachers  were  engaged  for  a  term  of  three  mouths 
instead  of  a  year,  as  is  the  ease  today,  and  the  necessary  changes 
were  made  at  the  end  of  the  three-months'  period. 

A  new  building  was  soon  erected  on  the  corner  where  tlie  Cen- 
tral building  now  stands,  and  in  1870  the  school  was  graded  with 
the  following  departments:  Primary,  intermediate,  grammar 
and  high  school.  The  course  of  study  then  embraced  reading, 
writing,  spelling,  arithmetic,  geography,  liistory,  orthography 
and  higher  arithmetic.  From  time  to  time  additions  were  made 
to  this  building  as  the  number  of  pupils  increased,  and  in  this  old 
wooden  school  house  in  1880  were  held  the  first  graduating  exer- 
cises when  a  class  of  three,  one  of  whom  was  ]Miss  Ida  Miller, 
who  has  been  employed  for  so  inany  years  in  the  Tomah  schools, 
received  their  diplomas.  The  principal  at  that  time  Avas  T.  B. 
Pray,  Avho  later  became  jn-esident  of  the  Stevens  Point  Normal 
School.  There  were  no  graduating  classes  in  the  years  1881-1885- 
1887. 

In  1884  in  response  to  the  necessity  for  better  accommoda- 
tions the  annual  school  meeting  passed  a  resolution  appropriating 
$16,000  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  high  school  buiUling.  Con- 
tracts were  let  and  with  the  removal  of  the  old  wooden  structure 
a  new  brick  building  for  high  school  purposes  was  erected,  and 
is  what  is  known  as  the  Central  building.  The  old  school  building 
was  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  being  Thomas  ^IcCaiU.  who  cut 
it  in  two  parts  and  converted  it  into  dwelling  houses.  The  tAvo 
portions  are  still  standing  today  near  the  site  where  it  formerly 


L___ 


> 


O 


THE  TOMAH  SCHOOLS  365 

stood.  In  the  summer  of  1890-91  primary  schools  were  estab- 
lished in  the  First  and  Third  wards. 

Meanwhile  the  high  school  curriculum  was  extended  and  three 
courses  of  study  offered,  the  English,  Science,  and  the  Classical. 
The  additional  fact  that  the  school  was  placed  upon  the  accred- 
ited list  of  the  State  University  gave  evidence  of  the  progress  that 
had  been  made.  Under  the  superintendency  of  Mr.  Clark,  after- 
wards at  River  Falls  Normal  School,  the  first  school  library  was 
established. 

Little  interest  was  taken  in  the  improvement  of  the  school 
grounds  until  1891,  when  Mr.  Reigle  was  principal,  and  as  the 
year  went  on  new  departments  were  added  to  the  system,  E.  H. 
Cassels  organizing  the  kindergarten,  and  C.  H.  Maxon,  who  pre- 
ceded Professor  McNeal,  introduced  drawing  in  the  grades,  and 
it  was  during  his  incumbency  that  the  present  high  school  was 
built  in  the  year  1902.  Before  this  building  was  erected  the  high 
school  was  held  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Central  building,  and 
for  a  short  time  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  were  held  in  the 
old  Catholic  church,  now  known  as  the  Auditorium.  The  old 
high  school  became  so  crowded  that  these  two  grades  had  to  be 
conducted  in  this  place  until  the  new  high  school  was  finished. 
It  was  not  long  before  the  grounds  were  made  beautiful  by  the 
walks,  trees  and  terraces,  and  in  1909  shrubbery  was  planted 
which  added  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  grounds. 

Even  with  the  new  departments  which  had  been  added  in  the 
past  and  tlie  improvements  which  had  been  made,  others  seemed 
necessary,  and  under  Professor  McNeal  the  first  supervisor  of 
music  was  engaged.  Of  course  the  contrast  between  the  schools 
of  1856  and  1912  is  great,  but  it  is  simply  another  illustration  of 
the  progress  which  is  bound  to  come  with  the  growth  of  settle- 
ment and  civilization.  From  a  corn  crib  to  a  magnificent  high 
school  building  with  the  beautiful  grounds  is  a  long  step,  and 
from  a  course  of  study  consisting  of  most  anything  to  several 
courses  from  which  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  may  step  into 
the  university  without  examination  is  indeed  good  progress.  The 
smallest  graduating  class  was  that  of  1888,  which  consisted  of  but 
one  member,  and  the  classes  of  1911  and  1912,  each  consisting  of 
thirty-six  members,  have  been  the  largest. 

In  addition  to  other  departments  under  Professor  Bray  there 
liave  been  introduced  domestic  science  for  girls  and  manual  train- 
ing for  boys,  and  the  Tomah  High  School  is  now  not  only  upon 
the  list  of  the  university,  but  stands  high  among  educational 
institutions  in  this  and  other  states,  and  its  graduates  are  accepted 


;i66  HISTORY  OF  :\I()XKOE  corxTv 

without    examinations    in    a    innnlx'i-    ol'    prominent    educational 
institutions. 

The  faculty  of  the  years  1911-1912  are  as  Follows :  F.  M.  Bi-ay. 
principal,  science;  Adeline  Keifer,  assistant  principal,  (lermaii 
and  mathematics;  Florence  Ilargrave,  Englisli :  May  Kice,  his- 
tory; George  Karnopp,  mathematics  and  ]>o]itical  economy; 
Emmett  Hassett,  science;  ]\Iary  O'Keefe,  Latin:  Belle  Souku]), 
domestic  science:  Earl  AV.  Eversmeyer,  manual  training;  Julia  O. 
Ilarvey,  music. 

Board  of  Education — "\V.  B.  Naylor,  .Jr..  president;  11.  B. 
Sowle,  clerk;  AV.  L.  Howes,  treasurer. 

Alany  of  the  prominent  business  and  professional  men  of  ihc 
village  and  city  have  served  on  the  school  hoard.  The  policy 
])ursued  has  uniformly  been  that  of  liberality,  broad-mindedness 
and  a  desire  to  bring  the  schools  to  the  highest  standard  possible, 
Avith  a  result  that  has  been  very  gratifying  and  is  a  source  of 
pride  to  every  citizen  of  the  city  of  Tomah.  Back  of  it  all  has 
been  the  true  "Tomah  spirit,''  which  marks  the  energy  and  per- 
sistence with  which  any  public  movement  is  aided  by  the  good 
people  of  the  city. 

Among  the  students  have  been  maintained  the  usual  societies 
of  these  modern  days,  especially  debating  clubs,  and  these  had  a 
place  in  the  school  scheme  from  very  early  times.  Athletics 
have  come  in  for  a  prominent  part  and  the  football.  basel)all  and 
track  teams  of  the  Tomah  High  School  have  at  times  reached 
high  places  in  the  scliool  athletics  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

Perhaps  the  most  prominent  society  is  the  Alumni  Associa- 
1ion,  which  w'as  organized  in  June,  1893,  at  a  meeting  held  at  the 
high  sciiool  rooms,  and  through  tlie  nineteen  years  of  its  existence 
has  grown  in  membership  with  eacli  succeeding  year,  luitil  now 
its  meeting  is  quite  the  social  event  of  the  year.  At  the  outset 
the  custom  Avas  inaugurated  of  liolding  a  bancjuet  and  business 
meeting  on  the  night  or  evening  after  the  graduating  exercises 
and  to  receive  into  full  membership  the  class  just  gradiuited. 
This  custom  has  been  continued  through  all  the  years  with  the 
result  that  its  membership  keeps  pace  Avith  the  graduates  and  is 
far  better  than  holding  its  meeting  at  some  other  time  of  the  year 
Avhen  the  gradiuiting  class  has  scattered  and  never  again  are  all 
together,  perhaps,  and  consequently  do  not  join  tlie  society,  as  is 
the  case  Avith  other  associations  of  the  kind.  At  its  banquets  fine 
programs  of  toasts  and  addresses  are  ai-ranged,  interspersed  Avith 
musical  numbers,  folloAved  by  a  business  meeting,  and  usually  a 
ball,    and    in    connection   Avitli    tb(^    opportunity   1o    rencAV   "auld 


THE  TOMAH  SCHOOLS  367 

acquaintances""  it  h;is  ])ecome  one  of  the  principal  events  in  the 
school  year,  the  session  of  1912  being  nuusnally  well  attended 
as  it  was  carried  out  as  a  sort  of  a  "home  coming,"  resulting  in 
many  coming  from  quite  a  distance. 

One  pleasant  event  of  this  last  session  Avas  the  presentation 
to  Miss  Adeline  Keifer  of  a  diamond  ring  in  remembrance  of  her 
twenty-five  years  of  faithful  labor  as  assistant  principal  of  the 
high  school ;  a  rare  character  whose  uniform  kindness  and  cour- 
tesy, coupled  with  thorough  methods,  has  made  her  the  friend 
and  almost  the  companion  of  the    successive    classes    who    have 
graduated  during  this  time ;  a  little  woman  richly  endowed  by 
nature  to  fill  just  such  a  position,  and  in  it  accomplish  great  good 
perhaps  gi'eater  than  in  any  other  sphere  of  life.     Many  of  the 
alumni  and  alumna?  have  achieved  prominence    in    the    various 
walks  of  life.     Among  them  may  be  mentioned  Col.  W.  W.  AVar- 
ren,  now  the  head  of  a  great  banking  house  in  Tomah  and  the 
father  of  a  growing  family,  who  achieved  prominence  not  only 
in  business,  but  in  a  military  w^ay  as  captain  of  Company  K  dur- 
ing the  Spanish  war,  and  since  as  colonel  and  inspector  of  small 
arms  practice  of  the  national  guard ;  the  Boltons,  Herbert  aiad 
Ed,  who  have  taken  prominent  places  in  the  educational  world ; 
the  Powers  boys,  AVill  and  Bert,  prosperous  merchants  at  Grand 
Rapids,  Minn. ;  Edwin  Cassels,  a  prominent  attorney,  now  prac- 
ticing his  profession  at  Chicago,  111. ;  the  Thompsons,  Alva  and 
Charles,  the  former  of  Avhom  served  several  terms  as  superin- 
tendent of  schools  of  this  county  and  is  now  the  head  of  the  in- 
dustrial school  at  Richland  Center,  where  his  l^rother  Cluirles  is 
also  employed ;  Alva  Goodyear,  now  deceased,  who  made  a  fine 
war  record;  Jennie  MeCaul-Hart,  Mho  has  become  a  prominent 
club  woman  in  the  state ;  Lulu  Janes,  whose  fame  as  a  musician 
and    vocalist    is    now    assured;    John    G.  Graham  and  AVm.   R. 
]\IcCaul,   both   prosperous   attorneys,   practicing   at   Tomah ;   Ida 
IMiller,  still  engaged   in  teaching  the  young  idea  in  the  Tomah 
schools;  Arthur  AVinter  and  Ray  Bell,  both  prominent  physicians 
at  Tomah ;  George  Robertson,  who  served  as  county  superintend- 
ent of  schools  for  two  or  three  terms ;  Claude  Sowle,  now  the 
doughty  captain  of  Company  K ;  and  so  the  list  might  be  multi- 
plied, for  the  Tomah  High  School  has  sent  her  share  of  good  men 
and  women  into  the  Avorld  to  reflect  credit  upon  the  mother  insti- 
tution. 

Perhaps  the  uian  who  attained  the  most  prominence  from 
among  the  number  was  Earnest  Buckley,  whose  untimely  death 
brought  sadness  to  his  host  of  friends;    he  was  born  at  Alillbury, 


368  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

]\Ias.s.,  September  3,  1872 ;  liis  boyhood  days  were  spent  in 
Tomah,  graduating  from  the  high  si-hool  in  1S!)()  lie  entered  the 
university,  graduating  in  1895;  he  continued  liis  studies  there, 
specializing  in  geology,  and  acquired  great  prominence  in  this 
work ;  he  was  made  director  of  the  natural  history  survey  of 
the  state,  and  in  1898  his  alma  mater  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy ;  he  was  soon  after  called  to 
the  position  of  state  geologist  to  the  state  of  JMissouri,  where 
lie  niDNcd  to  Kollo;  he  Ix'came  an  eminent  authority  in  geology 
and  mineralogy  and  his  services  were  in  great  demand  in  the 
practical  ai)iilication.  He  was  also  honored  l)y  being  chosen 
president  of  the  American  Mining  Congress.  In  the  fall  of  1911 
he  located  in  Chicago  and  op(>ned  an  office  as  consulting  geo- 
logical engineer. 

In  the  prime  of  life  and  in  the  midst  of  a  brilliant  career  he 
was  suddenly  stricken  down.  His  heart  had  always  been  true 
to  the  little  high  school  and  to  the  little  city  of  his  boyhood, 
for  after  his  death  it  was  found  tliat  he  had  bequeathed  a  suffi- 
cient sum  to  be  devoted  to  the  purpose  of  building  a  library  for 
the  city  of  Tomah,  which  will  be  his  monument  for  all  time. 

His  death  occurred  at  his  home  in  Chicago  on  Friday, 
January  19,  1911,  his  remains  being  brought  to  Tomah  and 
interred  in  the  family  lot  upon  Avhii-h  a  handsome  vault  will 
be  erected. 

LIST  OF  GRADUATES. 

Class  of  1880— Mary  Ida  ]\Iiller,  Ida  Auten  and  Curtis 
Boorman. 

Class  of  1882 — Addie  Leach,  Bertha  Irons,  Randolph  Richards, 
AVill  Powers,  Bert  Powers,  Addie  Earle  and  La  iMont  Boorman. 

Class  of  1883 — AV.  AV.  AVarren,  AA".  S.  IMason,  Luman  AVariner. 
Charles  Calkins,  Tressa  Alaxwell,  Hannah  Carnecl.  Carrie  Thomp- 
son, .Minnie  Howard,  Ruby  Earle,  Jessie  Button,  Georgia  Jackson 
and  Evelyn  Barber. 

Class  of  1884 — Fred  Perry,  Bert  Stannanl,  ]\Iary  Perry,  Bert 
Xaylor  and  .Jennie  IMcCaul. 

No  record  of  class  of  1885. 

Class  of  1886— Nellie  Howard.  IMae  :\lather.  Josie  ]\Iiller, 
Harrison  Barber,  Perry  Cowles  and  (trace  Graham. 

No  recorrt  of  class  of  1887. 

Class  of  1888— Edith  Kenyon. 

Class  of  1889— Herbert  Bolton,  Edwin  Cassels,  C.  F.  Moll, 
George  A^arney  and  Anna  AVilson. 


THE  TOMAH  SCHOOLS  369 

Class  of  1890 — Earnest  Buckley,  Alva  Thompson,  Adolpli 
Wilson,  Gertrude  Janes,  Carrie  Perry,  Melzina  Smith,  Una 
Richardson  and  Ethel  Maynard. 

Class  of  1891 — Edith  Howard,  Nellie  Alverson,  Libbie  James, 
Will  McCaul,  Belle  Button  and  Anna  j\lonahan. 

Class  of  1892 — Charles  Thomson,  Herbert  Calkins,  Grace 
McMillan,  Jennie  Voswinkel,  Nina  Lombard,  Blanche  Bennett, 
Clara  Spaulding,  Ella  Wells,  Ella  Perry  and  Minnie  Wood. 

Class  of  1893 — Lottie  Wood,  Fred  Thompson,  Frank  Saner, 
Dora  Heintz,  I\Iinnie  Root,  Bessie  Jackson,  Alva  Goodyear,  Hattie 
Nieholis,  Herbert  Johnson  and  Gray  Graham. 

Class  of  1894 — John  Brennen,  Jessie  Hill,  Otis  Calkins,  Ray 
Bell,  Fred  Barrows,  Roy  Bolton,  Earnest  AVyatt,  Bernard  Paley, 
Jennie  Jennings,  Albert  Rich,  Ella  O'Leary,  Ella  Hastings,  May 
Graham,  Lulu  Janes,  Carrie  Jones,  Mamie  Ebert,  Laura  Bolton, 
Minnie  Wells,  Clara  McPherson  and  Eleanor  Voswinkle. 

Class  of  1895 — Louie  Corrigan,  Emma  Earle,  Ellen  Gammons, 
Harriet  Hall,  Gertrude  Reynolds,  Arthur  AYinter,  Wallace  Mc- 
Pherson, George  Cassels  and  George  Robertson. 

Class  of  1896 — Wilda  Hancock,  Rufus  Jackson,  Lottie  Jackson, 
Edith  Root,  Maud  Bell,  Herbert  AA^right,  Alfred  Schultz,  Eugene 
Hancock,  Rose  Barbour,  Isabelle  Bliven  and  Edward  AA'ells. 

Class  of  1897 — Orpha  AYoodard,  Gertrude  Zimmerman,  Susan 
Graham,  May  Scott,  ]\lary  Donovan,  Alice  Gunnison,  Cora 
Schroeder,  Simon  Bailey,  Rosco  Jennings,  Bert  Cassels  and  W.  J. 
Tarr. 

Class  of  1898 — John  Larkin,  Laura  Spaulding,  Grace  Talbot, 
Grace  Cristy,  Euphemia  ]\lcKane,  Lula  Palmer,  ]\Iaud  Boyington, 
Dora  DroAvatzsky,  Jessie  Goodenough,  I\Iay  Smith,  Alice 
Hanchett,  Delia  Polifka,  Flora  Earle,  WiR  Healy,  AYill  Falkner, 
Harry  Spaulding  and  Claude  Sowle. 

Class  of  1899 — Grace  Bolton,  AVilliam  J.  Brennen,  lone  Gove, 
Edith  Mosley,  AVill  Gooder,  George  Marcher,  Lula  Sowle,  Ger- 
trude A.  Smith,  Pearl  Gammons,  Ellen  Clay,  Belle  Newsome, 
AVilliam  D.  Smith,  Clara  Schedler  and  Lula  Scott. 

Class  of  1900— Hal  Sowle.  Catherine  Treat,  Fred  Ebert, 
Marius  Larsen,  Edgar  Secor,  Charles  Tarr,  Joanna  Donovan, 
Hattie  Dewey,  Mary  Garnock,  ]\Iyrtle  Seibold,  Kathleen  Graham, 
Grace  Cassels,  Glen  McClatchie,  Edith  Christie,  Charlotte 
Reynolds,  Lizzie  Schenecker,  Rosa  Drowatzky,  Mabel  Stevens, 
Nellie  Brennen,  Rosa  Baumgart,  Anna  Clay,  Ella  Jennings, 
Charles  0 'Brian  and  Bertha  Drowatzky. 

Class  of  1901— Ella  Birr,  Otto  Uttech.  Captain  Aller,  Nellie 


370  HISTOKY  OF  :\rOXROE  COUNTY 

Edwards,  Pearl  Eaton,  Frank  King,  Ethel  Sowle,  Lucetta  Case, 
George  Anderson,  Gertie  Smith,  Gertrude  Smith,  Susan  Wells, 
Anna  Costello,  Raljjh  Ford,  Oscar  Schroeder  and  Rudolpli  Andres. 

Class  of  1902 — p]thel  Abbott,  Edwinna  Bolton,  Gertude  Benja- 
min, Louis  Baumgartcn,  Harry  Bell,  Grace  Dunning,  Ilattie 
Hanchett,  Louis  Hancock,  Edith  Johnson,  Fred  Johnson,  Grace 
Keeler,  Ben  Reynolds,  Ruth  Stevens.  Edith  Sowle,  IMattie  Sweet, 
John  Tarr,  Earnest  Vandervort,  Vera    Wyatt  and  P>ed  AValter. 

Class  of  1903 — Tessie  Brenncn,  .I()sei)iiine  Bongers,  Delia 
Drew,  Jessie  Daniels,  Ralph  Goodenough,  Grace  Garnock, 
Florence  Jay,  Ella  Johnson,  Ed  Spaulding,  Lela  Howard,  ]\Iary 
Sizer,  Kathryn  Costello  iitid  Sue  Moseley. 

Class  of  1904 — Pier  Aller,  Bessie  Brace,  May  Barrett,  Agnes 
Brennen,  AYalter  Drew,  Norma  Fitch,  John  Louis  Franz, 
William  A.  Gilson,  Pearl  Heineman,  Allan  Homermiller,  Nina 
Homermiller,  Pearl  Henry,  Francis  Johnson,  Don  Keeler,  Clara 
]\Iathews,  Alva  ]\Ic]Mullen,  Rena  Olson,  Blondina  Pingle,  ]\Iinnie 
Pingle,  Grace  Randall,  Leslie  Spence,  Theodore  Smith,  Gloria 
Tolles,  Roy  Washburn,  George  Wells  and  George  Bell. 

Class  of  1905— Dell  AVilson,  Anna  Wolf,  Myrtle  Smith,  Jennie 
Stanley,  Leonard  Stevens,  Amy  Randall,  Laurence  Larson,  Josie 
Lingon])lod,  Alex.  Garnock,  Gertrude  Freemore,  Nete  Moseley, 
]\Iae  i\Ioran,  Herman  j\Iast,  Bernard  Mast,  Lillie  Kuekuck  and 
Percy  Daniels. 

Class  of  1906— Arthur  Atkinson.  J.  E.  Black.  AVeina  Briese- 
meister,  Fred  Bentzen,  Lola  Dickenson,  Florence  Eraser,  Will 
Eraser,  Hugh  Johnson,  ]Mal)el  Keene.  George  Kuekuck,  Charles 
Kupper,  Hilmer  Loehr,  Coral  Logan,  Anna  Nelson,  Nora  Peterson, 
Josephine  Pragge,  Inez  Purdy,  Tom  Sheehey,  Grace  Schroeder, 
Lucy  Sowle,  Ray  Spooner,  Mina  Spradling,  Vila  Stone,  ]\Iinnie 
Thom,  Lillian  Yackel  and  Ella  Young. 

Class  of  1907 — Frank  Andres,  Nelly  Barry,  Marcena  Black, 
Ada  Birr,  Herman  Birr,  Dorothy  Bernie,  Edith  Beardsley,  Laura 
Bosshard,  Ella  Drowatzky.  Alpha  Diemer,  Archie  Harris,  Vernon 
Hilliker,  Will  Howes,  Edna  Tiarson,  Bessie  ]\Iedd,  Jesse  ]\Ieinecke, 
Gladys  Olson,  Earl  Terry,  Jessie  L'win,  Nena  Dano,  Ray  Talbot, 
Mae  Vandervort,  Ella  Warner  and  Ethel  AVyatt. 

Class  of  1908 — Charlotte  Button,  Louis  Barnes,  Irene  Baker, 
Arthur  Boehmer,  Fay  Burger,  Lydia  Cross,  Constance  Cross, 
EdAvard  Franz,  AVilliam  (Jleis,  AVill  Ilonun'miller,  Harold  Holmes, 
Leland  King,  Leo  Keley,  Edward  Kruger,  Fraidv  ]Moran,  Rosa 
]\Ianaig('.  Ruth  ^Maxwell,  Edith  Steinke,  John  Sweet,  Katherine 
Tibbilts  and  Hazel  AVells. 


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THE  TOMAH  SCHOOLS  371 

Class  of  1909 — Glen  Barber,  Catherine  Bethauser,  Raymond 
Bolton,  Carl  Cady,  Nellie  Dauo,  Timothy  Donovan,  Frank 
Drew,  Jr.,  Hazel  Elwell,  Jessie  Johnson,  Florence  Johnson, 
Harrison  King,  Edward  Kupper,  Rosa  Kuekuck,  Bessie  Lamb, 
Mary  Linehan,  Selma  Mathews,  Cecil  Mahr,  Claude  McConnell, 
Ray  McMullen,  Mae  McWithy,  Harry  Moran,  Rosa  Otto,  Edwin 
O'Leary,  Anna  Robertson,  Elsie  Ranthum,  Jessie  Reynolds,  Edna 
Rezin,  Vella  Syverson  and  Benlah  AA^arner. 

Class  of  1910 — Byron  Black,  Ralph  Baker,  Eva  Cornish, 
Laura  Dravel,  William  Dravel,  Margaret  Flaharty,  Robert  Get- 
man,  Nina  Goerbing,  Louis  Hoag,  Stella  James,  Bernice  James, 
Irene  Kuekuck,  John  Kitzki,  Elizabeth  Kitzki,  John  Kress, 
Joseph  Kress,  Lizzie  Linehan,  Margaret  Moran,  LaVerne 
McClatchie,  Genevieve  Oakes,  Lydia  Stelter,  Margaret  Smith, 
Hazel  Webster,  Russell  Wells  and  Anna  Wolf. 

Class  of  1911— Mabel  Dreps,  May  Prickett,  Raymond  Eber- 
hardt,  Lois  Smart,  George  Von  Haden,  Henry  Greutzmacher, 
Grace  Kuekuck,  George  Knick,  Edna  Reinhold,  Edgar  Staben, 
Rudolph  Hopp,  Alice  Snodgrass,  Arthur  Janes,  Anna  Cramer, 
Amanda  Reisenauer,  Henry  Retter,  Deycie  Rose,  Arthur  Verick, 
Elizabeth  Blaschke,  Minnie  Wolf,  Ada  Sandley,  Sadie  Rodell, 
Archie  Chapman,  Jessie  Chapman,  Oscar  Eirschelem,  Steven 
Donovan,  Earnest  Yeager,  Elmer  Bell,  Ruth  Treat,  Elizabeth 
Goerbing,  Pearl  Schwartz,  Vere  Johnson,  Walter  Detert,  Steven 
Taylor,  Roy  Fitch  and  Alvin  AVirth. 

Class  of  1912— Gladys  Forrest,  Bessie  Eberdt,  Lillian  Tib- 
betts,  Gertrude  Kippen,  jMitchel  Tuttle,  Evelyn  Alderman,  Robert 
Graewin,  Raymond  Smith,  Iva  Medd,  Mary  Mast,  Otto  Birr,  Lela 
Bongers,  Leslie  Bongers,  Frieda  Last,  Perry  Gilmore,  Earle 
Sullivan,  George  Fuhrmau,  Beatrice  Regalia,  Hazel  Gilson,  Una 
King,  Mabel  Maxwell,  Mary  Clay,  Ruby  Lamb,  Neta  AVilliams, 
James  Finucain,  Edward  Mick,  Katheryn  Howes,  Louie  Barnes, 
Leila  Janes,  Sarah  Libbey,  Hugh  Hilliker,  Alfred  Bongers, 
Marguerite  Sherwood,  Edwin  Finnerty,  Mary  Simonson  and 
James  Moran. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
TO.MAll  CHURCHES  AND  SOCIETIES. 

The  First  Baptist  Church.  AVas  organized  August  6,  1859, 
a  meeting  I'or  the  purpose  being  called  at  Staysa's  liall,  at  which 
the  Rev.  L.  C.  Herrick  was  chosen  moderator,  and  A.  Kendall 
clerk  proteur;  eleven  brethren  and  sisters  of  the  Baptist  Church 
enrolled  themselves  as  members. 

The  constituent  mendjers  were  Brethren  Simeon  AVood,  Jesse 
Boorman,  Peter  Cramer,  Alden  Cramer,  H.  J.  Sherman,  and 
sisters  Mary  Jane  Wood,  Lucinda  C.  Boorman,  Lucinda  Powers, 
Elizabeth  Cramer,  Polly  G.  Sinery  and  Atlante  Cramer. 

The  NcAv  Hampshire  Article  of  Faith  and  Church  Convenant, 
as  given  in  the  "Encyclopedia  of  Religious  Knowledge"  by  J. 
Newton  Brown,  was  endorsed  and  adopted  by  the  church.  Simeon 
Wood  was  elected  deacon  and  Alden  Cramer  church  clerk.  A 
ministerial  committee  was  appointed  and  also  a  committee  to 
purchase  lots  for  a  meeting  house.  By  invitation  of  the  church 
soon  after,  members  of  neighboring  Baptist  churches,  on  October 
26th,  1859,  met  and  an  ecclesiastical  council  convened  for  public 
recognition  services.  Soon  afterwards  the  Rev.  L.  C.  Herrick 
Avas  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  church,  measures  were  taken 
to  build  a  church  and  about  two  years  thereafter  a  meeting  house 
was  dedicated.  This  building  was  remodeled  in  1874  and  again 
in  1897. 

Tlie  church  property  is  now  valued  at  about  $4,000  and  is  free 
from  debt.  Since  its  organization  in  1859  there  have  been 
received  into  membership  404  persons.  At  present  there  are 
ninety-seven  resident  members  and  forty-four  non-resident.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  ministers,  Avhich  we  believe  is  complete, 
in  the  order  of  their  pastorate:  Rev.  L.  C.  Herrick,  Rev.  E.  D. 
Barbour,  Rev.  W.  H.  Card,  Rev.  I.  II.  Cameron,  Rev.  T.  D.  Growe, 
Rev.  I.  C.  Weeden,  Rev.  B.  II.  Barber.  Rev.  Phillips.  Rev.  J.  H. 
Bowker,  Rev.  R.  S.  Parshall,  Rev.  AV.  H.  Barner,  Rev.  AV.  M. 
Robinson,  Rev.  Roberts,  Rev.  J.  J.  Gorham,  Rev.  B.  P.  Russell. 
Rev.  Arthur  AVinte,  Rev.  Hayden.  Rev.  Agar,  Rev.  G.  Cressy.  Rev. 
C.  H.  Smith,  Rev.  AA^  D.  Bancroft,  Rev.  C.  E.  Henry,  Rev.  C.  C. 
Colby  and  the  present  minister.  Rev.  H.  AI.  Spickler. 

372 


TOMAH  CHURCHES  AND  SOCIETIES  373 

St.  Mary's  Episcopal  Church.  Began  with  a  Sunday  school 
gathered  and  conducted  by  Mrs.  C.  K.  Erwin  and  Mrs.  John 
Little  in  McCaul's  hall,  in  1874.  A  congregation  was  formed  and 
after  several  meetings  was  regularly  organized  in  March,  1874, 
with  the  Rev.  E.  DeAVolfe,  of  St.  John's  church,  Sparta,  as  priest 
in  charge,  and  the  following  officers  were  appointed:  John 
Bostwisk,  w^arden ;  L.  Martin,  clerk,  and  John  Little,  treasurer, 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Edward  R.  Wells  being  then  the  bishop  of  the  diocese 
of  AVisconsin,  the  entire  state  being  in  one  jurisdiction  at  that 
time ;  the  following  clergy  succeeded  as  priest  in  charge  on  the 
respective  dates :  Rev.  J.  B.  Gedelupe,  1878 ;  Rev.  W.  H.  H. 
Ross,  December,  1883;  Rev.  L.  H.  Shubert,  October,  1884;  Rev. 
F.  K.  Allen.  1886 ;  Rev.  C.  P.  Dorset,  January,  1890 ;  Rev.  S.  W. 
Moran  in  1892;  Rev.  C.  E.  Roberts,  1894;  Rev.  B.  T.  Bensted, 
September,  1898;  Rev.  R.  Rowley,  October,  1899;  Rev.  A.  F. 
Schepp,  July,  1902;  Rev.  A.  F.  Ruge,  April,  1904,  and  the  Rev. 
James  AV.  Smith,  February  1,  1907,  w^ho  is  still  in  charge.  The 
present  officers  are  L.  B.  Squier,  warden,  AVilliam  B.  Naylor, 
treasurer,  and  Dr.  C.  L.  Anderson,  clerk,  under  Rt.  Rev.  William 
Walter  AVebb,  bishop  of  the  diocese. 

The  church  was  built  and  opened  September  23,  1879,  being 
then  situated  on  Kilbourn  avenue,  in  the  north  end  of  town ;  it 
was  consecrated  in  October.  1881,  and  in  July,  1892,  it  was  moved 
to  the  corner  of  Kilbourn  avenue  and  Monowau  street,  its  pres- 
ent location ;  it  was  rebuilt  and  enlarged  with  a  chancel.  The 
church  also  owns  a  rectory  situated  just  north  and  across  the 
street  from  the  church. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  organization  was  undoubt- 
edly the  pioneer  church  in  Tomah,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that 
a  complete  record  does  not  seem  to  be  available.  In  1857  Rev. 
C.  W.  Kellogg  preached  the  first  sermon  ever  delivered  in  Tomah. 
This  was  on  the  tirst  Sunday  in  July  of  that  year,  the  meeting 
being  held  in  a  new  barn  erected  by  Robert  E.  Gillett.  This 
gave  an  impetus  to  the  movement  to  organize  a  church,  which 
was  accomplished  this  same  year,  and  during  the  next  year  a 
neat  church  building  was  erected,  meetings  prior  to  this  being 
held  wherever  most  convenient.  The  congregation  now  owns  a 
fine  church  building  situated  on  the  site  of  the  old  one,  being  a 
commanding  position  on  a  slight  ridge.  The  building  is  well 
equipped  and  the  congregation  large.  The  church  is  in  a  pros- 
perous condition.  Among  its  ministers  have  been  many  men  of 
prominence  in  the  Methodist  Church,  among  them  Rev.  Chas.  E. 
Butters,  who  left  his  church  and  went  into  the  Spanish-American 
war  from  Tomah,  enlisting  as  a  private.     The  Rev.  Haskell,  the 


374  JllSTOKY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

present  pastor,  is  a  man  of  broad  mind,  a  thorougli  student,  a 
man  of  strong  executive  ability  and  an  impressive  speaker. 

The  Congregational  Church.  Tlie  history  of  tliis  organization 
connucnced  with  the  coming  of  the  Rev.  ]\Ir.  AVells  in  1858.  At 
first,  as  is  the  case  with  ;ill  pioneer  movements,  meetings  were 
held  at  private  houses  unlil  the  little  organization  grew  strong 
enough  to  erect  a  church  building.  This  was  accomplished  in 
1859,  when  a  frame  church  was  built,  the  congregation  regularly 
organized  as  the  "First  Congregational  Church  of  Tomah."  The 
meeting  for  the  church  organization  was  held  in  Staysa's  hall 
pursuant  to  notice  which  had  been  regularly  given  by  Rev.  \V.  F. 
Avery,  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational  cliurch  at  Sparta,  and 
Rev.  F.  M.  Gams.  At  that  meeting  the  following  trustees  were 
elected:  AVilliam  F.  ShaAV.  Daniel  Braman.  Robert  E.  Gillett,  Jolui 
Dodge,  Henry  AV.  Cressy,  John  Howard  and  S.  D.  Powers. 

In  1861  the  Rev,  AY  ells,  on  account  of  ill  health,  was  com- 
pelled to  resign  the  pastorate  of  the  church  at  Tomah,  as  he  was 
also  in  charge  of  the  church  at  New  Lisbon,  at  which  latter  place 
he  made  his  home.  From  that  time  on  the  pulpit  has  been  occu- 
pied by  many  ministers,  a  list  of  whom  it  is  impossible  to  give  at 
present.  As  ministers  are  called  to  the  service  in  the  Congre- 
gational church  by  the  congregation,  the  ministers  served  various 
periods. 

The  church  building  has  of  late  years  been  remodeled  and 
considerably  enlarged  and  is  well  equipped  for  church  purposes. 
The  congregation  also  owns  a  parsonage  situated  next  to  the 
church,  w^hich  is  modern  and  a  fine  home  for  the  resident  pastor. 
At  present  the  Rev.  J,  AY.  Smith  is  the  pastor,  having  occupied 
the  pulpit  for  a  number  of  years;  a  strong  man  in  the  church  and 
one  who  has  made  his  good  influence  felt  in  the  community. 

The  Catholic  Church.  The  first  organization  of  the  Catholic 
Church  of  Tomah  Avas  in  the  year  1867,  the  first  priest  being  the 
Rev.  AI.  AI.  Alarks.  Avho  attended  from  LaCrosse.  During  the 
year  a  church  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $2,500,  being  su- 
perintended by  the  Rev.  John  Casey,  Avho  attended  from  Alaus- 
ton.  The  first  resident  priest  was  Father  J.  T.  Durward,  who 
took  charge  in  1870  and  remained  many  long  years  the  priest  at 
Tomah.  A  man  of  broad  education  and  liberal  views  he  endeared 
himself  to  people  generally  and  Avas  highly  esteemed  by  the 
citizens  of  Tomah. 

The  Tomah  church  has  been  again  fortunate  in  the  services  of 
Rev.  Louis  AYurst.  its  present  priest,   who   has  been  a  resident 


TOMAH  CHURCHES  AND  SOCIETIES  875 

for  many  years.  His  great  executive  ability  has  shown  itself  in 
the  management  of  its  financial  affairs,  for  under  his  charge  has 
been  erected  a  fine  brick  church,  equipped  with  a  town  clock,  a 
fine  residence  for  the  priest  and  St.  Mary's  school  "has  been 
greatly  enlarged  and  improved.  The  new  Catholic  church, 
erected  on  a  commanding  knoll,  Avas  formally  dedicated  on  De- 
cember 29.  1899.  The  remodeled  St.  Mary's  school  was  dedicated 
by  Bishop  Schwebach,  of  LaCrosse,  on  September  17,  1910.  The 
congregation  is  prosperous  and  the  church  property  is  now  one 
of  the  finest  in  buildings  and  equipment  to  be  found  in  any  city 
of  the  size  of  Tomah. 

The  German  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  1866  and  a 
church  building  erected  in  1870.  A  parsonage  was  subsequently 
added  to  the  church  property,  the  church  itself  remodeled.  The 
congregation,  though  small,  is  earnest  and  prosperous  and  much 
good  is  accomplished  by  its  members. 

LODGES. 

Tomah  Lodge,  No.  132,  F.  &  A.  M.,  w^as  organized  and  dis- 
pensation granted  April  19,  1861.  The  charter  members  were 
C.  W.  Kellogg,  Noah  Maltbie,  A.  B.  Smith,  J.  P.  Thompson,  John 
Dodge,  Enoch  Baker  and  S.  D.  Powers. 

The  first  officers  installed  were  C.  W.  Kellogg,  AV.  M. ;  Noah 
Maltbie,  S.  AV. ;  A.  B.  Smith,  J.  AV. ;  J.  P.  Thompson,  secretary ; 
John  Dodge,  treasurer,  and  Enoch  Baker,  tyler.  The  first  meet- 
ings were  held  in  the  upper  story  of  an  old  blacksmith  shop  sit- 
uated on  the  back  end  of  the  lot  now^  occupied  by  AA'arren's  bank. 
Afterwards  it  held  its  meetings  in  different  halls  until  1884  when, 
by  an  agreement  with.  H.  S.  Beardsley  the  lodge  became  the 
owner  of  the  upper  floor  of  the  brick  building  so  long  used  as 
the  postoffice  and  now  owned  by  Harvey  M.  Sowle.  This  was  the 
home  of  the  lodge  for  many  years  until  an  opportunity  came  to 
get  more  commodious  quarters.  The  lodge  purchased  the  upper 
floor  of  the  building  situated  in  the  block  just  north  of  the  old 
Sherman  House,  being  erected  by  M.  H.  Moore,  and  now^  has  flne 
lodge  and  reception  rooms,  a  commodious  dining  room  and 
kitchen  well  equipped.  The  Blue  Lodge,  Royal  Arch  Alasons 
and  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  occupy  the  rooms. 

Tomah  Chapter,  No.  63,  R.  A.  M.  Dispensation  was  granted 
for  the  organization  of  this  chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Alasons  on 
January  27,  1887,  and  the  charter  was  issued  February  22,  1888. 
The  chapter  has  a  fine  set  of  robes  for  the  work  and  is  steadily 


376  IIISTOKY  OF  :\rOXROE  COUNTY 

growing  ill  inciiibcrshii).  At  present  F.  S.  Narrows,  Jr.,  is  high 
priest;  Peter  Johnson,  king;  John  G.  Graham,  scribe,  and  C.  H. 
AViekluiHl.  secretary. 

There  is  a  strong  lodge  of  tlie  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star, 
which,  as  has  been  stated,  occupies  tlie  lodge  rooms  of  the  Ala- 
sonic  Temple. 

Tomah  Lodge,  No.  178,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  Avas  organized  under  dis- 
pensation grant cd  ]\larcli  15,  1870,  the  charter  being  issued  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  January  19,  1870.  The  charter  members  were: 
Thomas  McCaiil.  L.  S.  Benjamin,  O.  T.  SoAvle,  A.  G.  Schultz, 
K.  Kinmore,  Charles  Organ,  Charles  S.  Hubbard,  George  B.  Rob- 
inson. .J.  P.  Tracy  and  IL  A.  8oAvle. 

The  first  olKicers  elected  under  the  dispensation  were  Thomas 
McCaul,  noble  grand;  IT.  A.  Sowle,  vice  grand;  0.  T.  Sowle,  re- 
cording secretary ;  G.  B.  Rolunsoii.  permanent  secretary ;  J.  P. 
Tracy,  treasurer.  The  lodge  held  its  meeting  at  first  in  the  ^Ma- 
sonic  Hall  until  ]881,  when  their  OAvn  comniodious  lodge  rooms 
were  built.  The  lodge  home  is  situated  right  in  the  heart  of  the 
business  district  on  Superior  avenue,  has  a  large  lodge  hall  with 
ample  ante-rooms,  a  large  dining  room  and  finely  equipped 
kitchen,  all  well  furnished  and  modern  in  every  way.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are  C.  F.  Fick,  noble  grand;  J.  N.  King,  vice  grand; 
H.  C.  Bongers,  secretary.  There  is  also  a  lodge  of  Rebeccas,  which 
occupy  the  same  lodge  rooms. 

Tomah  Camp,  No.  554,  M.  W.  A.,  was  organized  ]\Iarch  21, 
1888,  with  forty  charter  monibers,  among  whom  were  many  of 
the  prominent  business  lucii  of  Tomah ;  F.  S.  Barrows,  Ernest 
Bartels,  J.  J.  King,  R.  P.  Hitchcock,  H.  H.  Sherwood,  C.  K.  Erwin, 
0.  J.  Eaton,  C.  E.  Quigg,  G.  R.  Vincent,  J.  H.  Mosely,  George  B. 
Anderson,  L.  AV.  Earle,  Peter  Johnson,  Thomas  McCaul,  Robert 
Schroeder,  W.  C.  Hommermiller,  AY.  H.  Schultz,  Fred  Meinecke 
and  others.  I.  N.  Palmer  was  its  first  and  only  clerk,  making 
an  enviable  record  of  twenty-four  years'  faithful  service  since 
the  first  organization  of  the  camp,  truly  a  testimonial  of 
the  strongest  character  of  the  confidence  and  esteem  with  Avhich 
he  is  held  by  his  brother  AYoodmen.  The  camp  now  has  its  quar- 
ters in  the  Odd  Fellows  Hall,  where  it  meets  tAvice  a  month;  there 
are  now  about  ISO  members,  the  camp  is  in  good  condition 
financially  and  in  every  other  way. 

There  is  a  strong  lodge  of  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Tomah,  the 
official  records  of  which  were  not  available  for  the  purpose  of 
this  work. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
THE  HELPING  HAND  SOCIETY  OF  TOMAII. 

This  unique  society  is  one  the  like  of  which  should  exist  in 
every  city  and  village  and  the  example  of  which  has  been  made 
by  this  little  organization  in  the  city  of  Toinah  as  to  what  can 
be  accomplished  in  doing  good  to  your  fellow  creatures  through 
the  broad  exercise  of  diplomatic  charity  is  one  which  any  com- 
munity, no  matter  where  situated,  can  well  take  heed.  The 
society  was  organized  September  8,  1886,  as  an  auxiliary  of  a 
Universalist  church,  which  church  had  planned  to  establish  in 
Tomah,  but  the  plans  were  not  carried  through  and  the  society 
soon  afterwards  became  a  non-sectarian  charitable  organization. 

The  following  ladies  were  the  original  members  or  joined  soon 
after  the  organization  of  the  society:  Mrs.  George  H.  Warren, 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Warren,  Mrs.  W.  N.  Alverson,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Goodyear, 
Mrs.  W.  W.  Alverson,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Hamilton,  ^Mrs.  H.  H.  Ackuer, 
Mrs.  C.  Stannard,  Mrs.  Julia  Eaton,  Mrs.  Electa  Wilkins,  Mrs. 
D.  P.  Rockwood,  ]Mrs.  A.  Soule,  Mrs.  H.  L.  Crandall,  Miss  Jessie 
Campbell,  Mrs.  George  Graham,  Mrs.  C.  F.  Richardson,  Mrs. 
George  Thomas,  :\Irs.  H.  Doxtader,  :\Irs.  W.  Earle,  Mrs.  N.  R. 
Richardson,  Mrs.  R.  Toombs,  Mrs.  B.  Irons,  ]\Irs.  E.  W.  Beebe, 
Mrs.  L.  Richards,  Mrs.  Addison  Cady,  Mrs.  C.  Llerrill,  Mrs.  IT.  W. 
Calkins,  Mrs.  G.  R.  Vincent,  Mrs.  L.  Cady. 

The  iirst  officers  of  the  association  were :  I\Irs.  A.  Cady,  presi- 
dent ;  Mrs.  E.  Hamilton,  vice  president ;  Mrs.  Adenzy  Irons,  secre- 
tary, and  Mrs.  George  Warren,  treasurer. 

The  object  of  this  society  is  to  relieve  the  needy,  which  the 
members  have  tried  to  manage  in  such  a  delicate  and  diplomatic 
way  that  their  beneficiaries  may  not  be  pauperized,  but  helped  in 
the  time  of  misfortune  and  whenever  possible  aided  and  encour- 
aged to  help  themselves.  The  committees  appointed  for  the  sev- 
eral wards  in  the  city  inquire  into  every  case  brought  to  their 
notice  and  such  assistance  as  seems  advisable  is  rendered.  The 
society  has  had  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  public  and  so  has 
been  enabled  to  do  much  work  that  it  otherwise  could  not  have 
done,  especially  at  the  Christmas  season,  when  it  is  the  object  of 

377 


378  IIISTOKY  OF  .AIONKOE  COUNTY 

llie  orgaiiizaliuii  lo  grt  ii  liox  of  clothing,  toys  aud  other  tilings 
to  each  needy  child  Avho  otherwise  might  have  none  of  the  sea- 
son's good  cheer:  and  many  are  the  little  hearts  who  have  been 
made  glad  throngh  the  t honghtfulness  and  kindness  of  the  Help- 
ing Hand  Society. 

In  1898  when  the  war'  cloud  w;is  dark  and  threatening  and  the 
boys  of  the  local  military  company  were  innking  preparations  to 
go  to  the  front,  the  Helping  Hand  Societ\  formed  a  nucleus 
around  which  gathered  those  who  wished  to  hel{)  in  pre|)aring 
bandages  and  small  conveniences  that  "our  hoys"  could  carry 
with  them,  and  when  the  company  Avas  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  the 
nuMubers  gathered  and  sent  a  1)0X  of  bedding  and  many  other 
useful  articles  and  money  with  which,  to  purchase  medicine  and 
other  necessities.  When  the  society  was  first  organized  it  met 
at  the  various  homes  of  its  members,  but  in  1887  it  purchased 
what  Avas  known  as  the  Central  Hall  or  the  old  skating  rink, 
selling  it  a  little  later  and  securing  a  ]^ortiou  of  the  armory  build- 
ing as  soon  as  it  was  completed,  in  Avhich  the  society  holds  a 
financial  interest  and  have  a  long  lease  of  rooms  on  the  ujiper 
floor  consisting  of  a  living  room,  kitchen  and  dining  room  for 
their  use ;  and  under  the  arrangements  Avith  the  Armory  Asso- 
ciation the  society  has  the  use  of  the  entire  building  for  the  cost 
of  opening  and  lighting  it  for  any  entertainments  Avhich  they  may 
Avish  to  give  for  the  i)urpose  of  raising  money  to  go  into  its 
treasury. 

The  present  membership  of  the  society  consists  of  the  folloAv- 
ing  ladies:  Mrs.  G.  A.  Altenberg,  jMrs.  AV.  D.  Bosshard,  ]Mrs. 
AVilliam  Cassels,  ^Mrs.  J.  Hancock,  ]Mrs.  Thomas  ]\IcCaul.  ]\Irs. 
J.  J.  King,  Urs.  C.  Quigg,  INIrs.  F.  K.  Talbot,  Mrs.  F.  S.  BarroAvs. 
Mrs.  E.  Crocker,  JMrs.  "William  Ilomermiller,  ]\Irs.  D.  P.  Rock- 
Avood,  Mrs.  Treat,  ^Nlrs.  A.  N.  Cross,  Mrs.  B.  Irons,  :\Irs.  C.  ]\Iax- 
Avell,  Mrs.  J.  B.  McMullin,  ]\Irs.  C.  T.  Sipple,  Mrs.  E.  Terry,  Mrs. 
Burlin,  Mrs.  Alice  Eaton.  IMrs  E.  Polifka,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Shater- 
Avood,  ]\Irs.  G.  H.  Warren,  and  the  folloAving  honorary  members: 
Mrs.  L.  Burdick,  I\lrs.  TI.  Boxtader.  :\Irs.  D.  E.  :\liller.  :\lrs.  A. 
Cady,  Mrs.  Sherman. 

The  present  officers  are:  ]\Irs.  Eaton.  ])resident ;  ]\[rs.  Talbot. 
vice  president;  Mrs.  Cassels,  treasurer,  and  ]\lrs.  King,  secretary. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
TOMAII  PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 

Like  the  beginning  of  most  institutions  of  this  character,  the 
Tomah  Library  was  instituted  through  the  efiforts  of  a  few  citi- 
zens, who  believed  that  such  an  institution  was  necessary.  Mrs. 
S.  D.  Palmer  called  to  her  assistance  several  ladies  of  the  city 
and  in  the  summer  of  1881  organized  what  was  known  as  the 
Tomah  Library  Association ;  these  ladies  gave  an  entertainment, 
the  proceeds  of  which  were  used  to  purchase  the  first  books  of  the 
library,  and  these  w^ere  afterwards  supplemented  by  the  gifts  of 
various  citizens.  The  books  were  at  first  kept  in  the  photograph 
gallery  of  the  late  E.  N.  Palmer,  Avhere  they  remained  for  about 
a  year.  Later  the  citizens  gave  to  the  Library  Association  the 
use  of  a  room  in  the  city  hall,  where  it  was  housed  and  where 
it  remained  for  a  great  many  years. 

Soon  after  the  library  moved  into  the  city  building  the  city 
appropriated  $100  per  annum  for  the  purchase  of  books,  and  at 
about  this  time  rules  and  regulations  were  drawn  by  Judge 
George  Graham  and  an  annual  fee  of  $1  w^as  charged  for  the  use 
of  the  books,  which  fund  was  used  for  the  purchase  of  books. 

The  first  librarians  were  Mrs.  S.  D.  Palmer,  !Mrs.  John  Boor- 
man,  ]Mrs.  Ida  Vincent  and  INIrs.  Rockw^ood,  all  of  whom  served 
faithfully  and  long  without  any  remuneration,  the  latter  up  to 
July,  1902.  Some  years  prior  to  this  it  was  turned  over  to  the 
city  and  became  a  municipal  institution  and.  was  controlled  by  a 
board  of  trustees,  three  in  number,  appointed  by  the  mayor  and 
confirmed  by  the  common  council,  and  became  known  as  the 
V Tomah  City  Library." 

In  July.  1902,  a  change  of  librarians  brought  about  the 
reorganization  of  the  institution  under  the  state  law%  and  on 
December  18,  1902.  the  board  of  trustees  met  in  the  council  cham- 
ber of  the  city  hall  in  response  to  the  call  of  ]\Irs.  F.  S.  Barrows ; 
three  additional  members,  bringing  the  board  to  the  legal  num- 
ber, having  been  appointed  by  the  Hon.  W.  E.  Nuzum,  then  mayor 
of  the  city,  it  was  found  necessary  to  adopt  by-laws  bringing  the 
library  into  harmony  with  the  state  laws  governing  public 
libraries. 

The  members  present  at  this  meeting  were  ]\Irs.  F.  S.  Bar- 

379  ,    I 


380  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

rows,  ]\Irs.  P>nnk  Fietin^,  ]\[rs.  John  King,  Rev.  Father  AVurst, 
Dr.  A.  R.  Bell.  :\Irs.  ('.  11.  Maxon.  :\Ir.  A.  S.  Goodyear  and  by 
invitation  ]\liss  Cornelia  ]\Iarvin,  of  the  State  Library  Commis- 
sion, Avho  presented  a  set  of  by-laws,  whieh,  with  minor  changes, 
were  adopted.  The  election  of  olficers  was  then  declared  in  order 
following:  Rev.  Father  AViirst,  president;  I\Irs.  F.  S.  Barrows, 
vice  president,  and  Mrs.  John  Fieting,  secretary.  The  action  of 
the  former  board  as  to  the  appointment  of  Caroline  AY.  B.  Vos- 
winkel  as  librarian  was  confirmed  and  the  purchase  of  supplies 
necessary  to  inaugurate  to  the  new  system  of  changing  books, 
cataloging,  etc.,  was  authorized.  All  the  books  were  called  in  and 
the  library  closed  to  the  public  during  the  reorganization  whii-h 
occupied  a  period  of  about  two  weeks. 

The  librarian  was  assisted  in  the  work  of  reorganization  which 
was  under  the  supervision  of  Miss  Marvin,  of  the  State  Library 
Commission,  and  by  j\Iiss  Reilly,  of  Madison.  After  the  com- 
pletion of  the  reorganization  the  library  was  thrown  open  to  the 
public  on  January  2,  1903,  Avitli  793  books  on  the  shelves,  with 
a  registry  of  105.  The  library  continued  to  be  housed  in  the 
council  cliamber  of  the  city  hall  until  December,  1903.  when 
through  the  efforts  of  the  mayor,  Hon.  AY.  E.  Nuzum,  the  "Whit- 
field" property  on  Superior  avenue  was  purchased  and  the  library 
moved  into  its  present  quarters.  The  growth  since  1902  has  been 
steady,  the  days  and  hours  of  opening  having  been  gradually 
extended  from  twice  a  Aveek  to  daily  opening;  this  last  com- 
mencing November,  1911.  The  actual  number  of  its  borrowers 
is  fully  one-third,  if  not  more  of  the  population  of  the  city.  At 
the  last  annual  report  dated  June  30,  1911,  the  number  of  vol- 
umes in  the  library  was  3,733  and  is  now  approximately  4,000 
volumes,  and  circulation  for  the  year  June  30,  1910,  to  July  1. 
1911.  was  19,688. 

The  liln-ary  is  supported  by  the  city  and  receives  an  ajipro- 
priation  l)eginning  with  the  current  year  of  $1,200,  apportioned 
approximately  as  follows:  One-third  for  books  and  periodicals, 
one-third  for  the  librarian's  salary,  and  one-third  for  current 
expenses.  The  city  of  Tomah  Avill  in  a  short  time  liave  a  fine 
new  library  building,  undoubtedly  located  on  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent occupancy,  a  gift  from  the  estate  of  Dr.  Ernest  R.  Buckley,  a 
former  resident  of  Tomah  and  a  graduate  of  the  Tomah  High 
School,  who  acquired  considerable  prominence  as  an  expert  geolo- 
gist and  having  in  mind,  undoubtedly,  the  v\-elfare  of  his  home 
town,  made  provision  in  his  will  for  the  building  of  a  library 
building  to  be  presented  to  the  city  of  Tomah. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  CLUB  OF  TOMAH. 

By  Ella  D.  Goodyear. 

It  was  in  1907  that  the  members  of  three  exclusive  clubs  in 
Tomah  came  together  one  day  for  a  joint  session  of  mutual 
benefit. 

The  leaven  of  social  service  had  faintly  begun  to  work  in  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  a  few,  so  when  the  suggestion  to  form  a 
civic  club  with  an  inilimited  membership  came  it  found  a  few 
enthusiastic  sponsors,  and  the  club  became  a  reality  at  that  time. 
Members  of  the  study  clubs,  who  had  part  in  organizing  became 
charter  members  of  the  civic  club.  Mrs.  F.  S.  Barrows  was  the 
first  president,  with  ]\Irs.  AV.  W.  "Warren  as  secretary. 

It  took  the  entire  year  to  organize,  make  definite,  workable 
plans  and  make  the  club  popular,  for  it  had  to  be  popular  in  order 
to  get  into  its  ranks  indifferent  women  and  prejudiced  ones. 
Some  were  opposed  to  club  work,  using  the  old  argument  that 
it  took  too  much  time  away  from  their  home  duties.  But  the  five 
years'  existence  has  proven  the  fallacy  of  this  argument,  because 
all  the  club  work  carried  on  has  been  in  the  interest  of  the  home 
and  now  the  most  intelligent  women  in  the  community  belong. 
The  club  has  been  fortunate  from  the  beginning  in  having  the 
business  men's  club  rooms  for  meetings.  It  has  added  50  per  cent 
to  the  interest  in  the  club. 

Standing  committees  have  carried  on  from  the  beginning  a 
definite  line  of  work,  and  taking  each  in  turn  I  will  try  to  show 
those  plans,  and  some  of  the  results  accomplished.  For  three 
successive  years  the  art  committee  has  held  in  the  club  rooms 
an  art  exhibit,  charging  a  low  rate  of  admission.  School  children 
have  been  admitted  ahvays  at  a  nominal  price,  and  have  been 
encouraged  to  come.  The  Copley,  Turner,  and  Elson  prints  have 
been  exhibited,  and  from  these  the  committee  has  made  wise 
selections  for  the  walls  of  the  school  rooms.  These  pictures  were 
given  by  the  club.  One  year  ]\Irs.  John  B.  Sherwood,  of  Chicago, 
exhibited  colored  prints  and  American  oil  paintings  in  the  high 
school,   giving  special  talks  to   children.     She   also   gave  a   fine 

381 


382  IIISTOKY  OF  .MOXKOE  COUNTY 

stereoptieon  lecture  on  Italian  art  to  a  mixed  audience  in  the 
evening.  Tliis  visit  from  ]Mrs.  Sherwood,  a  recognized  art  lover 
and  critic,  was  a  great  inspiration  to  the  community  at  large. 
As  a  result  of  five  years'  work,  this  committee,  the  personnel  of 
which  changes  every  year,  has  not  only  given  the  city  oppor- 
tunities in  art,  but  each  school  room  in  the  city  has  at  least  a 
copy  of  one  fine  picture  on  its  walls. 

The  educational  committee  has  done  thorough  and  conscien- 
tious Avork  in  many  lines.  A^'isiting  committees  of  club  members 
regularly  visit  the  schools  and  tliis  has  brought  teachers  and 
parents  into  closer  touch;  occasionally  school  receptions  are  held 
in  the  different  buildings  for  parents  and  teachers. 

Tomah  has  always  had  to  its  credit  a  broad-minded  school 
board.  Suggestions  for  repairs  and  decorations  in  school  rooms, 
improvements  in  sanitary  conditions  or  increase  in  library  facili- 
ties from  this  committee  have  always  met  with  a  ready  response 
from  the  board.  In  the  central  building  a  beautiful  rest  room 
has  been  fitted  up.  Teachers,  pupils  and  the  school  board  cooper- 
ated with  the  club  to  accomplish  this.  At  present  the  same  com- 
bination is  working  for  play  ground  equipment  for  the  large  and 
spacious  grounds  surrounding  this  same  building.  Under  the 
direction  of  this  committee  also,  the  club  annually  gives  a  recep- 
tion to  the  teachers,  which  is  always  a  pleasant  and  social  affair. 

Perhaps  the  largest  task  undertaken  by  the  committee  was 
the  agitation  for  music,  manual  training,  and  domestic  science 
in  the  schools.  But  after  the  patrons  of  the  school  became  assured 
of  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  these  branches,  the  matter  was 
easily  and  quickly  settled  at  the  annual  school  meeting  of  1911, 
and  as  a  result  the  Tomah  high  schools  are  among  the  most  up- 
to-date  in  the  state.  The  music  committee  furnishes  a  piano  for 
the  club  rooms  the  year  around.  By  this  means  every  meeting 
has  a  good  program  of  music.  School  children  under  the  leader- 
ship of  the  music  teacher  often  entertain,  and  many  high  school 
students  of  talent  have  been  brought  before  the  public  in  this 
way,  and  also  have  given  niurii  pleasure  to  others. 

The  library  committee  has  always  been  in  accoi'd  with  the 
library  board  and  librarian.  Their  active  work  has  been  con- 
fined to  substantial  gifts  heretofore.  One  year  the  committee 
held  a  double  program,  calling  it  Library  Day.  The  afternoon 
program  Avas  given  up  to  a  review  of  the  past  and  an  analysis  of 
the  present  by  the  librarian.  The  past  was  reviewed  by  some  of 
the  founders  of  the  library,  who  gave  a  most  interesting  account 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  CLUB  OF  TOMAII  383 

of  the  beginning  and  early  struggle  of  what  is  today  an  excellent 
free  public  library.  The  evening  was  devoted  to  the  possibilities 
of  the  future  for  a  library,  Avitli  an  address  by  Miss  Stearns  of  the 
State  Library  Commission. 

The  civics  committee  started  out  Avith  the  definite  plan  of 
making  Tomah  more  clean  and  more  beautiful.  AVith  this  pur- 
pose in  view,  and  with  the  financial  support  of  the  C.  A.  Good- 
year Lumber  Company,  they  engaged  Mrs.  McCrea,  a  professional 
landscape  gardener  of  Chicago,  to  come  to  Tomah  to  plant  trees 
and  shrubs  in  all  private  yards  of  owners  interested.  The  only 
expense  to  the  owners  to  be  the  cost  of  the  shrubs.  Public  school 
grounds,  the  library  lot,  and  many  unsightly  places  were  cleaned 
up  and  beautified  under  the  inspiration  of  Mrs.  McCrea.  Prizes 
to  the  amount  of  $100  were  offered  at  the  end  of  the  season  for 
those  private  places  showing  the  most  improvement.  Since  that 
time  an  annual  Municipal  Cleaning  Day  has  been  appointed  by 
the  mayor.  On  one  cleaning  day  the  citizens  of  one  neighbor- 
hood secured  the  use  of  Barrows  Grove,  a  natural  beauty  spot  in 
the  southeast  corner  ol  the  city,  as  a  picnic  ground  for  the  pub- 
lic. They  cleaned  it  up,  and  made  picnic  benches  and  tables 
and  hung  swings.  Recently  the  civics  committee  has  assisted  the 
schools  on  Arbor  Day  by  arranging  for  the  planting  of  trees. 

The  Junior  Civic  League  is  a  protege  of  the  civics  committee 
organized  in  the  schools.  The  children  buy  league  buttons  to 
wear  and  sign  a  pledge  to  keep  the  city  clean  and  to  protect  the 
birds  and  animals.  Penny  packages  of  flowers  and  vegetables 
are  sold  to  the  children  in  the  spring.  In  September  a  flower 
and  vegetable  show  is  held,  prizes  being  given  for  the  best. 

The  Humane  Society  was  organized  under  the  direction  of 
the  civics  committee,  but  entirely  independent  to  the  club.  A 
campaign  against  bill  boards,  agitation  for  a  saner  Fourth,  rest 
rooms  for  county  fair  week,  are  some  of  the  proposed  reforms 
now  in  committee.  The  club  as  a  whole  has  raised  money  for  a 
large  fountain  for  dogs  and  horses,  costing  $400.  And  the  latest 
effort  has  been  a  Tomah  cook  book,  gotten  up  primarily  as  a 
means  of  earning  money,  and  has  been  successful  from  every 
standpoint. 

The  ways  and  means  committee  has  always  had  an  important 
part  to  play  in  the  club,  for  without  it  no  work  could  have  been 
accomplished.  They  have  given  card  parties,  dances,  a  ball  game 
between  the  professional  and  the  business  men  of  the  city,  and 
in  many  ways  raised  the  necessary  funds.     The  social  commit- 


384  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

tee  lias  done  effective  service  by  promoting  sociality,  providing 
entertainment  for  members  and  their  friends.  They  arrange  for 
the  annual  banquet  each  year,  and  one  year  gave  a  complimentary 
banquet  to  the  Business  ]\Ien's  Club. 

And  last,  but  not  least,  must  be  mentioned  the  program  and 
press  committee,  "who  keep  the  wheels  oiled.  They  -work  early 
and  late,  but  behind  the  scenes.  Neither  club  members  nor  the 
public  realize  the  faithful  attention  these  committees  must  give 
to  details.  Many  entertaining  programs  are  given  throughout 
the  year,  and  many  instructive  ones.  Men  and  women  of  note  in 
the  state  have  been  guests  of  the  club  and  spoken  before  it. 
Social  center  work,  boy  problems,  domestic  science,  peace  and 
conversation,  are  among  the  subjects  which  have  been  discussed. 
And  not  less  helpful  have  been  the  interesting  talks  given  by 
Tomah's  own  citizens  on  live  topics  of  the  day.  At  the  close  of 
five  years'  existence,  the  club  is  a  prosperous  and  active  agent  in 
the  plans  for  progress  in  the  city  of  Tomah. 

OFFICERS,  1911-1912. 

President,  ]Mrs.  AV.  R.  ]\lcCaul;  first  vice  president.  ]Mrs.  AV.  AV. 
AYarren ;  second  vice  president,  Mrs.  H.  J.  Skinner ;  third  A"ice 
president,  Mrs.  E.  K.  Tuttlo ;  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  A.  L. 
Burt;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  A.  A.  Fix;  treasurer,  Mrs.  AYallace 
Taft. 

Active  Membership  List :  Airs.  0.  L.  Anderson,  Airs.  R. 
Andres,  Airs.  Robert  Babb,  Airs.  F.  S.  Barrows,  Airs.  Earnest 
Bartels,  Airs.  ^Y.  R.  Bartels,  Airs.  L.  N.  Burt,  Airs.  Addison  Cady, 
Airs.  T.  B.  Corrigan,  Airs.  Frank  Drew,  Airs.  Alice  Eaton,  Airs. 
Fred  Eldridge,  Airs.  Alois  Fix.  Airs.  AYill  Gleis,  Airs.  AI.  Gondre- 
zick,  Airs.  A.  S.  Goodyear,  Airs.  George  Graham,  Airs.  Clarence 
Hanover,  Airs.  F.  AI.  Hart.  Airs.  E.  E.  Hatch,  Airs.  C.  C.  Hazen, 
Airs.  Anna  Homermiller,  Airs.  AV.  C.  Homermiller,  Airs.  II.  B. 
Johnson,  Airs.  Carrie  King,  Airs.  E.  F.  Koon,  Airs.  AYilliam  Lee, 
Airs.  AI.  B.  Lee,  Airs.  E.  Lockwood,  Airs.  AA'.  E.  Barnhart.  Airs. 
L.  AY.  Earle.  Airs.  Thomas  AlcCaul,  Airs.  AY.  R.  AlcCaul.  Airs. 
Charles  AIcFadden,  Airs.  L.  AIcKain,  Airs.  C.  J.  Alaxwell,  Airs.  E. 
Aleloy,  Airs.  AI.  Aloran,  Airs.  James  O'Leary.  AFrs.  Sarah  Palmer, 
Airs.  A.  B.  Pennewell,  Airs.  C.  E.'  Quigg.  Airs.  AYilliam  Roddell, 
Airs.  Edward  Schwerer,  Airs.  Elizabeth  Seymour,  Airs.  C.  T.  Sipple, 
Airs.  J.  Simonson.  Airs.  II.  J.  Skinner,  Airs.  I.  G.  Stutsman,  Airs. 
Charles  Taft,  Airs.  AVallace  Taft,  Airs.  F.  K.  Tuttle,  Airs.  F.  K. 
Talbot,  Airs.  Emma  J,  Treat,  Airs.  George  Uebele,  Aliss  C.  AY.  C. 


CIVIC  IMPROVEMENT  CLUB  OF  TOMAH  385 

Voswinkle,  Mrs.  AY.  W.  Warren,  Mrs.  Waltman,  Mrs.  Charles 
Weiss,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Wiklimd,  Mrs.  A.  Withers,  Mrs.  W.  B.  Naylor, 
Mrs.  George  Warren,  Mrs.  C.  J.  Wells,  Mrs.  A,  E.  Winter,  Mrs. 
A.  C.  Stone,  Mrs.  Charles  Hanehett. 


CHAPTER  XL. 
MAXL'FACTrRlXG  IXTEIJESTS  OF  TOMAII. 

Goodyear  Lumber  Company.  The  original  firm  of  D.  A.  & 
C.  A.  Goodyear  was  organized  in  1876,  its  first  plant  being  a 
portable  mill  located  at  Mather  Station,  on  the  Valley  division 
of  the  Chicago,  :\Iihvaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad.  In  1879  C.  A. 
Goodyear  became  a  resident  of  Tomah,  and  in  1883  the  lumber 
yards  of  the  company  were  located  here,  followed  by  the  location 
of  their  large  planing  mill  the  next  season,  at  the  site  where  it 
now  stands.  In  connection  Avith  the  planing  mill  they  put  in  an 
electric  light  plant  and  furnished  light  for  the  city  and  private 
residences  and  business  houses  for  many  years,  until  this  part 
of  the  business  was  sold  a  few  years  ago  to  a  stock  company. 

Tlie  company  operated  mills  at  different  points  on  the  Valley 
division  when  the  building  of  the  Goodyear  railway  in  the  heart 
of  a  large  tract  of  timber  resulted  in  the  construction  of  their 
large  mill  at  the  station  of  Goodyear.  After  this  pine  was 
exhausted  the  company,  having  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  with  several  hundred  millions 
of  good  pine  upon  it,  the  big  saw  mill  was  moved  to  Tomah  and 
arrangements  made  with  the  railway  company  to  haul  logs  to 
the  mill  on  the  Valley  division,  which  situation  obtains  today;  a 
train  a  day  of  logs  is  delivered  at  the  mill. 

This  saw  mill  has  within  the  past  few  years  been  thoroughly 
overhauled  and  improved ;  is  now  operated  by  electricity  and  is 
considered  a  model  of  its  kind  and  one  of  the  best  equipped  saw 
mills  to  be  found  anywhere. 

The  Bridge  Works.  In  1890  the  Chicago,  :\Iilwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Company  decided  to  locate  its  bridge  building  department 
at  Tomah ;  this  only  came  about  after  quite  a  contest  between 
several  towns  along  the  main  line  of  the  road,  as  most  of  the  cities 
from  AVatertown  to  LaCrosse,  including  both  places,  made  offers 
of  bonuses  in  various  forms.  The  common  council  of  the  city 
of  Tomah  tendered  the  company  ten  acres  of  land  lying  north  of 
the  new  depot,  which  oft'er  was  accepted,  and  it  was  mainly  due 

386 


MANUFACTURING  INTERESTS  OF  TOMAH  387 

to  the  fact  that  Tomah  was  centrally  located  that  induced  the 
company  to  locate  here  and  refuse  more  advantageous  offers  from 
other  places. 

It  consists  of  a  large  office  building  and  a  factory  building 
60  by  350  feet,  equipped  with  machinery  for  wood  working;  a 
large  yard  for  the  storing  of  lumber,  timber,  piles,  concrete  mix- 
ing apparatus  and  general  supplies ;  there  is  also  a  paint  shop 
in  connection.  At  this  plant  not  only  are  wooden  culverts  and 
bridges  constructed,  but  depots,  store  houses  and  other  build- 
ings are  manufactured  ready  to  set  up ;  it  employs  a  large  force 
of  men  and  operates  the  year  around. 

The  Frog  Shops,  as  they  are  familiarly  called,  were  located 
here,  by  the  St.  Paul  company,  and  the  buildings  erected  for  the 
plant  in  1907 ;  the  shops  are  most  modern,  being  equipped  wnth 
electrical  machinery  and  manufacture  frogs  for  the  tracks  and 
other  iron  work ;  it  is  operated  by  a  large  power  plant  in  a  sepa- 
rate building  containing  powerful  engines  and  huge  dynamos, 
used  for  both  power  and  lighting.  This  is  a  busy  place  and 
employs  about  from  100  to  150  men. 

Sash  and  Door  Factory,  operated  by  Crosset  brothers,  started 
a  number  of  years  ago  in  a  very  modest  way,  is  now  a  large  plant 
employing  quite  a  force  of  men ;  the  company  does  an  extensive 
business  in  contract  work,  from  building  frames  and  interior 
finish,  to  erecting  of  entire  buildings.  The  plant  has  a  fine  equip- 
ment of  machinery  and  is  operated  by  steam. 

Tomah  Electric  Light  and  Telephone  Company  now  owns  and 
controls  the  telephone  plant  and  connecting  lines  and  also  the 
electric  lighting  plant ;  the  telephone  company  is  equipped  with 
its  own  office  building  with  modern  switch  boards,  and  owns  a 
large  mileage  of  line  having  connection  with  long-distance  serv- 
ice. The  electric  light  plant  is  the  only  one  in  the  city  furnish- 
ing street  lights  as  well  as  for  business  places  and  residences;  a 
well  managed,  up-to-date  institution. 

Farmers'  Creamery  was  organized  in  August,  1902,  and 
located  its  plant  in  the  city  building,  a  brick  building  with  a  most 
modern  eciuipment ;  this  institution  has  been  successfully  con- 
ducted and  does  a  large  volume  of  business  each  year  running 
close  to  $150,000. 

Soda  Water  Factory  has  been  conducted  for  many  j^ears  by 
M.  Gondrezick  at  the  same  location  known  as  the  old  "Grant 
House"  corner.  Mr.  Gondrezick  owns  the  building  there  located 
and  uses  the  entire  basement  for  his  factory. 


388  HISTORY  0  '  MONROE  COUNTY 

A  Flour  and  Feed  Mill  is  operated  by  AT.  H.  Schultz  &  Co. 
in  the  same  block  in  wliiei  the  Sherman  House  is  located,  and 
enjoys  a  large  clientage  aniong  the  farmers. 

A  number  of.  years  ago  a  brick  manufacturing  plant  was 
operated  by  Thomas  ]\IcCaul  near  the  city;  good  clay  for  the 
manufacture  of  red  brick  being  found  upon  the  property  acquired 
by  him  Avest  of  town;  it  was  operated  for  a  few  years,  but  for 
some  reason  was  abandoned  and  tlie  land  used  for  farming 
purposes. 

Another  Wood-Working"  Plant  is  operated  by  the  Tomah 
IManufacturiug  Company,  Avhich  does  general  contracting  in  the 
building  line ;  has  been  operated  for  about  eight  or  nine  years. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 
BANKS  IN  TOMAIl. 

The  early  history  of  the  baiikiiig  interests  in  Tomah  is  not  in 
the  form  of  corporate  existence;  and  up  to  the  time  of  the  change 
in  the  banking  laws,  were  private  banks  owned  by  partnerships ; 
no  public  record  is  available  and  no  record  at  all  can  be  found. 
In  the  early  seventies  Runkel  &  Freeman  entered  into  the  bank- 
ing business  in  a  w^hite  brick  building  in  the  block  just  south 
of  Gillett  pg.rk ;  what  the  capital  invested  was  or  the  volume  of 
business  transacted  is  not  noAv  known.  The  Bank  of  Tomah  suc- 
ceeded this  and  was  established  by  Thayer  &  Kingman,  of  Sparta, 
in  1879,  and  was  also  a  private  bank.  These  gentlemen  were  at 
the  time  conducting  the  Monroe  County  Bank  at  Sparta  also. 

But  in  1893,  Mr.  Kingman  having  withdrawn  from  the  busi- 
ness some  years  before,  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Thayer, 
both  these  institutions  failed  and  went  into  the  hands  of  an 
assignee,  "W.  G.  Williams,  who  wound  up  the  affairs  of  both 
institutions. 

AVith  this  exception  the  banks  in  Tomah  have  been  conducted 
on  sound  financial  principles,  conservatively  managed  and  have 
retained  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  the  city  and  surround- 
ing country. 

At  this  time  Tomah  is  well  favored  with  banks,  having  four 
banking  houses,  each,  of  course,  organized  under  the  laws  of  the 
state.  The  combined  capital  of  these  institutions  is  $90,200,  and 
the  combined  assets  foot  up  to  the  sum  of  $1,118,527.02,  aggre- 
gated from  the  reports  of  June,  1912. 

Warren's  Bank  was  organized  in  1888  as  a  private  banking 
house  under  the  name  of  J.  H.  Warren  &  Son.  Its  officers  were : 
J.  H.  Warren,  president ;  G.  H.  Warren,  vice  president,  and  AV.  W. 
Warren,  cashier ;  the  composition  of  this  firm  was  unique  in  that 
it  represented  three  generations  of  the  Warrens,  and  at  the  time 
of  the  organization  of  the  firm  their  ages  were,  respectively, 
eighty-six  years,  fifty-three  years  and  twenty-three  years. 

As  a  private  bank  it  had  from  the  start  the  confidence  of  the 
public,  and  wliile  still  conducted  as  such  its  deposits  ran  up  to 

389 


390  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

over  $270,000,  -which  is  a  remarkabh^  testimonial  of  confidenee 
in  an  institution  without  capital.  This  bank  passed  through 
three  panics  witliout  closing  its  doors,  and  in. the  panic  of  1893 
was  the  only  bank  in  the  county  that  kept  its  doors  open  and 
did  business  at  the  old  stand. 

In  1903,  under  the  laws  then  passed,  it  was  organized  as  a 
state  bank  with  a  capital  of  $25,000;  at  that  time  John  H.  "War- 
ren had  passed  away  and  George  H.  \Varren  became  president, 
W.  W.  AVarren  remaining  cashier;  the  bank  having  been  con- 
ducted under  the  same  management  for  over  twenty-three  years 
up  to  the  death  of  George  II.  AVarren.  AV.  AY.  AA^arren  has  suc- 
ceeded to  the  position  of  his  father  and  is  now  president  and 
manager;  J.  P.  Reinhard,  formerly  of  the  ]\Ionroe  County  Bank 
at  Sparta,  cashier.  Norma  Fitch,  bookkeeper. 

That  under  tlie  management  of  Colonel  AYarren  the  same  con- 
servative methods  are  used  and  that  the  confidence  of  the  public 
is  still  the  same  is  evidenced  by  the  deposits  which  in  June.  1912, 
were  $509,146.18.  and  this  together  with  its  capital  stock,  sur- 
plus of  $5,000  and  undivided  profits,  brings  up  the  grand  total 
to  $541,743.55. 

The  bank  occupies  its  own  l)uilding,  built  in  1888,  in  which 
business  was  first  opened  up. 

Bank  of  Tomah.  After  the  failure  of  the  Thayer  bank  in 
1893,  the  opportunity  to  establish  a  bank  business  in  Tomali 
appeared  good  to  Frenk  Drew,  formerly  of  Portage,  later  of 
Dakota,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in  tlie  1)anking  business  Avith 
his  brother.  He  came  to  Tomah  late  in  the  year  1893  and  pro- 
ceeded to  interest  some  of  the  business  men  of  the  community 
in  the  organizing  of  a  banking  corporation  under  'ihe  name  of 
the  Bank  of  Tomah. 

A  Ijanking  corporation  was  organized  witli  Frank  Drew,  AYat- 
son  Earle  and  Charles  A.  Goodyear  and  AVilliam  Feiting  as  its 
incorporators  and  principal  stockholders.  The  business  name  of 
"Bank  of  Tomah,"'  together  with  the  building  in  whieh  tluit 
institution  had  been  housed,  were  purchased  of  the  assignee. 
AY.  0.  AVilliams,  and  its  existence  as  a  bank  began  Alardi  1.  1894, 
with  a  capital  of  $25,000. 

In  Septem])(M*,  190;^,  an  amendment  was  made  to  the  articles 
of  incorporation  so  that  the  capital  was  made  $15,200. 

C.  A.  Goodyear  was  its  first  president,  with  Frank  Drew  as 
cashier.  Later  ^Ir.  AYatson  Earle  succeeded  to  the  presidency. 
The  bank  has  been  successfully  conducted  under  the  manage- 
ment of  ]\Ir.  Drew  since  its  organization ;  has  the  confidence  of 


BANKS  IN  TOMAH  391 

the  public  and  has  a  large  clientage  of  depositors  among  the  busi- 
ness men  and  farmers  of  the  surrounding  territory. 

Its  deposits  in  June,  1912,  -were  $216,936.84,  which,  together 
with  its  capital,  surplus  and  undivided  profits,  makes  a  grand 
total  of  $237,842.32. 

Farmers'  &  Merchants'  Bank.  This  institution  has  not  been 
organized  long  enough  to  have  much  of  a  history,  as  its  authority 
to  do  business  dates  from  February  25,  1911.  It  was  incorporated 
by  Thomas  E.  Anderson,  George  P.  Stevens  and  William  J.  Bren- 
nan ;  erected  a  handsome  banking  house  on  Superior  avenue, 
starting  business  with  a  surplus  fund  of  $10,000  in  addition  to  its 
capital. 

Thomas  E.  Anderson  is  president  and  William  J.  Brennan  is 
cashier.  Under  their  management,  in  little  over  a  year,  the  insti- 
tution has  grown  remarkably.  In  June,  1912,  its  deposits  w^ere 
$220,661.33,  and  taken  together  with  its  capital,  surplus  fund 
and  undivided  profits,  makes  a  grand  total  of  $256,243.76. 

The  State  Bank.  This  bank  also  is  of  so  recent  an  organiza- 
tion as  to  preclude  any  historical  sketch,  for  its  history  is  yet  to 
be  made  outside  of  the  fact  of  its  organization  and  commence- 
ment of  business.  Its  organizers,  believing  the  field  for  another 
bank  at  Tomali  still  a  good  one,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
there  Avere  three  other  banking  institutions,  incorporated  under 
the  state  law  with  a  capital  of  $25,000 ;  J.  P.  Rice,  C.  B.  Drowatzky 
and  G.  C.  Pingel  were  its  incorporators;  the  present  officers  are, 
J.  P.  Rice,  president ;  G.  C.  Pingel,  vice  president ;  C.  B.  Dro- 
watzky, cashier ;  H.  B.  Vaudell,  F.  0.  Drowatzky  and  A.  0  'Leary, 
directors. 

The  bank  opened  business  under  circumstances  which  seem 
to  insure  a  good  growth  in  business.  During  its  short  existence 
its  deposits  have  reached  in  June,  1912,  $57,074.14,  and,  taken 
together  with  surplus  fund  and  undivided  profits,  makes  a  total 
of  $82,692.39  at  that  time. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 
THE  TOMAII  INDIAN  INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOL. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  interesting  educational  institutions 
in  the  county  is  the  Indian  Industrial  Boarding  School  located  at 
Toniali;  this  is  one  of  the  several  schools  owned  and  conducted 
by  the  United  States  Government  for  the  education  of  Indian 
children. 

AVhen  in  1890  the  subject  Avas  agitated  of  establishing  an 
Int^iian  school  in  the  central  portion  of  Wisconsin,  a  strong  com- 
petition began  between  several  cities  of  the  state  to  secure  the 
school;  Tomah,  Sparta,  Eau  Claire,  La  Crosse,  Black  River  Falls 
and  several  other  cities  entered  the  contest  and  all  sorts  of 
inducements  were  offered  to  the  government  authorities.  The 
city  of  Tomah  offered  to  i)urchase  a  farm  of  200  acres  located 
tM'O  miles  north  of  the  city  limits  for  the  farm  and  the 
buildings;  the  citizens  were  successful  in  securing  its  location; 
originally  the  sum  of  $25,000  was  appropriated  for  the  initial 
expenses  of  building  the  plant ;  the  original  buildings  consisted 
of  a  large  brick  building  and  boiler  house  containing  heating 
plant  and  laundry.  Since  that  time  six  brick  and  ten  frame 
buildings  have  been  added  and  the  farm  has  been  increased  by 
the  Government  to  340  acres.  This  farm  is  under  the  man- 
agement of  an  expert  farmer  aid  a  competent  dairy  man  is 
also  employed,  who  has  at  this  time  under  his  charge  fifty 
Holstein  dairy  cattle.  ]\Iuch  valual)l('  instruction  is  given  to 
the  Indian  l)oys  l)y  the  manager  of  these  two  industries  and 
at  the  same  time  considerable  experimental  work  has  been  done 
and  is  now  being  done  on  the  farm  under  the  direction  of  the 
Agricultural  Department  of  the  State  University.  All  of  this  fur- 
nishes instruction  of  the  finest  kind  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indian 
boy  pupils,  who  are  thus  receiving  a  practical  education  in  farm- 
ing and  dairying  and  in  other  agricultural  pursuits.  In  addition 
to  that  boys  are  taught  carpenter  work ;  there  is  a  complete 
course  in  domestic  science  and  art  for  the  girls  which  is  main- 
tained in  a  well  equipped  l)uilding  provided  for  that  purpose. 

The  Government  ]>ays  all  the  expenses  of  the  pupils,  including 

392 


THE  TOMAH  INDIAN  INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOL        393 

transportation  to  and  from  school ;  they  are  kept  for  a  term  of 
three  years  and  literary  instruction  is  given  during  nine  months 
of  the  year,  the  pupils  being  carried  through  the  eight  grades  of 
the  common  school  branches  being  the  state  school  course  for 
AVisconsin.  Pupils  are  received  from  any  of  the  middle  western 
states  and  most  of  them  come  from  Wisconsin,  some  coming  from 
IMinnesota  and  Michigan. 

The  school  is  maintained  under  the  semi-military  discipline 
and  the  boys  wear  a  neat  blue  uniform  trimmed  with  red,  and 
the  girls  are  dressed  in  becoming  dresses;  they  are  taught  the 
habits  of  cleanliness  and  all  of  the  pupils  live  at  the  school  iu 
large  dormitories  which  are  cared  for  by  the  pupils  principally. 
Some  of  the  girls,  in  fact  most  of  them,  show  a  great  talent  for 
needle  work  and  turn  out  beautiful  pieces  of  embroidery  and 
other  fancy  work  as  well  as  neatly  executed  plain  seMdng.  The 
boys  go  into  athletics  quite  freely  under  the  instruction  of  their 
teachers  and  for  a  number  of  years  a  football  team  has  held  ujj 
the  honor  of  the  little  Indians  in  various,  contests  with  high 
school  and  other  teams  throughout  this  part  of  the  state ;  every 
summer  a  baseball  team  has  been  supported  consisting  entirely 
of  pupils  of  the  school  and  under  the  instruction  of  an  expert 
ball  player  who  formerly  graduated  from  the  Carlyle  School,  and 
is  a  ball  team  which  is  no  mean  antagonist  and  plays  games  with 
different  clubs  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

For  a  number  of  years  a  brass  band  has  been  a  part  of  the 
equipment  of  the  school  and  the  young  Indian  boys  take  to  music 
very  readily;  the  Tomah  Indian  School  Band  has  quite  a  reputa- 
tion in  this  part  of  the  state ;  the  entire  band  is  composed  of  th(! 
Indian  youths  of  various  ages  under  the  instruction  of  an  Indian 
leader,  a  man  by  the  name  of  "Look  Around";  he  is  an  excellent 
slide  trombone  player  and  a  very  fine  musician.  Many  of  th(^ 
graduates  of  the  school  have  taken  responsible  positions  and  have 
made  homes  for  themselves  and  great  benefit  is  derived  from  this 
institution ;  it  is  hoped  that  many  good  citizens  may  bo  made  from 
the  Indian  children  in  the  future  as  has  been  done  in  the  past. 

The  present  superintendent,  L.  ]\I.  Comptoji,  has  been  in  charge 
of  the  school  for  the  last  fourteen  years  and  his  fine  executive 
ability,  together  with  a  disposition  which  seems  to  be  suited  to 
over-mastering  difficulties,  has  built  up  an  institution  which  is 
second  to  none  of  its  kind  anywhere  in  the  country;  Mr.  Comp- 
ton  is  considered  a  vlauable  citizen  of  Monroe  county  as  well,  as 
he  is  public  spirited  and  has  given  a  good  deal  in  the  interests 
of  the  community  at  Tomah.     He  recently  was  appointed  a  gov- 


394  HISTORY  OF  ]\rONROE  COUNTY 

ernmeut  Indian  agent  for  this  section  of  the  state  and  it  is  his 
duty  to  look  after  the  tribal  Indians  and  to  conduct  the  govern- 
ment annuity  payments,  a  duty  which  he  performs  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  Indian  department.  A  good  residence  is  provided 
on  the  farm  for  the  superintendent  and  also  for  the  farmer,  and 
together  with  fine  outbuildings  makes  a  plant  which  is  not  only 
valuable,  but  conducted  in  all  lines  in  the  highest  of  development 
and  is  visited  by  many  people  from  different  parts  of  the  country. 
The  attendance  at  the  present  time  is  250  scholars. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 
STATE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL. 

Chapter  337,  laws  of  1885,  made  it  the  duty  of  the  board  of 
supervision,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  governor,  to  select 
a  suitable  site  and  erect  thereon  buildings  for  a  state  school  or 
temporary  home  for  dependent  and  neglected  children — such 
institution  to  be  known  as  the  "State  Public  School."  Soon 
after  the  enactment  of  this  law  the  board  advertised  for  proposals 
for  furnishing  a  site  for  this  institution,  and  received  responses 
from  Stevens' Point,  Waupaca,  Green  Bay,  Oshkosh,  Fond  du  Lac, 
Ripon,  New  Lisbon,  Sparta  and  La  Crosse.  Subsequently  the 
board  visited  all  these  places,  inspecting  the  sites  proposed  and 
canvassed  the  advantages  of  each  locality,  and,  finally,  with  the 
approval  of  the  governor,  selected  Sparta  as  the  locality  for  the 
school,  accepting  an  offer  of  a  tract  of  land  embracing  164.8 
acres  as  the  site.  This  land  lies  in  one  regular  body  on  the 
northeast  of  the  city,  being  partly  within  its  limits,  having  the 
La  Crosse  river  for  its  eastern  boundary  and  one  of  the  city 
streets  as  its  western  line.  The  location  is  in  all  respects  a  health- 
ful one,  possesses  many  attractions  in  itself,  and  commands  a  view 
of  one  of  the  finest  landscapes  in  the  state. 

During  the  year  1886  three  cottages  were  erected  and  equipped 
in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  law,  two  of  them  of 
solid  brick,  two  stories  and  an  attic  in  height,  with  stone  base- 
ment, and  capable  of  accommodating  100  pupils.  The  third  cot- 
tage, a  frame  structure,  veneered  with  brick,  two  stories  and  an 
attic  above  a  stone  basement,  was  devoted  at  first  to  the  uses  of 
the  superintendent  and  his  family,  but  subsequently  to  the  accom- 
modation of  the  young  children,  of  Avhom  it  affords  room  for 
thirty.  The  institution  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  pupils  on 
the  13th  of  November,  1886,  with  Robert  T.  Roberts  as  superin- 
tendent. It  soon  became  apparent,  from  the  rapidity  with  which 
committments  were  made,  that  more  room  must  be  provided 
before  the  full  benefits  of  the  institution  could  be  realized. 
Accordingly  the  legislature  of  1887  made  provisions  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  central  building,  two  cottages  and  such  other  structures 

395 


396  HISTORY  OF  :\10XR0E  COUNTY 

as  it  should  (Icciii  iiocpssary.  The  board  of  supervision,  during 
that  year,  had  erected  the  buildings  named,  and  in  addition 
tliereto  a  boiler  and  engine  liouse  and  laundry  and  a  l)arn.  The 
central  building  is  of  briek,  three  stories  in  height  upon  a  stone 
basement,  and  furnishes  room  for  the  superintendent  and  his 
family  and  employes,  a  general  kitehen  and  large  dining  room,  an 
assembly  room  and  offices.  The  cottages  are  of  brick,  two  stories 
and  an  attic  in  height,  with  a  stone  basement,  and  furnish  accom- 
modations for  sixty  pupils  each.  A  school  house,  two  stories 
in  height,  containing  three  class  rooms  and  necessary  halls  on 
each  tioor,  and  furnishing  accommodations  for  about  250  pupils, 
was  erected  in  3889,  as  were  also  a  cold  storage  building,  ice 
house  and  additional  farm  buildings,  and  a  dAvelliug  house  on 
adjoining  land  purchased  was  reconstructed  into  a  comfortable 
hospital. 

In  August,  1891,  the  board  of  control  elected  F.  L.  Sanborn, 
of  Ashland,  to  be  superintendent  in  place  of  ]\Ir.  Roberts,  whose 
term  had  expired.  July  7,  1892,  fire,  believed  to  be  the  work  of 
an  incendiary  ward,  destroyed  the  roof  and  upper  story  of  the 
main  building.  The  building  was  promptly  reconstructed  at  a 
cost  of  .^4,814. 96.  The  primary  object  of  the  institution  is  to  fur- 
nish a  temporary  home  for  dependent  and  neglected  children 
until  suitable  homes  can  be  found  for  them  in  good  families. 
AVhile  they  remain  in  the  institution  they  are  instructed  in  the 
elementary  branches  of  an  English  education. 

July  ],  1895,  lion.  S.  S.  Landt  was  elected  to  the  superiu- 
tendency,  which  position  he  held  for  four  years.  Under  his 
administration  a  general  hospital  Avas  constructed  at  a  cost  of 
$3,300;  also  an  addition  to  the  laundry  building  for  storage  pur- 
poses at  a  cost  of  $1,000.  M.  T.  Park  succeeded  Mr.  Landt  on 
July  I,  1899,  and  continued  in  office  nine  years.  •During  his 
administration  the  following  buildings  Avere  erected:  Horse  barn 
for  driving  teams,  at  a  cost  of  $2,250;  two  playhouses  or  pavilions, 
costing  $300  each ;  new  coal  shed  with  capacity  for  storing  600 
tons  of  coal,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000;  shed  for  farm  machinery,  at  a 
cost  of  $300;  two  additions  were  built  on  Cottage  "D,"  increasing 
the  capacity  from  fifteen  to  thirty  1)abies,  at  a  cost  of  $6,000. 

C.  M.  Bright  succeeded  ^Ir.  Park  as  superintendent  on  July  1, 
1908,  and  continued  in  office  three  years.  Two  niMv  cottages  Avere 
constructed  at  a  cost  of  about  $22,000;  alst)  other  improvements 
of  remodeling  and  new  ])lumbing  in  the  cottages,  school  liouse  and 
kitchen,  at  an  expense  of  $1,000. 

J.  F.  Brown,  superintendent  of  School  for  the  Blind  at  Janes- 


STATE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  397 

ville,  was  transferred  to  the  State  Public  School,  succeeding  C.  M. 
Bright  as  superintendent  on  August  1,  1911.  LTp  to  the  present 
time  3,711  children  have  been  committed,  the  majority  having 
been  placed  in  homes  on  indenture  contracts,  where  they  remain 
until  they  become  eighteen  years  of  age.  The  average  population 
of  the  institution  is  now  (May  29,  1912)  140. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

VILLACxES  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

VILLAGE  OF  CASHTON. 

Eighteen  miles  south  of  Sparta,  on  an  elevation  700  feet 
above  the  county  seat  of  Monroe  county,  overlooking  one  of  the 
prettiest  districts  of  farm  lands  in  western  Wisconsin,  stands  the 
village  of  Cashton.  The  land  Avhere  the  village  is  located  is  on 
section  thirty,  township  fifteen,  north  of  range  three  Avest,  in  the 
town  of  Jefferson,  and  was  formerly  OAvned  l)y  Andrew  Nelson 
and  Hans  Larson,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  near  the 
village. 

On  September  28,  1879,  AVilliam  Byer  came  to  the  place  from 
Sparta  and  bought  the  first  lot  sold  where  the  ]\Iitchell  building 
stands  at  present,  on  the  corner  of  Front  and  Broadway 
streets,  and  on  this  lot  Mr.  Byer  started  to  erect  a  small  ])uiid- 
ing.  Two  or  three  days  later  Peter  E.  Nelson  arrived  on  the 
scene  and  thus  the  Village  of  Cashton  made  its  start.  There  was 
no  place  to  board,  and  ]Mr.  Nelson  had  his  food  sent  up  to  him 
from  Virequa  for  about  three  weeks.  During  the  fall  ot!  1870 
nine  business  places  and  two  dwelling  houses  were  built ;  the 
business  buildings  Avere  AVilliam  Byer,  shoeshop  and  boarding 
house ;  H.  D.  Tate,  merchandise ;  W.  H.  H.  Cash  and  AV.  Surdam, 
merchandise ;  Lee  and  Holderson,  grain  warehouse ;  Coats  &  Com- 
pany and  P.  Sederson,  grain  warehouses ;  Lars  Peterson,  black- 
smith shop ;  John  J.  Krain,  a  saloon ;  Newbury  &  AVagner,  lum- 
ber office  and  the  depot  of  the  Chicago,  Alilwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  Company.  Air.  Byer  boarded  a  large  number  of  the 
earliest  citizens,  as  there  were  no  married  ukmi  in  the  village 
for  some  time  except  himself,  AI.  Daniels,  Avho  was  the  depot 
agent,  and  Lars  Peterson.  His  beds  Avere  made  of  tAvo  by  fours 
and  boards  nailed  together  and  filled  Avith  straAv,  and  the  board- 
ers Avere  obliged  to  sleep  three  in  a  bed. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  3880  a  ncAv  start  in  1)ui]ding  Avas  made 
by  Utziner  &  Dahl.  Avho  built  a  hold  and  saloon  :  Hansen  &  Bates, 
hardware  store;  Air.  Tony,  a  grocery  store;  and  Dr.  J.  B.  Grow- 
bridge.  the  first  jihysician.  arriA'ed  and  occupied  the  si^cond  story 

898 


VILLAGES  OF  THE  COUNTY  399 

of  the  Bates  store  as  his  office,  and  iu  the  spring  erected  a  small 
building  and  opened  a  drug  store.  In  the  fall  of  1880  Mr.  Erank 
Dule,  Sr.,  moved  from  Newry  and  erected  the  building  now 
OAvned  by  his  estate  and  the  Odd  Eellows  jointly,  and  the  same 
fall  C.  &  J.  Cremer  erected  a  saloon  on  the  north  corner  of  what 
is  now  the  Heilmann  property.  James  Lord,  who  was  running  a 
small  store  at  Hazen's  corner,  moved  to  the  village  and  went 
into  business  there.  George  Hargrade  also  built  a  wagon  shop 
the  same  year,  and  Louis  Perkins  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a 
residence. 

One  thing  that  troubled  the  people  of  Cashton  very  much 
during  the  first  years  of  the  existence  of  the  village  was  the  water 
supply.  For  a  long  time  the  only  water  works  in  the  village 
were  four  barrels  which  were  set  in  a  small  building  near  the 
depot,  and  Mr.  P.  R.  Mitby  was  engaged  to  haul  water  from  the 
railroad  tank  and  from  Jersey's  spring,  and  the  people  went  to 
him  for  their  water.  A  little  later  Mr.  Cash  made  a  contract  with 
someone  to  drill  a  well  to  furnish  water  for  the  village,  and 
agreed  to  give  a  public  square  on  the  west  side  for  a  park  if  the 
well  was  completed,  but  it  failed  to  materialize  and  so  Cashton 
is  still  without  her  park,  although  there  is  now  a  sufficient  water 
supply. 

In  June,  1881,  the  citizens  met  for  the  purpose  of  devising  a 
way  to  provide  sufficient  water  for  the  village,  and  propositions 
were  made  and  accepted  for  a  well  which  was  drilled  by  John 
Miuroth,  in  the  street,  near  Broadway,  then  a  part  of  the  town 
of  Jefferson,  permission  having  been  given  by  said  town  to  have 
the  well  drilled.  A  water  association  was  organized  and  its  offi- 
cers were :  President,  M.  Daniels ;  vice  president,  J.  Dahl ;  sec- 
retary, John  King ;  treasurer,  John  Konper ;  trustees,  J.  W.  Wag- 
ner, G.  V.  Hargrave  and  P.  E.  Nelson.  On  May  31,  1892,  the 
water  association  voted  to  turn  over  its  property  to  the  village 
of  Cashton,  which  was  incorporated  June,  1892.  An  election 
having  been  previously  held  to  determine  the  question,  which 
result  was  a  vote  of  fifty-five  for  and  ten  against  it. 

The  village  for  some  time  after  the  railroad  was  built  was 
called  "Hazen's  Corners,"  but  by  the  persistent  efforts  of  Mr. 
Cash,  who  owned  and  controlled  a  large  portion  of  the  village 
property  and  who  built  the  railroad  for  the  company,  it  was 
christened  ''Cashton." 

On  May.  23,  1892,  the  first  election  was  held,  there  being 
sixty-two  votes  cast ;  the  following  officers  were  elected :  Presi- 
dent, P.  E.  Nelson ;  trustees,  John  Cremer,  Martin  Jackson,  A. 


400  HISTORY  OF  MOXKOK  COUNTY 

Roessler,  Frank  Delle,  A.  A.  Du  ]\[ez  and  L.  A.  Lane ;  clerk,  E.  E. 
Gaines;  treasurer,  C.  II.  Campbell;  police  justice,  A.  Heizer;  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  L.  B.  Perkins;  marshal,  C.  ^l.  Culver;  con- 
stable, "William  Schrier.  The  village  in  the  last  ten  or  twelve 
years  has  made  rapid  strides  in  improvements,  putting  in  quite  a 
little  macadam  streets  and  enjoying  water  works  and  an  elec- 
tric light  plant. 

A  bank  was  organized  at  Cashton  by  "Watson  Earle,  John  C. 
Ford,  L.  "W.  Earle,  Peter  Nelson  and  some  others,  which  con- 
ducted a  good  business  as  a  private  bank  for  a  number  of  years, 
but  in  order  to  conform  to  the  state  law,  it  was  incorporated  in 
1903;  it  subsequently  built  the  handsome  building  in  which  it 
has  its  home.  The  bank  has  been  well  managed  under  the  direc- 
tion of  L.  M.  Earle,  its  cashier,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  the 
community,  and  serves  a  large  clientage  of  depositors. 

The  population  is  today  about  568,  and  the  present  officers 
of  the  village  are :  E.  0.  Dosch,  president ;  P.  J.  Hegge,  clerk ; 
L.  M.  Earle,  treasurer ;  J.  H.  "Wilgrubs,  assessor ;  John  Cremer, 
supervisor;  Emet  Peterson  and  H.  S.  Evert,  justices  of  the  peace. 
On  "Wednesday,  October  5,  3904.  the  village  had  a  grand  jubilee 
celebration  of  a  quarter  of  century  of  its  existence  and  an  elabo- 
rate program  carried  out  which  was  much  enjoyed  by  the  thou- 
sands of  people  who  came  to  participate.  There  is  a  high  school 
and  graded  schools,  conducted  by  a  corps  of  competent  teachers, 
giving  fine  educational  facilities  to  the  children  of  the  village ; 
the  high  scliool  being  taken  advantage  of  by  many  pupils  from 
surrounding  towns. 

The  Congregational  Church,  of  Cashton,  is  the  only  church 
in  the  village.  It  was  organized  September  22,  1892.  Practically 
all  the  citizens  subscribed  liberally  for  the  erection  of  a  house 
of  worship.  The  amount  subscribed  and  $500.00  from  the  Con- 
gregational Church  Building  Society,  of  New  York,  constituted 
the  "Building  Fund."  The  building  was  soon  completed  and 
regular  church  work  started.  ^Ir.  A.  A.  Du  ]\Iez  has  been  Sun- 
day school  superintendent  from  the  first.  ^Irs.  Rena  (Johnson) 
Barth  has  been  the  faithful  organist. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  the  church  are  the  following: 
Rev.  John  AVillan,  Rev.  Henry  S.  Evert.  Rev.  Lewis  B.  Nobis, 
Rev.  James  Rowe,  Rev.  Christian  S.  Johnson,  ^\r.  Richard  G. 
Ileddon  and  Rev.  Henry  S.  Evert,  the  present  pastor.  The 
church  has  been  thoroughly  remodeled  and  recarpeted  and 
rewired  for  best  electric  liglits.  tlius  making  it  a  modern  struc- 


VILLAGES  OF  THE  COUNTY  401 

ture.     The  parsonage  and  cliiu'ch  are  together  valued  at  about 
$3,600  to  $4,000. 

KENDALL. 

The  history  of  the  village  of  Kendall  begins  with  the  assurance 
of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Eailroad  in  1870  and  its  com- 
pletion in  1872.    It  was  the  civilizer  of  this  then  wild  region. 

The  man  from  whom  the  place  took  its  name  was  a  railroad 
contractor  and  never  was  a  resident.  He  bought  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  land  on  which  the  village  is  built  while  helping 
put  the  railroad  through.  In  the  early  fifties,  however,  a  rail- 
road survey  was  made  up  the  valley,  and  this,  with  the  promise 
of  a  grist  mill  at  Glendale,  was  the  inducement  held  out  to  pros- 
pective settlers  and  purchasers  of  land  by  Jason  AVeaver,  of  Ohio, 
who  had  preempted  most  of  the  available  government  land. 

For  twenty  years  before  the  railroad  was  built  the  pioneers 
of  Clifton  and  Glendale  townships  did  their  milling  and  mer- 
chandising at  ]\Iauston,  Wonew^oc,  AVilton,  Sparta,  New  Lisbon 
and  Elroy.  The  pioneers  often  carried  in  from  these  places  on 
their  backs  the  bare  necessaries  of  life,  or  when  they  could  they 
used  ox  teams,  it  was  not  until  about  1861  that  horses  began  to 
be  used.  Because  of  the  unusual  advantages,  for  this  rough 
country,  presented  by  the  location  occupied  by  the  village  for 
yards,  tracks  and  switching  purposes,  a  larger  tract  other  than 
the  right  of  way  was  secured  by  the  railroad  company.  A  four- 
teen stall  round  house  was  built,  and  this  was  the  center  of  a 
busy  crew  of  artisans  required  to  run  the  shops  and  machinery 
used  in  making  and  repairing  for  the  company.  The  village  was 
incorporated  October  8,  1894,  wdien  0.  B.  Wyman  was  circuit 
judge.  AYalter  Baxter  was  the  first  president,  and  the  first  trus- 
tees were  Andrew  Felker,  G.  F.  Lillie,  Charles  Torrence,  John 
Kier,  AV.  S.  Canney  and  James  Gammon ;  other  officers  were 
AV.  T.  Cutland,  clerk ;  G.  L.  Adrion,  treasurer ;  John  Rose,  asses- 
sor ;  Lewis  Buswell,  supervisor ;  Thomas  Pierson,  marshal ;  Sam- 
uel McQueen,  constable,  and  R.  B.  Dunlap,  justice  of  the  peace. 
Thus  the  rule  was  transferred  from  the  town  board,  which  met 
at  the  village  of  Glendale. 

The  first  setback  the  village  had  was  in  1886.  when  the  rail- 
road division  was  moved  to  Baraboo ;  that  took  away  a  large 
number  of  families,  but  other  things  came  to  fill  the  vacancies 
and  Kendall  still  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  being  a  registry  sta- 
tion  and  the  end  of  the  "hill  division,"  where  extra  crews  and 


402  HISTORY  OF  MOXROP:  COUNTY 

engines  were  kept  to  doiihle  over  the  three  tunneled  liills  Ijotween 
the  village  and  Sparta.  This  railroad  condition  continued  until 
the  eompletion  of  the  new  line  from  Sparta  to  ^Milwaukee.  The 
round  house  and  coal  sheds  were  then  closed,  the  station  force 
reduced  and  most  of  the  remaining  railroad  men  transferi-ed  to 
points  on  the  new  line,  over  which  the  hulk  of  the  freight  was 
now  sent;  this,  however,  has  had  no  noticeable  effect  upon  the 
business  and  prosperity  of  the  village. 

The  second  great  drawback  experienced  by  the  village  was  on 
]March  31,  1893,  when  a  fire  started  in  the  brick  veneer  store  of 
G.  F.  Lillie  and  wiped  out  the  entire  block  of  frame  buildings. 
Plans  were  at  once  made  to  rebuild  on  a  more  substantial  basis. 
Inside  of  a  month  the  work  of  erection  was  begun,  brick  replacing 
the  old  frame  structures,  and  by  September  30tli  the  splendid 
buildings  now  adorning  the  street  were  occupied  by  their  own- 
ers and  business  was  going  along  better  than  ever  before. 

COMMERCIAL  INTERESTS. 

Immediately  after  the  fire  Henry  Senz,  then  a  resident  of 
Clifton,  bought  the  corner  OAvned  by  J.  J.  Kelley  and  built  one 
of  the  best  hotel  structures  in  any  small  town  of  the  AVest.  The 
hotel  is  noAv  owned  and  conducted  by  J.  L.  Ilayward.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1903,  the  Kendall  State  Bank  was  incorporated  by  G.  R. 
Hill,  0.  R.  Holmes,  L.  H.  Felker  and  Charles  ^Marquette.  Since 
then  it  has  twice  increased  its  capital  and  in  1911  completed  and 
occupied  its  own  handsome  brick  building.  The  village  has  five 
general  stores,  two  hardAvare  stores,  a  strong  agricultural  firm,  a 
drug  and  jeAvelry  store,  tAvo  grist  mills,  a  splendid  farmers'  cream- 
ery, tAvo  blacksmiths,  tAvo  physicians,  furniture  store,  lumber  yard, 
harness  shop,  tAvo  real  estate  dealers,  tAvo  hotels,  restaurant,  den- 
tist, telephone  system,  photographer,  barber,  dray  line,  livery,  four 
churches  and  three  saloons.  At  this  Avriting  the  village  is  putting 
in  a  AvaterAvorks  system.  Not  the  least  important  factor  in  the 
life  and  progress  of  the  village  is  its  ncAvspaper,  the  Kendall 
Keystone.  The  paper  Avas  established  in  Januai-y.  1904,  by  Clar- 
ence S.  Dodge.  In  July,  190."),  it  Avas  pui-chascd  by  Alexander 
R.  McCleneghan,  Avho  has  since  conducted  it.  He  came  to  Ken- 
dall from  tlic  desk  of  a  city  daily  ncAvspaper,  but  as  a  youth  he 
had  learned  the  mechanical  part  of  the  business  in  a  country 
neAvspaper  office,  and  his  practical  experience  in  every  branch  of 
the  Avork  has  enabled  him  to  make  the  Keystone  one  of  the 
brightest  and  most  prosperous  country  papers  in  the  state. 


VILLAGES  OF  THE  COUNTY  403 

CHURCHES  OF  KENDALL. 

As  near  as  can  be  ascertained  Methodist  preaching  began  in 
this  vicinity  as  far  back  as  1854.  "Grandpa"  Moore  preached  in 
school  honses  for  a  number  of  years  until  the  Rev.  ]\L  Doolittle 
took  charge  of  the  work.  The  first  church  building  was  erected 
soon  after;  later  the  building  now  in  use  was  built  and  the  old 
one  sold  to  the  Baptist  denomination.  The  Glendale  Methodist 
Church  is  connected  with  this  charge  and  is  supplied  by  the  same 
minister.  The  church  building  there  was  purchased  from  the 
Episcopalians,  who  have  no  present  organization.  Later  Wilton 
was  also  made  a  part  of  the  same  charge.  Hoffman  Corners  was 
formerly  includeci,  but  the  membership  was  so  reduced  by 
removals  that  in  1911  services  were  discontinued  there  and  the 
building  sold. 

The  history  of  the  Baptist  Church  antedates  the  Civil  War, 
when,  in  1858,  one  Elder  Stevens,  a  pro-slavery  southerner,  began 
preaching  in  Glendale.  The  church  became  disrupted  during  the 
war  and  Avas  not  revived  until  1874.  In  that  year  J.  H.  Bowker 
organized  the  Baptist  Church  of  Kendall  and  Glendale,  afterwards 
taking  in  Elroy.  It  was  perhaps  due  to  the  efforts  of  John  Bald- 
win, resident  here  until  his  death,  that  the  organization  owes  its 
continued  existence.  The  church  building  purchased  from  the 
]\Iethodists  was  used  until  1910,  when  the  present  modern  build- 
ing was  erected.  The  Baptists  now  have  as  handsome  a  church 
home  as  can  be  found  in  any  village  of  the  size  in  the  state  and 
maintain  all  the  customary  church  activities. 

The  Catholic  Church  began  its  existence  in  Kendall  thirty 
years  ago,  the  Rev.  Father  Kellar  being  the  first  pastor.  He  was 
followed  by  Father  J.  H.  Herman,  who  resided  in  Union  Center 
and  had  charge  of  the  churches  of  that  place,  Elroy,  Kendall  and 
Wilton.  AA^hen  the  church  was  first  organized  in  Kendall  there 
were  but  few  families  to  support  it ;  the  building  of  the  church 
depended  upon  those  few  and  though  started  immediately  after 
the  society  was  formed  it  stood  for  five  years  with  only  the  roof 
and  sheathing  as  a  protection  against  the  rigors  of  winter.  Pre- 
vious to  its  erection  the  services  were  held  in  halls  and  private 
houses.  The  present  building  Avas  completed  about  twenty-three 
years  ago,  but  in  1911  was  extended  and  much  improved  to  meet 
the  needs  of  a  large,  growing  and  prosperous  congregation.  The 
present  pastor,  the  Rev.  J.  II.  ]\IcAteet,  has  had  charge  of  the 
churches  at  Kendall  and  Wilton  for  twelve  years,  living  at  Wil- 


404  HISTORY  OF  ]\[OXROE  COUNTY 

tun  aiitl  lioUliiiy  service  Mt  tlio  two  jjlaces  on  alternate  Sundays. 
He  is  now  located  at  Kendall,  the  AVilton  church  being  in  charge 
of  another  pastor.  At  this  writing  the  church  here  is  erecting 
a  $.'5,000  home  for  its  pastor;  it  has  become  the  strongest  of  all 
the  churches  in  the  village. 

The  German  Lutheran  Church  has  a  brief  history.  The  Ken- 
dall society  was  organized  in  ]909  by  the  Rev.  Otto  Engle,  who 
came  from  Mihvaukoe,  and  a  fine  church  building  was  at  once 
erected  and  dedicated.  The  communion  is  a  growing  one, 
embracing  many  farmers  and  families  adjacent  to  the  village. 
The  pastor  resides  at  Norwalk  and  has  charge  of  the  church  there, 
also  holding  service  in  the  Kendall  church  every  third  Sunday. 

SOCIETIES. 

Kendall  Assembly,  No.  265,  Equitable  Fraternal  Union,  was 
instituted  December  23,  1902.  with  seventeen  charter  members. 
The  first  officers  were:  President,  Herbert  IMist;  treasurer,  E.  R. 
Gallagher;  secretary,  Jesse  W.  Jones.  There  are  now  fifty-five 
members  in  good  standing. 

The  Camp  of  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  was  organized  in 
August,  1888,  with  thirteen  members.  Al  Wyman  was  the  first 
consul  and  Dr.  G.  R.  Hill  the  first  clerk  and  medical  examiner. 
The  membership  at  one  time  was  over  100. 

Tunnel  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  organized  August  21, 
1907,  with  thirty-five  charter  members.  G.  R.  Evans  was  the  first 
chancellor  commander.    The  present  membership  is  fifty-four. 

In  1910  a  Lodge  of  Beavers  was  organized.  This  had  a  brief 
existence,  some  of  the  members  connecting  themselves  with  the 
order  elsewhere. 

The  Mystic  Workers  organized  September  12,  1903.  with  ten 
charter  members.    The  organization  is  still  in  good  condition. 

WILTON. 

T^ntil  the  first  half,  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  present  site 
of  the  village  of  Wilton  and  vicinity  was  the  cami)ing  ground  of 
the  Kiekapoo  Indians  who  roamed  unmolested  over  this  territory 
hunting  the  deer  and  tlu>  bear  and  waging  war  on  their  neigh- 
bors, the  IMascotines  and  tiie  ^Miamis.  From  them  comes  the 
name  of  the  river  which  rises  in  a  southern  part  of  the  county  in 
the  fertile  valley  in  the  vicinity  of  Ontario. 

But  civilization  was  bound  to  make  its  w;iy  and  in  1842  Esau 
Johnson,  of  Prairie  du  Cliien,  as  has  already  been  described  in 
another  part  of  this  Avork,  loaded  his  goods  on  a  raft  and  with 


VILLAGES  OF  THE  COUNTY  405 

his  family  came  up  the  Wisconsin  and  Kiokapoo  rivers  across  the 
rich  farming  land  that  had  just  been  surveyed  near  the  source  of 
the  Kickapoo  river;  he  landed  in  the  town  of  Sheldon  at  a  point 
somewhere  about  half  way  between  what  is  now  Ontario  and 
AVilton ;  he  was  the  first  settler  near  Wilton,  but  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  others  who  came  in  with  ox  teams  from  their  old  homes 
to  the  new;  sometimes  a  family  came  alone  and  others  came  in 
groups  of  two  or  three  families.  It  was  a  wild  country,  far  from 
being  civilized  and  it  is  related  that  one  settler  upon  seeing  the 
situation  said :  ' '  Surely  God  made  this  country  for  the  Indians 
and  we  ought  to  let  them  have  it." 

The  first  settlers  took  up  land  paying  ten  shillings  an  acre  for 
it  and  as  soon  as  possible  built  a  little  log  cabin,  and  their  lives 
for  the  first  few  years  was  not  of  the  most  pleasant.  ^Money  was 
scarce  and  as  is  the  custom  in  all  new  settlements  the  inhabitants 
borrowed  tea,  flour,  sugar  and  cooking  utensils  of  each  other  in 
order  to  keep  going. 

Sparta  was  the  nearest  railroad  town  or  shipping  point  of  any 
consequence  and  the  road  to  it  was  over  rough  ground  filled  with 
stumps  and  holes,  and  there  flour  could  be  purchased  for  $5  per 
hundred.  One  neighbor  would  make  a  trip,  doing  errands  for  the 
whole  community  and  then  jolt  home  again.  Mail  was  brought 
from  Sparta  in  saddle  bags  once  a  week,  the  carrier  stopping  to 
leave  it  at  each  door. 

Wages  were  low  and  few  could  afl:'ord  to  hire  men  and  many 
a  man  was  glad  to  get  work  at  75  cents  a  day.  The  woods 
abounded  in  game,  however,  and  it  was  not  hard  to  provide  fresh 
meat  for  the  family  table.  After  the  farms  were  fairly  started 
better  buildings  were  erected  upon  them,  and  in  1855  Mr.  Rhodes 
built  a  saw  mill  in  the  eastern  part  of  what  in  time  became  the 
village  of  AYilton. 

This,  the  first  industry  within  the  limits  of  the  village,  was 
soon  followed  by  others.  In  1856  ]\Ir.  Kinmore  started  a  store  in 
his  dwelling  house,  now  known  as  the  Steciman  place.  Roads 
w^ere  improved  and  a  stage  line  was  established  from  Sparta  once 
a  week,  bringing  mail  and  passengers.  A  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  Mr.  Hillyer's  house  and  this  gentleman  also  started  a 
blacksmith  shop.  Mr.  ]Miller  and  Mr.  Grey  erected  a  grist  mill 
where  Vogel's  mill  now  stands  and  soon  afterwards  Mr.  Chapman 
built  a  little  store  near  the  mill.  A  Mr.  Endrey  built  what  was 
called  Hickory  Hall,  being  the  first  public  hall  in  the  village,  the 
lower  part  of  wdiich  was  used  as  a  store  and  the  hall  above  for 
church  services  and  social  gatherings. 


406  HISTORY  OF  .AIONROE  COUNTY 

The  first  school  house  was  built  of  logs  and  was  situated  on 
the  eastern  part  of  what  is  called  Gooseville,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  road.  In  1870  Avhen  the  railroad  questioii  was  agitated  AVil- 
ton  consisted  of  about  fifteen  buiblings  in  all — a  school  house,  two 
stores,  one  blacksmith  shop  and  a  grist  mill,  the  saw  mill  having 
been  al)andoned  some  time  before.  As  soon  as  the  Northwestern 
road  was  started,  people  saw  business  openings  and  more  build- 
,  ings  were  erected;  two  stores  Avere  built  on  the  corner  where  the 
opei-a  house  now  stands;  ]\Ioll  &  O'Brien  built  the  red  front  store. 
Mr.  Lyons  built  a  store  and  ]Mr.  Rice  a  blacksmith  shop,  which, 
although  remodeled,  still  stands. 

Mr.  Walker  built  the  first  drug  store,  and  a  neAV  school  house 
was  erected,  but  was  soon  afterwards  destroyed  by  fire,  but 
replaced  by  another  and  this  is  still  standing,  but  not  used.  AVhen 
the  railroad  was  completed  in  1872  it  becar/ie  a  more  desirable 
place  for  business  and  began  to  attract  trade  in  a  larger  degree  in 
the  surrounding  country.  Dr.  C.  E.  Phillips,  who  for  so  many 
years  practiced  his  profession  in  tlu'  \  illage,  was  the  first  physi- 
cian to  locate  here  and  came  in  1862. 

A  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  built  in  1888,  which  afterwards 
became  the  property  of  the  Ignited  Brethren:  and  in  1888  a  Ger- 
man Lutheran  Church  and  in  18!)G  a  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
were  erected.  The  village  now  has  three  hotel  buildings,  an  opera 
house,  a  town  hall  and  the  mercantile  interest  that  goes  with  the 
villages  of  its  size. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  best  evidences  of  the  prosperity  of  this 
village  is  the  high  school  which  was  built  in  1902-03  and  is 
e(|uipped  in  a  manner  almost  equal  to  those  of  larger  cities.  The 
village  ha/5  an  excellent  water  Avorks  system  and  its  people  are 
progressive  in  other  directions,  keeping  abreast  of  the  times  in 
municipal  improvements. 

In  1899  the  AVilton  State  Bank  Avas  esta])lished  by  S.  AV. 
BroAvn,  president  and  OAvner,  Avith  a  capital  of  $5,000;  in  1903  it 
AA'as  incorporated  under  the  state  bnv  as  the  AVilton  State  Bank, 
Avith  a  capital  of  $10,000.  As  its  business  increased  it  required 
more  capital  and  on  February  1,  1912.  the  capital  stock  Avas 
increased  to  $15,000. 

Its  present  oi^cers  are :  President,  S.  AY.  BroAvn ;  A'ice  presi- 
dent, Charles  Todd;  cashier,  Charles  AYeingarten. 

After  the  incorporation  of  the  village  its  first  election  Avas 
held  on  December  23,  1890.  AVilliam  II.  Ferris  Avas  elected  presi- 
dent, A.  S.  NcAvhouse,  clerk,  and  as  trustees.  II.  AY.  A'ogel,  John 
Rice,  C.  AYurster,  S.  M.  Titus,  M.  Cremer.  T.  S.  Alartin. 


VILLAGES  OF  THE  COUNTY  407 

St.  John  the  Baptist's  Church,  Wilton,  Wis.  "Tiie  first 
Catholic  family  known  to  have  lived  in  the  territory  now  included 
in  the  parish  of  Wilton,  was  that  of  Anton  Toniah,  who  located 
about  the  year  1852,  some  seven  miles  north  of  the  present  vil- 
lage of  "Wilton.  There  were  no  churches  in  this  locality  at  that 
time,  hut  mass  was  said  once  a  month  in  a  little  town  hall  at 
Tomah,  then  a  small  village  of  fifty  inhabitants,  by  Father  Noyes, 
at  that  time  resident  priest  at  ]\Iauston.  About  a  year  later  a  few 
Catholic  families  came  and  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mr. 
Tomah.  Thus  the  Catholic  settlement  increased  from  year  to 
year  until  1857,  when  Mr.  Frank  Barry  took  up  a  tract  of  land 
about  four  miles  south  of  Wilton.  Patrick  O'Gara,  James  Cook, 
Patrick  AVelch  and  others  followed,  who  were  obliged  to  attend 
services  at  Tomah,  some  eighteen  miles  distant,  but  at  that  time 
w^as  the  nearest  point  visited  by  any  priest.  A  few  years  later 
James  Nolan,  James  Kerrigan,  John  Kerrigan  and  others  formed 
a  settlement  in  the  vicinity  of  Ridgeville  and  soon  after  began  to 
talk  seriously  of  building  a  church. 

In  1865  a  church  was  erected,  the  same  being  attended  by 
Father  Quigley,  then  a  resident  priest  at  Mauston.  Some  few 
years  later  the  congregation  of  Tomah  and  Ridgeville  were  both 
placed  in  charge  of  Father  Durward,  who  took  up  his  residence 
at  the  former  place.  During  tliis  period,  Catholics  had  been  set- 
tling rapidly  around  Wilton  and  their  number  so  far  increased 
that  they  also  demanded  a  church  and  pastor.  Father  Durward, 
as  well  as  the  bishop,  demurred  on  the  grounds  that  the  set- 
tlement was  not  of  sufficient  strength  to  justify  the  erection  of  a 
church  or  to  be  able  to  properly  care  for  a  resident  pastor ;  how- 
ever, there  being  some  thirty  families  in  all  in  1875,  a  mission 
was  formed  and  a  small  church  built,  which  was  attended  by 
Father  Durward  for  eight  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  Father 
Durward  was  succeeded  by  Father  IMetzler,  who  objected  so 
strongly  to  assuming  the  charge  that  it  was  transferred  to  the 
Rev.  Father  Keller,  of  Union  Centre,  by  whom  it  was  attended 
as  a  mission  for  two  years.  By  this  time  the  congregation  had 
increased  to  some  sixty  families. 

At  the  termination  of  Father  Keller's  pastorate  the  congre- 
gation of  Union  Centre,  with  the  adjoining  mission,  w^ere  placed 
in  charge  of  Father  Herman,  who  did  considerable  in  the  way 
of  improvements  to  the  church  building  at  AYilton.  These 
improvements  were  hardly  completed  when  the  center  portion 
of  the  building  was  struck  by  lightning  and  so  badly  injured  that 
the  necessary  repairs  almost  equalled  in  extent  the  cost  of  an 


408  ITTSTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

entirely  new  structure.  This  -work  was,  however,  accomplished 
and  in  addition  a  new  structure  was  added  to  the  main  building. 
In  1892,  the  mission  at  AVilton  was  placed  in  charge  or  Father 
Campbell,  of  Elroy,  but  for  some  two  years  prior  to  acquiring 
its  own  resident  pastor,  was  attended  by  the  Rev.  Father  Burns, 
who  had  been  appointed  assistant  to  Father  Campbell.  In  July, 
1895,  the  Rev.  J.  D.  Mauning  was  appointed  to  the  pastorate  at 
AVilton.  Upon  arriving  he  found  the  church  and  its  surround- 
ings in  a  rather  diplapidated  condition,  but  through  his  persistent 
and  energetic  eflforts  the  property  was  soon  brought  into  a  more 
satisfactory  condition ;  buildings  repaired  and  a  parsonage  built, 
all  of  which  Avas  completed  without  leaving  any  outstanding 
debts.  In  August,  1896.  the  church  was  struck  by  lightning  and 
burned  to  the  ground,  but  within  a  few  days  Father  ]\Iauning  had 
a  new  building  under  way,  mass  in  the  meantune  being  cele- 
brated in  the  school  house.  The  corner  stone  of  the  church  was 
laid  on  October  7.  1896,  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Schwebach,  who 
blessed  the  l)nilding  January  14,  1897. 

The  Rev.  D.  J.  ]\launing  acquired  his  classical  education  at 
Toronto,  Canada.  He  took  a  full  course  of  philosophj^  at  the 
Grand  Seminary,  at  ^Montreal,  and  completed  his  studies  at  St. 
Francis'  Seminary,  near  ^Milwaukee,  where  he  Avas  ordained  to 
the  priesthood  in  June,  1893.  He  was  appointed  to  the  jiresent 
charge  as  rector  of  St.  John  the  Baptist's  on  July  25,  1895.  The 
Rev.  D.  J.  ]\rauning  remained  pastor  of  "SVilton  church  until 
February,  1900. 

The  Rev.  John  C.  !McAteer,  the  present  rector,  was  appointed 
to  AYilton  and  Kendall  January,  1900.  On  his  arrival  at  AVilton. 
February  24,  1900,  he  found  both  church  and  parsonage  in  need 
of  repairs.  After  strenuous  efforts  he  succeeded  in  renovating 
both  church  and  parsonage.  The  Rev.  John  C.  ]\IcAteer  was 
born  at  Loretto,  Cambria  county,  Pa.,  ]\Iarch  27,  1858.  He  studied 
classics  at  St.  Yincent's  College  at  Beatty,  AYestmoreland  county. 
Pa.  He  completed  his  theological  studies  at  St.  Francis'  Semi- 
nary, in  ]\Iilwaukee,  AYis.  He  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  by 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Kilian  Flasch,  D.  D.,  in  St.  Joseph's  Cathedral,  at 
La  Crosse.  June  29,  1885.  On  June  29,  1910,  he  celebrated  his  sil- 
ver jubilee  as  priest  at  AVilton,  "Wis. 

Lutheran  Church.  A  few  Lutherans  started  the  St.  Paul's 
Lutheran  church  about  forty  years  ago.  Rev.  A.  T.  Siegler,  of 
Ridgeville,  did  the  first  missionary  work  at  AYilton  and  vicinity. 
Services  were  conducted  occasionally  by  the  ministers  located  at 
Clifton  until  the  Rev.  John  Liebell  received  charge  of  the  two 


VILLAGES  OF  TJTE  COUNTY  409 

congregations  at  AVilton  and  in  the  town  of  Wellington,  in  1890, 
and  was  located  at  AVilton.  He  attended  these  congregations  for 
three  years  and  afterwards  the  Rev.  Koehler  for  two  years.  The 
congregation  consecrated  their  own  church  on  the  11th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1887,  and  built  a  parsonage  in  1894.  In  January,  1905,  the 
Rev.  John  Hering  took  charge  at  Wilton  and  town  of  AVellington, 
attending  both  congregations  until  the  first  of  August,  1908,  as 
from  that  date  he  took  charge  of  Wilton  alone,  the  congregation 
at  Wellington  having  its  own  minister,  which  is  the  situation  at 
this  writing. 

NORWALK. 

Nestled  in  the  hills  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town  of  Ridge- 
ville  lies  the  beautiful  little  village  of  Norwalk.  Situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  very  rich  farming  region  and  on  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway,  its  advantages  as  a  mercantile  center  are  very 
apparent. 

The  land  upon  which  the  village  is  located  was  originally 
owned  by  S.  McGary  and  C.  G.  Hettman,  portions  of  both  farms 
being  included  in  the  original  plat,  Main  street  being  the  divid- 
ing line  between  the  two  farms.  S.  McGary  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  this  village,  or  rather  in  the  place  where  the  vil- 
lage now  stands,  coming  here  from  Norwalk,  Ohio,  in  an  early 
day,  and  when  the  village  was  organized  he  named  it  Norwalk 
in  honor  of  his  native  village  back  in  Ohio. 

The  real  beginning  of  the  growth  of  the  village  perhaps  dates 
from  the  building  of  the  Northwestern  Railway  in  1873,  the 
first  survey  having  been  made  that  year  and  the  road  afterward 
constructed,  building  a  depot  in  1874,  though  for  a  time  the 
present  warehouse  was  used  for  that  purpose.  The  early  growth 
of  the  little  village  produced  the  necessity  for  educational  facili- 
ties, and  in  1875  a  school  house  of  moderate  dimensions  was  built, 
and  the  first  teacher  secured  was  A.  F.  Brandt,  who  afterwards 
became  county  superintendent  of  schools,  and  is  now  connected 
with  the  State  Public  School  for  Dependant  Children  at  Sparta. 
The  schools  more  than  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  the  village 
and  in  1905  the  high  school  was  organized  and  a  building  built 
to  accommodate  it.  This  school  has  taken  high  rank  among  the 
high  schools  of  the  county ;  has  been  well  managed ;  its  teachers 
well  selected,  and  has  kept  up  with  the  times  in  educational  work, 
a  fact  which  is  taken  advantage  of  by  pupils  from  the  surround- 
ing towns. 

Among  the  first  men  to  engage  in  business  when  the  settle- 


410  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

ment  reached  any  size  were  D.  ^l.  Dolson,  general  store ;  John 
Crook,  hardware  merchant;  Ellis  AVood,  blacksmith;  Charles 
Ebert,  harness  maker;  W.  F.  Ilorstman,  furniture  dealer;  C.  G. 
Hetman,  lumber  yard ;  ]\Ioul  &  Darwin,  grain  buyers ;  I\I.  Goetz, 
wagon  maker,  and  others. 

In  1893,  having  arrived  at  a  population  and  business  impor- 
tance which  demanded  it,  the  village  was  duly  incorporated 
according  to  law  and  a  set  of  village  officers  chosen,  S.  McGary 
being  elected  the  first  president ;  many  men  of  prominence  in  the 
community  have  served  upon  the  village  board ;  its  affairs  have 
been  well  conducted  and  are  in  a  prosperous  condition.  To 
endeavor  to  ascertain  the  exact  time  of  the  coming  of  a  number  of 
the  earlier  settlers  has  been  very  difficult,  but  the  first  physician  to 
minister  to  the  ills  of  humanity  hereabout  Avas  Dr.  Fischer ;  the 
first  hotel  which  could  be  called  such  was  opened  and  conducted 
for  a  time  by  John  Horning,  and  called  the  NorAvalk  House,  and 
the  first  drug  store  to  supply  the  medicines  prescribed  by  Dr. 
Fischer  Avas  conducted  by  Earner  &  Seibolt. 

In  1903  the  NorAvalk  State  Bank  Avas  incorporated  by 
M.  Goetz,  Henry  Schell,  J.  P.  Andres,  C.  H.  Drier,  William  Schell, 
Fred  Leutke,  John  "Weibel,  Ernest  Pingel  and  H.  L.  Vieth.  The 
institution  has  conducted  a  safe  and  conservative  business  under 
the  able  management  of  its  president,  M.  Goetz,  and  enjoys  a 
large  clientage.  As  a  mark  of  the  prosperity  and  business  groAvth 
of  the  village,  a  second  bai^'  Avas  organized  in  1907  by  H.  L. 
Vieth,  Fred  Leutke  and  Frank  AVartman,  knoAvn  as  the  Farmers' 
State  Bank,  Avith  a  capital  of  $10,000,  AA^hich  has  had  a  successful 
career  from  the  start  and  serves  a  large  number  of  depositors. 
The  village  has  the  usual  number  and  variety  of  business  enter- 
prises found  in  a  community  of  its  size,  has  a  population  of  502, 
according  to  the  last  census,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  solid 
and  substantial  business  centers  of  the  county. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 
BERRY  CULTURE. 

Among  the  things  which  has  brought  fame  and  much  pros- 
perity to  some  parts  of  iMouroe  county  and  a  subject  which 
deserves  more  than  passing  mention  is  that  of  berry  culture. 
From  a  small  beginning  in  this  matter  has  grown  an  immense 
business  in  several  localities,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  Sparta, 
where  the  largest  interests  are  located,  and  around  Tomah. 

Perhaps  the  first  man  who  conceived  the  idea  of  making  a 
commercial  business  out  of  strawberries  and  bush  berries  was 
AVilliam  Wells,  "Uncle  Billy,"  as  he  was  familiarly  known.  It 
seems  that  his  early  attempts  at  growing  strawberries  for  the 
market  met  with  some  success,  though  his  methods  were  some- 
what crude  as  to  marketing  the  product.  He  secured  cheap  tin 
pails  in  which  he  shipped  the  berries,  realizing  a  fair  return  on 
his  ventures.  He  grew  them  extensively  enough  so  that  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  employ  pickers.  Perhaps  the  pioneer  in  the 
business  of  strawberry  raising  and  shipping  as  a  regularly 
organized  business  was  Mr.  E.  AV.  Babcoek,  of  Angelo.  He  was 
undoubtedly  the  first  man  to  inaugurate  the  quart  box  as  a  con- 
tainer in  which  to  get  his  produce  to  the  market. 

In  the  raising  of  bush  berries  George  Ilanchett,  of  LaFayette. 
Avas  undoubtedly  the  pioneer  in  the  western  part  of  the  county, 
and  doubtless  went  into  the  business  of  raising  blackberries  as  an 
industry  prior  to  any  one  else  in  the  county.  He  purchased  of 
C.  H.  Hamilton,  of  Ripon,  AVis.,  a  stock  of  plants  of  the  "Ameri- 
can Briton"  blackberry  and  started  successfully  to  grow  them 
for  the  market.  Since  then  the  large  fruit  farm  developed  by  ]\Ir. 
Hanchett  and  his  son,  William  H.  Hanchett,  has  become  one  of 
the  large,  if  not  the  largest,  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Hamilton  visited  Sparta  the  winter  after  he  sold  the  stock 
of  blackberry  sets  to  Air.  Hanchett,  and  lectured  on  the  subject 
at  a  farmer's  institute,  going  into  the  raising  of  small  fruits  quite 
thoroughly.  AI.  A.  Thayer,  at  that  time  in  tlie  banking  business, 
and  being  preA'iously  interested  in  horticulture,  became  very 
much   taken   up    with   the    subject,    and    the    year    following   he 

411 


412  HISTORY  OF  MOXKOE  COIXTY 

inspected  ihc  Ilaiichett  farm  and  determined  to  go  into  the  busi- 
ness. The  result  was  the  "Thayer  Fruit  Farm."'  whii-h  acquired 
a  state-wide  reputation,  whicli  was  the  result  in  a  measure  of  the 
fact  that  considerable  advertising  was  done  and  also  to  the  sys- 
lem  of  "Thayer's  lierry  l^ulletin,"  a  series  of  articles  issued  by 
31r.  Tluiyci-  wliilc  ])r('sident  of  the  "Wisconsin  Horticultural 
Society. 

The  Thayer  fruit  farm  was  starteci  in  1887  witii  tlic  first  year's 
planting  of  seventeen  aeres,  including  blackberries,  raspberries 
and  strawberries.  Jt  was  demonstrated  beyond  all  doubt  that  the 
soil  and  climate  around  Sparta  and  in  other  parts  of  the  county 
was  right  for  the  conducting  of  this  industry  on  a  large  scale.  In 
1891  the  Thayer  farm  marketed  over  5,000  cases  of  berries  of  all 
kinds,  for  Avhich  Avas  received  J}?7,074.44,  and  including  the  plants 
sold  and  the  farm  produce  nuirketed  brought  the  income  of  the 
farm  to  $8,810.76.  yielding  a  net  profit  over  all  expenses  of 
$4,316.76.  But  perhaps  this  farm,  and  it  is  referred  to  here  as  a 
sample  of  Avhat  was  the  result  achieved  by  many  others  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  reached  its  best  productiveness  in  1905, 
when  there  were  under  cultivation  twenty-five  aeres  of  straw- 
berries, twelve  acres  of  raspberries,  four  and  one-half  acres  of 
gooseberries,  two  acres  of  currants  and  eighteen  acres  of  black- 
berries, and  in  that  year  over  .$4,000  worth  of  plants  alone 
Avere  sold. 

As  the  vears  went  bv,  this  industry  became  firndv  established, 
thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  berries  w^ere  marketed  from  ditfer- 
ent  parts  of  the  county.  Around  Sparta,  especially,  the  industry 
had  grown  to  such  ])roportions  that  every  year  during  berry 
season  many  commission  firms  in  Chicago.  Milwaukee,  St.  Paul, 
St.  Louis  and  other  points  sent  their  buyers  here  and  at  first 
when  tills  system  came  into  vogue  these  buyers  were  on  the 
watch  for  loads  of  berry  cases,  a  man  with  a  good  sized  load  was 
stopped  in  the  street  and  the  buyers  bid  for  the  load,  the  highest 
offer  per  case  getting  it.  This  system  continued  for  a  time  until 
it  seemed  that  the  buyers  were  entering  into  a  combination  to 
control  prices,  which  is  of  course  the  same  old  story,  and  it 
occurred  to  the  fruit  growers  lliat  Ihcy  miglit  handle  their  own 
product,  eliminate  some  of  the  things  that  went  for  expense  and 
get  fair  prices  by  finding  their  own  market  and  conducting  the 
busiuess  of  selling  the  crops  of  the  members  of  an  association  to 
greater  advantage. 

Growing  out  of  this  movement  came  the  organization  of  the 
Sparta  Fruit  Growers'  Association,  a  pioneer  organization  of  its 


BERRY  CULTURE  413 

kind.     On  May  15,  1896,  the  articles  of  incorporation  were  per- 
fected; as  appears  in  them  the  organizers  were  C.  E.  Tobey,  E.  A. 
Richardson,  Jesse  D.  Searles,  E.  W.  Babcock,  "W.  H.  Hanchett, 
Alexander  Mclntyre.  L.   S.   Fisher,   C.   G.   Hettman   and   W.   M. 
Bowler;    the    officers   provided   for    in    the    articles    were    L.    S. 
Fisher,  president ;  AV.  H.  Hanchett,  vice  president ;  W.  M.  Bowler, 
secretary,  and  C.  G.  Hettman,  treasurer.    The  capital  stock  of  the 
association  was  150  shares  at  $2  each.     Afterwards  the  articles 
were  amended  twice  in  this  particular ;  in  April,  1906,  the  capital 
stock  was  increased  to  1,000  shares  of  $2  each,  and  again  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1907,  to  3,000  shares  of  $2  each,  making  the  capital  stock 
$6,000.     The  advantage  in  membership  to  the  fruit  grower  is  the 
handling  of  his  crop  by  the  association  without  his  being  com- 
pelled to  look  after  the  selling,  his  product  being  delivered  to  the 
association  and  in  due   time  his  remittance  reaches   him.     The 
association  first  commenced  business  in  a  wooden  building  which 
stood  upon  the  site  of  the  present  building  and  had  been  used 
theretofore  principally  as  an  office  for  a  lumber  yard.     The  asso- 
ciation acquired  title  to  this  property  and  the  demands  of  the 
business  increasing  to  such  an  extent  it  became  necessary  to  build 
a  building  suitable  for  the  purposes  of  the  corporation,  1909  saw 
the  completion  of  the  fine  building  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
the  association,  built  of  solid  brick  on  the  plan  of  what  is  known 
as  "slow  fire"  construction,  with  ample  offices,  store  rooms  and  a 
basement  with  concrete  floor  under  the  entire  building,  making 
a  very  complete  plant  for  the  purposes  of  the  business  carried 
on.    The  association  now  does  business  the  year  around,  handling 
vegetables,  apples  and  small  fruits  in  their  season  at  wholesale. 
The  Sparta  Fruit  Growers'  Association  has  attracted  a  large 
amount  of  attention  from  people  interested  in  the  fruit  business 
and  it  has  become  a  power  in  the  business  world  in  its  line.    The 
wise  administration  of  its  affairs  in  the  past  under  such  men  as 
L.  S.  Fisher,  its  first  president ;  AV.  H.  Hanchett,  the  present  pre- 
siding officer ;  J.   W.  Leverich,   one  of  its  directors,   and  E.  A. 
Richardson,  its  most  efficient  secretary  and  general  manager,  has 
steadily  increased  the  influence  of  the  association  and  aided  won- 
derfully in  the  development  of  the  business  of  small  fruit  raising 
here  and  elsewhere.     The  volume  of  business  transacted  is  very 
large;  it  seeks  the  best  markets,  successfully  competes  Avith  the 
products  of  other  parts  of  the  country,  and  is  a  striking  example 
of  the  benefits  of  co-operation  when  rightly  conducted  with  busi- 
ness acumen  and  foresight. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR. 

Tlu'  liistoi'v  of  the  two  coiiipaiiies  in  this  (^oimty  belonp:ing  to 
the  Third  Regiment,AVisconsiu  National  Guard,  is,  of  course,  the 
history  of  the  Third  AViseonsin  Volunteer  Infantry  in  the  Spanish 
AVar.  While  at  intervals  either  Company  L  or  Company  K  may 
have  been  on  detached  service  for  a  short  time,  upon  the  whole 
the  companies  were  with  the  regiment  and  participated  with  it  in 
the  campaign  in  Porto  Rico.  A¥hen  tlic  news  was  flashed  over 
the  Avires  that  war  had  been  declared  by  the  United  States  against 
Spain,  patriotic  feeling  was  kindled  all  over  the  country  and  the 
excitement  attending  these  times  was  very  great  in  every  town  in 
which  a  military  company  was  located.  The  call  by  the  President 
for  volunteers  required  three  regiments  of  infantry  from  the 
state  of  Wisconsin  and  orders  were  at  once  wired  to  the  three 
regiments  then  organized  to  prepare  for  war.  It  was  necessary, 
of  course,  under  the  law,  as  it  then  stood,  that  each  company  and 
each  individual  in  each  company  should  volunteer,  and  when  the 
call  came  to  the  companies  of  the  Third  Regiment  about  the  26th 
day  of  April,  1898,  the  companies,  L  and  K,  almost  to  a  man 
volunteered  and  Avere  ready  to  go  to  tlie  front.  On  the  night  of 
the  27th  and  28th  of  April  orders  were  issni'd  by  telegraph  by 
the  governor  ordering  the  Third  Regiment  to  mobolize  at  ]\Iil- 
waukee  on  the  following  day,  and  the  28th  of  April  found  the 
Third  Regiment  complete  and  assigned  to  eaiiip  at  the  state  fair 
grounds  in  jMihvaukee,  the  various  companies  being  quartered  in 
the  horse  barns,  which  were  very  comfortable  for  this  purpose. 
"Camp  Harvey,"  as  it  was  known,  has  many  memories  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  were  there ;  the  anxious  days  preceding  the 
I)hysi('al  examination,  to  know  whether  one  would  be  accepted  or 
re.ieeted,  the  drills  and  parades,  and  the  thousands  upon  thou- 
sands of  people  who  came  to  see  the  soldier  Iioys.  all  coml)ined  to 
make  the  two  weeks  of  this  camp  one  long  to  be  remembered. 
On  tlie  nth  day  of  Alay.  ]8n8,  Ca])t.  AVilliam  L.  Buck,  of  the 
United  States  Army,  mustered  into  the  service  the  Third  Wiscon- 
sin Infantry  and  from  that  time  forth  it  became  the  Third  Wis- 
consin Volunteer  Infantry,  and   it   was  tlie  first  regiment  to  be 

414 


THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  415 

mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  from  AVisconsin. 
Orders  were  received  soon  after  to  proceed  to  Chickamauga  Park, 
near  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and  on  the  morning  of  ]May  14th  the 
first  section  of  the  special  train  containing  the  third  battalion, 
headquarters,  and  staff  left  Camp  Harvey,  passing  through  the 
Soldiers'  Home,  where  the  old  veterans  were  lined  up  on  the  lawn 
on  each  side  of  the  track,  truly  a  pathetic  sight  and  one  which 
affected  every  man  who  saw  it.  Down  through  Chicago  into  the 
state  of  Indiana,  passing  through  historic  battlefields  in  Tennes- 
see, arriving  at  Chickamauga  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  May, 
detrained  Lytle,  Georgia,  the  railroad  station  at  the  park,  the 
regiment  was  assigned  to  camp  ground  on  the  Kelly  Field  and 
went  into  camp.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  First  Bri- 
gade, First  Division,  First  Army  Corps,  under  the  command  of 
Brigadier  General  Andrew  Burt ;  afterwards  General  Burt  was 
sent  South  and  Brigade  General  0.  H.  Ernest  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  brigade,  which  was  later  made  up  of  the  Second 
and  Third  Wisconsin  and  the  Sixteenth  Pennsylvania,  although 
the  brigade  was  first  composed  of  the  Third  Wisconsin,  Fifth 
Illinois  and  First  Kentucky. 

Several  weeks  were  occupied  at  the  camp  waiting  for  the 
mobolization  of  other  troops  before  proceeding  to  the  front  and 
the  time  was  taken  up  with  drills  of  all  kinds,  parades  and 
reviews,  in  all  of  which  the  regiment  received  high  praise  from 
the  corps  commander,  General  Brooke,  for  its  soldierly  appear- 
ance and  the  personnel  of  the  men.  Orders  came  July  4th  for  the 
regiment  to  march  to  Ringgold,  Ga.,  there  to  entrain  and  pro- 
ceed South.  On  July  5th  the  march  was  taken  up,  the  regiment 
arriving  at  Ringgold  on  the  evening  of  that  day,  in  connection 
with  the  Second  AVisconsin,  and  was  taken  by  three  special  trains 
to  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  there  quartered  in  large  cotton  ware- 
houses on  the  sea  front. 

The  Third  Wisconsin  held  a  dress  parade  soon  after  its 
arrival  on  Marion  square,  in  front  of  the  statue  of  Calhoun,  and 
it  was  the  first  dress  parade  of  Northern  troops  ever  held  in  the 
city  of  Charleston.  The  people  of  Charleston  evidently  had 
become  thoroughly  reconciled  to  the  results  of  the  AYar  of  the 
Rebellion,  for  the  troops  everywhere  met  a  hearty  reception  and 
it  was  an  inspiring  sight  indeed  when  the  regiment,  dressed  in 
its  best,  swung  into  the  street  leading  to  Alarion  square  headed 
by  Dana's  magnificent  Third  Regiment  Band  playing  "Dixie," 
to  see  the  stars  and  stripes  waving  everywhere,  out  of  the  win- 
dows, and  to  hear  the  cheers  of  the  people  as  the  regiment  swung 


416  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

by.  AVliilc  at  Charleston  practice  inarclies  were  ordered  l\v  Gen- 
eral AVilson,  the  division  commander,  which  v.rought  much  harm 
to  the  health  of  the  men.  The  hot  nights  iu  these  large  ware- 
houses, with  no  air  stirring,  was  not  a  good  condition  for  sleeping 
and  the  men  became  jaded  and  were  ordered  upon  these  marches 
as  some  sort  of  a  test,  which  both  resulted  disastrously;  many 
men  in  all  of  the  companies  were  overcome  by  the  heat  and  fell 
by  the  roadside  and  afterward  required  considerable  treatment 
and  in  some  cases  healtli  was  entirely  shattered.  Bad  food,  bad 
quarters  and  the  hot  days  undoubtedly  all  combined  to  help  pro- 
duce this  result,  but  it  was  a  cruel  thing  to  order  such  a  march 
and  one  which  was  severely  condemned,  not  only  by  the  civil  but 
by  the  military  authorities.  The  editor  cannot  refrain  from  com- 
menting, as  a  result  of  his  experience,  upon  the  inefficiency  of  the 
quartermaster's  department  in  this  campaign;  often  by  political 
appointment  some  senator's  son,  who  didn't  know  a  side  of  pork 
from  a  can  of  beans,  was  appointed  chief  quartermaster  com- 
missary and  spent  his  time  swelling  around  in  a  new  uniform 
while  the  men  starved ;  for  it  is  a  fact,  that  right  in  the  city  of 
Charleston,  during  the  ten  days  this  regiment  spent  there,  there 
were  times  when  the  men.  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  didn't  have 
enough  to  eat. 

Orders  came  at  last  to  go  to  the  front  and  reinforce  General 
Shafter  in  Cuba.  The  ''Obdam"  steamed  into  port.  Orders 
were  issued  to  load  the  entire  regiment  with  their  horses  in  this 
boat,  w^hich  was  folloAved  by  the  "Duchess,"  having  on  board 
the  Second  Wisconsin.  The  orders  Avere  changed,  however,  to 
go  to  Porto  Rico  and  reinforce  General  Miles,  instead  of  Cuba. 
The  trip  South  cannot  be  called  a  delightful  one,  for  here,  more 
so  than  ever,  was  the  inefficiency  of  the  commissary  department 
notable,  for  the  men  actually  suffered  for  the  want  of  food  on 
the  voyage. 

On  the  morning  of  July  26th  the  ''Columbia,"  one  of  Uncle 
Sam's  warships,  came  racing  around  the  high  land  of  Porto  Rico 
with  the  information  that  General  ^Miles  had  lauded  at  Guanico 
on  the  previous  day  and  was  Avaiting  for  the  regiment.  Grim  and 
business  like,  indeed,  was  this  warship,  with  its  gray  paint,  and 
showing  the  marks  received  at  the  battle  of  Santiago.  The 
next  morning  the  "Obdam"  arrived  at  Guanico,  a  most  beautiful 
little  harbor,  Avhich  looked  for  all  the  Avorld  like  a  piece  of  stage 
setting  with  its  luxuriant  foliage  rising  out  of  the  still  waters  of 
the  bay.    Orders  Avere  issued  to  capture  the  city  of  Ponce,  farther 


THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  417 

up  the  coast,  the  next  morning,  so  that  the  regiment  did  not 
disembark. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  the  "Obdam"  steamed  into  the 
harbor  of  Ponce,  having  been  preceded,  however,  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts battleship  and  the  cruisers  Gloucester  and  Dixie ;  and 
orders  were  issued  to  disembark,  with  the  Third  regiment  lead- 
ing the  way,  and  capture  the  city.  The  harbor  and  surrounding 
territory  was  shelled  by  the  gunboats,  and  the  Third  AYisconsin 
landed  in  lighters,  without  resistance.  Detachments  were  dis- 
patched here  and  there  to  hold  strategic  points,  and  the  regi- 
ment took  up  its  march  to  the  city  of  Ponce,  up  the  paved  road, 
through  the  magnificent  tropical  scenery  of  this  beautiful  little 
island.  Reaching  the  city  they  marched  through  paved  streets, 
the  city  having  water  works  and  electric  lights,  much  to  the 
astonishment  of  the  boys.  They  had  not  expected  to  see  a  mod- 
ern city  in  this  island.  Arriving  at  the  plaza  amid  the  noisy 
acclaims  of  the  inhabitants,  who  everywhere  were  frantic  with 
joy,  waving  flags,  embracing  each  other  with  many  "viva  Ameri 
cano."  After  a  short  halt  the  regiment  marched  out  into  a  field 
west  of  the  city  and  camped  upon  ground  belonging,  before  that 
time,  to  the  little  King  of  Spain,  and  its  first  night  on  the  for- 
eign soil  was  spent  sleeping  under  the  blue  sky  for  a  camp. 

The  editor  secured  that  day  a  copy  of  a  native  paper,  pub- 
lished principally  in  the  Spanish  language,  but  having  in  one  or 
two  columns  an  account  printed  in  quaint  English  of  the  land- 
ing of  the  American  troops,  which  is  herewith  quoted. 

An  extract  from  the  La  Nueva  Era,  published  at  Ponce, 
Porto  Rico,  July  30,  1898,  is  as  follows : 

"On  the  27th  inst.,  at  2  p.  m.,  a  fleet  approaching  the  port 
w^as  signalled  from  the  signal  hill,  and  truly  from  all  the  roofs 
and  points  of  vantage  of  the  city  could  be  seem  three  ships  near- 
ing  our  harbor  at  great  speed,  of  which  two  were  apparently 
transports  and  the  other  a  tug.  It  did  not  take  them  long  to 
come  into  port  and  anchor.  After  a  while  a  boat  was  seen  to 
leave  the  side  of  one  of  the  ships  bearing  a  white  flag  reached 
the  shore  shortly  afterwards  with  an  officer,  who  on  landing  bent 
his  steps  to  the  captain  of  the  port's  ofiice  in  search  of  the  mili- 
tary commander  of  the  town  for  whom  he  had  a  despatch. 

"The  captain  of  the  port  answered  him  that  he  had  no  mili- 
tary jurisdiction  and  sent  for  the  military  commander,  residing 
up  town  here,  to  take  delivery  of  the  despatch  brought  by  said 
officer.    At  about  this  time  a  small  volunteer  force  got  into  posi- 


418  IIIi^TORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

tion  near  the  custom  house  and  the  two  companies  of  the  regu- 
lars. Avhich  on  tlie  first  alarm  of  the  approach  of  the  American 
tieet  had  been  ordered  to  the  port,  -were  stationed  on  the  road 
leading  from  here  to  the  harbor.  With  the  latter  forces  came 
the  late  military  commander  of  this  district,  Colonel  Sanmartin. 

"On  the  latter  being  informed  that  there  was  an  American 
officer  bearing,  under  flag  of  truce,  a  despatch  for  him.  he  replied 
that  without  direct  authority  from  the  governor  general  he  could 
not  receive  it.  On  getting  this  reply  the  American  officer 
informed  the  captain  of  the  port  that  he  Avould  give  half  an 
hour's  grace  for  the  military  commander  to  come  and  take 
delivery  of  the  despatch. 

"In  the  meantime  >ianmartin  had  come  up  town  and  had  a 
conference  with  the  governor  general  by  wire,  laying  before 
him  the  state  of  affairs.  But  as  the  hour  fixed  by  the  American 
officer  was  drawing  to  its  close,  and  he  threatened  to  return  on 
l)oard  Avitli  the  despatch  undelivered,  two  members  of  the  coun- 
sular  body — Messrs.  F.  ]M.  Toro.  British  vice  consul,  and  P.  J. 
Rosaly,  vice  consul  of  the  Netherlands — went  down  to  the  port 
together  with  our  mayor — ^Ir.  R.  U.  Colom — and  one  of  our  citi- 
zens— ^Ir.  P.  J.  Fournier — with  the  ob.ject  of  requesting  an  exten- 
sion of  the  time  fixed  by  the  officer  to  await  the  reply  of  the 
governor  general. 

"It  seems  that  the  latter 's  answer  to  the  military  commander 
was  that  he  should  do  his  duty  ;  by  which,  we  suppose,  he  implied 
that  resistance  should  be  made,  in  spite  of  the  immense  superior- 
ity of  the  invading  forces  and  of  the  fleet,  which,  by  this  time, 
had  increased  by  the  arrival  of  several  vessels  more.  As  the 
American  commander  grew  impatient  at  the  non-return  of  the 
first  boat  sent  ashore,  they  sent  another,  bringing  two  officers 
and  a  squad  of  soldiers,  who  bore  with  them  the  American  flag 
and  two  rockets  for  sigalling,  we  presume,  in  case  of  need.  Said 
officers  with  the  squad  and  flag  advanced  as  far  as  the  very  door 
of  captain  of  the  port's  office;  but  the  British  vice  consul  re- 
quested that  the  soldiers  should  Avithdraw  to  the  sea  shore,  the 
officer  with  Old  Glory,  etc..  remaining,  however,  at  the  door  of  the 
building.  The  consular  and  other  officers  entered  the  building. 
They  were  there  received  by  the  captain  of  the  port,  who,  by  the 
way,  was  dressed  in  a  soiled  white  drill  suit  witliout  any  insignia 
to  denote  his  rank.  The  German  vice  consul — ^fr.  11.  C.  Fritze — 
.-joined  his  colleagues  of  England  and  the  Netherlands  in  their 
good  offices  in  the  matter,  together  with  the  American  merchant. 
!Mr.  Lucas  Valliviese. 


THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  419 

"Said  consuls  began  to  work  to  bring  about  the  surrender  of 
the  town  (which  had  been  demanded  at  discretion),  in  their  desire 
to  avoid  bloodshed  and  damage  to  the  town,  as  the  Spanish 
forces  Avere  insignificant,  compared  with  tJiose  of  the  United 
States  and  besides  the  Spaniards  having  no  defensive  works  or 
artillery  to  answer  the  fire  of  the  fleet.  At  about  10  p.  m.  it  was 
rumored  that  an  armistice  had  been  arranged,  in  virtue  of  which 
the  Spanish  forces  would  evacuate  the  town  and  that  the  Ameri- 
can troops  would  not  land  Avithin  a  stipulated  time  to  allow  the 
former  forces  to  get  well  on  their  way  to  Aibonito.  It  was 
reported  that  this  arrangement  was  firm  and  the  people  began 
to  treat  more  freely  about  the  peaceful  solution  of  the  conflict. 
But  unhappily  their  joy  was  of  short  duration  as — about  1  a.  m. — • 
it  began  to  be  noised  about  that  the  governor  general  had 
deposed  the  military  commander,  Sanmartiu,  ordering  him  to 
give  up  the  command  to  the  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Civil  Guards, 
instructing  the  latter  to  offer  resistance  to  the  invading  forces. 

"On  this  becoming  known  the  alarm  was  great  among  all 
classes,  and  the  exodus  to  the  neighboring  country,  which  had 
already  begun  in  the  afternoon  and  evening,  was  immense, 
approaching  nearly  to  a  panic.  But  the  vice  consuls  continued 
their  labors  to  obtain  that  the  armistice  arranged  with  Colonel 
Sanmartin  by  them  should  be  respected  and  kept  in  good  faith, 
and  the  representative  of  England  and  Germany  protested 
against  its  being  broken  and  brought  to  bear  on  the  negotiations 
all  the  weight  that  their  nations  represent. 

"The  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Civil  Guard  on  his  part,  seeing 
the  impossibility  of  resistance  to  the  powerful  fleet  of  the  enemy, 
which  had  been  reinforced  by  several  ships  more,  with  the  means 
he  had  at  his  disposal,  decided  at  length  to  evacuate  the  town, 
retiring  with  all  the  forces  under  his  command,  by  the  road 
leading  to  the  interior  of  the  island. 

"As  soon  as  this  decision  was  arrived  at  the  retreat  began, 
but  not  before  attempting  to  set  fire  to  the  railroad  station,  in 
M'hich  they  only  succeeded  in  burning  a  few  cars.  But  even  after 
the  retreat  there  was  anxiety  among  the  inhabitants,  as  it  was 
reported  that  the  powder  magazine  of  the  barracks  would  be 
blown  up  before  the  Spaniards  left  the  town  definitely;  we  are 
happy  to  say  that  this  did  not  happen. 

"The  town  was  left  in  charge  of  the  local  first  brigade,  who 
undertook  the  duty  of  keeping  order,  but  their  services  were  not 
called  upon  that  night,  nor  has  been  since,  as  not  the  slightest 
disturbance  has  taken  place.    Ponce  gave  proofs  of  its  good  sense 


420  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXK0K  COl'XTY 

as  usual.  At  dayhi-rak  the  next  morning  a  half  dozen  men  of 
the  American  forces  hoisted  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the  custom 
house  together  Avith  the  headtjuarter's  tiag  of  the  commander  in 
chief.    Later  llic  flag  was  unfurled  over  the  town  liall. 

"Tlie  landing  of  the  troojjs  began  aiul  were  distributed  about 
in  accordance  with  instructions  of  the  American  commanders. 
The  people  welcomed  the  American  forces  as  liberators  and  friends 
and  with  the  greatest  demonstrations  of  joy  and  heartiness. 

"The  commander  of  the  expeditionary  forces  decided  that  the 
municipal  and  judicial  authorities  should  remain  at  their  post 
as  well  as  the  local  police  and  the  employees  of  the  custom  house, 
which  later  is  in  charge  of  Colonel  Ilill,  appointed  inspector  of 
the  port  and  customs.  The  American  troops  have  entered  this 
town  with  the  greatest  order  and  are  fraternizing  Avith  the  people. 
Said  troops  later  relieved  the  fireman  at  gu;ird  duty  at  the  city 
prison  and  other  places. 

"The  political  prisoners  have  been  set  at  lil)erty  and  among 
them  our  friends  Messrs.  Santiago  Geraldino,  Rodulfo  Figueroa, 
Jose  Hilaria  Roche  and  others.  AVe  heartily  congratulate  them 
all.  The  inhabitants  that  had  gone  into  the  country  have 
gradually  begun  to  return  to  town,  in  which  the  greatest  order 
prevails. 

"At  the  town  hall  there  took  place  an  incident  worthy  of 
mention.  Mr.  Figueroa,  who  had  l)een  just  sot  free,  went  up  to 
the  Seasions  hall  and  unslinging  tlie  porti-ait  of  the  queen 
regent  with  the  king  and  the  crown  which  overtopped  them, 
attempted  to  throw  them  over  the  balcony,  saying:  'There  go  the 
remnants  of  Spanish  domination.'  But  an  American  officer  who 
was  present  interfered  in  a  friendly  way,  requesting  that  said 
picture  and  crown  should  be  given  him  as  a  historical  memento 
of  the  occasion,  which  request  was  immediately  granted." 

Notice.  "To  this  office  has  been  brought  a  hat  belonging  to 
one  of  the  guards  of  the  army  at  present  in  the  city.  Tt  is 
marked  R.  J.  Bilie,  Fort  AVingate.  X.  AT.  AVe  hold  same  at  the 
disposal  of  said  guard." 

Colonel  Sanmartin  was  in  charge  of  the  Spanish  troops  at  the 
city  of  Ponce.  At  the  time  of  the  advance  of  tlu^  American 
troops  he  and  his  men  Med  along  the  military  highway  lowards 
the  northern  i)art  of  Ihe  island,  leaving  the  Spanish  barracks,  a 
fine  large  building,  cai)able  of  housing  a  reginuMit.  with  nil  its 
furnishings,  including  the  Spanish  flags  and  sonu>  uniforms  and 
equipments,  and  all  of  his  own  household  furniture;  afterwards 
Colonel  Sanmartin  was  sentenced  to  death  bv  a  court  nuirtial  for 


THE  SPANISH-A:MERICAN  AVAR  421 

not  defending  the  eity,  but  it  was  afterwards  changed  to  life 
impi'isonment.  After  a  few  days'  stay  in  camp  at  the  city  of 
Ponce,  Avhere  the  regiment  was  fully  equipped  with  new  "Krag" 
rifles,  orders  were  given  to  proceed  to  the  front  and  early  in  the 
morning  of  the  7th  of  August  the  regiment  started  on  its  march 
to  meet  the  enemy  and  arrived  in  front  of  Coamo  on  the  evening 
of  August  8th ;  outposts  were  thrown  out,  almost  being  in  touch 
with  the  Spanish  troops.  Company  K  under  Captain  Warren 
being  sent  out  to  the  front.  It  was  important  that  this  city  be 
captured  and  a  careful  plan  of  campaign  was  laid  out  by  Gen- 
eral Ernest  and  the  commanders  of  the  Second  and  Third  Wis- 
consin and  Sixteenth  Pennsylvania,  comprising  the  brigade.  To 
understand  the  battle  of  Coamo  a  description  of  the  city  and  sur- 
rounding country  is  necessary;  the  land  is  very  hilly  along  the 
entire  south  coast  and  towards  the  west  it  becomes  mountainous. 
Coamo  is  eight  miles  from  the  seashore  and  is  situated  in  a 
pocket  of  high  hills;  these  hills  are  a  guard  to  the  city,  being 
covered  with  ravines  and  clitfs  which  in  many  places  are  impass- 
able. An  advance  on  the  city  by  any  other  way  than  the  roads 
leading  to  the  toAvn  is  next  to  impossible ;  three  roads  lead 
toward  the  city;  from  the  southwest  is  the  San  Juan  road  lead- 
ing from  Ponce,  from  Coamo  to  San  Juan;  this  road  takes  a 
northeasterly  direction  from  the  city  towards  Aibonito ;  from  the 
south  is  a  road  leading  from  St.  Isabel,  the  road  having  been 
named  after  the  town;  on  all  of  these  roads  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment had  built  many  culverts  and  bridges  to  cover  ravines  and 
streams ;  the  work  was  done  with  great  care  and  the  bridges 
were  very  substantial ;  the  roads  are  all  macadamized  and  are 
like  boulevards ;  on  the  outskirts  southwest  of  the  city  is  a  block 
house  situated  between  the  San  Juan  and  St.  Isabel  roads.  From 
the  block  house  the  Spaniards  had  a  clear  range  of  the  valley 
leading  towards  the  city  and  in  this  block  house  the  enemy  was 
lodged  and  from  there  the  Spanish  had  shut  off  former  attempts 
to  enter  the  city.  Company  K,  as  has  been  stated,  and  Com- 
pany G  of  Wausau  were  posted  on  the  high  hills  commanding 
the  San  Juan  road  and  had  a  full  view  of  the  block  house  and 
the  city;  all  night  a  vigilant  Avatch  was  kept  on  the  Spanish, 
but  they  made  no  demonstration.  The  commanders  were  given 
their  instructions  for  march  on  the;  day  previous.  At  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  the  troops  w^ere  awakened,  men  were 
ordered  to  take  their  guns  and  belts,  haversacks  and  three  meals 
and  their  poncos,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  equipments  behind. 
It  was  yet   dark  and  at  -4:30  breakfast  was  served;    the  men 


422  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

were  in  high  spirits,  only  the  sick  Avoro  s.ad  ;   1  rouble  was  brewing 
niul  at  last  we  w^rc  within  touch  of  the  enemy;    the  Second  and 
Third  Wisconsin  were  iudil  back  and  the  Sixteenth  Pennsylvania 
was  sent  l\y  a  detour  to  get  in  the  rear  of  the  city  and  there  attack 
the   enemy   should   they  retreat;     all    the   American   forces    had 
camped  before  the  city  on  the  San  Juan  road  two  miles  st)uthwest 
of  it.     At  5:80  iu  llie  inoiiiiiii;'  1lie  Sixteeiilh    Pennsylvania  had 
started  for  its  position  and  after  a  wait   until   six  o'clock  the 
Second  and  Third  were  ordered  to  move;    taking  a   position  in 
the  valley  near  the  San  Juan  road.  Lancaster's  battery  had  from 
there  a  clean  sweep  of  the  block  house  and  also  commanded  the 
range  for  firing  into  the  city.     The  Second  and  Third  "Wisconsin 
supported  the  battery  on  the  left,  the  Second  being  nearest  to 
it.     General  Ernest  and  staff  had  taken  a  position  on  the  hills 
where  Captain  AVarren  and  the  Tomah  men  had  acted  as  pickets 
during  the  night  and  from  here  he  directed  Colonel  ]Moore  where 
to  move  his  regiment;    he  was  to  take  the  Third  to  the  south  of 
the  town  and  advance  by  way  of  the  St.  Isabel  road,  cutting  off 
all  escape  from  that  direction,     (\iptains  AVrrren  and  Abraham 
and  their  companies  had  been  left  ))ehind  on  outpost  duty,  and 
Captain  Hommel,  of  Neillsville.  with  his  company  guarded  the 
camp  at  Jnana  Diaz,  so  that  the  Third  only  had  nine  companies 
in  the  field.     IMajor  Richards  liad  two  companies  of  his  battalion 
left,  Company  D  of  INIauston,  Captain  Turner  and  Company  F 
of  Portage,  Captain  Lee,  and  was  assigned  to  lead  the  advance. 
INIajor  Kircheis  followed  with  the  Second  Battalion  consisting 
of  Company  B,  Captain  Schultz,  La  Crosse;  Company  M,  Captain 
Peck,  La  Crosse;  Company  L.  Captain  ^IcCoy,  Sparta,  and  Alajor 
George  Avith  the  First  Battalion,  composed  of  Company  Y.,  Cap- 
tain Ballard,  Eau  Claire;    Comjiany  C,  Captain  Kiney.  Hudson; 
Company  I,  Lieutenant  Smith.  AVest  Sui)erior;    the  Second  Regi- 
ment followed  to  the  letl  ;    the  movement  began  at  (i:30;    the 
battery  had  taken  its  position  and  IMajor  Richards  ami  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Saloday  of  the  Second  sent  out  their  skirmishes.     They 
stretched  out  toward  the  hills  covering  nearly  a  mile  and  cau- 
tiously the  advance  on  the  hills  south  of  the  town  began.     At 
exactly  five  mimites  past  seven  the  first  shell  from  Lancaster's 
battery  was  fired  and  at  the  third  shot  the  range  of  the  block 
house,  having  been  gotten,  it  was  set  on  fii'e.     AVith  the  advance 
began  the  opening  of  tire  by  the  Spaniards  and  the  AVisconsin 
troops  were  for  the  first  time  engaged  in  battle;    the  men  in  the 
advance  skirmish   line  crept   through   the  Avet   grass  which   was 
high  enough  to  almost   hide  them  from  view;    the  regiment  f(^l- 


THE  SPANISH-A:\IERICAN  war  423 

lowed  as  close  behind  as  Avas  deemed  safe  -without  exposing  them 
to  an  ambush. 

The  skirmishers  and  their  squads  had  gone  about  60  yards 
when  General  Ernest  moved  from  the  hill  in  which  he  had  sta- 
tioned himself  and  went  over  to  the  battery.     It  was  then  seven 
o'clock  and  it  was  decided  that  the  Pennsylvania  regiment  had 
by  that  time  arrived  in  rear  of  the  city.     "With  the  opening  of 
fire  by  the  battery  the  battle  became  lively  and  when  the  block 
house  was  set  on   fire  by  shells   the   Spaniards  retreated   along 
the  road  back  into  the  city;    while  the  battery  was  shelling  the 
block    house    INIajor    Richards    had    advanced    the    skirmishers 
towards  the  east  and  was  within  range  of  the  hills  on  Avhich  the 
Spanish   outposts   were   stationed.      Thoroughly   aroused   at   this 
time  by  the  boldness  of  the  Americans  in  shelling  the  block  house 
the   Spaniards  opened  fire   on  the  skirmishers   and  the   bullets 
whistled  thick  and  fast  over  the  heads  of  Captain  Turner's  men; 
but  they  were  poAverless  to  return  the  fire,  because  under  the 
cover  of  the  heavy  brush  the  Spaniards  could  not  be  seen ;   with 
the  retreat  of  the  Spanish  troops  the  advance  of  the  Second  and 
Third  AVisconsin,  which  up  to  this  time  had  been  comparatively 
smooth,  now  became  difficult ;    ravines,  rivers,  groves  with  deep 
underbrush    and    other    obstructions    were    soon    encountered, 
scarcely  had  one  obstruction  been  overcome  than  another  was 
met  with ;   then  came  the  river  and  the  bluffs.  ])oth  sides  of  which 
were  so  steep  that  for  a  time  it  was  thought  impossible  to  reach 
the  other  side.     The  block  house  had  long  before  been  deserted 
and  now   the  infantry  fire   of  the   Sixteenth  Pennsylvania   was 
heard.    The  advance  skirmishers  of  the  Third  climbing  the  bluffs 
Avith  the  guns  in  one  hand  and  with  the  other  holding  on  to  vines 
that  hung  over  the  cliffs,  to  hold  themselves  not  knowing  what 
awaited  them  below,  nor  did  they  care ;   once  below  the  river  was 
waded  and   a  march  through   a   cornfield   brought   them   to  the 
St.  Isabel  road  leading  to  the  town  where  the  Second  Regiment 
and  Second  Battalion  of  the  Third  Regiment  Avere  coming  along 
the  road.    Adjutant  Holway  and  Major  George  leading  the  First 
Battalion  on  the  other  side  of  the  river ;    scouts  were  sent  out  to 
see  the  effect  the  artillery  fire  had;    the  terrible  result  of  it  Avas 
seen;    on  reaching  the  river  both  regiments  crossed  the  stream, 
the  Third  taking  the  lead  and  up  the  road  toAvard  the  city  Avhere 
the  Spanish  had  tried  to  bloAV  up  several  bridges,  but  in  their 
haste  had  not  been  successful.     The  AVisconsin  troops  Avere  noAV 
Avithin  a  mile  of  the  toAvn  and  natives  came  out  to  meet  them; 
Avord  came  that  the  Spaniards  had  deserted  the  place  and  Avere 


424  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

l)eing  ongagfed  liy  tlic  Peniisylvaiiia  regiment  on  the  outskirts 
towards  the  west.  Tired  and  wriwy,  yet  the  l^adgcr  men  liurried 
on,  still  spoiling  for  a  tight.  As  the  Third  entered  tlie  town 
many  natives  came  out  Avaving  white  tlags,  they  cheered  the 
Americans,  and  it  was  a  repetition  of  the  entrance  into  Ponce; 
in  the  streets  Spanish  I'ntrenchments  were  encountered  which 
Avere  made  by  digging  a  ditch  and  piling  u[)  hags  of  sand  and 
in  some  instances  iron  water  pipes  and  sewer  pipes;  the  barracks 
were  soon  reached  Avliere  the  natives  Avere  found  in  control, 
tearing  everything  that  Avas  Spanisli  to  pieces,  shoAving  their 
utmost  hatred  for  Spain.  Stores  Avere  closed,  many  merchants 
had  fled  and  the  toAvn  Avas  on  the  A'ery  verge  of  starvation,  ttie 
Spanish  soldiers  had  taken  all  they  needed  and  the  country  folks 
had  not  brought  any  eatables  to  toAvn  for  over  a  Aveek,  being 
afraid  of  the  soldiers. 

The  Third  Regiment  flag  Avas  raised  over  the  town,  and  soon 
Avord  came  that  the  Pennsylvania  regiment  had  routed  three 
hundred  Spanish  regulars ;  the  Spanish  troops,  thoroughly 
frightened  by  the  advance  of  the  Third  Regiment,  had  attempted 
to  flee  toAvards  the  north  and  had  run  directly  into  the  trap  set 
for  them ;  a  sharp  but  decisiA'e  skirmish  engagement  in  the  brush 
took  place  at  Avhich  Major  ]\Iarlinez,  commander  of  the  Spanish 
troops  made  a  gallant  etfort  to  hold  his  position  flying  up  and 
doAvn  his  line  like  a  mad  man,  thereby  making  a  target  of  himself 
which  soon  resulted  in  his  being  shot  from  his  horse,  pierced  in 
many  places.  The  Spaniards  lost  six  killed,  tAvelve  Avounded 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners  and  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  Spaniards  escaped  by  taking  to  the  hills  and  later 
some  of  them  surrendered. 

The  regiment  took  possession  of  the  city  and  established  a 
camp  on  the  military  road  about  a  mile  beyond  the  city  limits; 
it  Avas  necessary  to  hold  a  large  bridge  over  Avhich  the  Spanish 
had  retreated  up  the  road,  leading  to  Aibonito  pass  Avhere  the 
Spaniards  had  their  stronghold  and  immediately  ]Major  Kircheis 
was  sent  to  the  front  about  four  miles  to  hold  this  bridge  having 
under  his  command  Company  D  of  ]\Iauston,  Captain  Turner; 
Company  F,  Portage,  Captain  Lee ;  Company  L,  Sparta,  Captain 
McCoy;  Company  ^1.  T^a  Crosse,  Captain  Peck.  The  enemy  held 
this  pass  Aviiicli  led  through  the  Sierra  Del  Sur  ^Mountains  and 
Avere  thorougldy  intrenched  on  three  hills  Avhich  commanded  the 
pass  and  the  road  leading  doAvn  the  mountain;  ^Major  Kircheis 
occupied  the  position  beyond  th(^  bridge  and  thrcAV  outposts  into 
the  hills  covering  the  position   thoroughly   and   on   August   12 


THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  425 

Lancaster's  battery  was  ordered  to  the  front  to  shell  the  enemy 
as  it  was  deemed  impossible  for  infantry  to  make  a  charge  upon 
the  hills  in  order  to  capture  the  Spanish  position ;  the  road 
which  led  toward  their  outposts  was  almost  a  crest  of  a  moun- 
tain, and  before  the  artillery  could  get  into  position  it  came 
into  full  view  of  the  Spanish  outposts  and  also  of  those  behind 
the  entrenchments.  The  battery  as  it  advanced  up  the  road  was 
fired  upon  by  the  Spanish  with  their  artillery,  which  seemed  to 
be  rather  an  obsolete  kind,  but  which  threw  shells  more  or  less 
effectively.  The  Spaniards  changed  their  range  from  the  battery 
and  directed  their  fire  toward  the  infantry,  who  were  holding 
their  line,  all  Wisconsin  men,  as  before  stated.  About  one  dozen 
shells  were  thrown  when  a  shell  burst  in  the  midst  of  Captain 
IMcCoy's  Company  L,  which  was  stationed  on  the  hill  sloping 
toward  the  outposts  headcjuarters,  and  Corporal  Swanson,  Com- 
pany L,  and  a  private  of  the  same  company  were  killed  by  the 
explosion,  Corporal  Yanke  and  Corporal  Bunce  were  wounded. 
The  artillery  was  now  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  enemy.  Three 
pieces  were  stationed  in  the  field  below  the  road  and  opened  fire 
on  the  entrenchments.  General  Wilson  and  staff  then  arrived 
and  directed  the  infantry  to  cease  firing  on  account  of  the  long 
range,  but  the  Spaniards  continued  to  shoot  at  the  Portage  and 
La  Crosse  troops ;  when  the  battery  had  fixed  its  distance  the 
cannonade  on  the  earthwork  soon  had  its  effect  and  whole  com- 
panies of  Spanish  infantry  could  be  seen  leaving  and  after  an 
hour's  firing  directly  on  the  position  held  by  the  Spanish  field- 
pieces  they  were  compelled  to  retire.  During  the  time  that  the 
artillery  was  firing  the  Spanish  had  also  continued  to  shell  the 
infantry  stationed  aloiig  the  hills ;  finally  everything  seemed 
to  be  silenced  and  the  guns  of  the  battery  were  ordered  to  move 
further  up  the  road  with  Company  F  under  Captain  Leo  as 
support. 

As  the  horses  and  cannon  dashed  toward  the  enemy's  position 
followed  by  the  Portage  troops  they  Avere  surprised  by  a  storm 
of  bullets  from  a  company  of  Spanish  infantry  and  several  shells 
from  the  hills,  showing  that  the  Spaniards  were  still  in  full  pos- 
session of  the  position.  The  Portage  company  with  the  battery 
were  obliged  to  fall  back  under  a  heavy  fire  which,  however, 
caused  only  a  few  slight  wounds,  and  the  artillery  then  being  out 
of  ammunition,  they  were  obliged  to  withdraw  from  the  field. 
The  Spanish  had  left  their  entrenchments  and  concealed  them- 
selves in  a  banana  field ;  it  was  almost  impossible  to  locate  them 
at  first  as  they  used  smokeless  powder  with  the  ^lauser  rifles. 


426  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

TIr'V  retreated  into  the  hills,  however,  and  the  engagement 
ended  with  the  Spanish  still  in  their  position  and  nothing  gained 
for  the  American  troops. 

General  Wilson  determined  to  attack  Aibonito  pass  by  going 
through  the  mountains;  a  mule  pack  train  was  sent  up  to  the 
Third  Infantry  and  it  was  ordered  to  prepare  for  an  early  march 
tiirougli  llie  mountains  by  way  of  the  trail  in  an  endeavor  to 
drive  the  enemy  out  of  Aibonito  and  capture  the  pass  and  the 
cit3^  Ammunition  and  two  day's  rations  were  issued  ready  for 
the  start  at  daylight.  Colonel  ]\Ioore  called  his  officers  together 
and  stated  that  the  Third  would  lead  the  assault  up  the  mountain 
and  that  it  would  be  the  hardest  piece  of  work  yet  ast^igned  to 
the  regiment  and  dismissed  them  Avith  the  statement,  made  in 
that  positive  way  he  had,  of  ""SVe  will  take  that  pass  or  there 
will  be  lots  of  room  at  mess  for  those  Avho  come  back."  An  hour 
before  daylight  bugles  rang  out  the  reveille,  the  regiment  had 
its  breakfast,  packed  its  packs,  ammunition  and  rations,  filed  out 
into  the  road  and  awaited  the  order  to  start  on  their  perilous 
march.  AVhile  waiting  for  the  connuand  to  move  a  horseman  was 
seen  rushing  up  the  road  from  the  city,  where  the  military  tele- 
graph station  was  located,  waving  in  his  hand  a  despatch,  which 
was  found  to  be  ncAvs  from  the  War  Department  that  the  peace 
protocal  had  been  signed  and  that  officially  the  fighting  was  over. 
While  it  was  fortunate  and  saved  the  lives  of  many  score  of 
brave  AVisconsin  boys,  still  the  news  came  as  a  disappointment, 
for  the  fighting  blood  of  the  Old  Third  was  up.  and  on  the  face 
of  every  man  w^as  seen  a  determination  to  do  his  full  share, 
whatever  the  result  might  have  been. 

After  this,  white  fiags  were  put  out  by'  both  the  Spanish  and 
American  troops,  and  the  Aveary  routine  of  camp  life  and  Avait- 
ing  began,  Avith  nothing  to  do  but  establish  outposts.  Avith  occa- 
sional drills  for  the  sake  of  the  health  of  the  men.  Still  the 
malarial  fever  began  to  get  its  grip  on  these  Wisconsin  boys  and 
the  brigade  hospital  became  larger  than  the  l)rigade  camp,  and 
here  is  giA^en  two  sets  of  figures.  While  they  are  not  official, 
they  Avere  gathered  from  a  reliable  source  and  are  taken  from 
a  little  l)ook  published  by  Emanuel  Rossiter.  being  a  history  of 
Company  I  of  the  Third  Regiment:  On  September  13tli,  out  of 
the  strength  of  the  regiment  there  Avere  126  men  sick  in  hospital, 
200  sick  in  quarters  and  128  sick  in  other  places,  making  a  total 
of  454;  and  to  shoAV  the  increase  of  this  terrible  disease,  just 
six  days  after  that,  on  the  19th  of  September  the  reports  shoAV 
138  men  sick  in  hospital,  413  men  sick  in  quarters,  148  men  sick 


THE  SPANISH-AIMERICAX  AVAR  427 

in  other  places,  18  left  for  home  invalided,  12  men  died  in  Porto 
Rico,  a  total  of  729.  These  were  dark  days  indeed  for  the 
Third,  for  in  August  the  Second  Wisconsin  was  sent  home  but 
the  Third,  being  still  considered  efficient,  was  held  for  whatever 
duty  might  arise  and  the  dreary  routine  of  waiting  pulled 
heavily  on  the  spirits  of  officers  and  men ;  but  the  Third  exhib- 
ited its  sterling  worth  and  when  the  order  came  to  march  from 
Coamo  through  to  San  Juan,  there  to  take  part  in  the  formal 
exercises  of  raising  the  flag  over  the  island  of  Porto  Rico,  great 
was  the  rejoicing,  and  upon  the  morning  that  the  march  began 
the  editor,  sitting  on  his  horse  beside  Lieutenant  IMcDonald.  a 
surgeon  of  the  regular  army  detailed  for  duty  with  the  Third 
Regiment,  watched  the  men  as  they  swung  out  of  the  field  and 
into  the  road,  men  who  were  indeed  men  in  looks,  some  of  them 
with  lined  faces,  who  had  enlisted  a  few  months  before  as  mere 
boys,  and  Lieutenant  IMcDonald  said  after  the  last  company  had 
gone  by:  "There  are  600  men  which  you  cannot  kill  with  a  club." 

The  brigade,  consisting  of  the  Sixteenth  Pensylvania  and  the 
Second  AVisconsin,  reached  Cayey  on  the  3d  of  October  after  a 
three  days'  march  and  here  on  the  4th  orders  were  received  to 
return  to  Ponce  to  take  transports  for  home ;  and  returning  over 
the  same  road,  reaching  Ponce  a  few  days  later,  where  the  regi- 
ment was  very  comfortal)ly  quartered  in  camps  left  by  a  regular 
regiment  of  infantry  which  was  ordered  away,  the  tents  being 
left  standing.  Here  the  men  rested  for  several  days  visiting  the 
city,  busily  engaged  in  picking  up  souvenirs  to  carry  home,  wait- 
ing for  the  transports  to  arrive.  On  October  20th  the  "i\Iani- 
toba,"  a  fine  ship,  came  into  the  harbor  at  Ponce  and  the  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  pack  up,  go  aboard  and  start  for  home. 

True  to  its  record,  the  Third,  instead  of  straggling  down  to 
the  harbor,  as  had  been  the  case  with  a  regiment  or  two  which 
had  gone  home  before,  packed  its  baggage,  swung  into  column 
and,  headed  by  the  pitiful  remnant  of  Dana's  once  famous  Third 
Regiment  band,  marched  proudly  through  the  city  with  the 
same  old  swing,  cheered  mightily  by  their  old  friends,  the  First 
Kentucky,  which  had  arrived  on  the  island,  and  the  Nineteenth 
Regular  Infantry.  Quickly  they  loaded  everything  on  the  "Alan- 
itoba,"  laid  in  the  harl)or  that  night  for  the  sole  reason,  as  was 
told,  that  it  was  Friday  night  and  no  sailor  would  move  on  that 
night,  and  the  next  day,  October  22d,  started  the  journey  for 
home.  This  proved  to  be  a  record  breaking  passage  of  four 
and  one-half  days,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  26th  of  Octolier  the 
twinkling  lights  along  the  Jersey  shore  were  greeted  witli  great 


428  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

shouts  of  liappiness.  for  at  last,  after  many  trials,  it  looked  like 
home.  Held  in  quarantine  that  night,  the  ship  steamed  into  the 
harbor  the  next  morning,  "where  it  was  met  by  Governor  Sco- 
field  himself,  Avho  came  on  board  the  vessel  and  had  words  of 
great  praise  for  tlic  conduct  of  the  regiment.  On  the  28th  ar- 
rangements were  fully  completed  for  the  regiment  and  three 
special  trains  of  sleepers  started  for  home  on  the  West  Shore 
railroad,  and  on  their  way  stopped  at  ^Milwaukee  where  a  loyal 
banquet  was  served  to  every  officer  and  man  by  the  city  of 
Milwaukee,  and  here  the  troops  were  distributed,  going  to  their 
various  home  towns. 

Later  on  they  Avere  mustered  out  by  companies  along  in 
January,  1899,  being  visited  at  their  home  stations  for  that  pur- 
pose by  regular  army  officers  detailed  to  muster  out  the  com- 
panies and  pay  them  in  full.  The  total  strength  of  the  regiment 
was  1,353,  of  Avhom  two  men  were  killed  in  action,  three  wounded 
and  forty-one  died  of  disease.  The  colors  carried  by  the  regi- 
ment during  the  Spanish  war  are  now  at  ^ladison  in  the  capitol 
building  in  the  case  with  flags  of  the  Rebellion.  The  regiment 
was  reorganized  in  a  few  months  afterwards  with  Orlando  Hol- 
way  as  its  colonel  and  is  now  and  has  been  ever  since  a  part  of 
the  National  Guard,  in  which  Companies  L  and  K  have  made 
good  records. 


CHAPTER  XL VII. 

THE  MILITARY  COMPANIES. 

COMPANY  K. 

In  1883,  early  in  the  year,  Col.  George  Graham,  believing  that 
the  time  was  ripe  for  the  forming  of  an  independent  military 
company,  with  the  view  to  have  it  eventually  mustered  into  the 
Wisconsin  National  Guard,  started  a  movement  which  resulted 
in  the  organization  of  a  company  of  about  fifty  young  men. 
They  had  no  money,  no  arms  and  no  uniforms.  The  latter  were 
soon  supplied  by  the  individual  members  of  the  company,  who 
worked  and  earned  money  with  which  to  procure  a  suit  consist- 
ing of  a  cap,  blouse  and  trousers  of  blue.  Upon  application  to 
the  adjutant  general  a  set  of  old  muskets  was  issued  to  the  com- 
pany and  some  old-fashioned  belts.  They  had  no  armory,  but 
the  firemen  agreed  to  let  the  organization  use  its  hall,  which 
was  very  small,  for  meeting  purposes  and  most  of  the  drilling  was 
done  out  of  doors  in  the  summer  months.  Colonel  Graham  was 
captain,  Charles  K.  Erwiu,  first  lieutenant,  and  John  Richards, 
second  lieutenant.  Faithful  work  brought  its  reward,  for  early 
in  188tt  the  opportunity  came  and  the  ad.jutant  general  deeming 
the  company  sufficiently  instructed,  issued  an  order  that  it  be 
mustered  into  the  Wisconsin  National  Guard. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  1884,  Capt.  J.  W.  Curran,  as  officer  on 
the  governor's  staff,  mustered  the  company  into  the  Third  Regi- 
ment as  Company  K.  It  being  the  custom,  however,  at  that  time 
to  give  each  company  a  name,  the  "Tomah  Guards,"  was 
adopted  as  the  name  of  the  organization.  It  was  initiated  into 
military  life  by  participating  in  the  camp  of  the  regiment  at 
Mauston  during  the  summer  of  1884  and  has,  of  course,  attended 
every  camp  of  the  regiment  held  since. 

jMcCaul's  hall  was  rented  for  an  armory  and  the  company  used 
that  for  a  number  of  years  until  the  old  skating  rink  fartlier 
down  the  street  was  secured.  This  was  fitted  up  and  used  as  an 
armory  and  public  hall.  This  building  had  been  purchased  by 
the  Helping  Hand  Society  in  1887  and  the  company  acquired  it 
from  them. 

429 


4:50  HISTORY  OF  :M0XR0K  ('OIN'r^' 

Til  July,  18!)().  the  c-onipany  liaving  acquired  some  means,  in  or- 
der to  liave  a  civil  or^ifanization  -which  could  own  property  and 
conduct  th(>  luisiness  atf'airs  connected  witli  sucli  ownership,  was 
organized  into  a  corporation  named  the  Tomah  Guard  Armory 
Association,  PI  Battles,  Irving  E.  Jones  and  R.  A.  Ricliards 
])eing  the  incorporators.  Every  member  of  Company  K,  Third 
Regiment  AVisconsin  National  (luard,  is  a  member  of  this  corpora- 
tion as  soon  as  enlisted  and  holds  his  membership  until  dis- 
charged; a  member  who  has  served  for  six  years  in  the  company 
thereby  becomes  a  life  member  of  the  association. 

This  association  secured  a  valuable  lot  opposite  the  old  Sher- 
man House  and  erected  the  present  armory  building,  w'hich  was 
at  the  time  considered  a  model  for  its  purpose ;  the  society  went 
heavily  in  debt,  but  with  the  passing  of  the  years  the  revenue 
derived  from  the  l)uilding,  Avhich  is  nicely  fitted  up  with  a  stage 
and  good  scenery,  and  is  now  the  onl.y  opera  house  in  the  citj% 
and  the  armory  fund  furnished  by  the  state  to  the  company, 
together  with  profits  from  entertainments,  have  cut  down  the 
indebtedness  very  materially  and  in  a  few  years  the  association 
Mill  be  free  from  debt  and  the  owner  of  a  very  valuable  prop- 
erty. The  company  has  always  maintained  a  high  standing  in 
the  companies  of  the  state,  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three 
years  when  it  dropped  in  general  standing;  and  at  the  l)reaking 
out  of  the  Spanish  war  sixty-seven  out  of  the  sixty-eight  officers 
and  men  volunteered  for  that  service,  and  we  here  give  the  names 
of  all  the  men  who  went  into  the  company,  both  at  the  first  call 
and  those  recruited  later,  taken  from  the  original  nuister-out  roll 
of  the  company  in  that  war: 

Capt.  AVinfield  AY.  AYarren,  First  Lieut.  Alva  S.  Goodyear, 
Second  Lieut.  Irving  E.  Jones,  First  Sergt  John  I.  Bigelow,  Q.  M. 
Sergt.  Glenn  AV.  Graham,  Sergts.  Oscar  AV.  Alick.  John  AlcKane, 
II.  Artlnir  Clark,  Joim  C.  Flood;  Corporals  Ned  Lombard,  AVill- 
iam  II.  AVisc,  Bert  Trowbridge,  George  J.  Kuckuck,  C.  Wallace 
AlcPherson,  Charles  F.  jMyer,  Claude  R.  Sowle,  Lester  F.  Penne- 
well,  Claude  B.  AYells,  Parker  Aloseley.  AYaren  D.  Jones,  Christie 
H.  Smith;  Alusicians  Charles  K.  AVright  and  Edward  J.  Peacor; 
Artificer  Ernest  Pincel,  AYagoner  Alfred  Harp:  privates:  Henry 
II.  Aiistin,  George  R.  Alverson,  Alvin  E.  Baumgarten,  Edward  A. 
Baumgarten,  Charles  Bohn,  Alax  P.  Curtius,  Herman  0.  Conrad, 
Alax  Case,  Jason  A.  Dcnvey,  Lee  R.  Dewey,  Hans  Folson,  An- 
drew F'lood,  Leroy  AV.  Fcrdon.  Ransom  E.  Gove.  Lester  E.  Get- 
man,  Fred  AY.  Heeler,  ]\Iilhird  II.  Hammond,  Thomas  J.  Johnson, 


THE  :\IILITARY  COMPANIES  431 

Bennie  Lapp,  William  Lenz,  Herbert  E.  Logan,  Bert  A.  Lee, 
George  McLean,  E^riiest  A.  Miller,  Arthur  D.  ^Miller,  John  ]\Iiek, 
AVilliam  ^lullenberg,  Henry  jMcCanley,  Brice  jNIeMnllen,  Henry 
M.  Montgomery,  Adolpli  Nelson,  AValter  Newsome,  Arthur  H. 
Otto,  Oscar  Paley,  John  Palmer,  Luvern  Reynolds,  AYilliam  H. 
Root,  Albert  Reich,  John  C.  Schueman,  Frank  J.  Saner,  William 
H.  Saner,  Harold  Stevens,  Edwin  P.  Smith,  Orson  Shearer,  Her- 
man Schultz,  Dave  W.  Scruby,  Edward  R.  Wells,  Harry  M.  War- 
ren, George  H.  Williams,  Thomas  E.  White. 

The  following  joined  the  company  as  recruits  on  the  dates 
named:  Charles  Armstrong,  June  18,  1898;  Harry  B.  Alexander, 
June  18,  1898 ;  Daniel  J.  Adam,  June  18,  1898 ;  Emil  Bickel,  June 
18,  1898 ;  August  Capelle,  June  18,  1898 ;  Oscar  Emery,  June  18, 
1898 ;  Otto  C.  E.  Franz,  June  18,  1898 ;  James  AV.  Gordon,  June 
18,  1898;  Ralph  P.  Johnson,  June  18,  1898;  Lee  H.  Jones,  June 
18,  1898 ;  Dwell  P.  Jackson,  June  18,  1898 ;  James  Larson,  June 
18,  1898 ;  Charles  T.  Leonerd,  June  15,  1898 ;  Edgar  Lea,  June  17, 
1898;  Gustave  AV.  Marquart,  June  18,  1898;  Frank  Aliddleman, 
June  18,  1898;  August  Mitchell,  June  18,  1898;  Homer  Meloy, 
June  18,  1898 ;  James  Murphey,  June  17,  1898 ;  Charles  J.  Peter- 
son, June  27,  1898 ;  Joseph  Pelon,  June  18,  1898 ;  Arthur  L.  Pat- 
terson, June  18,  1898;  John  AV.  Reynolds,  June  18,  1898;  Mett 
Rose,  June  18,  1898 ;  Elex  Roscovius,  June  18,  1898 ;  Frederick 
R.  Skogland,  June  18,  1898;  Albert  J.  Siebert,  June  18,  1898; 
George  H.  Terry,  June  18,  1898 ;  Lorenzo  A^an  A^oorhees,  June  18, 
1898. 

Discharged.  Frederick  S.  Barrows,  corporal,  September  11, 
1898,  at  Coamo,  P.  R.  Charles  E.  Butters,  promoted  to  regiment 
chaplain,  commissioned  October  1,  1898. 

Transferred.  AVilliam  F.  Fethenhire,  transferred  to  hospital 
corps  by  S.  0.  No.  5,  headquarters  First  Army  Corps,  at  Chicka- 
mauga  Park,  Ga.,  June  23,  1898.  Arthur  J.  Ratcliffe,  transferred 
to  hospital  corps,  S.  0.  No.  5,  First  Army  Corps,  June  23,  1898. 
Olaf  Thuleen,  detached  from  company  and  attached  to  band  at 
Chickamauga  Park,  June  1,  1898.  Adolph  AV.  Pellants,  detached 
from  company  and  attached  to  band  at  Chickamauga  Park,  June 
1,  1898. 

Died  of  Disease.  Paul  Curtius,  died  of  typhoid  fever  at 
Charleston,  S.  C,  August  9,  1898.  Oscar  Zimmerman,  died  of 
typhoid  fever  at  Coamo,  Porto  Rico,  October  15,  1898. 

Maj.  R.  A.  Richards  was  mustered  into  the  service  as  major 
and  commanded  the  Third  Battalion  of  the  regiment. 


432  HISTORY  OF  :\10XR0E  COUNTY 

AVilliaiu  H.  ]\IeCaul  was  mustered  iuto  the  service  as  sergeant- 
major  of  the  Second  Battalion  and  afterwards  promoted  to 
regimental  sergeant-major. 

The  following  is  the  official  record  of  the  company  during 
the  Spanish  Avar,  as  recorded  by  Captain  AVarren : 

The  company  was  organized  at  Tomali,  AVis.,  by  Capt.  AV.  AV. 
"Warren  and  mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Harvey,  Wis.,  by 
Capt.  AVilliam  L.  Buck,  :\Iay  11,  1898.  Left  Camp  Harvey,  AVis., 
May  14,  1898,  by  rail;  arrived  at  Camp  Thomas,  Ga.,  May  16, 
1898.  Left  Camp  Thomas  July  5th.  Marched  to  Ringgold,  Ga., 
thence  by  rail  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  it  arrived  July  6th. 
Embarked  on  transport,  the  "Obdam,"  July  20th;  left  Charles- 
ton for  Porto  Rico  July  21st;  arrived  off  Guanica,  P.  R..  July 
27th.  Landed  at  Ponce,  P.  R.,  July  28th.  On  outpost  duty  July 
29th.  Provost  guard  Ponce  August  — .  ^Marched  out  of  Ponce 
August  7th  as  advance  guard  of  brigade.  Performed  outpost 
duty  August  8th.  Rear  guard  August  9th.  Second  Lieutenant 
Jones  and  twenty  men  support  for  battery  at  battle  of  Coamo. 
October  2d  marched  to  Aibunito ;  October  3d  marched  to  Cayey; 
camped  at  Cayey  October  4th  to  6th.  October  6th  marched  to 
Aibonito ;  October  7th  marched  to  Coamo ;  October  8th  marched 
to  Juana  Diaz;  October  9th  marched  to  Ponce.  Camped  near 
Ponce  October  10th  to  21st.  October  21st  embarked  on  board 
transport  "Manitoba."  Left  harbor  of  Ponce  October  22d  for 
New  York.  Arrived  in  New  York  harbor  October  26.  Landed  at 
"West  Shore  railroad  dock  October  28th.  Left  by  rail  for  ]\Iil- 
waukee  October  28th.  Arrived  there  October  30th.  Left  ]Mil- 
Avaukee  by  rail,  arriving  at  Tomah,  "Wis.,  same  date.  On  fur- 
lough to  date  of  muster  out.  The  company  was  mustered  out 
January  13,   1899. 

After  the  close  of  the  Spanish  American  AVar  tlie  Third  Regi- 
ment was  reorganized  and  Company  K,  in  common  with  other 
companies  of  the  regiment,  went  back  into  the  state  service;  the 
company  was  reorganized  ]May  2,  1899,  ami  took  its  old  place 
in  the  regiment. 

The  company  has  since  maintained  its  reputation  as  one  of 
the  best  all-around  companies  in  the  state  and  demonstrated  that 
fact  decisively  by  winning  the  "Pfister  Troi)hy"  in  1904,  this 
being  a  trophy  for  the  best  all-around  company  and  competed 
for  each  year. 

Here  is  given  a  complete  list  of  the  commissioned  officers 
of  the  company  with  their  service  before,  during  and  since  the 
Spanish  American  "War. 


THE  MILITARY  COMPANIES  433 

Captains.  George  Graham,  May  29,  1884,  resigned  November 
30,  1888.  R.  A.  Richards,  December  14,  1888,  promoted  major 
October  19,  1897.  AV.  W.  Warren,  October  19,  1888,  volunteered 
in  U.  S.  service  May  11,  1898.  A.  S.  Goodyear,  December  30, 
1899,  resigned  April  28,  1903.  W.  "W.  Warren,  April  20,  1903, 
to  rank  December  20,  1902,  resigned  February  15,  ]905.  A.  E. 
Winter,  February  15,  1905,  resigned  April  30,  1907.  M.  P, 
Curtius,  June  14,  1907,  resigned  November  2,  1908.  C.  R.  Sowle, 
December  20,  1908. 

First  Lieutenants.  C.  K.  Erwin,  May  29,  1884,  resigned  Janu- 
ary 18,  1886.  Louis  Schalle,  January  19,  1886,  promoted  bat- 
talion adjutant  July  19,  1895.  W.  W.  Warren,  July  19,  1895, 
promoted.  A.  S.  Goodyear,  October  19,  1897,  volunteered  U.  S, 
service  May  11,  1898.  I.  E.  Jones,  January  8,  1900,  resigned 
September  1,  1900.  W.  AV.  AA'arren,  September  24,  1900,  pro- 
moted. 0.  M.  Mick,  January  30,  1903,  resigned  March  9,  1904. 
A.  E.  AA^inter,  May  7,  1904,  promoted.  C.  R.  Sowle,  June  9,  1907, 
promoted.    E.  R.  AVells,  December  20,  1908. 

Second  Lieutenants.  John  Richards,  May  29,  1884,  resigned 
July  2,  1885.  Louis  Schalle,  July  2,  1885,  promoted.  Hubert  C. 
Powers,  January  19,  1886,  resigned  September  5,  1887.  R.  A. 
Richards,  September  5,  1887,  promoted.  Luman  C.  AA^arriner, 
December  14,  1888,  resigned  April  25,  1890.  AV.  AA^  Warren, 
May  16,  1890,  promoted.  A.  E.  AA^inter,  July  19,  1895,  resigned 
January  19,  1897.  J.  G.  Graham,  January  25,  1897,  resigned 
July  28,  1897.  A.  S.  Goodyear,  August  18,  1897,  promoted.  I.  E. 
Jones,  November  30,  1897,  volunteered  U.  S.  service  May  11, 
1898.  J.  I.  Bigelow,  January  8,  1900,  resigned  August  31,  1900. 
0.  M.  Mick,  November  14,  1900,  promoted.  Bert  Trowbridge, 
January  30,  1903,  resigned  December  12,  1905.  E.  R.  Wells, 
June  9,  1907,  promoted.    C.  H.  Wiklund,  December  20,  1908. 

THE  SPARTA  RIFLES. 

In  1883  the  Third  Regiment,  far  from  being  the  organization 
it  is  now,  held  an  encampment  in  the  city  of  Sparta ;  in  those 
days  soldiering  in  the  National  Guard  was  a  good  deal  of  a  picnic 
and  the  custom  was  in  vogue  of  holding  encampments  at  different 
towns  within  the  territory  of  the  regiment;  the  encampment  at 
Sparta  was  the  first  regular  encampment  as  a  regiment,  and 
naturally  the  presence  of  the  companies  with  a  regimental  band, 
the  drills,  parades  and  ceremonies  aroused  a  military  spirit  in 
the  community,  although  before  that  some  kind  of  an  inde- 
pendent organization  had  been  maintained;    through  the  efforts 


434  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

of  many  of  tlic  good  citizens  the  company  Avas  recognized  anil 
Avas  mustered  into  the  Wisconsin  National  Guard  September  28, 
188;:{,  and  given  the  designation  of  Company  1,  with  John  J.  Esch, 
now  congressman  from  this  district,  as  its  first  captain.  The 
company  was  nuiintaincd  at  a  xcry  good  standard  in  membership 
drill  and  discipline  for  a  nund)er  of  years,  but  during  the  term 
of  Gen.  Charles  King  as  adjutant-general,  owing  to  lack  of  inter- 
est, there  being  at  that  time  strong  efforts  made  in  other  towns 
in  the  regimental  territory  to  get  into  the  Guard:  the  company 
was  mustered  out  of  the  state  service  in  1895. 

During  the  existence  of  the  company,  on  ^larch  9,  1889,  a 
connnittee  consisting  of  D.  AV.  Cheney.  Frank  L.  French  and 
Timothy  0.  Thorl)us  selected  and  l)ought  tvro  lots  of  "William 
Kerrigan  and  two  lots  of  E.  W.  Robie  on  East  Oak  street,  sold 
stock  in  an  association  formed  for  that  purpose  and  erected  the 
present  armory,  a  brick  building  65  by  130  feet  in  dimensions. 
One  of  the  lots  purchased  Avas  afterAvards  sold  to  AV.  C.  Hoffman. 
Company  I  had  two  disastrous  fires  Avhich  burned  up  the  build- 
ings the  company  had  theretofore  been  occupying  as  an  armory, 
one  of  them  being  an  old  roller  skating  rink  Avhich  the  company 
bought. 

The  commissioned  officers  of  this  company  Avith  the  date  of 
their  commissions  Avere  as  folloAvs : 

Captains.  John  J.  Esch,  September  28,  1883;  D.  W.  dieney, 
August  16,  1887;  T.  O.  Thorbus,  December  14,  1888;  B.  0.  Ray- 
mond, November  15,  1889;  John  H.  Saxe,  January  8,  1894; 
"William  H.  Van  AntAverp.  January  2,  1895. 

First  Lieutenants.  Frank  F.  Oster,  September  28,  1883;  T.  D. 
Bleacher,  October  11.  1885;  T.  O.  Thorl)us,  S(>ptember  13,  1886; 
B.  O.  Raymond,  Decendier  14,  1888;  AVilliam  A.  Dickinson, 
November  15,  1889;  Oscar  S.  Blakeslee,  October  31,  1890; 
Frank  L.  French,  June  17,  1892;  AVilliam  H.  Van  AntAA-erp, 
January  8,  1894:   AVilliam  Foss,  January  2,  1895. 

Second  Lieutenants.  T.  1).  Bleecher,  September  28,  1883; 
Timothy  O.  Thorbus,  November  13,  1885;  John  Saxe,  Septemlier 
13,  1886;  B.  0.  Raymond.  Alay  18,  1888;  AVilliam  A.  Dickinson, 
December  14,  1888;  Oscar  S.  Blakeslee,  November  15.  1889; 
Frank  L.  French,  October  31.  1890;  John  Saxe.  June  17,  1892; 
Fred  :\1.  Foster,  January  8,  1894;  Fred  L.  Sdialler,  Jatuuiry  2, 
1895. 

COMPANY  L. 

The  nuistering  out  of  Company  I  came  as  a  shock  to  the 
citizens  of  Sparta  and   steps  Avere  almost  immediately  taken  ^o 


THE  MILITARY  COMPANIES  435 

organize  another  company  among  the  patriotii-  young  men  of  the 
eommiinity. 

On  November  15,  1895,  an  agreement  was  signed  by  seventy- 
one  men  whieh  provided  that  the  signers  would  become  nicnibers 
of  a  military  company  to  be  stationed  at  Sparta  and  become  a 
part  of  the  National  Guard;  this  was  done  in  pursuance  of  llie 
assurance  of  Adjutant-General  King  that  at  the  first  opening 
in  the  regiment,  provided  Sparta  maintained  an  independent 
organization,  equipment  being  furnished  by  the  state,  and  it  was 
brought  up  to  the  standard  required  by  the  regulations,  it  would 
be  mustered  into  the  National  Guard.  The  provisional  company 
was  at  once  organized  and  went  to  work  in  earnest.  The  efforts 
of  this  organization  were  soon  rewarded ;  one  of  the  two  com- 
panies at  Eau  Claire  having  fallen  below  the  standard  required 
was  mustered  out  and  the  Sparta  company  took  its  place  in  the 
regiment,  being  nuistered  in  by  General  King  on  the  fifteenth. 
day  of  July,  1896,  as  Company  L.  The  occasion  was  made 
memorable  by  the  presence  of  a  large  audience  of  Sparta  people 
and  many  notables,  civil  and  military. 

The  selection  of  the  proper  officers  was  somewhat  of  a  prob- 
lem, and  Eobert  B.  McCoy  was  induced  to  take  the  captaincy, 
although  he  Avas  without  any  previous  military  experience;  but 
his  well  known  executive  ability  coupled  with  the  energy  for 
which  he  was  noted  gave  promise  that  he  would  be  a  good  com- 
pany commander  and  the  estimate  was  not  wrong.  Under  his 
connnand,  assisted  by  his  able  lieutenants,  Frank  L.  French  and 
John  P.  Rice,  the  company  forged  to  the  front  and  has  always 
held  a  high  place  among  the  National  Guard  companies. 

It  just  got  into  the  state  service  in  time  to  get  thoroughly 
organized,  participate  in  an  encampment  or  two  when  the  oppor- 
tunity came  for  active  service  in  the  Spanish  American  War. 
Its  members  with  few  exceptions  volunteered  for  the  service, 
and  here  follows  the  roll  as  taken  from  the  official  records  of 
Company  L.  Third  AVisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry : 

Capt.  Robert  B.  McCoy;  First  Lieut.  Frank  L.  French;  Second 
Lieut.  John  B.  Schneller;  Milon  R.  Gould,  first  sergeant;  Clark 
S.  I\IcCoy,  quartermaster-sergeant ;  sergeants,  Silas  M.  Lewis, 
Frank  J.  Schneller,  Arthur  L.  Hollenbeck,  Charles  A.  Perham ; 
corporals,  August  Yanke,  Fred  V.  Burrows,  Ray  Palmer,  George 
Esch,  Theodore  Hanson,  George  W.  King;  musicians,  Frank  E. 
Frazier  and  Harry  N.  Kurtzman;  wagoner,  John  H.  Van  Kirk; 
artificer,  AVilliam  D.  xVllen ;  privates,  Albert  Anderson,  Gardner 
E.  Bacon,  Elbert  J.  Brooks,  August  F.  Becker,  James  R.  Boyle, 


436  IllSTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

George  J.  Bunce,  AVilliam  B.  Carrigan,  James  Davis,  Ileury  E. 
Davis,  AVilliam  L.  Davis,  George  E.  Davenport,  Arthur  DeGroff, 
John  B.  Edwards,  Evan  S.  Evans,  Thomas  Finn,  Ole  Gustad,  Jr., 
Bjurne  Gustad,  Uh'sses  G.  Gilbert,  II.  A.  JIanson,  Andrew  L. 
Ilarr,  Henry  C.  Ileitman,  Olaf  C.  Howard,  Chauncey  Ilutson, 
Frank  L.  Hubbard,  Albert  Hiles,  H.  Clay  Hogue,  j\Iark  J.  Jewett, 
John  H.  Jackson,  Clarence  E.  Kenyon,  Homer  A.  Landt,  George 

A.  Lowry,  Earl  Lucas,  Amiel  N.  Loberg,  Gustave  C.  Link, 
Nathan  C.  ]\Iarkham,  John  McAuliffe,  Charles  L.  McArthur, 
Edmond  0.  Gillis,  Lewis  Navotny,  John  F.  Nolan,  Peter  B.  Nolan, 
Frank  B.  Nichols,  Evander  Noble,  Edward  ]\I.  Perham,  Frank  E. 
Perham,  George  W.  Paul,  Lester  I.  Putman,  ]Milton  E.  Put  man, 
AValter  B.  Phelps,  John  J.  Selke,  Henry  J.  Selke,  Oscar  R.  Swan- 
son,  John  C.  Shattuck,  Ernest  J.  Servis,  Bert  Smitii,  Adelbert  "\V. 
Thurston,  James  Van  Kirk,  North  Vice,  Fred  J.  Vought,  Ileury  A. 
AVaste,  Roy  L.  Ware,  Herbert  E.  AVebster,  Perl  J.  AVilcox,  Henry 
G.  Wilcox,  Fred  W.  Yanke. 

Pursuant  to  special  orders  First  Army  Corps,  dated  June  8, 
1898,  Lieut.  Frank  L.  French,  battalion  recruiting  officer, 
returned  to  Sparta  and  enlisted  the  following  recruits  and  sent 
them  to  Camp  Thomas,  Chickamauga  Park,  Ga.,  June  15,  1898: 

William  H.  Ackerman,  Edgar  Abbott,  Orin  Brist,  Clarence 
Chase,  Olaf  Erickson,  IMartin  Flaig,  George  Gamon,  Ernest 
Gamble,  Harley  A.  Gunn,  Anton  0.  Ha  gen,  W.  N.  Hubbell,  W.  L. 
Hubbell,  John  Houghtalling,  Albert  Isaacs,  Ossian  R.  Link, 
]\Iiner  E.  Moyer,  Ned  Olson,  Anton  Olson,  Harley  B.  Oaks, 
Charles  A.  Preston,  Aaron  E.  Russell,  John  A.  Smith,  Jerry 
Sullivan,  Frank  A.  Seymour,  Henry  Schell,  Lloyd  Sines,  Charles 

B.  Stolts,  John  C.  Tester  and  John  E.  Williams. 

During  the  term  of  service  of  the  company  several  changes 
took  place  in  the  commissioned  and  noncommissioned  officers. 
Captain  INIcCoy  resigned  and  came  homo  undrr  date  of  October 
13,  1898,  and  First  Lieut.  Frank  L.  French  was  commissioned 
captain  to  rank  from  that  date  and  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  company;  John  B.  Schneller  was  promoted  to  first  lieu- 
tenant October  13,  1898,  and  INIilon  R.  Gould  was  commissioned 
second  lieutenant  on  the  same  date;  these  officers  were  mustered 
out  holding  the  ranks  named,  and  the  noncommissioned  officers 
at  the  muster  out  were  Clark  McCoy,  quartermaster-sergeant; 
sergeants,  Frank  J.  Schneller,  August  Yanke,  Theodore  J.  Han- 
son, Fred  V.  Burrows;  corporals,  George  W.  King,  Jason  P. 
AVilliams,  James  Roy  Boyle,  Frank  E.  Perham,  John  D.  Smith, 


THE  ]\IILITARY  COMPANIES  437 

Frank  B.  Nichols,  John  F.  Nolan,  Ossian  R.  Link,  New  Olson, 
Clarence  E.  Kenyon.  Musician,  artificer  and  wagoner  the  same 
as  mustered  in. 

Discharged  by  Order.  Corp.  Ray  Palmer,  September  29,  1898, 
per  cablegram  Secretary  of  War.  Pvt.  Milton  E.  Putman, 
Chickamauga  Park,  Ga. 

Transferred.  Pvt.  Albert  L.  Miller  to  Hospital  Corps,  Ponce, 
August  5,  1898.  Pvt.  James  Davis  to  Hospital  Corps,  Chicka- 
mauga Park,  Ga.,  June  28,  1898.  Pvt.  Edmund  McGillis  to  Regi- 
ment Band,  January  2,  1899.  Pvt.  Earl  S.  Lucas  to  Hospital 
Corps,  June  28,  1898.  Pvt.  Arthur  DeGroff  to  Signal  Corps. 
Pvt.  Louis  Navotney  to  Regiment  Band,  June  1,  1898. 

Killed  in  Action  at  Aibonito  Pass.  Corp.  Oscar  R.  Swanson, 
August  12,  1898.    Pvt.  Fred  V.  Voight,  August  12,  1898. 

Died.     Pvt.  Leslie  McArthur,  typhoid  fever,  in  Brigade  Hos- 
pital, Coamo,   September  11,   1898.     Pvt.  Peter  Nolan,   typhoid 
fever,  General  Hospital,  Ponce,  October  29,  1898.    Pvt.  E.  Miner 
Moyer,  typhoid  fever,  hospital,  Philadelphia,  November  1,  1898. 
The  official  record  of  the  company  as  it  appears  upon  the 
muster  out  roll,  compiled  by  Capt.  Frank  L.  French,  is  as  follows : 
'' Mustered  into  U.  S.  service  May  11,  1898.     May  14,  1898, 
left    Milwaukee,    AVis.,    for    Chickamauga    Park,    Ga.,    arrived 
May    16.    1898.      Remained    in    Camp    Chickamauga    Park   until 
July  5,  leaving  for  Charleston,  S.  C,  on  that  date;    arriving  at 
Charleston  July  7,  1898,  remained  in  camp  at  Charleston  until 
July   20;     on    that    day    embarked    on   U.    S.    transport   No.    30 
(Ob dam)   and  sailed  for  Porto  Rico,  daylight  July  21.     Landed 
at  Ponce,  P.  R.,  July  28,  remaining  in  camp  there  until  August  7. 
Advanced  towards  San  Juan,  took  part  in  engagement  at  Coamo 
August  9.  1898,  went  into  camp  that  night  near  Aibonito  Pass. 
August   12,    during   engagement   wdth   the   Spaniards,    Corporal 
Oscar  Sw^anson  and  Private  Fred  J.  Voight  were  killed  and  Cor- 
poral August  Yanke  and  Private  George  Bunce  were  wounded 
by  shrapnell  fired  from  enemies'  trenches  on  Asomanta  Mountain. 
"August  13  returned  to  camp  near  Coamo,  remaining  there 
until  October  2,  1898,  at  which  time  regiment  proceeded  toward 
San  Juan,  arriving  at  Cayey  October  4,  remaining  there  until 
October  6,  1898,  returning  to  camp  near  Ponce,  arriving  October 
9,  1898,  remained  until  October  21,  on  which  date  we  boarded 
steamer  Manitoba  and  sailed  for  New  York  harbor  October  22, 
1898,  arriving  at  New^  York  October  28,  1898.     Left  New  York 
for  home  station  October  29,  1898,  arrived  at  Sparta  October  3L 


438  IIISTUKY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

1808.  ]Mustored  out  of  service  January  1:^  1890  by  Captain 
Andrus,  Fifth  Cavalry  mustering  officer." 

In  coninion  with  the  other  companies  of  tlie  Tliird  Regiment, 
Company  L  was  reorganized  and  mustered  into  the  state  service 
]May  1,  1890.  The  company  has  stood  high  among  the  National 
Guard  companies  and  made  an  enviable  record  as  a  good  all- 
around  company. 

Its  commissioned  officers  since  the  original  organization  with 
dates  of  commission  are  as  follows : 

Captains.  Robert  B.  IMcCoy.  July  15,  1806 ;  0.  L.  Arnold.  June 
14.  l!!t)7:  C.  C.  Ayers.  :\Iarch  7,  lOOT:  AV.  A.  Dickinson.  January 
25.  10(19:    E.  A.  !\Ierri]l.  June  1,  1911. 

First  Lieutenants.  F.  L.  French.  July  15.  189(i:  :\1.  R.  Gould, 
May  1,  1899;  A.  DeGrotf,  January  25.  1902;  0.  L.  Arnold, 
]\[arch  20,  1905;  C.  C.  Ayers,  June  9,  1907;  J.  B.  Fosnot,  March, 
1909;  W.  A.  Dickinson.  July  7,  1909;  R.  A.  :\Ierrill,  January  25, 
1909:    AV.  A.  Ilolden  June  1,  1911. 

Second  Lieutenants.  John  P.  Rice,  July  15.  1896;  J.  B. 
Schneller.  September  29.  1907;  T.  J.  Hanson,  :\Iay  1.  1899;  A. 
DeGroflf,  June  17.  1901  :  0.  L.  Arnold,  January  25,  1902;  F.  E. 
Bauchop,  April  10,  1905;  C.  C.  Ayers,  January  11.  1907;  .1.  B. 
Fosnot,  June  9.  1907;  W.  A.  Ilolden.  July  7,  1909;  C.  F.  Hanson. 
June  1,  1911. 

April  18,  1900.  the  company  was  organized  into  the  Ail)onito 
Guard  Association  under  the  corporate  laws  of  the  state;  every 
member  of  Company  L  ])eing  a  memlier  of  the  association  and 
five  years'  service  entitles  each  man  so  serving  to  life  member- 
ship. This  association  bought  the  present  armory  property  and 
has  it  fully  paid  for  and  are  entirely  out  of  debt,  and  during  lin2 
numy  valual)le  imjii-ovements  were  uuide,  including  a  new  heating 
plant. 

UNITED  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  VETERANS. 

Following  the  Spanish-American  war  the  necessity  for  organ- 
ization to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  veterans  of  that  struggle 
became  apparent,  and  in  due  time  two  camps  of  the  order  were 
organized  in  this  county. 

Oscar  Zimmerman  Camp  No.  20  was  organized  at  Tomah 
Fei)ruary  4.  lOOii.  with  tiie  following  charter  members:  Geo.  R. 
Alverson.  Thos.  .J.  .lohnson,  Oscar  ]\Iicl<,  ^Nlet  Rose,  Arthur  Pat- 
terson, Alvin  E.  Baumgarten,  Ralph  P.  Johnson.  W.  R.  ]\IcCaul. 
Louis  Schalle.  W.  AV.  Warren.  Chas.  E.  Holm.  Geo.  J.  Kuckuck. 
Adolph  H.  Nelson.  Claude  R.  Sowle,  Chas.  K.  "Wright,  Chas.  E. 


THE  :\IILITARY  COMPANIES  439 

Butters,  Fred  Keyes,  Arthur  Otts,  Wm.  H.  Sauer,  J.  A.  Dewey, 
Ned.  H.  Lombard,  Edward  J.  Peeore,  Frank  H.  Sauer,  Geo.  H. 
Williams,  Andrew  L.  Flood,  Herbert  Logan,  John  W.  Reynolds, 
Geo.  H.  Terry,  Harry  M.  Warren,  Otto  0.  E.  Franz,  Edgar  A. 
Lea,  Albert  D.  Beck,  Bert  TroAvbridge,  Alfred  Harp,  Wm.  E. 
Lerz.  Wm.  H.  Root,  Thos.  E.  C.  Vesper,  Benj.  Lppp. 

Its  present  offcers  are :  Oscar  Mick,  commander ;  Bert.  Trow- 
bridge, S.  V. ;  Fred  Keyes,  J.  V. ;  Adolph  Nelson,  0.  of  D. ; 
Wm.  Lerz,  0.  G. ;  adjutant,  Claude  R.  Sowle;  quartermaster, 
Frank  H.  Sauer. 

Sparta  Camp  No.  17.  A  camp  was  originally  organized  some 
few  years  ago  under  this  number,  but  it  did  not  survive,  owing 
to  lack  of  membership,  but  the  old  number  was  preserved  and 
when,  in  February,  1912,  another  camp  was  organized,  it  was 
given  the  old  number  of  seventeen.  The  charter  was  granted 
February  2,  1912,  with  the  following  charter  members :  Geo. 
Esch,  Geo.  W.  King,  John  A.  King,  F.  L.  French,  H.  C.  Heitman, 
Evan  S.  Evans,  John  H.  Jackson,  H.  Clay  Hogue,  Frank  Perham, 
J.  J.  McAulitfe,  Wm.  L.  Davis,  R.  B.  McCoy,  E.  M.  Perham,  E.  J. 
Brooks,  Henry  Selke,  Perl  J.  AVilcox,  H.  H.  Williams,  E.  A. 
Baumgarten,  A.  Anderson,  Albert  Larson,  R.  A.  Richards,  AValter 
Hammond,  C.  A.  Hutson,  Andrew  J.  Harr,  Louis  A.  Losby,  N.  C. 
Markham,  A.  L.  Hollenbeck,  M.  E.  Putnam,  A.  F.  Becker  and 
H.  N.  Kurtzman.  The  present  officers  are :  Geo.  Esch,  com- 
mander;  F.  L.  French,  S.  V. ;  E.  M.  Perham,  J.  V. ;  R.  A.  Richards, 
0.  of  D.;  Perl  Wilcox,  0.  of  G. ;  John  H.  Jackson,  Adj.;  E.  J. 
Brooks,  Quar. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY. 

AYliatever  else  may  be  said  of  the  legal  fraternity,  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  its  members  have  a  more  prominent  position  in 
public  affairs  than  any  other  class  of  a  community.  This  is  but 
the  natural  result  of  the  ability  and  training  -which  qualify  one 
to  practice  law,  for  this  also  qualifies  him  in  manj^  respects  for 
duties  Avhich  lie  outside  of  the  strict  patii  of  his  profession  and 
touch  the  general  interest  of  society. 

His  training  as  a  public  speaker  gives  him  prominence  and 
power;  the  study  of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence  qualify  him 
above  everything  else  for  useful  membership  in  law  making 
bodies.  The  leaders  in  Congress  and  in  our  Legislature  are 
usually  lawyers. 

During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  no  one  class  of  people  went 
earlier  to  the  front,  served  their  country  more  devotedly  or  with 
greater  distinction  than  the  lawyers;  and  of  the  men  who  re- 
mained at  home  during  that  contest,  no  class  of  citizens  took  a 
more  active  part  in  sustaining  the  soldiers  in  the  field.  Without 
any  partiality  it  may  be  said  that  in  every  period  of  our  country's 
history  members  of  the  bar  have  shown  themselves  to  be  patri- 
otic;  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  drawn  by  a  lawyer; 
in  the  war  of  tlie  Rebellion  great  aid  Avas  rendered  by  such  men 
as  Adams,  Hamilton,  King,  Marshall,  Jefferson,  Livingston,  Clin- 
ton, Granger  and  hundreds  of  others  who  belonged  to  the  legal 
profession. 

It  is  a  peculiar  fact  that  the  legal  mind  has  been  and  ever 
Avill  be  arrayed  to  the  side  of  order,  good  morals  and  good  gov- 
ernment. A  lawyer's  experience  with  the  affairs  of  men,  his 
habits  of  thought  and  reflection  all  tend  in  that  direction ;  Avlien 
elevated  to  the  bench  his  influence  for  good  is  unlimited. 

The  prominent  part  that  members  of  the  bar  take  in  public 
affairs  in  this  and  in  every  other  country,  the  weight  of  the 
influence  they  have  exerted  and  the  dignity  they  have  imparted 
to  the  profession  requires  that  in  this  work  a  permanent  record 
of  the  lives  of  those  men  who  have  been  chiefly  instrumental  in 

440 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  441 

making  the  history  of  the  bench  and  bar  of  this  county  should 
be  here  recorded.  It  may  not  be  comph?te,  as  the  difficulty  of 
procuring  data  concerning  the  lives  of  the  earlier  practitioners 
has  been  great.  In  placing  these  sketches  in  this  chapter  the 
author  has  no  favorites  to  please  and  has  endeavored  without 
discrimination  to  get  the  facts  as  they  are. 

The  earlier  lawyers  at  Tomah  were  George  Graham,  Henry 
C.  Spaulding  and  James  LeRoy;  A.  E.  Bleekman  started  his 
practice  at  Tomah,  being  associated  with  Mr.  Spauding  for  a  time, 
subsequently  removed  to  Sparta,  forming  a  partnership  with 
F.  H.  Bloomingdale  under  the  firm  name  of  Bleekman  and  Bloom- 
ingdale,  which  firm  moved  to  LaCrosse.  F.  E.  Campbell  was  also 
associated  with  Mr.  Spaulding  under  the  firm  name  of  Spaulding 
and  Campbell ;  Mr.  Campbell,  however,  soon  retired  from  the 
firm  and  went  west  and  in  later  years  received  judicial  honors. 
Almon  A.  Helms,  while  an  employee  of  the  St.  Paul  railroad, 
studied  law  in  Tomah  with  Judge  George  Graham  and  was  taken 
into  partnership  as  Graham  and  Helms,  but  soon  moved  to  ]\Ier- 
rill.  Wis.,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

David  F.  Jones  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1884  and  began  the 
practice  at  Sparta  a  few  years  afterwards,  forming  a  partnership 
with  S.  AV.  Button,  which  continued  a  number  of  years ;  about 
the  time  of  its  dissolution  Mr.  Jones  was  apointed  United  States 
District  Attorney  for  the  "Western  District  of  Wisconsin.  In 
1899  found  a  partnership  with  R.  A.  Richards,  Avho  moved  over 
from  Tomah,  under  the  firm  name  of  Jones  &  Richards  which  con- 
tinued until  the  death  of  ]Mr.  Jones  about  two  years  later. 

B.  H.  Hackett  came  to  Tomah  about  1895,  entered  the  office 
of  Judge  Graham,  who  moved  to  Sparta  shortly  afterward  and 
was  elected  district  attorney  twice,  but  died  in  1901  just  before 
beginning  his  second  term.  H.  C.  Altizer  and  AV.  B.  Clark  lo- 
cated in  Sparta  about  1898 ;  Altizer  was  elected  district  attorney 
and  served  one  terra  beginning  in  1899 ;  a  partnership  was 
formed  with  AV.  B.  Clark,  which  continued  a  short  time ;  soon 
after  the  expiration  of  Altizer 's  term  of  office  he  left  the  county; 
Clark  continued  practice  for  a  time  and  then  moved  to  Texas. 
Howard  Teasdale  began  practice  in  1891  and  R.  B.  McCoy 
in  1894.  Four  Bowler  brothers — Edward,  Timoth}^  James  J. 
and  George — all  received  their  legal  education  while  residents  of 
the  county,  the  first  two  being  now  in  successful  practice  in 
Sheboygan,  having  George  associated  with  them. 

James  J.  was  in  partnership  with  R.  A.  Richards  under  the 
firm  name  of  Richards  &  Bowler,  which  was  dissolved  after  a 


442  HISTORY  OF  :M0XR0E  COUNTY 

few  years,  ]\lr.  Kiehards  enlerling  into  partnersliip  witli  Z.  S. 
Rice  which  continued  about  two  years.  James  J.  Bowler  and  his 
brother  George  practiced  for  a  term  under  the  firm  name  of 
Bowler  &  Bowler,  but  in  1IK)9  closed  up  their  office  and  moved 
elsewhere. 

Of  the  older  lawyers  still  in  the  county  there  remain  Judge 
C.  M.  blasters,  Judge  George  Graham,  Judge  S.  AV.  Button  and 
George  A.  Richai-dson,  none  of  whom  are  now  in  active  practice 
except  ]Mr.  ^Masters  and  he  has  practically  retired  from  court 
work. 

"William  ]5.  Xaylor  began  practice  at  Tomah  in  1894  having 
associated  with  him  H.  E.  Glover,  Avhich  continued  under  the 
firm  name  of  Xaylor  &  Glover  for  about  a  year,  ]\Ir.  Glover 
retiring  in  1901. 

"William  R.  ]\lc('aul  and  ]Mr.  Xaylor  formed  a  partnership 
which  still  continues. 

AVhile  Colonel  Graham  has  retired  from  active  practice,  and 
is  at  the  present  time  serving  as  postmaster  at  Tomah,  his  son 
John  G.  Graham,  who  has  l)een  associated  with  his  father  for 
a  number  of  years,  continues  the  firm  of  Graham  &  Graham. 

A.  11.  Smith  practiced  in  the  county  for  a  time,  later  entering 
the  employ  of  the  Great  Xorthern  Railway,  severing  his  con- 
nection Avith  the  road  about  two  years  ago  and  has  since  resided 
at  ]\Ierrill,  AVis. 

ThorAvald  P.  Al)el  and  Zelotus  S.  Rice  both  commenced  the 
practice  about  1891,  ]\Ir.  Rice  being  for  a  time  associated  with 
R.  A.  Richards. 

At  the  present  tinu'  the  hnv  of  the  county  is  composed  of 
Messrs.  Graves  &  blasters,  S.  "W.  Button,  George  A.  Richardson. 
R.  A.  Richards,  R.  B.  McCoy,  Howard  Teasdale,  T.  P.  Al)el  and 
Z.  S.  Rice  at  Sjjarta.  and  Graham  &  Graliam  and  Xaylor  t.^ 
McCaul  at  Tomah. 

Quite  a  number  of  young  men  received  their  early  legal  train- 
ing in  the  county  and  though  not  engaging  in  practice  in  the 
county  to  any  extent,  a  luunber  of  them  acquired  great  promi- 
nence on  the  bench  and  at  the  bar. 

James  X'.  Gillett,  who  became  governor  of  California,  studied 
law  with  ^lorrow  &  ^Masters. 

John  J.  p]sch,  of  national  i)rominenee  as  congressman  from 
this  district,  graduated  from  the  Sparta  high,  school  in  1878. 

In  that  same  class  was  Julian  Bennett,  who  was  elected  to  a 
district  judgship  in  South  Dakota,  while  residing  at  Watertown; 
he  died  about  1905. 


iiox.  JOHN  J.  EkSCii 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  443 

Frank  Sawyer,  of  same  class,  has  for  niauy  years  practiced 
law  ill  San  Francisco. 

Frank  F.  Oster,  also  a  high  school  graduate  in  '78,  is  now  a 
district  judge  in  California. 

Fred  V.  AVood,  a  high  school  graduate  in  1886,  has  recently 
been  appointed  a  judge  in  one  of  the  northern  counties  of 
California. 

Of  the  sons  of  Romanzo  Bunn  all  of  them  received  their  early 
education  at  Sparta  ;  George  Bunn  is  now  a  district  judge  at 
St.  Paul,  INIinii. ;  ( '.  AV.  Bunn  is  now  general  counsel  for  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company,  with  headcpiarters  at  St. 
Paul;  John  Bunn  is  practicing  at  Spokane,  Wash.;  all  very 
l)right  men. 

George  Gray,  Avho  graduated  from  the  Sparta  high  school  in 
1886,  has  been  practicing  for  some  years  at  ]\Iilad,  Idaho. 

Charles  AV.  Meadow^s,  who  practiced  for  a  time  at  Sparta,  is 
now  county  judge  of  Barron  county. 

Carl  Montgomery,  son  of  Gen.  Milton  Montgomery,  is  a  promi- 
nent lawyer  of  Nebraska,  residing  at  Omaha. 

Judge  John  Anderson,  of  Chippewa  Falls,  received  his  early 

education  at  Tomah,  afterwards  graduating  from  the  university. 

Clark    Rosecrantz,    now    of    IMilwaukee,    at    present    general 

attorney  for  the  Milwaukee  Street  Railway  System,  is  a  graduate 

of  the  Sparta  high  school. 

M.  E.  Powell,  who  studied  law  with  L.  AV.  Graves  and  prac- 
ticed in  the  county  for  a  time,  is  now  a  resident  of  Redwood 
Falls,  Minn. 

A  distinguished  list  of  INIonroe  county's  sons  who  are  helping 
to  make  history  elsewhere. 

In  a  snbsequent  chapter  will  be  given  a  brief  history  of  the 
county  court  of  INIonroe  county  and  included  in  it  will  be  the 
lives  of  the  men  who  have  served  as  judges  as  far  as  it  is  possible 
to  obtain  them  at  this  time,  and  naturally  included  in  it  will 
be  those  members  of  the  bar  who  for  a  time  practiced  law  as 
well  as  served  as  judges. 

To  attempt  in  this  work  to  give  an  historical  account  of  the 
litigation  which  was  prominent  in  the  courts  during  all  these 
years  would  be  a  task  which  would  require  a  volume  in  itself. 
Among  the  members  of  the  bar  have  been  men  who  attracted 
state  Avide  attention  by  their  ability  and  skill  and  advocates; 
but  of  its  number  only  two  members  of  the  bar  in  this  county 
became  judges  of  this  circuit,  Hon.  Romanzo  Bunn  and  Hon. 
Joseph  M.  Morrow. 


444  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

As  it  is  men  Avho  make  history,  the  lives  of  the  members  of 
the  bar  furnish,  perliaps,  the  best  historical  account  of  the  bar 
itself,  as  each  one  unfolds  its  own  peculiar  matters  of  interest 
anil  the  story  of  the  bar  in  this  county  may  best  be  told  by  giving 
here,  as  far  as  we  are  able  to  get  them,  sketches  of  the  lives  of 
its  members,  past  and  present.  Some  we  have  been  unable  to 
get,  in  some  instances  because  of  failure  to  answer  requests,  and 
in  others  a  lack  of  opportunity,  by  reason  of  the  length  of  time, 
to  get  information. 

On  the  18th  of  September,  1854,  the  Circuit  Court  of  Monroe 
County  had  its  first  term;  the  judge  at  that  time  who  presided 
over  this  and  over  three  sul)se(iuent  terms  of  court  Avas  the  Hon. 
AViram  Knowlton ;  unfortunately  we  are  unable  to  learn  any- 
thing of  his  liistorj'  and  except  the  fact  that  he  held  the  first 
court  in  this  county  and  tried  a  number  of  cases  at  that  and  the 
subsequent  terms.  E.  AValrath  was  the  sheriff  and  John  II. 
Barker  the  clerk  of  the  court. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  in  these  days  when  grand  juries 
are  almost  called  a  thing  of  the  past  in  this  county  and  when  it 
has  been  the  custom  of  circuit  judges  for  a  long  series  of  years 
to  file  an  order  dispensing  with  the  calling  of  a  grand  jury,  that 
.at  the  earlier  terms  of  court  in  this  county  for  several  years  a 
grand  jury  was  summoned;  in  the  first  panel  appears  several 
names  which  are  still  familiar.  The  jury  at  the  term  of  court 
in  September,  1854,  found  one  true  bill  and  was  then  discharged 
by  the  court ;  its  members  were  Morrison  ]\Ic]\[illan,  foreman ; 
R,  J.  Casselman,  Lymon  Prescott,  Loyd  Angle,  W.  "Wooldridge. 
C.  IT.  Blake,  Tliomas  Fawcett,  Jr.,  S.  AY.  McLogan,  Alva  Heath. 
James  Rath])un,  E.  I.  Lathrop,  David  IMayward.  J.  C.  Inman, 
T.  Barker,  E.  AY.  Dexter  and  John  Foster. 

Upon  the  establishment  by  law  of  the  Sixth  Judicial  Circuit 
George  Gale  became  the  first  judge  serving  from  1856  to  1861, 
Isaac  E.  ]Messmore  1861  to  1862,  Edwin  P'lint  1862  to  1869, 
Romanzo  Bunn  1869  to  1877,  A.  AY,  Newman  1878  to  1893, 
Joseph  M.  ]\Iorrow  1893  to  1894,  Orvis  B.  AA^yman  1894  to  1900 
(w^hen  he  died),  J.  J.  Fruit  from  1900  to  1909  (when  he  died), 
1909  to  the  present  by  Hon.  E.  C.  Higbee. 

Among  the  earlier  practitioners  we  find  the  names  of  a  great 
many  of  those  who  doubtless  appeared  in  court  in  this  county, 
but  were  residents  elsewhere;  at  the  first  term  the  firm  of 
Denison  &  Lyndes  appears  frequently  upon  the  calendar,  and  at 
that  term  Ebenezer  Lathrop,  James  H.  Edsall  and  Carlton  E. 
Rice  were  admitted  to  practice  as  attorneys;    at  the  next  term, 


THE  LEGAL  FRATEKNITY  445 

in  March,  1855,  George  F.  Haswell  and  E.  S.  Blake  were  admitted 
to  practice  and  Mr.  Haswell,  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  was  no 
district  attorney  in  the  county,  was  appointed  district  attorney 
for  the  term  by  the  judge. 

At  subsequent  terms  during  the  next  few  years  J.  C.  Pratt, 
Lincoln  Montgomery,  Levi  "VV.  Barman,  Goodwin  AV.  Lincoln, 
Samuel  C.  Lyon,  L.  AY.  Graves,  George  AY.  Pratt,  L.  Vanshirk, 
N.  Leonard,  Joseph  AA".  Losey,  Thomas  B.  Tyler,  Romanzo  Buun 
and  E.  I.  Lathrop  were  admitted  to  practice  at  various  terms 
of  court. 

It  seemed  to  be  the  rule  among  the  earlier  practitioners  to 
form  firms  and  to  make  frequent  changes.  For.  during  the  years 
1854  up  to  1861,  we  find  upon  the  court  records  the  firms  of 
Leonard  &  Tyler,  Graves  &  Montgomery,  Lathrop  &  Blake, 
Lathrop,  Pratt  &  Blake,  Lincoln  &  A^an  Slyck,  Lincoln  &  Rice, 
Graves,  IMontgomery  &  Rice,  Rice  &  Pratt,  Montgomery,  Leon- 
ard &  Tyler,  Graves  &  Rice,  Graves  &  Leonard,  Lincoln  &  Pratt, 
Montgomery  &  Tyler,  Rice  &  Bunn,  and  several  single  practi- 
tioners. 

A  little  later  on  came  J.  M.  Morrow^  who  was  associated  Avith 
L.  AY.  Graves  for  a  time  under  the  firm  name  of  Graves  &  Morrow, 
then  came  S.  N.  Dickenson,  and  for  some  time  the  firm  of  Mont- 
gomery, Tyler  &  Dickenson  existed ;  soon  after  the  admission 
of  C.  M.  Masters  to  the  bar.  in  1871  the  firm  of  Morrow  & 
Masters  was  formed  and  existed  for  a  long  term  of  years  until 
Judge  Morrow  was  appointed  to  the  Circuit  Bench;  with  his 
defeat  for  election  the  firm,  which  had,  when  he  went  to  the 
bench,  been  dissolved,  was  again  united  and  remained  until  the 
death  of  Judge  Morrow,  after  which  Judge  Masters  associated 
with  himself  R.  B.  Graves,  who  had  previously  been  employed 
in  the  office  of  Masters  &  Graves,  and  later  the  son,  H.  M.,  was 
admitted  as  the  junior  partner  and  the  firm  is  today  Masters, 
Graves  &  Masters. 

AV.  M.  Graham  came  in  the  early  eighties  to  Sparta  and  soon 
after  formed  a  partnership  with  S.  N.  Dickenson  as  Dickenson  & 
Graham.  In  1891  both  these  gentlemen  moved  to  AA^est  Sueprior, 
where  the  firm  of  Knowles,  Dickenson,  Buchanan,  Graham  & 
AVilson  was  formed. 

C.  AV.  Graves  practiced  in  the  county  for  a  number  of  years 
and  at  one  time  formed  partnership  with  A.  E.  Bleekman  under 
the  firm  name  of  Graves  &  Bleekman,  but  Graves  retired  and 
went  to  A^ernon  county,  practicing  in  A^iroqua,  Avhere  he  still 
resides. 


U6  IIISIORY  OF  .MUXKUK  LUlXTY 

L.  W.  Graves.  In  the  earlier  period  of  Monroe  county,  from 
about  1857  to  1874,  there  Avas  no  more  prominent  lawyer  than 
Lewis  AV.  Graves,  and  there  are  many  of  the  older  residents  of 
this  and  surrounding  counties  who  still  recall  anecdotes  of  his 
forensic  ability  and  caustic  wit  in  tlie  trial  of  notable  cases,  of 
which  there  were  many  in  those  days.  "Lew"  Graves,  as  he  was 
familiarly  known,  Avas  born  at  Attica,  Wyoming  county.  New 
York,  on  February  28,  1825,  and  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Xathaniel 
Graves,  who  lived  for  many  years  on  Bush  Prairie  in  tlie  town 
of  Lafayette.  He  received  a  common  school  education  and 
studied  law  in  East  Aurora.  Erie  county,  Ncav  York,  in  the  office 
of  Humphrey  &  Sawin,  and  Avas  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Albion. 
X.  Y.,  in  1853.  lie  practiced  his  profession  in  p]ast  Aurora  until 
1856,  when  he  came  Avith  his  Avife  and  infant  son  to  Sparta  and 
at  once  Avent  into  active  practice.  He  Avas  married  to  ■Mary  J. 
AValdo,  at  Fast  Aurora,  on  August  3,  1852,  and  three  sons  Avere 
born  of  the  marriage:  Charles  AV.  Graves,  a  avcII  knoAvn  laAvyer 
of  Viroqua,  Frank  H.  GraA^es,  editor  of  tliC  Vernon  County 
Leader,  of  Virociua,  and  AVilliam  Graves,  Avho  died  in  1879.  Mrs. 
Graves  surviA^ed  her  husband  many  years  and  died  at  Sparta  in 
June.  1909.  L.  AY.  Graves  serA^ed  as  district  attorney  of  Alonroe 
county  in  1859-1860.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Sparta  on  Alay  3, 
1876.  During  his  career  at  the  bar  he  Avas  at  ditfereut  times 
connected,  as  a  partner,  AA-ith  Carlton  E.  Rice  (Graves  &  Rice), 
Alilton  ^Montgomery  (Graves  &  IMontgomery),  E.  G.  AVheeler 
(Graves  &  AVheeler),  J.  E.  SnoAv  (Graves  &  SnoAv),  and  .J.  AI. 
MorroAv  (GraA'cs  &  AIorroAA-).  He  Avas  at  all  times  a  Democrat 
in  i)olitics  and  in  1864  Avas  one  of  the  delegates  to  the  National 
Democratic  ConA'ention.  Avhich  nominated  George  B.  AlcClellan. 
Mr.  Graves  Avas  a  laAvyer  of  great  force  and  ability  and  Avas 
especially  strong  in  jury  trials.  He  loved  a  sharply  contested 
laAVSuit  and  AAas  especially  noted  as  a  socalled  criminal  hiAvyer. 
His  practice  extended  throughout  the  Avestern  portion  of  the  state 
and  he  Avas  constantly  bi-ought  in  contact  Avith  a  lot  of  able 
laAA-yers,  such  as  AVilliam  11.  Tucker.  .1.  \V.  Loscy  and  B.  F. 
^Montgomery,  of  La  Crosse;  Fnnnons  Taylor,  of  Portage;  G.  C. 
Pope,  of  Black  River  Falls;  .John  Turner,  of  ^lauston.  and 
George  B.  Smith,  of  Madison,  and  others  of  like  calibre.  During 
his  career  at  the  bar  he  ])articipated  in  many  notable  trials  and 
Avas  nearly  alAA-ays  successful.  Among  these  may  be  recalled 
the  famous  Skippens  nuirder  trial  (Viroqua).  in  Avhich,  aft<T  one 
conviction  and  one  disagreement,  he  acquitted  Charles  Skippen 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  447 

for  the  killing  of  James  Newell  on  a  third  trial ;  the  famous  (in 
those  days)  slander  case  of  Parshall  vs.  Remington  (where  one 
Baptist  preacher  sued  another  for  slander).  The  long  drawn 
out  mill  dam  litigation  between  Oilman  and  Ilerrick,  involving 
water  power  rights  on  the  La  Crosse  river;  the  crim  con  case 
of  Jones  vs.  Goss,  the  case  of  State  vs.  Joe  Hull,  Bell  vs.  Village 
of  Sparta  (where  plaintitf  fell  into  the  pond  through  a  hole  in 
Franklin  street  bridge),  Dinehart  vs.  Lafayette  (a  case  involving 
the  constitutionality  of  the  Soldiers'  Bounty  Act),  Cremer  vs. 
Town  of  Portland,  Randall  vs.  Ellis  and  McDonald,  and  many 
other  notable  cases  that  might  be  mentioned,  all  of  which  were 
earnestly  and  vigorously  contested  before  Circuit  Judges  Gale, 
Flint,  Messmore  and  Bunn,  and  which,  in  those  days,  seemed  to 
attract  more  attention  and  draw  to  the  trial  from  far  larger 
crowds  than  important  litigation  of  like  character  does  nowa- 
days, and  it  was  no  rare  thing  to  have  the  old  white  brick  court 
house  crowded  with  people,  drawn  there  to  hear  Lew  Graves 
address  a  jury.  Mr.  Graves  was  a  most  companionable  man,  a 
universal  favorite  with  his  townsmen,  and  his  fellow  lawyers, 
and  his  untimely  death,  at  the  age  of  51  years,  was  universally 
regretted  throughout  the  region  where  he  was  so  well  know^n. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  bar  of  Monroe  county,  held  May  5,  1876, 
the  following  resolutions  were  adopted: 

Whereas,  Under  Divine  Providence,  out  late  fellow-citizen, 
Lewis  W.  Graves,  has  been  removed  from  us  by  death,  and  we 
are  again  reminded  of  the  shortness  of  man's  probation  on 
earth,  and 

Whereas,  the  members  of  the  bar  in  ]Monroe  county  and  the 
western  part  of  Wisconsin,  from  personal  f;ssociation  in  their 
professional  relations,  are  able  to  speak  of  liis  noble  qualities, 
greatness  of  heart,  and  marked  ability,  and  the  younger  members 
especially,  of  his  encouragement,  kindness  and  assistance  to  theni. 
Therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  have  learned  with  regret  the  melancholy 
intelligence  of  the  death  of  our  lirother,  Lewis  W.  Graves,  a 
member  of  this  bar  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

Resolved,  That  we  recall  with  pleasure  his  many  good  quali- 
ties as  a  man  and  a  lawyer;  his  mental  accomplishments,  and 
genial  social  qualities;  his  earnestness,  ability,  and  eloquence 
as  an  advocate,  and  that  we  mourn  his  death  as  a  loss  to  the 
profession  and  this  bar. 

Resolved,  That  in  view  of  the  sad  event,  while  we  would  not 


448  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

needlessly  obtrude  ourselves  ui)ou  the  notice  of  the  bereaved 
friends,  yet  Ave  are  constrained  to  tender  them  our  profound 
sympathies  in  this  hour  of  their  great  sorrow. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  ijroceedings  be  transmitted 
to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

Resolved,  That  in  behalf  of  the  bar  of  this  county,  that  the 
court  thereof,  on  the  first  day  of  next  term,  be  respectfully 
requested  to  enter  the  foregoing  preamble  and  resolutions  upon 
its  records.  A.  E.  Bleekman,  Secretary. 

Thomas  B.  Tyler,  a  ])ioneer  citizen  of  Sparta,  was  born  at 
Coshocton,  Sullivan  county.  New  York,  January  12,  1824,  and 
died  at  Sparta,  July  18,  1886.  AVhen  quite  young  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Seneca,  Ontario  county.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  at  Canandaigua  Academy.  Later 
he  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Francis  Dean  at  Gorham,  Ontario 
county,  and  married  Sarah  E.  Dean,  only  daughter  of  Dr.  Dean. 
During  the  gold  excitement  in  1849  he  went  to  California,  return- 
ing after  an  absence  of  two  years.  In  1852  he  settled  at  Couders- 
port,  Pa.,  where  he  studied  law  and  held  the  position  of 
prothonotary,  or  clerk  of  the  court. 

In  1857  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  the  same  year  removed 
to  Sparta,  AYis.,  and  formed  a  laAv  partnership  with  ^lilton  ]\lont- 
gomery.  Later  S.  N.  Dickinson  was  admitted  to  the  firm  and  on 
the  removal  of  Colonel  Montgomery  from  Sparta,  the  firm 
became  Tyler  &  Dickinson.  In  1884  Mr.  Tyler  sold  his  interest 
in  the  law  business  to  Wm.  M.  Graham.  Some  years  previous 
to  this  he  had  formed  a  partnership  with  Ira  A.  Hill,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Tyler  &  Hill,  conducting  a  general  real  estate  and 
loan  business. 

Mr.  Tyler  was  identified  with  the  Bank  of  Sparta  from  its 
founding  in  1858,  and  served  as  its  vice-president  from  1865  to 
1883,  and  as  president  from  1883  until  his  death.  He  often  served 
in  the  council  of  the  village  and  was  its  president  for  four  years, 
and  after  it  was  incorporated  as  a  city  was  its  first  mayor. 

Although  he  took  a  lively  interest  in  all  public  questions  of 
importance  he  could  hardly  be  called  an  active  politician,  as  he 
was  not  a  seeker  after  public  preferment.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Democratic  national  convention  that  met  in  New  York  city 
in  July,  1868,  when  Horatio  Seymour  was  nominated  for  presi- 
dent, and  once  he  permitted  his  name  to  be  used  as  a  candidate 
for  state  senator  and  ran  ahead  of  his  party  ticket.  In  1884  he 
was  urged  by  his  party  to  become  a  candidate  for  governor  of 
the  state,  but  declined  to  accept  the  honor.     In  Masonic  circles 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  449 

he  was  especially  active  and  -widely  known,  taking  an  interest  in 
the  Consistory  and  in  its  constituent  bodies.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tyler 
had  one  child,  ]\Iary  E.  Tyler,  who  became  the  wife  of  Ira  A.  Hill, 
and  was  a  resident  of  Sparta  until  her  death  in  1909. 

Samuel  N.  Dickenson  Avas  born  in  Neilsborough,  Pa.,  July  24, 
1833.  He  was  educated  at  the  schools  of  East  Hampton,  Mass., 
and  read  law  in  the  office  of  Johnson  &  Brown  at  Warren,  Pa., 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  at 
that  place  on  August  17,  1857,  and  in  the  courts  of  Tioga,  Pa., 
on  the  25th  day  of  September,  1857.  Shortly  thereafter  he 
removed  to  Illinois  and  was  admitted  to  ail  the  courts  of  that 
state  on  January  2,  1858 ;  removing  to  Wisconsin  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  circuit  court  in  Clark  county  in  this 
state,  on  motion  of  Carl  C.  Pope,  September  6,  1858,  and  to  the 
federal  courts  of  the  western  district  of  Wisconsin  February  24, 
1871.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  supreme  court  on  June 
3,  1873.  Practicing  at  Neilsville  a  short  time,  removing  thence 
to  Sparta,  where  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Montgomery, 
Tyler  &  Dickenson.  Later  ]\Ir.  IMontgomery  withdrew  from  the 
firm  and  it  continued  as  Tyler  &  Dickenson.  Another  change 
was  made  when  Mr.  Tyler  sold  his  interest  to  W.  M.  Graham, 
when  the  firm  became  Dickenson  &  Graham.  In  1899  the  firm 
dissolved  and  Mr.  Dickenson  moved  to  Chippewa  Falls,  where 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dan  Buchanan,  Jr.  In  1891  the 
firm  removed  to  Superior,  where  the  firm  of  Knowles,  Dickenson, 
Buchanan,  Graham  &  Wilson  was  formed.  In  April,  1897,  Dicken- 
son and  Graham  formed  a  partnership  with  E.  C.  Canady  under 
the  firm  name  of  Dickenson,  Canady  &  Graham.  This  firm  did 
a  general  law  business  for  a  short  time  and  dissolved,  and  for 
the  last  three  years  of  his  life  Mr.  Dickenson  was  alone  in  busi- 
ness. He  died  November  6,  1905,  being  killed  by  the  accidental 
discharge  of  a  rifle  which  he  was  engaged  in  cleaning. 

His  associates  of  the  bar  of  Douglas  county  in  the  memorial 
services  soon  after  his  death  said  of  him  in  a  resolution  as 
follows : 

"In  his  death,  his  associates  as  well  as  the  legal  profession, 
have  lost  one  of  its  most  distinguished  members,  and  the  city  of 
Superior  one  of  its  best  citizens;  and  not  only  Superior,  but  the 
state  of  Wisconsin  as  well. 

"Judge  Dickenson,  as  he  was  called,  was  a  man  whom  all 
respected.  He  was  plain,  honest,  courageous,  true.  He  was  a 
type  of  America's  best  citizenship.  He  worked  hard,  he  perse- 
vered and  he  always  gave  the  best  service  that  was  in  him,  there 


450  TITSTORY  OF  :\rOXROE  COT'XTY 

was  no  ^iiilc  in  his  i'(iiii|i(isit  ioti,  he  luitcd  sham  and  ileceit,  he 
Avas  open  and  aljovc  hoard  in  all  his  dealings,  professional  and 
otherwise.  Jlc  was  a  good  man,  a  [jatriotic  citizen  and  an  able 
la  wye  I". " 

Joseph  M.  Morrow,  rci-haps  no  man  who  lived  in  Ihc  county 
of  .Monroe  attained  the  pi-oniinence  and  wide  accpiaintance  in 
the  state  as  that  which  .Judge  ]\Iorrow  enjoyed:  the  superiority 
of  his  intellectual  and  (jrofessioiud  attainmenis  won  lor  hiui  fame, 
which  went  even  l)eyond  tiic  lindts  of  the  state.  As  a  lawyer 
he  was  engaged  in  almost  evei-y  case  of  im|iortance  which  was 
tried  in  this  section  of  the  stale  during  the  last  forty  years  of 
his  lifetime.  As  a  judge  he  was  impartial  in  his  ruling,  justly 
exacting  regarding  the  conduct  of  lawyers  in  his  court,  yet 
treating  them  all  Avith  gentleness  and  courtesy  which  won  the 
respect  of  all  the  meud)ers  of  the  bar  in  the  Si.xth  Judicial 
Circuit. 

Judge  .Morrow  was  born  in  .\urora  comity,  New  York,  Janu- 
ary 1,  1832,  and  received  liis  education  at  the  Aurora  Academy, 
after  which  he  clerked  in  a  store  for  three  years,  and  following 
that  he  acce])1ed  a  i)osition  with  George  A.  Prince,  a  manufac- 
turer, with  whom  he  remained  two  years,  Avhen  he  went  to 
Boston  to  enter  the  employ  of  the  ]\Iason  &  Hamlin  Organ 
Company.  He  arrived  at  Sparta  September  18,  1856,  and  resided 
in  that  city  continuously  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1859,  and  in  1S72  formed  a  partnership 
with  Jiulge  ('.  M.  Masters,  whicdi  contiinu'd,  with  the  exception 
of  the  time  a\  hen  .Judge  ^forrow  was  sitting  as  circuit  judge,  up 
until  tlie  time  of  his  death. 

Judge  jMorrow  sei-ved  the  county  faithfully  as  district  attor- 
ney for  six  diffei'ent  terms,  was  ])resident  of  the  \illage  two 
years,  clei-JN-  of  the  Pxjai'd  ol'  iMlucation  sexcii  years;  was  I'nited 
States  Internal  Revenue  Collector  two  yeai's  dui-ing  Clevelaiul's 
first  term.  .\t  the  end  of  this  time  his  district  was  consolidated 
with  the  second,  and  the  office  moved  to  Madison  under  the 
collector  (if  that  disti-ict.  He  was  delcgate-at-large  to  tlu^ 
National  Demociatic  ('onxcnlion  at  (hicago  in  1S84.  and  was 
appointed  judge  ol'  the  Sixth  -Indicial  Circuit  in  1893  l)y  Gov- 
el-nol'  PiM'ls  ;iii(l  held  the  office  until  the  next  election  when. 
owing  to  the  district  being  ovei-whelmingly  Republii-an.  he  was 
defeated,  lie  h;id  sei-\cd  as  gi'and  cliaucelor  and  past  su]U'(Mnc 
represcnlatixc  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias;  lie  was  a  mend)er  of 
.\.   O.   r.   AV.   and    a    .Mason.      He   was   married    .\|.ril    9.    ISHO.   to 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  451 

Miss  Olive  Graves,  of  Sparta,  and  to  them  v,as  honi  one  daugh- 
ter, Mary  who  still  resides  in  Sparta  in  the  old  home.  Judge 
Morrow  died  suddenly  on  the  28th  day  of  -luly,  1899,  dropping 
to  the  sidewalk  and  expiring  almost  instantly  while  going  from 
his  home  to  the  office  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day. 

Adalbert  E.  Bleekman,  Sparta,  was  born  nt  Salisbury,  Herki- 
mer county,  Xcw  York,  starch  26,  18-16.  After  receiving  an 
academic  education  he  studied  law,  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1869, 
and  settled  in  Toniah  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1873 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  assembly.  During  the  late  w^ar 
he  entered  the  military  service  as  private  in  Company  A,  Second 
Ohio  Cavalry,  and  was  in  the  liattles  of  the  AVilderness,  Hanover 
Court  House,  Ackland  Station,  and  all  of  Wilson's  engagements 
during  his  raids  in  1864.  While  residing  at  Tomah  he  was 
elected  w^ithout  opposition  to  the  state  senate  in  November,  1873. 
Removing  to  Sparta  in  June,  1875,  he  was  elected  district  attor- 
ney for  the  county  of  Monroe  for  1876,  1877  and  1878.  Mr. 
Bleekman 's  law  firm  in  Sparta  with  Mr.  Bloomingdale  Avas 
Bleekman  &  Bloomingdale.  Afterwards  he  moved  to  La  Crosse, 
where  he  died  June  27.  1908. 

Henry  C.  Spaulding  Avas  a  son  of  V.  Spaulding,  Avho  came  to 
Monroe  county  from  Chelmford,  ]\Iass.,  in  the  year  1855. 
Henry  C.  was  born  in  Massachusetts  on  the  lOtli  day  of  January, 
1844.  He  studied  law  at  Tomah  Avith  the  firm  of  Graham  & 
Bleekman  and  Avas  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872.  On  the  24th 
day  of  June,  1871.  he  Avas  married  to  Miss  N.  ]\L  AYells,  Avho 
was  born  in  ^Michigan.  Six  children  w^ere  born  to  them,  Clara  B., 
Susie,  Laura,  Harry  A.,  EdAvard,  and  Estella  M. 

In  1877  ]\Ir.  Spaulding  formed  a  partnership  Avith  A.  E. 
Bleekman  under  the  firm  name  of  Bleekman  &  Spaulding,  Avhich 
continued  for  about  three  years.  He  afterAvards  entered  into 
partnership  Avith  F.  E.  Campbell  under  the  firm  name  of 
Spaulding  &  Campbell.  Avhich  firm  continued  for  some  tAvo  years. 
After  that  ]\Ir.  Spaulding  practiced  alone  at  the  city  of  Tomah 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  Avhich  occurred  on  the  7th  day  of 
]\lay,  1907. 

He  attended  Beloit  College,  taught  school,  studied  laAV  and 
Avas  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872.  He  served  as  a  private  in 
Company  H,  Tenth  Regiment,  Wisconsin  Infantry,  during  1861- 
1862;  in  1864  he  again  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  E. 
Forty-fourth  Regiment,  AVisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry.  Mr. 
Spaulding  Avas  a  man  of  fine  personality,  a  pleasing  and  forceful 


452  IIISTOKY  OF  .AiUXKOE  COUNTY 

speaker,  .  ;iiid  took  great  interest  in  i)ul)lie  affairs.  In  his 
praetiee  he  met  witli  a  lai-^c  incasiirc  of  siieeess,  partieularly 
in  ci'iniinal   law. 

David  F.  Jones  was  born  in  Ttiea,  N.  Y..  ]\Iay  11,  1859.  He 
removed  to  Wisconsin  with  his  parents  at  an  early  age  and  in 
1874  beeaine  a  resident  ol'  the  eity  of  Sparta.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  received  in  the  Sparta  schools  and  was  completed  by 
a  thorough  course  at  Gales\ill('  College  qnd  Lake  Forest  Uni- 
versity. He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Morrow  &  ^Masters  at 
Sparta  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1884,  and  llu'  following 
year  Avas  elected  district  attorney  for  Monroe  eount^',  which 
office  he  held  for  six  consecutive  years.  He  was  elected  again 
in  the  fall  of  1893  and  served  one  term. 

About  this  time  he  became  quite  ])rominiut  in  state  i)()litics 
and  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Conven- 
tion at  St.  Louis  in  1896,  which  nominated  i^resident  ^McKinley. 
During  1897-1898  represented  liis  district  in  the  assembly  and 
made  a  l)rilliant  record  at  this  session;  his  ability  was  recognized 
on  all  sides  and  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  committee 
to  revise  the  Statutes  of  1898  and  rendered  a  valuable  assistance 
in  that  work. 

In  July,  1898,  he  was  appointed  l)y  President  ]McKinley 
United  States  District  Attorney  for  the  AVestern  District  of  "Wis- 
consin and  his  administration  to  that  most  important  office 
stamped  him  as  a  lawyer  of  energy,  ability  and  integrity.  On 
January  1,  1899,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  R.  A.  Richards, 
Avho  moved  to  Si)arta  from  Tomah,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Jones  &  Richards,  which  continued  up  until  tlic  time  of  the 
death  of  ]Mr.  Jones,  which  occurred  on  the  2()th  day  of  December. 
1900. 

]\Ir.  Jones  was  interested  in  local  politics  and  served  as 
chairman  of  the  Republican  County  Committee  for  six  years 
and  was  r)HM[ucn11\'  a  delegate  of  state  and  congressional  con- 
ventions and  in  llie  year  189..  lie  l)ecame  a  candidate  for  the 
state  senate,  and  the  history  of  that  memorable  fight  in  which 
the  senatorial  dislrid  met  several  times  in  the  different  pai'ts 
of  tlie  senatorial  disti-iet.  wliicli  consisted  ot  Jackson,  Moni-oe 
and  Vernon  counties,  is  still  fresh  in  IIh'  minds  of  some  of  the 
participants.  Mr.  Jones  was  defeated  for  the  nomination,  but 
his  course  marked  him  as  a  man  to  be  reckoned  with  in  the 
future.  lie  served  file  city  of  S]iarta  in  the  caiiacity  of  its 
attorney  sevi^ral  terms,  he  was  a  Knight  'i'eini)hir  anil  i)rominent 
in   ]\Iasonic    and    Odd   Fellow   lodges   and    at    all   times   enjoyed 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  453 

the  contideiieo  of  his  friends.  While  attending  a  term  of  the 
United  States  Court  at  ]Madison  in  the  month  of  December,  1900, 
he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  and  came  home  to  take  to  his  bed 
with  a  severe  ease  of  typhoid  fever  and  after  a  gallant  fight 
for  his  life  he  gave  up  and  passed  away  deeply  mourned  and 
his  death  sincerely  regretted  by  the  community  at  large. 

]Mr.  Jones  was  quite  prominent  in  church  and  temperance 
work  in  his  own  connnunity  and  for  five  consecutive  terms  he 
was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church ;  he  was  a  deep  student  of  the  Bible  and  his 
lectures  to  the  school  were  interesting  and  instructive  and 
delivered  in  that  eloquent  manner  of  which  he  was  a  master 
they  were  very  interesting,  indeed.  He  was  married  at  Sparta, 
AVis..  on  March  12,  1884,  to  Miss  Flora  Smith  and  to  them  were 
born  three  children,  ^Marcus,  Augustus  and  Ida. 

Frank  H.  Bloomingdale,  Sparta,  was  born  at  Coudersport, 
Pa.,  October  15,  1854,  and  in  the  spring  of  1863  he  came  to 
"Wisconsin  with  his  parents.  His  education  was  connnenced 
in  the  public  schools  at  Sparta,  and  in  the  fall  of  1872  he  entered 
the  state  university,  Avhere  he  completed  his  sophomore  year. 
In  the  fall  of  1874  he  entered  the  law  school  of  Michigan  State 
University,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  December  term 
of  the  Monroe  County  Circuit  Court  at  Sparta  in  1877.  In 
January,  1879,  he  commenced  practice  of  the  law  at  Sparta,  in 
partnership  with  A.  E.  Bleekman,  and  the  firm  continued  as 
Bleekman  &  Bloomingdale.  Later  on  the  firm  moved  to  La  Crosse 
when  after  practicing  a  few  years  it  was  dissolved  and  Mr. 
Bloomingdale  moved  to  California,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in 
practice. 

George  A.  Richardson  Avas  born  in  the  town  of  Manchester. 
Bennington  county,  Vermont,  March  22,  1834;  he  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  fitted  himself  for  college  at  Burr 
Seminary  and  graduated  from  Middlebury  College  in  the  class 
of  I860.' 

He  taught  school  for  a  time  and  then  enlisted  in  the  Four- 
teenth Vermont  Volunteer  Infantry  of  Nine  ^Months'  Men  and 
served  nearly  a  year,  being  discharged  at  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  about 
two  months  after  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg.  After  his  discharge 
from  the  service  ]Mr.  Richardson  taught  school  and  attended  the 
Albany  Law  College  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  for  some  time  and  came 
to  Sparta,  Wis.,  in  April,  1866,  and  finished  his  law  education 
in  the  office  of  Graves  &  Wheeler  and  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  his  profession.     He  was  elected  district  attorney  of  ]Monroe 


454  TITSTORY  OF  [MONROE  COUNTY 

county  and  served  for  one  term  in  1871-1872  and  receiving  an 
advantageous  offer  from  ^1.  A.  Thayer  he  entered  into  his  employ 
and  served  as  l)ookkeeper  and  cashier  in  llic  hank  of  ]\I.  A. 
Thayer  (t  ('<».  until  lS9'.i;  since  that  time  '\iy.  Richardson  has 
retired  from  active  practice  of  law  hul  mainlains  an  office  where 
he  occupies  his  time  with  light  office  work,  more  as  a  matter  of 
having  something  to  do  as  he  is  a  very  industrious  man  hy  nature. 

lie  has  served  the  Sparta  Free  Lihrai-y  as  chairnuui  of  the 
library  hoard  for  over  twenty  years  and  rendered  invaluable 
service  in  and  about  the  construction  of  the  new  librai'y  building. 
He  has  also  served  as  secretai'\'  and  ti-casui-ei-  of  the  Sparta 
cemetery  since  it  was  organized  in  188H.  He  and  his  estimable 
wife  still  reside  in  their  pleasant  home  nn  Watei-  street,  which 
is  situated  (»n  the  same  lots  Avhere  they  began  housekeeping  in 
the  spring  of  1809.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson  are  prominent 
members  of  the  Congregational  church  and  arc  active  in  religious 
work  and  highly  respected  in  the  comnninit.w 

William  B.  Naylor,  Jr.,  Avas  born  in  Grand  Rapids.  "SVis.,  and 
moved  to  Tomah  with  his  parents  in  1878.  He  attended  the 
Tomah  public  schools,  worked  as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  II.  M. 
Sowle  and  through  that  became  much  interested  in  handling 
pensions  and  in  ])ension  laws,  all  of  which  aroused  his  interest 
in  law  as  a  profession.  lie  determined  to  become  a  member  of 
the  bar;  he  attended  the  I'niversity  of  Miiuiesota  for  one  year 
and  then  attended  the  University  of  Wisconsin  Law  College  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1894.  He  opened  an  office  in  Tomah.  July 
20,  1894,  "with  II.  E.  Glover,  who  was  a  classuuite  in  college  of 
Mr.  Naylor 's  and  whose  home  was  originally  at  Spencer,  Iowa. 
This  firm.  Naylor  &  Glover,  engaged  in  practice  for  about  a 
yeai-  when  .Mr.  (ilover  I'ctired  and  Naylor  continued  the  l)usiness 
alone.  He  served  as  city  attorney  and  city  clerk  a  inunber  of 
different  terms  and  was  school  district  clerk,  of  School  District 
No.  1.  of  the  city  of  Tomah.  for  about  nine  years  and  resigned 
this  office  when  he  became  disti'ict  attoi'uey  of  ^Fonroe  county, 
which  position  he  served  witli  distiiu-tion  fi-om  1904  to  1908; 
and  by  his  conservative  iiu'thods.  thorough  preparation  and  his 
alert  interest  in  the  county's  affairs  he  left  behind  him  in  that 
office  an  envial)!e  i-ecoi'd.  having  to  his  ci-cdit  a  colh-ction  of 
about  $10,000  in  sums  of  various  sizes  for  supj^ort  due  I'oi-  inmates 
of  the  insane  as\lums  and  lor  other  matters  affecting  the  financial 
interests  of  the  count\-:  as  district  attorney  h(>  conducted  the 
prosecution  of  the  two  trials  of  Samuel  ^Montgomery  for  the 
niurdci-  of   his   wife,   which   rc^sulted   in   the   con\'iction   of  ^Font- 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  455 

gomery,  and  the  appeal  from  the  Circuit  Court  was  sustained 
by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State.  In  1901  a  partnership  was 
formed  between  Mr.  Naylor  and  William  McCaul  under  the  firni 
name  of  Naylor  &  IMeCaul.  which  firm  still  continues  at  practice 
in  Tomah.  At  the  present  time  ]\Ir.  Naylor  is  serving  his  school 
district  as  president  of  the  school  board. 

He  is  a  pleasing  and  forceful  speaker,  has  always  been  an 
active  Republican  worker  and  takes  great  interest  in  the  local 
affairs  of  his  ow^n  community  and  the  county  at  large. 

Howard  Teasdale,  state  senator,  of  Sparta,  has  made  an  indeli- 
ble impression  on  the  public  life  of  Sparta  and  throughout  the 
state  of  Wisconsin.  He  was  born  at  Janesville,  Rock  county,  on 
August  9,  1855,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Seymour)  Teasdale 
(sketch  of  whose  life  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work). 

Mr.  Teasdale  first  attended  the  schools  of  District  No.  8,  of 
Sparta  township,  where  his  parents  were  early  settlers ;  he  after- 
ward pursued  a  course  of  study  at  the  Sparta  high  school  which 
was  supplemented  by  a  modern  classical  course  at  the  Wisconsin 
State  University,  and  afterwards  a  special  one-year  course,  then 
took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  law  department  of  the  university, 
graduating  with  the  class  of  1882.  During  the  years  of  1881  and 
1886  he  was  engaged  in  the  machinery  business,  retailing  binders 
and  other  machinery  with  his  father,  who  was  an  extensive 
operator  in  this  line.  It  was  this  business  and  the  management 
of  the  homestead  farm  of  1,000  acres,  that  engaged  Mr.  Teasdale 's 
attention  until  1889,  when  he  moved  to  Sparta  and  opened  an 
office  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  which  he  has  since 
carried  on  successfully  in  addition  to  many  other  business  enter- 
prises in  the  city. 

Senator  Teasdale 's  life  has  been  one  of  constant  activity  since 
early  boyhood.  During  some  ten  years  he  followed  the  vocation 
of  teaching  country  schools  during  the  winter  months,  eight 
years  were  spent  in  the  Monroe  county  schools,  and  two  years 
in  Dane  county.  He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics  and 
has  been  called  upon  to  fill  many  local  offices  of  trust.  For  one 
year,  1890  to  1891,  he  was  justice  of  the  peace,  and  from  1891 
to  1896  was  city  clerk ;  it  was  largely  through  his  influence  that 
the  city  waterworks  system  was  installed  in  Sparta,  he  having 
charge  of  the  system  as  superintendent  for  ten  years,  until 
October,  1910,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of  his  pressing 
senatorial  duties.  He  was  city  attorney  ten  years,  has  been 
treasurer  of  city  schools  fifteen  years,  and  in  1905  was  appointed 
by  Governor  LaFollettee  as  district  attorney  for  Monroe  county, 


456  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXROE  COUNTY 

filling  the  office  for  nearly  two  years,  and  vras  then  elected  for 
a  two-year  term.  He  was  elected  state  senator  in  1910  from 
the  district  conii)osed  of  Jackson,  ^Monroe  and  Juneau  counties. 
His  opponents  in  this  campaign  were  AV.  B.  Nay  lor,  W.  S.  Hake 
and  G.  il.  Frohmader,  ^Ir.  Teasdale  winning  in  the  four-cornered 
contest  by  a  majority  of  500.  During  his  term  of  office  Mr.  Teas- 
dale  has  taken  an  active  part  in  all  the  important  legislation 
coming  before  the  senate ;  he  represents  the  Progressive  Tem- 
perance element  and  he  literally  opposed  the  Income  Tax  Act 
and  the  Teachers'  J'ension  Act.  He  introduced  a  bill  for  ad 
valorem  tax  of  telej)hone  property ;  a  hill  forcing  the  physical 
connection  of  the  two  railroads  entering  cities  and  villages;  a 
bill  requiring  owners  of  cemetery  lots  to  give  them  care;  a  bill 
requiring  uniform  accounting  of  all  asylums;  a  bill  permitting 
county  court  to  be  held  at  Tomah ;  a  bill  on  drainage;  the  law 
requiring  physicians  to  make  thorough  examination  of  patients 
before  prescribing  liquor;  a  bill  for  the  protection  of  shredder 
operators  against  injury  while  their  machinery  is  in  operation, 
and  many  other  matters  of  legislative  importance. 

Senator  Teasdale  is  a  man  of  pleasing  personality,  courteous 
in  manner,  quiet  in  demeanor,  of  generous  impulses,  and  Avithal 
public-spirited  and  charitable,  and  whatever  relates  to  the  moral 
or  material  betterment  of  the  community  fiiids  him  an  ardent 
advocate  and  hearty  supporter. 

Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars,  the  ]Modern 
"Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Rebekahs.  He  is  one  of  the  largest 
stockholders  in  and  has  had  charge  of  the  local  telephone  system 
since  1898 ;  he  is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Electric 
Light  &  Power  Company,  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the 
Bank  of  Sparta,  and  stockholder  of  Citizens'  Bank,  ]\Ionroe 
County  Bank,  of  Sparta,  and  Bank  of  Ontario,  special  state 
treasury  agent  for  Wisconsin,  and  has  been  court  commissioner 
for  several  yeai's.  He  also  has  large  property  holdings  both  in 
Sparta  and  other  localities  of  the  county. 

In  1897  Senator  Teasdale  married  IMiss  Carrie  E.  Davis,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  daughter  of  Thomas  Davis,  of  Tomah. 
^Irs.  Teasdale  is  a  woman  of  fine  endoAvments,  whose  superior 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart  attract  to  her- the  admiration  of  all 
who  come  within  the  range  of  her  influence. 

William  R.  McCanl  was  born  in  Tonmh.  December  5,  1872, 
and  has  resided  in  that  city  all  of  his  life.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Tomali  high  school,  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Graham 


HOWARD  TEASDALE 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  457 

and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1900.  He  practiced  for  one  year 
alone  and  in  1901  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Naylor  under 
the  firm  name  of  Naylor  &  jMcCaul,  which  firm  still  continues 
in  practice  at  Tomah.  Mr.  McCaul  has  been  city  attorney  for 
several  years,  of  the  city  of  Tomah,  and  has  conducted  the 
affairs  of  this  position  with  marked  ability ;  outside  of  that  he 
has  never  held  any  office.  He  is  a  public  spirited  citizen  and 
interested  in  the  affairs  of  his  community  of  the  county;  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  has  become  prominent  in  the  affairs 
of  his  party. 

John  Jacob  Esch,  Republican,  of  La  Crosse,  was  born  near 
Norwalk,  Monroe  County,  Wisconsin.  ]March  20,  1861,  of  German 
parents;  in  1865  his  parents  moved  to  ^Milwaukee,  and  five  years 
later  to  Sparta,  Wis.,  where  both  still  reside;  after  graduating 
from  the  Sparta  high  school  entered  the  modern  classical  course 
of  the  state  university  at  Madison,  and  took  his  degree  with  the 
class  of  1882;  for  three  years  following  engaged  in  teaching  and 
the  study  of  law,  and  in  1886  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
state  university  and  graduated  in  1887 ;  since  being  admitted 
to  the  bar  has  practiced  law  in  La  Crosse ;  th-3  only  elective  office 
held  by  him  was  that  of  city  treasurer  of  Sparta  in  1885;  in  1883 
organized  the  Sparta  Rifles,  afterwards  known  as  Company  I, 
Third  Regiment,  Wisconsin  National  Guard,  and  was  commis- 
sioned captain,  retaining  the  office  until  1887 ;  upon  his  removal 
to  La  Crosse  helped  organize  Company  M,  of  the  same  regiment, 
being  first  lieutenant  and  afterwards  captain;  in  January,  1894, 
was  commissioned  acting  .judge  advocate  general,  with  the  rank 
of  colonel,  by  Gov.  W.  H.  Upham,  holding  the  office  for  two 
years;  was  elected  to  the  Fifty-sixth,  Fifty-seventh,  Fifty-eighth, 
Fifty-ninth,  Sixtieth  and  Sixty-first  congresses,  and  reelected  to 
the  Sixty-second  congress,  receiving  15,365  votes  to  7,365  for 
Paul  W.  Mahoney,  Democrat;  1,180  for  John  Marquet,  Socialist- 
Democrat,  and  458  for  A.  A.  Merrill,  Prohibitionist. 

JAMES  N.  GILLETT. 

Autobiography. 

I  w^as  born  in  Viroqua,  Vernon  county,  Wisconsin,  on  Septem- 
ber 20,  1860.  Within  a  month  after  the  great  tornado  which 
destroyed  that  town  my  parents  moved  to  Sparta,  Wis.  This 
was  about  August,  1865.  My  father  was  Cyrus  F.  Gillett.  He 
had  two  brothers.  Ransome  and  Abraham,  who  also  moved  to 
Sparta  about  that  time.     I  went  to  school  at  the  North  Primary 


458  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

Sc-liool,  \vlu'ii  the  oUl  brick  liijili  scliuol  was  iiiiislictl  1  went  to  it. 
I  did  not  prradiiate  from  high  school,  ))ut  was  in  the  class  that 
graduated  in  the  spring  1870. 

In  Decenilx'i-.  1S7S.  I  (•oininciiccd  llie  study  of  law  in  tlio  office 
of  Bleeknian  &  Graves.  Before  finishing  my  studies  J\lr.  Graves 
retired  fi'diii  llic  (inn  jind  Mr.  i"'.  II.  Iil(imiiing<lale  l)eeame  a 
menilicr  lliereof.  I  was  admit  led  to  pi-actice  in  the  fall  of  1881 
l)efoi-e  -Judge  Newman  who  was  then  cir'-nit  judge.  Judge 
(Traham,  of  Tonuih.  was  one  of  the  committee  who  examined  me. 

Tlu'  first  lawsuit  I  ever  tried  was  in  Sparta  before  Justice 
Samuel  Iloyt.  It  grew  out  of  a  horse  trade  between  R.  B.  Sabins, 
a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  church,  and  a  man  l-y  tlie  name  of  Lee. 
G.  AV.  IMeadows,  who  was  studying  law  with  Moi-row  &  blasters, 
represented  the  defendant.  ]\lr.  ]\Ieadows  is  now  a  judge  in  the 
northern  part  of  Wisconsin.  Air.  Iloyt  was  also  a  deacon  in  the 
Baptist  church.  The  case  was  decided  in  my  favor,  but  in  looking 
at  it  from  this  distance,  I  am  inclined  to  l)elieve  that  the  greater 
factor  in  the  case  was  the  fact  that  my  client  and  the  justice 
were  both  deacons  of  the  same  church. 

In  the  spring  of  1883  I  had  decided  to  go  AVest,  not  knowing 
just  particularly  where,  but  Avould  locate  in  any  favorable  spot 
from  Alontana  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  Before  leaving,  AI.  A. 
Thayer,  who  at  that  time  was  a  ])i'omineni  banker  in  Sparta, 
requested  me  to  remain  there  and  kindly  otfered  to  provide  me 
with  a  law  library  and  an  office  free  of  rent  until  such  time  as 
I  could  pay  for  it.  This  to  me  Avas  an  exceedingly  kind  offer 
and  coming  as  it  did  at  that  time  to  one  Avithout  anything,  it 
gave  me  a  feeling  of  admiration  and  friendship  for  Air.  Thayer 
which  I  never  forgot. 

However,  I  was  firm  in  my  intention  to  go  AVest  and  I  did, 
leaving  on  tlie  l-lth  day  of  Alay.  188.}.  for  St.  Paul,  from  Avhence 
I  intended  to  lake  my  hearings.  1  had  >\^47}  wlien  T  started,  but 
I  considered  this  sufificient  capital  for  any  young  man  going  into 
a  country  having  the  great  possibilities  that  I  dreamed  the  AVest 
had.  I  remained  in  Alontana  for  several  mouths,  working  in  a 
saw  mill  ni'ar  Bozeman  to  earn  enough  money  to  take  me  further 
on  m\-  journey.  I  learned  that  the  thermom(>ter  fre(|uently  fell 
as  low  as  40  degrees  below  zero  and  as  1  li;id  lived  many  years 
in  a  cold  climate  I  Avanted  to  get  away  if  I  could. 

About  tlie  iiiiddh'  of  July.  1883,  I  reached  Seattle,  Avhich  Avas 
then  a  siiKill  town  of  about  five  thousand.  I  took  a  contract  for 
clearing  a  block  of  land  overlooking  Lake  AVashington.  I  cleared 
the   land    all    right,   according   to    contract,   hut    the   felloAA-s   for 


THE  LEGAL  FRATEKNITY  459 

whom  1  was  working  were  as  poor  as  I  was  and  tliey  failed  to 
pay  me  $83,  the  bahmee  due  in  my  behalf.  Both  of  them  after- 
wards became  millionaires.  While  in  Seattle,  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  appeared  there  and  lectured  in  one  of  the  churches,  his 
subject  being  "The  Common  People,"  and  charged  $1  admission. 
I  happened  to  be  in  from  my  work  getting  supplies  and  I  thought 
this  would  be  my  only  opportunity  to  hear  and  see  Beecher.  I 
was  not  dressed  at  all  for  the  occasion,  but  inasmuch  as  his  sub- 
ject was  on  the  common  people  and  as  I  represented  that  class 
about  as  thoroughly  as  anybody  could  at  that  time,  I  concluded 
to  go  and  hear  what  he  had  to  say  about  me  and  the  rest  of  us 
and  I  hid  my  supplies  in  an  alley  near  the  church  and  went  in. 
After  M'orking  a  while  in  Seattle  I  met  a  couple  of  young 
lawyers  who  were  just  locating.  Both  w^ere  from  La  Crosse. 
I  believe  one's  name  was  Kellogg,  although  I  am  not  sure.  I  got 
them  the  first  business  they  had.  After  this  1  found  employment 
in  a  saw  mill  at  Port  Gamble,  owned  by  Pope,  Talbott  &  Co. 
I  worked  for  them  through  the  fall  and  winter  of  1884,  when  I 
decided  to  go  to  California. 

I  arrived  in  California  about  the  22nd  day  of  April,  having 
been  seasick  all  the  way.  AVe  had  a  storm  and  a  rough  voyage. 
I  was  traveling  steerage  and  somehow  or  other  I  did  not  seem 
to  get  along  just  right  and  remained  for  several  days  in  San 
Francisco  recuperating  and  in  looking  over  the  situation.  I 
finally  decided  to  go  to  Humboldt  county.  I  was  told  that  Eureka 
was  a  thrifty  little  city  and  the  center  of  the  great  redwood 
forests.  As  I  had  always  lived  in  a  country  where  there  was 
timber  and  hills  I  thought  I  would  feel  more  at  home  if  I  settled 
in  such  a  place  and  I  arrived  in  Eureka  on  the  5th  of  May,  1884. 
I  worked  there  for  a  while  in  the  woods  and  in  saw  mills  until 
I  had  earned  sufficient  money  to  get  a  small  law  library  and  some 
office  furniture.  Having  secured  enough  to  get  started  I  bought 
my  library,  furnished  my  office  and  commenced  the  practice  of 
law.  At  that  time  Eureka  was  a  very  prosperous  community. 
There  was  considerable  litigation  and  in  a  very  short  time  I  had 
Avorked  myself  into  a  very  good  practice  which  continued  to 
grow  as  time  rolled  on. 

In  1896  I  became  a  candidate  for  the  state  senate  from  the 
First  Senatorial  District  and  was  elected  for  a  term  of  four  years. 
In  1902  I  became  a  candidate  for  Congress  from  the  First  Con- 
gressional District  of  California  and  was  elected  and  served 
through  the  Fifty-eighth  and  Fifty-ninth  congresses.  While  I 
was  in  Washington  I  was  a  member  of  the  Judiciary  Committee. 


460  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

Judge  Jenkins,  of  Chippewa  Falls,  AVis.,  Avas  chairniau  of  that 
eommittee. 

]\ly  life  in  AVashington  was  very  pleasant.  I  met  there  ]\Iiss 
Anna  Smith,  who  was  tlim  cinployed  in  the  Interior  Department. 
She  was  my  teacher  in  Sparta  for  many  years  in  the  primary, 
intermediate,  and  higli  school  grades.  I  also  met  Henry  Casson, 
sergeant-at-arms  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  AVilliam 
Kern,  who  lived  in  Sparta  a  iuiml)er  of  years  ago  and  who  will 
be  rememl)eri'd  by  all  the  old  settlers.  I  also  had  the  pleasure 
of  again  meeting  my  old  ehum  and  schoolmate,  John  Esch,  who 
at  thai  lime  was,  and  is  now,  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
highly  respected  iiicinbers  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

In  1906  I  was  elected  governor  of  the  State  of  California 
I  have  had  four  children,  two  l)oys  and  two  girls.  My  oldest  boy 
died  about  eight  years  ago.  Tlie  youngest  boy,  James,  is  now 
nearly  eleven.  J.  N.  Gillett. 

C.  W.  Bunn,  tlie  son  of  Judge  Ronumzo  l^unn,  who  moved  to 
Tomah  with  his  father  in  1861,  at  which  time  he  was  six  years 
of  age.  lie  attended  the  public  schools  of  Sparta  and  from  there, 
in  1870,  went  to  the  University  of  AViseonsin,  graduating  there, 
B.  S.,  in  187-4,  and  from  the  law  school  in  1875.  He  then  moved 
to  La  Crosse,  Avhere  ho  lived  until  1885  and  Mas  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Cameron,  Losey  &  Bunn,  which  firm  afterwards  became 
Losey  &  Bunn,  upon  the  retirement  of  Air.  Cameron.  In  1885 
he  removed  to  St.  Paul,  forming  a  partnershij)  with  J.  AV.  Lusk. 
who  formerly  had  lived  at  Reidsburg,  AVis.,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Lusk  &  Bunn,  which  was  succeeded  by  the  firm  Lusk,  Bunn  & 
Iladley  and  afterwards  by  Bunn  &  Hadley.  In  1896  he  became 
the  general  counsel  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company, 
M'hich  position  he  still  holds. 

Frank  Fredrick  Cster  was  born  at  Sparta,  AVis.,  June  3,  1860, 
his  parents  being  Alidiarl  Peter  Oster  and  Alagdalene  Oster  (nee 
Titus).  Attended  llic  public  schools  of  Sparta  and  graduated 
from  the  Sparta  high  school  in  June,  1876.  Entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  AVisconsin  tlie  same  fall  and  graduated  tlu^refrom  in 
June,  1882,  Avith  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  letters.  Read  law 
with  Alorrow  &  Alasters  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1885, 
While  reading  law,  was  elect(>d  justice  of  the  peace  and  police 
judge  (two  offices)  for  tlie  tei'iii  of  Iwo  years,  served  one  year, 
rcsigiKMJ  iiiKJ.  in  the  fall  of  1886  removed  to  California,  where 
111'  lias  since  resided.  On  the  organization  of  the  city  of  Colton, 
in  1887,  he  was  a]ipi)inted  its  first  city  attorney  and  held  that 
office  niitil  1892.  when  he  resigned.     In  1890  he  formed  law  ]iart- 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  461 

nership  with  W.  J.  Curtis,  at  San  Bernardino,  under  the  name 
of  Curtis  &  Oster,  but  continued  to  reside  at  Colton  until  Janu- 
ary 1,  1893,  when,  on  taking  office  as  district  attorney  of  San 
Bernardino  county,  he  removed  to  the  city  of  San  Bernardino — 
the  county  seat.  Served  two  years  as  district  attorney,  declined 
renomination  which  was  offered  him.  In  1895  he  was  nominated 
and  elected  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  San  Bernardino 
county  for  the  term  of  six  years ;  was  reelected  in  1901  and 
again  in  1907,  the  last  time  without  opposition  either  in  conven- 
tion or  at  the  polls.  Still  holds  that  office.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  Republican.  He  was  married  at  Colton,  Cal., 
October  15,  1891,  to  ]\Iiss  Elsie  ]M.  Donald  and  has  one  child — 
a  son  named  Donald  Titus  Oster,  now  17  years  old. 

He  is  a  Mason,  Knight  Templar  and  Shriner,  belongs  also  to 
the  Elks  and  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  active  in  all  public 
atfairs.  Secured  $20,000  from  Andrew  Carnegie  for  a  library 
at  San  Bernardino,  was  first  president  of  the  San  Bernardino 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
appointed  to  prepare  and  was  the  principal  author  of  the  present 
Juvenile  Court  Law  of  California,  generally  believed  to  be  the 
most  advanced  measure  of  its  kind  in  existence.  He  was  also 
chairman  of  the  campaign  committee  which  recently  sought  to 
raise  $75,000  for  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  at  San  Bernardino  and  succeeded 
in  raising  donations  aggregating  nearly  twice  that  amount. 

Randolph  A.  Richards  Avas  born  at  ^Milwaukee.  Wis.,  January 
5,  1863 ;  in  1867  his  parents  moved  to  Tomah.  his  father.  Dr. 
J.  F.  Richards,  there  entering  upon  the  practice  of  medicine. 

He  attended  the  public  schools  at  Tomah,  graduating  from  the 
high  school  with  the  class  of  1882;  was  the  valedictorian  of  his 
class.  Soon  after  graduating  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hoii. 
George  Graham  as  student  and  clerk;  he  passed  the  examination 
of  the  State  Board  at  ^Milwaukee  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
December  28,  1887 ;  his  practice  has  been  principally  confined 
to  this  county.  AVhile  living  at  Tomah  he  served  as  city  attorney 
several  terms  and  as  district  attorney  one  term  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Tomah  for  four  years  and 
served  on  the  county  board  for  three  years. 

He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Company  K,  Third  Regiment 
W.  X.  G.,  being  mustered  in  as  a  corporal  with  the  Company 
May  28,  1884;  was  elected  second  lieutenant  in  1886  and  captain 
in  1887;  he  commanded  Company  K  from  September  5,  1887. 
until  his  promotion  to  the  rank  of  major  in  1897;  during  this 
term  he  was  instrumental  in  causing  the  erection  of  the  armory. 


462  lllSTOKY  OF  ,MUXKOK  LOINTY 

I'poii  rc((i\iii^-  his  (•(iimnissioii  ;is  major  he  ^v<ls  assigiu'd  to 
the  eoinmand  of  1lir  Third  Baltalion,  consisting  of  companies  A, 
Xcillsvillc ;  J).  .Mansion;  K.  I'ortagc,  and  G,  AVansan;  npon  the 
breaking  ont  of  thi'  Spanish-American  war  was  mustered  into 
the  I'nitcd  Slates  service  with  his  regiment,  ihe  Third  Wisconsin 
N'oluntei-r  Infanti-.N',  in  coiiimaiid  of  the  sami'  l)attalion.  Served 
throughout  the  campaign  in  i*orto  Rico,  coming  home  with  his 
regiment  and  was  mustered  out  of  the  Inited  States  service 
Januai-y  14.  IS!)!). 

In  Januai-y  he  iimxcd  to  Sparta  and  formed  a  partnership 
with  T).  l'\  -Jones,  wliich  continue<l  until  tlie  death  of  'S\v.  Jones. 
Later  he  associated  with  him  J.  .J.  Howler  and  upon  the  dissolu- 
tion of  this  tii'm  the  fiiiii  of  Eichards  &  Rice  Avas  formed  with 
Z.  S.  Hiee.  \vliicli  continued  about  two  years;  since  which  ]\lr. 
Richards  has  j)i'acticed  alone. 

Upon  the  reorganization  of  the  Third  Regiment  after  the 
Spanish-American  war  he  was  commissioned  major  and  assigned 
to  conniiand  of  the  First  I^attalion,  companies  B,  La  Crosse; 
K,  Tomah ;  L,  Sparta,  and  M.  La  Crosse;  on  ilay  6,  1910,  he  was 
promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel,  which  rank  he  still  holds. 

Clark  M.  Rosecrantz  was  horn  in  .Mauston,  Juneau  county, 
June  2;],  l.S()!).  wwd  removed  from  there  to  ^McTIenry  county, 
Illinois,  in  IST;^  He  went  to  S])arta  in  188')  and  attended  ])ublic 
school  one  year,  lie  then  went  to  Carroll  College,  Waukesha, 
AVis.,  to  fit  for  the  university;  entered  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin in  Septend)er,  1889,  and  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
]i.  L.  in  189.S.  and  gi-aduated  fi-om  the  law  school  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin  in  1S94.  Shortly  afterwards  he  entered  the 
office  of  Sullivan  &  Cromwell,  counselors  at  law,  offices  at  Forty- 
fifth  and  Wall  streets.  New  York  City,  and  remained  there  until 
Septendiei'.  1S!)().  when  he  came  to  ^Milwaukee  and  joined 
Charles  P.  Spooner  and  Cliarles  II.  George  in  the  ])ractice  of 
law  under  the  firm  nann'  of  Spooner,  Rosecrantz  &  George;  this 
fii'm  contiiuuMl  until  about  1900  when  ]\Ir.  G(»orge  retired  from 
the  tiiiii.  Shortly  after  .Mr.  George's  retireuient,  .Mi'.  Willett  ]\L 
Spoonei'  joined  the  linn  and  continued  for  about  a  year  under 
the  lirm  name  of  S|)ooner.  Rosecrantz  (!c  Spooner;  after  >\Ir. 
Willett  M.  Spoonei- "s  retirement  from  the  tinn  Charles  P.  Spooner 
continued  under  the  firm  name  of  Spooner  l^  Rosecrantz  until 
1890  when  S|)ooi;er  left  Alilwaiikee  to  engage  in  the  practice  of 
law  at  Seattle,  Wash.  Mr.  Rosecrantz  continued  the  practice 
alone  until  .May,  1910,  when  tli(>  firm  of  Van  Dyke,  Rosecrantz, 
Shaw  &  Van  Dvke  was  formed,  which  still  continues. 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  463 

]Mr.  Roseerantz  has  for  a  great  many  years  been  the  general 
attorney  of  the  ]\Iihvaukee  Light  &  Traction  Company,  which 
control  the  street  car  lines  in  that  city  and  several  interurban 
lines. 

M.  E.  Powell  Avas  born  at  Farmsville,  Cattaraugus  county, 
New  York,  April  11,  1840,  and  came  to  Sparta  in  1853;  resided 
on  a  farm  until  1858  when  he  connnenced  th.e  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  L.  AY.  Graves,  which  continued  until  the  time  of  his 
enlistment  in  the  First  AVisconsin  Battery  of  Light  Artillery  at 
La  Crosse  in  1861.  He  served  throughout  his  term  of  three  years 
and  was  mustered  out  in  1864,  then  returned  to  Sparta  and  com- 
pleted his  legal  studies  in  the  office  of  lion.  Romanzo  Bunn  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  l)y  Judge  Edwin  Flint,  September  25. 
1865 ;  he  removed  to  Redwood  Falls,  Minn.,  in  1867  and  there 
practiced  law  for  about  forty  years;  he  has  retired  from  active 
practice  and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labor  at  Redwood 
Falls. 

John  Anderson  was  born  at  Fox  Lake,  AYis.,  January  22,  1855, 
his  family  soon  removing  to  Tomah.  He  attended  the  schools 
at  Tomah  and  Sparta  and  later  graduated  from  the  University 
of  AVisconsin.  He  taught  the  ]\Iauston  High  School  for  two  years 
as  principal,  came  to  Sparta  and  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Morrow  &  ^Masters ;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  practice 
at  Chippewa  Falls,  soon  afterwards  being  elected  county  judge, 
Avhich  ot!ice  he  held  for  twelve  years;  was  at  one  time  city  attor- 
ney and  mayor  of  Chippewa  Falls.     He  died  Alarch  25,  1911. 

Almon  A.  Helms  was  l)()rn  in  the  town  of  Norfolk,  St.  Law- 
rence county,  state  of  New  York,  October  18,  1846.  Received 
a  common  school  education  in  the  schools  of  the  counties  of 
St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin,  in  that  state. 

After  he  became  abont  14  years  of  age  he  worked  at  farming 
summers  and  taught  school  two  winters  in  the  district  schools 
of  the  state  of  New  York.  Canu^  to  AVisconsin  in  the  spring  of 
1866,  locating  at  Durand,  in  Pepin  county,  and  resided  there  nntil 
the  spring  of  1874.  AVhile  at  Durand  he  worked  one  sunnuer  in 
the  Knopp,  Stout  &  Co.  saw  mill,  clerked  in  a  drug  store  one  sum- 
mer, clerked  on  a  steamboat  on  the  Chippewa  river  four  summers, 
taught  in  the  county  schools  four  winters  and  two  summers,  read 
law  with  Hon.  II.  E.  Houghton  one  winter. 

He  moved  to  Tomah  with  his  family  in  jNlarch,  1874,  entering 
the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  iNlilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  as  a 
clerk  in  the  Tomah  depot,  remaining  there  about  a  year  and  a 
half;   afterwards  entering  the   employ  of  the   Wisconsin  Valley 


464  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROE  COUNTY 

Conipany  until  January  1,  1876,  at  wliich  time  he  entered  the 
olilicc  of  Hon.  George  Graham  as  i-h-rk  and  student.  He  "vvas 
admitted  to  the  bar  by  Hon.  Romanzo  Bunn,  eireiiit  judge,  in 
September,  1876,  entering  into  partnership  with  Judge  Graham, 
■\vhicli  continued  until  August,  1881.  He  removed  to  Osseo,  "Wis., 
in  September,  1881,  and  from  there  to  ]\Iei'rill,  Wis.,  in  ]\Iay, 
1882,  entering  into  partnership  with  S.  ^I.  Hoyt,  which  continued 
until  1885.  He  was  elected  county  .judge  of  Lincoln  county, 
serving  one  term,  and  was  elected  municipal  judge  in  1891,  and 
has  been  the  incumbent  of  the  office  as  municipal  and  superior 
court  judge  ever  since.  Served  as  mayor  of  the  city  of  ^lerrill 
for  one  year  JNIay  1,  1887,  to  ]\Iay  1,  1888;  is  now  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  of  the  Merrill  schools  and  has  been  for 
some  time. 

Charles  W.  Meadows  was  born  at  Trenton.  X.  J.,  February 
24,  1847;  in  the  fall  of  1855  his  parents  moved  to  ]\Ionroe  county, 
locating  in  the  town  of  Leon  and  meeting  with  their  full  share 
of  the  hardships  and  inconveniences  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  the 
pioneers  of  early  days.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  AVar 
his  two  older  brothers,  AVilliam  H.  and  Thomas  p].,  enlisted  and 
went  to  the  front,  leaving  him  at  home  with  his  father,  mother 
and  little  sister. 

Plowever,  early  in  January,  1864,  although  not  yet  seventeen 
years  of  age,  being  five  feet  seven  inches  tall  and  weighing  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds,  passed  him  into  the  service  and 
he  enlisted  and  served  with  bis  two  lirothers  until  the  close  of 
the  war;  he  enlisted  in  Company  A  of  the  Third  Cavalry  and 
joined  his  comj^any  at  Fort  Curtis.  ^lo.,  where  the  troops  of 
whicli  lie  was  attaclied  were  engaged  in  contesting  with  Price, 
Shelby  and  Quantrell  as  to  who  should  occupy  that  jiart  of  the 
country.  From  the  time  he  joined  the  company  until  he  was 
nuistered  out.  September,  1865,  he  saw  a  great  deal  of  service, 
chietly  scouting  and  escoit  duty,  but  also  quite  a  battle  of  sharp 
fighting  during  the  campaign  against  Pric(»  in  the  fall  of  1864, 
taking  part  in  several  battles  Avhere  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thou- 
sand cavalry  engaged  on  a  side. 

Til  tlie  summer  of  1878  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  \V.  J.  llahn,  Lake  City,  ]\Iinn.,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
entered  the  office  of  ]Morrow  &  ]\Iasters  at  Sparta  and  was 
admitted  to  tlie  bar  there  by  Judge  Newman  at  the  October  term 
of  the  circuit  court  in  1880;  he  remained  with  ]\Iorrow  &  Masters 
until  the  spring  of  1881  when  he  married  jMiss  Kdna  L.  Tri.sh, 
at  Viroqua,  when,  in  company  with  S.  'M.  Hoyt,  also  a  student 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  465 

of  Morrow  &  Masters,  opened  a  law  office  at  Merrill,  Wis. ;  when 
there,  he  states,  they  practiced  "economy"  for  several  months, 
when,  owing  to  the  death  of  his  father,  he  returned  to  Sparta, 
remaining  there  until  the  following  spring  and  then  removed 
to  Barron  county,  which  he  has  since  called  his  home,  although 
he  spent  a  year  or  tAvo  in  Georgia  and  four  years  in 
AVashington,  D.  C. 

In  1901  he  was  elected  county  judge  of  Barron  county  and 
at  the  present  time  is  serving  his  third  term  in  that  capacity. 

Mr.  Meadows  was  in  Sparta  during  the  days  of  J.  N.  Gillett 
and  he  states  that  his  first  lawsuit  was  tried  in  the  winter  of 
1881  and  that  if  he  had  known  that  he  was  fighting  against  the 
future  governor  of  the  state  of  California  it  is  quite  probable,  he 
says,  that  he  would  not  have  gone  into  the  case,  as  Governor  Gil- 
lett was  at  that  time  a  student  in  the  office  of  Bleekman  &  Bloom- 
ingdale  and  the  case  referred  to  Avas  also  the  time  Avhich  Gillett 
had  the  honor  to  try  as  his  maiden  effort.  As  Mr.  Meadows  very 
tritely  phrased  it :  "It  Avas  a  horse  trade  case  and  I  had  not  a  oit 
of  eA'idence  and  what  Avas  still  Avorse  my  client  had  no  money; 
besides,  Jim,  like  the  red  nose  man  in  'PickAvick, '  had  the  'gift 
of  the  gab  Averry  gallopin,'  and  he  just  'Avoke  the  cathedral 
music  of  the  universe'  in  trying  the  case,  entirely  submerging 
my  penny  whistle,  and  of  course  I  lost,  but  I  do  not  believe  Jim 
has  collected  his  judgment  yet." 

Charles  W.  Graves,  of  Viroqua,  was  born  at  East  Aurora, 
Erie  county,  Ncav  York,  on  November  29,  1854;  is  the  oldest  son 
of  Lewis  W.  Graves.  His  mother's  maiden  name  Avas  I\Iary  J. 
Walds.  In  1856  his  parents  removed  to  Sparta,  Avhere  JNIr.  GraA^es 
spent  his  years  until  1879,  receiving  a  common  high  school  educa- 
tion in  the  Sparta  schools.  In  1874  he  began  the  study  of  laAV 
in  his  father's  office  and  in  January,  1876,  Avas  admitted  to  the 
l)ar  at  Sparta  before  Judge  Romanzo  Bunn.  He  began  practice 
in  Sparta  and  in  1876  Avas  associated  Avith  Fred  T.  Condit  and 
later  (1877-78)  Avith  A.  E.  Bleekman.  In  1876  Mr.  Graves 
Avas  toAvn  clerk  of  the  town  of  Sparta.  In  May,  1879,  he  removed 
to  Viroqua,  forming  a  laAV  copartnership  AA^ith  Col.  C.  M.  Butt, 
of  that  city,  Avhich  continued  for  fifteen  years.  During  the  years 
1891-1892-1893  he  served  as  secretary  of  the  State  Board  of 
World's  Fair  Managers  in  connection  Avith  the  Chicago  AVorld's 
Fair  and  during  these  three  years  gave  nearly  his  entire  time 
to  the  duties  of  the  office.  In  May,  1894,  he  Avas  appointed  county 
judge  of  Vernon  county  and  served  until  January  1,  1898.  Since 
then  he  has  practiced  laAV  in  Virociua  and  is  still  in  active  practice. 


466  HISTORY  OF  :\10XR0E  COUNTY 

In  1875  he  married  Miss  Ida  Reas.  of  Sparta,  four  children 
l)ein^  born  to  them,  viz.,  Earl  AY.  Graves,  R.  B.  Graves,  of  Sparta, 
Allan  ]\I.  Graves  and  Mrs.  S.  M.  C'offland.  In  1897  Mrs.  Graves 
died,  and  in  the  fall  of  1899  he  married  Miss  Nettie  McMichael, 
of  Viroqua. 

E.  R.  Bowler  was  born  in  Uic  town  of  LaFayette,  ]\Ionroe 
county,  Wisconsin,  on  September  25,  1869.  lie  attended  the 
Bush  Prairie  school,  wliicli  Avas  known  as  one  of  the  leading 
district  schools  of  ]\lonroi'  county.  He  afterward  attended  the 
Sparta  high  school ;  after  completing  the  course  he  was  appointed 
to  the  position  of  railway  mail  clerk  under  the  United  States 
Civil  Service  Act,  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  a  period  of 
about  three  years,  his  principal  route  during  that  time  being 
between  Chicago  and  j\Iinneai)olis.  He  lefr  the  railway  mail 
service  to  enter  the  University  of  AVisconsin.  and  when  taking 
the  academic  course  he  belonged  to  the  Philomathea  Debating 
Society,  as  well  as  other  prominent  debating  societies  at  the 
University  of  AVisconsin,  and  w'as  chosen  as  one  of  the  joint 
debators  to  represent  the  University  of  Wisconsin  in  joint  debate 
between  that  institution  and  the  university  of  the  state  of  ]Miune- 
sota.  His  associates  in  this  debate  were  ]\Ir.  E.  A.  Evans,  of 
Baraboo,  and  Mr.  AY.  J.  Kalaher.  Milwaukee,  and  with  them  he 
won  the  first  debate  that  had  been  won  from  the  University  of 
Minnesota  in  a  number  of  years.  He  completed  the  law  course 
at  the  University  of  AVisconsin  in  1896,  after  which  lime  he  was 
employed  in  the  office  of  D.  F.  .lom^s.  who  was  then  United 
States  district  attorney  for  \ho  western  district  of  AVisconsin, 
In  P^ebruary,  1898,  he  formed  a  pai'tnership  Avith  his  ])rother, 
T.  ]\I.  Bowler,  and  under  the  partnership  name  of  Bowler  & 
Bowler  they  entered  into  the  practice  of  law  at  the  city  of 
Sheboygan.  Wis.  His  advancement  as  a  lawyer  was  very  rapid, 
and  he  has  been  recognized  throughout  the  state  as  one  of  the 
leadinir  lawyers.  He  has  been  engaged  from  tiine  to  time  in  some 
of  Ihc  most  important  litigations  in  the  eastern  jiart  of  the  state. 
During  the  last  sessions  of  the  legislature  he  has  represented 
large  interests  before  that  body  in  framing  l.>gislation.  he  having 
represented  the  State  Bankers'  Association  ol'  the  State  of  AVis- 
consin: State  AFanufacturers'  Association  of  th(>  State  of 
AVisconsin,  as  well  as  many  other  large  interests. 

He,  together  with  his  brother,  T.  AI.  Bowler,  who  comprise 
the  firm  of  Bowler  &  Bowler  at  Sheboygan,  are  enjoying  the 
confidence  of  the  entire  community,  and  have  a  very  large  prac- 
tice in  thcii"  profession  in  that  section  of  the  state.    He  was  united 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  467 

in  marriage  in  Jnly,  1900,  to  Gertrude  Edmondson,  of  Albany, 
Mo.,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children,  Madeline, 
Harold  and  Gertrude. 

T.  M.  Bowler  was  born  in  the  town  of  LaFayette,  Monroe 
county,  Wisconsin,  on  August  26,  1871.  He  attended  the  district 
school  during  his  early  boyhood,  and  thereafter  attended  the 
high  school  in  the  city  of  Sparta,  and  taught  school  in  several 
parts  of  Monroe  county,  after  which  he  attented  normal  school, 
and  shortly  after  being  a  graduate  of  the  normal  school  in  1892, 
was  elected  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Monroe  county 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  he  being  one  of  the  few  Democrats 
elected  to  county  office  at  that  time.  During  his  term  as  county 
superintendent  he  established  the  summer  school  for  teachers 
in  this  county,  which  has  been  conducted  yearly  ever  since,  and 
has  been  a  great  help  to  the  common  schools  of  this  county.  He 
was  defeated  for  reelection  in  1894,  on  account  of  the  large 
Republican  majority  in  the  county,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  as  county  superintendent  on  January  1,  1895.  entered  the 
law  school  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  and  finished  that 
course  with  his  brother,  E.  R.  Bowler,  in  June,  1896.  He  was 
excused  from  taking  final  examinations  in  the  law  school  on 
account  of  his  high  class  records,  and  in  February,  1898,  he 
entered  the  practice  of  law  at  the  city  of  Sheboygan,  AVis.,  in 
partnership  formed  wnth  his  brother,  E.  R.  Bowler.  He  was 
elected  city  attorney  of  the  city  of  Sheboygan  in  the  spring  of 
1899,  and  held  that  office  for  a  period  of  four  years.  During 
this  time  the  firm  of  Bowler  &  Bowler  had  become  employed 
by  and  represented  large  interests,  such  as  the  Chicago  &  North- 
Western  Railway  Company,  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  Company,  the  Sheboygan  Railway  &  Electric  Company, 
as  well  as  other  large  interests,  and  for  this  reason  he  declined 
to  accept  further  political  office,  and  has  since  that  time  devoted 
his  entire  attention  to  those  interests  which  his  firm  represent. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columlnis,  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  and 
has  held  the  highest  office  in  all  those  orders,  and  Avith  his 
brother,  E.  R.  Bowler,  enjoys  a  very  successful  practice.  He 
has  succeeded  from  a  business  standpoint,  at  this  time  being 
president  of  the  Citizens'  Telephone  Exchange,  and  is  interested 
in  a  financial  Avay  in  many  other  large  interests  in  Sheboygan. 
He  married  a  Monroe  county  girl.  Miss  Mary  Ebert,  Tomah, 
Wis.,  and  one  child  was  born,  Dorothy,  aged  eleven  years. 

James  J.  Bowler  was  born  in  the  town  LaFayette,  in  Afonroe 


468  IITSTORY  OF  IMOXROE  COFXTV 

county,  on  the  0th  day  of  ^March,  1877.  He  obtained  his  common 
school  education  in  the  liush  Prairie  sclioois,  and  entered  the 
Sparta  high  school  in  1800,  and  graduated  therefrom  in  ]S04. 
Upon  graduation  from  tlie  Sparta  high  school  he  taught  school 
in  j\Ionroe  county  for  three  years,  being  principal  of  the  Tunnel 
City  and  Cashton  graded  schools.  Cashton  school  became  a  high 
school  the  year  ]\Ir.  Bowler  gave  up  the  vocation  of  Tcniching 
to  enter  tlie  law  department  of  the  state  university  at  ^ladison, 
which  he  did  in  the  year  1897.  He  received  his  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1000.  While  at  the  university,  "Jim'' 
was  prominent  both  in  debating  circles  and  in  tlie  management 
and  direction  of  the  athletic  affairs  at  the  university,  being 
selected  as  a  member  of  the  joint  debate  of  the  Missouri  inter- 
collegiate debate  and  also  acting  in  the  capacity  of  baseball 
manager  and  assistant  football  manager. 

]\Ir.  BoAvler,  upon  being  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law, 
entered  the  law  office  of  Jones  &  Rieliards,  at  Sparta,  and  shortly 
after  the  death  of  Mr.  Jones  became  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Richards  &  Bowler,  which  partnership  continued  until 
January  1,  1007,  when  he  entered  into  partnership  with  liis 
brother  George  under  the  firm  name  of  Bowler  &  Bowler,  which 
partnership  continued  until  Januai-y  1.  1008.  George  then  went 
to  Sheboygan  with  his  older  brothers  FA  and  Tim,  and  Jim 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  AYausau.  AVis..  where  he 
remained  until  the  first  of  December,  1011,  when  he  removed 
to  IMilwaukee,  AYis..  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession. 

George  J.  Bowler  was  horn  in  tlie  town  of  LaFayette,  ]\Ionroe 
county,  Wisconsin,  July  ]0.  1870.  He  attend<'d  the  district  school 
of  that  town  and  later  entered  the  high  school  in  the  eity  of 
Sparta,  graduating  from  thai  school  in  -hine,  1805.  lie  tlien 
taught  school  in  the  county  of  IMonroe,  afterward  conducting 
Avitli  his  brother,  John  Bowler,  the  Bowler  Brothers'  Fruit  Farm, 
whieh  has  been  generally  known  as  one  of  the  pioneer  fruit 
farms  of  this  section  of  the  state.  He  later  entered  the  I'ni- 
versity  of  Wisconsin,  and  graduated  from  the  law  department 
of  that  institution  in  June,  100:^.  after  which  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  firm  of  Richards  &  Bowler  at  S]iarta,  Wis.,  and 
continued  in  their  employ  until  January  1,  lOOo,  at  which  time 
he,  with  his  brother.  James  J.  liowler,  formed  a  partnership  and 
practiced  law  at  Sparta  under  the  firm  name  of  Bowler  &  Bowler 
until  Januarv  1,  1008,  at  wliich  time  he  went  to  Shel)ovi]ran,  Wis., 
and  has  been  associated  there  with   his  brothers,   E.  R.  Bowler 


THE  LEGAL  FRATERNITY  469 

and  T.  M.  Bowler,  until  January  1,  1912.  He  is  now  practicing 
law  in  the  city  of  jMilwaukee,  now"  being  associated  with  the  firm 
of  McGee  &  Jeger,  Nos.  1126-1180  AVells  Building,  of  that  city. 

William  F.  Sawyer  was  l)orn  in  La  Crosse  county  about  two 
miles  northwest  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Rockland  and 
attended  the  country  school  near  Big  Creek,  afterwards  attending 
Viroqua  high  school  for  a  time  and  then  came  to  Sparta,  attend- 
ing the  high  school  there  and  graduated  in  the  same  class  with 
John  J.  Esch,  Frank  Oster  and  others.  After  leaving  the  high 
school  he  taught  school  for  a  time  and  then  attended  Valparaiso 
university  where  he  obtained  the  degree  of  A.  B.  and  afterwards 
entered  the  Colombia  Law  School  in  New  York  City,  finally 
completing  his  legal  education  at  the  Hastings  College  of  Law 
in  San  Francisco,  which  is  a  part  of  the  University  of  California, 
where  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  was  conferred  upon  him.  He  w^as 
then  admitted  to  practice  law  and  located  at  San  Francisco^ 
Avhere  he  has  practiced  for  over  twenty  years. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  earthquake  and  fire  in  April,  1906, 
he  had  his  offices  in  the  ]\Iills  building,  which  was  burned  and 
in  which  he  also  resided  in  apartments.  He  saved  some  of  the 
records  and  a  few  books  from  his  office  at  the  time  of  the  fire, 
but  in  order  to  do  so,  he  had  to  move  them  five  times  and  was 
from  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  the  earthquake 
until  the  forenoon  of  the  next  day  in  saving  what  few  things 
were  not  burned.  Immediately  after  the  fire  he  was  in  doubt 
as  to  what  to  do,  but  finally  decided  to  establish  an  office  again 
and  he  found  that  since  the  earthquake  and  fire  there  has  been 
more  legal  business  in  the  city  than  there  was  prior  to  that  time. 
]\Ir.  Sawyer  engages  in  the  general  practice  of  law,  except  that 
he  does  not  take  criminal  cases;  and  gives  special  attention 
to  the  law  of  real  estate  and  corporations. 

For  about  ten  years  Mr.  A.  C.  Freeman,  George  E.  Bates  and 
Mr.  Sawyer  had  offices  together,  Mr.  Freeman  being  the  author 
of  "Freeman  on  Judgments"  and  the  editor  of  the  "American 
Decisions"  and  of  the  "American  State  Reports." 

Mr.  Sawyer  is  unmarried ;  and  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club  of  San  Francisco  and  takes  an  active  part  in  polit- 
ical matters.  He  is  interested  in  the  growth  of  the  city  and 
believes  that  San  Francisco,  wdien  fully  rebuilt,  will  be  one  of 
the  finest  cities  of  its  size  in  the  world. 

Ray  B.  Graves  was  born  at  Sparta,  AVis.,  October  1,  1878,  is 
the  son  of  C.  W.  Graves;  his  parents  moved  to  Viroqua  soon 
after  his  birth  or  during  early  boyhood  and  his  early  education 


470  TTTSTORY  OF  :\rOXROE  fOrXTY 

was  received  in  that  city,  graduating  from  tlif  X'ironua  high 
school  in  1897.  lie  studied  law  in  tlie  otficc  of  ('.  AV.  Graves 
and  passing  the  state  bai-  examination  successfully,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  August  28,  1898.  He  came  to  Sparta  and  entered  the 
office  of  Morrow  &  Masters  in  January.  1899.  After  the  death 
of  Judge  ]\I()rrow,  the  fii'm  of  blasters  &  Graves  was  formed 
and  some  time  later  tlie  fii'm  Ix'came  Masters,  Graves  &  ^Masters, 
by  the  admission  of  II.  J.  .Masters.  Mr.  Graves  is  a  successful 
trial  lawyer  and  has  been  engaged  in  much  of  the  important 
litigation  in  the  county,  notably  being  selected  by  the  court  and 
appointed  to  assist  the  district  attorney  in  the  Montgomery 
murder  trial. 

John  G.  Graham  was  born  at  Tomah.  September  2.  1875. 
and  is  the  son  of  Col.  George  Graham.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  schools  of  Tomah,  graduating  from  the  liigli 
school  in  June,  1898;  he  afterwards  took  a  two-years'  collegiate 
course  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  He  studied  for  three 
years  at  the  law  sehool  of  the  T^niversity  of  AVisconsin  and  then 
entered  his  father's  office,  being  successful  in  passing  the  state 
bar  examination  and  was  admitted  to  practice  January  1,  1900. 
He  commenced  the  practice  of  law  with  his  father  the  same 
year  under  the  firm  name  of  Graham  &  Graham,  which  is  still 
the  firm  name,  though  Colonel  Graham  has  retired  from  active 
practice.  Mr.  Graham  has  won  good  success  at  the  bar  and  is 
considered  one  of  the  growing  young  men  in  the  profession. 

Harry  J.  Masters  was  born  at  Sparta,  AVis..  Alay  29,  1880. 
and  is  the  son  of  Judge  C.  JVI.  IMasters.  He  was  educated  in 
Sparta,  graduating  from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1899, 
afterwards  entering  the  University  of  AVisconsin.  taking  uj)  the 
study  of  laAV ;  graduated  in  1904,  and  after  a  period  of  rest,  took 
nj)  the  practice  of  his  i)rof(\ssion  as  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Masters,  Graves  &  Alasters.  lie  is  a  close  student, 
endowed  with  a  good  stock  of  common  sense,  and  is  one  of  the 
<'omi]ig  young  members  of  the   bar. 

Thorwald  P.  Abel,  district  attorney  of  Sparta.  Among  the 
well-known  attorneys  of  Alonroe  county  is  he  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch.  His  parents,  John  J.  and  Laura  (Johnson)  Abel, 
immigrated  from  Denmark,  their  native  country,  to  the  United 
States  in  the  sixties,  and  settled  at  Kenosha.  AVis.,  where  our 
sul)ject  was  born  April  24.  1878.  Among  the  many  responsible 
positions  held  by  the  si'uior  Abel  may  be  mentioned  that  of 
United   States   inspector   of  immigration   at   Portal,   X.   D. 

The  preliminary   (>ducation   of  Thoi'wnld   V.   was  ol)tained   at 


THE  LEGAL  FRATEENITY  471 

the  Kenosha  public  schools,  which  was  supplemented  with  a 
thorough  course  in  the  law  department  of  the  Wisconsin  State 
University  at  Madison,  where  he  was  graduated  wath  the  class 
of  1902.  In  October  of  that  year  he  located  at  Sparta  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  which  he  has  since 
followed  wnth  gratifying  success.  In  1908  he  was  elected  dis- 
trict attorney  for  ]\[onroe  county,  and  so  well  did  he  discharge 
the  duties  of  the  office  that  he  Avas  re-elected  in  1910  for  a  sec- 
ond term  of  two  years. 

In  fraternal  and  social  matters  he  is  an  active  participant, 
being  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  united  in  marriage  on  February 
8,  1905,  to  Miss  Charlotte  C.  Kent,  daughter  of  William  and 
Florence  (Cooper)  Kent,  of  Beloit,  Kan. 

Zelotus  S.  Rice,  attorney  at  laAv,  and  one  of  the  substantial 
citizens  of  Sparta,  is  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  and  was  born 
at  Wilton,  August  7,  1881.  His  father,  Mr.  J.  P.  Rice,  who  is 
prominent  in  business  circles  throughout  the  county,  and  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  A.  O'Leary,  are  also 
natives  of  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Rice  received  his  education  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Sparta,  graduating  from  the  latter  w^ith  the  class  of  1901. 
He  spent  a  year  in  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Minnesota  and  finished  his  course  at  the  University  of  Wiscon- 
sin, graduating  with  the  class  of  1904.  After  completing  his 
law  studies,  he  located  at  Sparta  in  1905  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Col.  R.  A.  Richards  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
the  firm  name  being  Richards  &  Rice.  This  partnership  con- 
tinued for  about  three  years — 1908,  at  which  time  it  was  dis- 
solved and  Mr.  Rice  moved  into  the  Knudson  building,  on  Oak 
street,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  a  general  practice  on  his 
ow^n  account,  and  has  been  eminently  successful.  He  is  serving 
his  third  term  as  city  attorney  of  the  city  of  Sparta,  and  has 
made  for  himself  an  enviable  record  during  his  incumbency. 
He  holds  the  office  of  the  local  examiner  of  the  Civil  Service 
Commission. 

Mr.  Rice  is  one  of  that  coterie  of  young  men  of  the  Sparta 
high  school  who  were  developed  under  the  tutelage  of  Professor 
Doty.  His  ambition  to  become  a  lawyer  was  manifested  early 
and  met  with  the  approval  of  his  father,  whose  knowledge  of 
the  law  is  broad  because  of  his  w^ork  as  an  abstractor  and  county 
officer,  and  his  success  in  his  home  city  has  been  w^ell  earned 
•and  notable.    During  the  past  four  or  five  years  he  has  attracted 


472  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

to  his  office  a  great  deal  of  the  eoinmereial  and  real  estate  law 
business  of  the  better  sort.  His  practice  is  firmly  established 
and  is  more  extensive  than  his  county.  lie  has  the  appearance 
and  demeanor  of  a  lawyer  and  is  endowed  with  a  great  brain 
and  much  talent. 

ilr.  Rice  has.  up  to  lliis  time,  given  his  entire  attention  to 
his  law  i)ractice  and  avoided  tlie  many  temptations  and  oppor- 
tunities to  enter  politics,  although  he  has  been  twice  elected  to 
the  office  of  supervisor  from  the  Fonrtli  ward  of  the  city  of 
Sparta,  without  opposition  and  without  his  having  sought  the 
office,  and  has  served  on  the  county  board  and  has  been  one  of 
the  leaders  there  and  a  great  power  for  good. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 
THE  COUNTY  COURT. 

Everything  in  niunieipal  affairs  has  its  beginning  and  the 
establishment  of  the  county  government  by  law  brought  with  it 
the  inauguration  of  the  county  or  probate  court;  naturally,  the 
duties  of  the  judge  were  very  light  for  a  number  of  years,  how 
light  is  best  indicated  by  the  fact  that  A.  H.  Blake,  the  first 
county  judge,  received  no  pay  for  his  services  until  1857,  and 
at  a  special  meeting  of  the  county  board  held  in  March  of  that 
year,  the  judge  presented  a  bill  for  his  services  from  May,  1854, 
to  March,  1857,  being  for  holding  court  thirty-one  days  at  $2.00 
per  day,  a  total  of  $62.00,  which  was  allowed.  In  1858  the  per 
diem  was  increased  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  from  $2.00  per 
day  to  $5.00,  and  this,  with  some  fees  provided  for,  made  the 
office  pay  a  little  better. 

In  1862,  the  records  and  files  of  the  office  having  accumulated 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  require  some  method  of  filing,  G.  E. 
Pratt,  who  was  then  county  judge,  asked  the  county  board  for 
an  appropriation  to  procure  a  filing  case.  The  board,  at  its 
November  session  of  that  year,  passed  a  resolution,  in  response 
to  this  request,  appropriating  the  sum  of  $3.75  for  that  purpose, 
authorizing  the  judge  to  have  a  filing  case  made  to  cost  not 
more  than  that  sum.  To  us  today  that  looks  ridiculous,  but 
was  undoubtedly  ample  for  the  time  and  the  amount  of  busi- 
ness to  be  done.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  court  in  this  county  has 
never  been  enlarged  to  include  the  trial  of  minor  civil  and 
criminal  cases,  as  is  the  fact  in  some  counties,  such  enlarged 
jurisdiction  being  conferred  by  a  special  act  of  the  legislature. 

Principally  a  court  of  probate  for  the  administration  of 
estates  of  deceased  persons,  the  law  prescribes  additional  powers, 
including  the  sentencing  of  offenders  who  plead  guilty  in  cer- 
tain cases;  the  hearing  of  i)reliminary  examinations  to  bind  over 
offenders  in  cases  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  to  the  circuit  court  for  trial ;  the  examination  of  insane 
persons  and  paupers,  committing  them  to  the  proper  institutions, 
together  with  all  the  powers  of  a  court  commissioner  as  to  per- 
forming marriages,  taking  depositions  and  the  like. 

473 


474  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

AVith  the  lapse  of  years,  and  espoc-ially  in  the  last  fifteen 
years,  the  work  has  grown  to  sueh  an  extent  as  to  occupy  nearly 
the  whole  time  of  the  judge;  the  salary  is  now  $1,000  per  year 
with  an  allowance  for  clerk  hire;  terms  are  held  twice  a  month, 
one  of  them  being  held  at  Tomah,  under  an  act  of  the  legisla- 
ture passed  in  I'Jll  i)eniiitting  tliat  to  be  done;  it  is  often  neces- 
sary for  the  court  to  hold  special  terms,  which  at  times  average 
more  than  one  a  month  besides  the  regular  terms.  In  the  fifty- 
seven  years  of  its  existence,  the  court  has  had  ten  judges: 
A.  H.  Blake,  George  E.  Pratt,  L.  B.  Xoyes,  W.  W.  Jackson, 
George  Graham.  T.  D.  Steele,  C.  :\r.  .Alasters,  AV.  :M.  Graham, 
S.  AV.  Button  and  Robert  B.  McCoy.  It  is  unfortunate  that  there 
is  nt)  data  nor  any  persons  now  at  hand  from  which  can  be  pro- 
cured the  account  of  the  lives  of  some  of  these  judges,  notably 
A.  II.  Blake,  G.  E.  Pratt  and  L.  B.  Noyes.  Here  are  given 
sketches  of  the  lives  of  those  judges  which  we  have  been  able 
to  obtain. 

William  Wallace  Jackson  was  born  in  Ontario  county,  state 
of  New  York,  in  181."^:  he  moved  to  Adrian,  Alich..  when  about 
seventeen  years  of  age,  where  he  resided  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Black  Hawk  War;  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  that  war, 
but  before  the  troops  to  which  he  was  attached  reached  the  scene 
of  conflict  the  war  over  and  he  was  discharged  and  returned 
home.  He  came  to  AVisconsin  in  1853,  locating  first  at  Hart- 
ford, in  AVashington  county;  a  year  later,  in  April,  1854,  he 
came  to  Monroe  county  and  settled  in  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Adrian. 

At  this  time  the  Chicago,  Alilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  Avas 
pushing  its  line  westward,  not  luiving  yet  ri-aclicd  Tomah.  Air. 
Jackson  believed  that  the  line  would  come  through  the  town  of 
Adrian  in  order  to  avoid  tunneling  the  ridge  at  what  is  now 
Tunnel  City;  in  fact,  the  engineers  of  the  company  contemplated 
this  route  for  some  time,  as  there  is  a  natural  pass  through  the 
dividing  ridge  which  would  obviate  the  necessity  for  a  tunnel. 
Acting  upon  this  belief,  which  was  well  founded  at  the  time.  Mr. 
Jackson  chose  a  good  location  and  platted  the  village  of  Jack- 
sonville in  the  town  of  Adrian,  the  plat  of  v/hich  is  still  in  exis- 
tence; the  proposed  village  was  twelve  miles  from  Sparta,  and 
about  four  miles  west  of  Tomah;  the  railroad  did  not  come  that 
Avay.  however,  and  the  village  of  Jacksonville  became  a  memory. 
Kai-ly  in  1855  Air.  Jackson  built  a  saw  mill  in  the  town  of  Adrian 
and  also  one  in  the  town  of  Tomah,  the  latter  being  located  east 
of  the  village  of  Tomah,  about  two  miles,  at  a  place  which  was 


THE  COUNTY  COURT  475 

named  "Limerick,"  which  consisted  of  the  mill  and  a  few  shacks 
for  the  employees.  This  place,  Avith  the  removal  of  the  saw  mill 
also  passed  into  oblivion  wnth  the  decay  and  destruction  of  its 
buildings. 

Judge  Jackson  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858,  but  did  not 
folloAV  tlie  law  as  a  profession,  devoting  himself  almost  wholly 
to  agriculture  and  engaging  occasionally  in  politics.  He  was 
very  prominent  in  county  affairs,  and  in  1858  was  appointed 
county  judge  by  Governor  Randall,  and  was  re-elected  for  the 
full  term.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the  town  board  of  Adrian 
for  fourteen  years  and  occupied  an  influential  position  in  the 
board  of  supervisors  in  his  time ;  he  served  in  the  legislatures 
of  1862-63  and  1874-75. 

Approaching  the  age  limit,  when  rest  was  desirable,  Judge 
Jackson,  a  few  years  before  he  died,  built  a  home  in  the  city  of 
Tomah  and  moved  from  his  farm  with  his  family,  where  he  lived 
until  the  time  of  his  death.  Judge  Jackson  was  truly  one  of 
the  pioneers  who  helped  to  hew  civilization  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness in  AVisconsin,  a  broad  minded,  big  hearted  man,  a  leader 
in  his  community,  typical  of  that  splendid  manhood  to  which 
this  county  and  state  owes  so  much. 

Charles  M.  Masters.  The  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Mas- 
ters, Graves  &  Masters,  has  had  a  distinguished  career,  and  made 
an  enviable  reputation  in  his  chosen  calling.  He  has  practiced 
law  in  this  county  something  like  thirty-nine  years,  giving  good 
service  to  his  clients  and  gaining  the  respect  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives. 

Judge  Masters  was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  October  1, 
1841,  w^as  educated  at  the  high  school,  and  at  Amherst  and  AVil- 
braham  academies.  He  taught  school  in  Connecticut  for  two 
years  and  then  removed  to  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  insurance  business  for  about  two  years.  In  1865  he 
located  at  Sparta  and  engaged  in  the  book  and  stationery  busi- 
ness, and  while  engaged  in  that  business  he  read  law  with  L.  AY. 
Graves;  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1871  and  in  1872  formed 
a  partnership  with  Joseph  M.  IMorrow.  In  1878  he  was  elected 
county  judge  of  this  county,  and  was  re-elected  in  1882,  serving 
in  that  office  for  eight  years. 

Judge  Masters  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  a  member 
of  Wisconsin  Consistory,  is  a  past  master  of  Valley  Lodge,  No. 
60,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  was  a  member  of  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Ignited  AYorkmen,  in  which  order 
he  became  grand  master  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the  state  of  Wis- 


47G  IIISTOKV  OF  MOXKOE  COrXTV 

cousin,  ami  Avas  also  ok'ctcd  supreme  grand  master  of  the 
supreme  lodge  of  that  order  of  the  I'nited  States  and  Canada. 
After  the  death  of  -Tudgi^  IMorrow,  Judge  ^Masters  formed  a 
partnership  Avith  R.  H.  Graves,  and  later  on  took  into  the  firm 
his  son.  II.  J.  ]\Iasters. 

■Judge  ^Masters  Avas  mai-i-ied  on  Deeeniher  7,  1865,  to  ]\Iiss 
Klla  Seely,  of  Bangor,  AVis..  who  died  :\Iay  12,  1882.  Two  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  Louise  B..  -who  died  in  1878,  and 
Harry  J.,  now  junior  partner  in  the  tinii.  fii  January,  1911,  he 
married  Mrs.  Alice  Pharis,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y..  and  during  the 
fall  of  the  year  purchased  what  is  known  as  the  Dr.  Gage  resi- 
dence, on  Water  street,  in  the  city  of  Sparta,  where  he  no\v 
resides. 

Seth  W.  Button,  was  born  in  ^Michigan  in  1836.  He  came 
with  his  i^arents  to  Green  county,  AVisconsin,  in  1842,  and  has 
resided  in  the  state  ever  since,  except  two  years.  ]\Ir.  Button's 
father  died  in  1844,  leaving  him  an  orphan  at  a  tender  age.  He 
made  his  hoine  mostly  with  a  brother  on  a  farm,  doing  farm 
work  for  several  years,  attending  a  district  school  occasionally, 
school  advantages  being  very  meager  in  those  days  and  in  that 
new  country,  and  he  made  little  progress  in  his  studies.  AVhen 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  went  on  foot  to  a  place  just  east  of 
"Whitewater,  Wis.,  where  the  first  railroad  in  the  state  was  being 
Iniilt  from  ]\Iihvaukee  to  Prairie  Du  Chien,  and  got  work  excavat- 
ing for  the  road  bed  until  late  in  the  fall;  returned  to  Decatur, 
Wis.,  and  as  soon  as  he  could  do  so  began  attending  district 
school  for  the  balance  of  the  w'inter  and  working  at  any  odd  job 
about  town  to  earn  a  livelihood ;  studied  evenings  and  at  spare 
times,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  had  to  earn  his  own  living, 
he  found  himself  l)ehind  most  students  in  his  studies. 

During  the  summer  of  18r)4  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade  at  Stillwater,  ]\Iinn.;  the  next  spring,  being  then  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  he  bought  a  breaking  team  of  five  yoke  of 
oxen,  mostly  on  credit,  hired  a  boy  younger  tlian  himself,  and 
started  from  Green  county  across  the  country,  past  IMadison, 
Devil's  Lake  and  so  on  along  the  ridge  road  just  south  of  Sparta 
down  into  the  valley  and  on  to  La  Crosse,  ferried  his  outfit 
across  the  river  on  a  one-horse  ferry,  slept  in  the  swamp  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river  that  night ;  in  the  morning  he  got  his  team 
together  and  steered  his  course  to  the  country  about  twelve  miles 
southwest  of  Red  AVing,  ^Nliiui.,  and  in  that  vieinity  he  followed 
the  l)usiness  of  breaking  prairie  during  the  summer,  sleeping  on 
the  ground  and  cooking  his  own  meals,  and  rustling  his  cattle 


THE  COUNTY  COURT  477 

in  the  high  wet  grass,  going  to  work  mornings  wet  to  the  shonl- 
ders  with  the  heavy  dews;  in  the  late  fall  he  sold  his  outfit, 
returning  to  Green  county,  paid  his  debts,  and  with  a  party  of 
other  young  people  started  a  select  school  and  hired  a  teacher 
for  the  winter,  studied  hard,  and  finally  in  the  district  schools 
and  Beloit  college  he  fitted  himself  for  teaching,  this  work  and 
carpentering  work  he  followed,  in  tin-  meantime  keeping  up  his 
studies  and  also  the  study  of  law ;  he  finally  passed  a  successful 
examination  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860  and  opened  a 
law  office  at  Prescott,  Wis. ;  the  Civil  War  breaking  out  in  1861, 
he  closed  his  office  in  the  late  summer  of  that  year,  enlisted  in 
Company  F.  First  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel  Stark- 
weather's regiment;  Avent  to  the  front  and  soon  was  in  the  thick 
of  the  fight.  For  gallant  conduct  he  was  rapidly  promoted  to 
the  grade  of  sergeant,  first  sergeant,  orderly  sergeant,  sergeant 
major  of  the  regiment  and  second  lieutenant  of  his  company, 
and  finally  first  lieutenant  by  brevet ;  had  command  of  his  com- 
pany while  still  a  non-connnissioned  officer  in  the  battle  of 
Perrysville,  Ky.,  and  Stone  River,  Tenn. ;  was  slightly  wounded 
at  Perryville  by  a  spent  ball.  In  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
Tenn.,  he  was  severely  wounded,  and  this  ended  his  service  at 
the  front.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  he  w^as  put  on  duty  as  a  mili- 
tary conductor  on  the  railroad  from  Nashville  to  Louisville  and 
from  Nashville  to  Johnsonville,  Tenn.  Judge  Button's  regiment, 
the  First  AVisconsin  Infantry,  was  always  with  Gen.  G.  H. 
Thomas'  corps,  and  as  has  been  stated,  was  with  him  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Chickamauga,  where  this  gallant  old  fighter  was  named 
the  "Rock  of  Chickamauga."  Lieutenant  Button  was  in  many 
fights  during  his  military  service  and  has  had  many  experiences, 
not  only  in  military,  but  in  civil  life. 

Just  before  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  while  the  forces  to 
which  he  belonged  were  vigorously  pushing  the  rebels  under 
General  Bragg  back  to  the  Tennessee  river,  the  rebels  burned 
the  bridge  across  Elk  river,  in  front  of  the  T^nion  forces.  This 
river  must  be  crossed ;  it  was  badly  swollen  by  rains,  and  was, 
in  fact,  a  raging  torrent ;  a  force  under  General  Reausau  was  sent 
some  distance  up  the  river  to  effect  a  crossing.  Lieutenant  But- 
ton's company  was  selected  to  effect  a  crossing,  which  must  be 
done  under  a  galling  fire.  Lieutenant  Button  was  the  first  man 
to  reach  the  opposite  bank.  As  fast  as  they  crossed  the  mem- 
bers of  his  company  were  formed  in  line  and  began  pushing  the 
rebels  back,  when  he  received  word  that  some  of  his  men  were 
in  trouble  and  probably  drowning,  he  put  the  company  under 


478  HISTORY  OF  IMOXROE  COUNTY 

cliargo  of  a  sergeant,  liasteiied  baek  to  the  riV(M-  and  alone  and 
unaided  he  carried  out  eight  drowning  men,  exliihiting  a  strength 
and  energy  whieh  caused  his  soldiers  to  dub  him  the  "Long 
Pinery  Man."  It  seems  that  ]\Ir.  Button  was  fated  to  be  mixed 
up  with  floods,  for  after  liis  war  service  was  ended  he  returned 
to  Galesville.  AVis..  in  the  spring  of  1866.  In  that  yeai-  a  terrific 
flood  swept  away  ;ill  1lie  property  and  buildinjis  in  llu^  lower 
table  land  of  the  village  and  Judge  Button  and  a  .Mi-.  AVyman 
carried  out  of  the  railing  torrent  fifteen  persons  and  saved  tlieir 
lives. 

After  the  close  of  his  military  service  in  the  army  he  took 
employment  in  Capt.  James'  quartermaster  department  at  John- 
sonville,  Tenn.,  as  chief  clerk,  and  Avas  i)rcsent  with  liis  Avife 
and  a  young  child  when  the  rebel  General  Forrest  attacked  and 
destroyed  the  i)lace,  with  all  its  Government  stores,  buildings 
and  gunboats,  the  lieutenant  and  his  family  having  a  narrow 
escape.  After  the  war  was  over  he  took  up  the  study  of  law, 
attending  the  law  school  at  Cincinnati.  After  receiving  his 
diploma  he  opened  a  law  office  at  Galesville,  Wis.,  and  in  the 
fall  of  18H7  he  formed  a  i)artnership  with  the  late  A.  AV.  New- 
man, which  continued  five  years.  Judge  Newman  was  eletced 
circuit  .judge  and  afterwards  became  a  justice  of  the  supreme 
court.  During  ]\Ir.  Button's  residence  in  Trempealeau  county 
he  served  seven  years  as  county  .judge,  thi-ee  years  as  district 
attorney,  one  term  in  the  assembly,  and  held  several  other  minor 
oflfiees.  After  dissolving  with  Judge  Newman,  his  ju-actice  grew  to 
such  an  extent  that  from  overwork  a  nervous  breakdown  ensued, 
and  under  the  advice  of  his  physician,  he  turned  his  law  business 
over  to  his  brother,  an  attorney,  and  went  to  the  "Pan-Handle," 
Texas,  to  recuperate  his  health;  procured  a  catth^  ranch  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  Texas  and  went  to  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  state  and  bought  a  drove  of  cattle,  hired  cowboys,  bought 
loonies,  took  charge  i)ei'sonally  of  the  outfit,  and  was  on  the  trail 
over  forty  days  to  his  rancli,  near  Fort  ]\Iobeita.  Tex.;  sold  out 
the  l)usiness  that  fall  and  met  his  family  in  To]>eka.  Kan.  In 
the  spring  following  he  again  went  to  Texas  and  went  south 
and  purchased  another  divu'e  of  cattle.  (Ir()V(>  theni  north  to 
the  i)lace  selected,  and  tinally.  ai'tei-  al)()ut  loui-  years  spent  in 
the  business,  he  ch)s<Ml  out  and  came  back  to  Tomah,  Alonroe 
county.  Finding  liiniself  left  far  in  the  rear  of  other  lawyers 
in  law  and  pi'aetice,  he  applied  himself  \igorously  to  study,  to 
familiarize"  himself  with  the  statutes  and  court  decisions.  After 
a  time  he  opened  an  office  at  Tomah.  was  elected  county  .judge. 


THE  COUNTY  COURT  479 

liolding  that  otfice  eight  years,  and  inovcci  his  family  to  Hparta, 
Avhere  he  still  remains.  At  Sparta  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
the  late  D.  F.  Jones,  which  continued  about  five  years.  He  con- 
tinued in  active  practice  until  a  few  years  ago,  w^hen,  he,  as  the 
late  J.  G.  Saxe  said  in  one  of  his  public  addresses,  and  as  Judge 
Button  puts  it,  ''I  had  the  honor  to  at  one  time  belong  to  the 
legal  profession,  and  I  had  the  honor  to  leave  it,  too." 

Judge  Button  was  a  successful  practitioner,  and  has  had  a 
long  and  honorable  career  in  his  chosen  profession.  His  favorite 
sport  and  one  which  he  still  indulges  in  and  which  he  has  kept 
up  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  is  an  annual  trip  to  the 
northern  woods  every  fall  to  hunt  deer. 

Robert  B.  McCoy.  Robert  B.  McCoy  was  born  in  Kenosha, 
Wis.,  in  1867,  the  following  year  his  parents  came  to  this  county 
and  located  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  LaFayette,  where  they 
resided  until  1876,  when  they  came  to  Sparta. 

Judge  McCoy  graduated  from  the  Sparta  high  school  in  1887, 
then  entered  the  state  university,  taking  a  four  years'  course, 
graduating  from  the  law  department  with  the  class  of  1891. 
After  his  graduation  he  served  as  assistant  secretary  of  the  board 
of  world's  fair  managers  of  Wisconsin  for  two  years.  This 
board  had  charge  of  AVisconsin  exhibits  at  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition  at  Chicago.  He  edited  the  Monroe  County 
Democrat  for  one  year  for  his  father,  B.  E.  McCoy,  and  in  1894 
opened  an  otBce  and  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Sparta.  He 
was  elected  county  judge  in  April,  1897,  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  his  office  in  January,  1898.  He  was  re-elected  in  1901,  1905 
and  1909,  and  is  now  serving  his  fourth  consecutive  term  as 
county  judge. 

After  the  mustering  out  of  the  Sparta  Rifles,  the  old  Company 
"I,"  Third  Regiment,  Wisconsin,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot 
to  reorganize  the  company.  This  Judge  McCoy  successfully  did, 
and  in  July,  1896,  Company  L  was  mustered  into  the  Wisconsin 
National  Guard.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Spanish-American 
AVar,  Company  L,  in  common  with  the  other  companies  of  the 
Third  Regiment,  volunteered,  and  in  all  115  men  entered  the 
service  under  the  command  of  Captain  McCoy.  He  served  with 
distinction  in  the  Porto  Rican  campaign,  and  upon  the  cessation 
of  hostilities,  on  account  of  urgent  business,  he  resigned  and 
came  home  October  12,  1898,  about  a  month  ahead  of  his 
regiment. 

Alay  1,  1899,  he  reorganized  Company  L.  Third  Infantry,  W. 
N.   G.,   and  was   unanimously   elected   captain   of  the   company. 


480  IIISTOIJY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Under  his  coniiiiaiul  the  eouipauy  was  hrouglit  to  a  high  state 
of  efficiency,  notahly  in  riHe  practice.  Upon  the  retirement  of 
Col.  W.  W.  Warren  as  inspector  of  rifle  practice  and  npon  the 
recoinmendalion  of  adjntant  general,  ]\IcCoy  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Davidson  as  inspector  of  small  arms  practice  with 
rank  of  colonel  fi-om  ^larch  21,  1907,  which  position  he  still 
holds;  the  duties  of  wliicli  he  has  conducted  Avith  marked  ability. 
Colonel  McCoy  has  commanded  three  rifle  teams  at  the  national 
contests,  bringing  "Wisconsin  near  the  top  in  1he.se  matches. 
AVhile  at  Camp  Perry,  Ohio,  in  connnand  of  the  Wisconsin,  team 
at  the  national  competition,  Colonel  McCoy  was  elected  as  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  National  KiHe  Association,  under  Avhose 
auspices  the  competitions  are  conducted.  He  is  still  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors.  Perhaps  the  crowning  act  of  his 
career  was  bringing  about  the  establishment  of  the  Government 
military  reservation,  the  story  of  wliidi  appears  in  another 
chapter. 

George  Graham.  ^Ir.  Graham  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1840, 
and  canu'  to  this  country  in  1845  with  his  family,  which  settled 
in  Vermont,  where  he  received  his  early  education ;  graduated 
from  ]\liddlel)ury  college,  in  that  state,  took  up  the  study  of  law, 
decided  to  come  west,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Juneau 
county,  in  18(52.  He  moved  to  Sparta  and  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year  enlisted 
in  Company  G,  Thirty-seventh  AVisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His  service  won  him  pro- 
motion from  the  ranks  and  he  was  mustered  out  as  captain  in 
command  of  his  company. 

Ill  the  spring  of  1866  Mr.  Graham  returned  to  Sparta  and 
afterwards  took  up  his  residence  in  Tomali  and  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  He  served  one  term  as  county  judge  of  this 
county.  He  still  resides  at  Toniali  and  has  served  as  postmaster 
for  several  years  last  past.  As  a  lawyer,  ]\Ir.  Graham  has  ahvays 
occupied  a  high  place  in  the  bar  of  western  AVisconsin.  In  his 
earlier  practice  he  was  pitted  against  such  men  as  L.  AV.  Graves, 
J.  M.  IMorrow  and  S.  N.  Dickinson.  A  deep  student,  he  had  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  legal  principles  and  practice,  coupled 
A\i1h  a  keen  perception  of  tlu'  salient  points  of  the  ease  on  trial, 
gifted  far  beyond  the  ordinary  with  the  command  of  language 
and  tile  power  to  express  his  thoughts  most  eloquently,  he  became 
an  ideal  trial  lawyer,  one  of  the  liest.  Intensely  patriotic,  a  firm 
believer  in  the  saying,  "In  times  of  peace  prepare  for  war,"  he 
gave  a  practical  demonstration  of  liis  convictions  by  organizing 


HON.  ROBERT  B.  M  COY 


THE  COUNTY  COURT  481 

an  independent  military  company  at  Tomah  in  1883,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  having  it  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  state  of 
Wisconsin  on  May  28,  1881,  as  Company  K,  Third  Regiment, 
Wisconsin  National  Guard.  He  commanded  the  company  for  a 
number  of  years,  bringing  it  to  a  high  state  of  efficiency. 

Mr.  Graham  saw  the  advantages  of  the  present  site  of  the 
Wisconsin  military  reservation,  and  called  the  attention  of  Gen. 
C.  P.  Chapman,  then  adjutant  general,  to  it  with  the  result  that 
the  fine  camp  and  maneuver  ground  was  accpiired  by  the  state. 
His  efforts,  however,  were  principally  directed  to  rifle  practice, 
which  he  earnestly  promoted  among  the  companies  of  the  Third 
Regiment,  and  after  his  retirement  as  captain  of  Company  K  he 
was  appointed  inspector  of  small  arms  practice  with  the  rank 
of  colonel  on  the  staff  of  the  governor.  Bringing  to  this  work 
all  the  enthusiasm  and  earnestness  of  which  he  was  capable  and 
brought  the  attention  of  the  entire  national  guard  of  the  country 
to  W^isconsin's  "shooting  regiments,"  and  to  his  efforts  is  due 
the  credit  of  laying  the  groundwork  in  rifle  practice  in  the  state, 
and  under  his  administration  a  high  development  was  attained 
in  this  most  important  work. 

Mr.  Graham  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  inspector  of 
small  arms  practice  January  7,  1895,  and  served  until  1906,  when 
he  retired,  carrying  with  him  the  respect  and  gratitude  of 
every  officer  and  man  in  the  Wisconsin  guard,  which  has  been 
exemplified  in  the  naming  of  a  trophy  which  is  competed  for 
annually  at  Camp  Douglas,  known  as  the  "Graham  Trophy." 
Colonel  Graham,  like  some  other  people,  has  "hobbies,"  and  one 
of  them  which  the  editor  remembers  to  have  heard  him  talk 
about  a  great  many  years  ago,  and  that  was  the  improvement  of 
Superior  avenue  by  boulevarding  the  lower  end  outside  of  the 
business  section,  in  the  center,  and  he  has  lived  to  see  his  early 
suggestions  substantially  carried  out  in  the  beautiful  street  as 
now  completed. 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE  :medi('al  fraternity. 

BY  W.  B.  FORD,  M.  D. 

As  far  back  as  history  takes  us  we  find  that  as  soon  as  men 
began  to  thvell  together  in  tlie  primitive  tribe,  tliei-e  was  one 
of  this  number  who  was  known  as  the  "i\Iedieine  ^lan."  In 
Biblical  times  people  lived  to  be  nuu-h  older  than  now,  and  were 
evidently  not  as  nuu-h  subject  to  sickness  and  disease,  so  our 
medicine  man  could  serve  many,  but  sooner  or  later  sickness 
lias  overtaken  all  and  then  they  seek  the  aid  of  one  who  knows 
something  of  the  healing  art.  In  those  primitive  times  the  heal- 
ers sought  to  cure  people  by  charms  and  by  driving  away  the 
evil  spirit  through  noises,  and  thus  they  beat  on  drums  and  sang 
song's.  This  primitive  idea  has  not  altogether  disappeared  to 
the  present  day,  as  witnessed  by  Dowieism  and  other  cults,  who 
maintain  that  disease  is  the  work  of  the  devil,  wlio  must  first 
be  drivei:  out  bei'ore  the  person  can  get  well. 

Following  Ihc  iib-a  of  charming  away  disease  came  the  dia- 
t(4ic  idea,  in  which  hcallh  was  to  lie  maintained  only  through 
the  eating  of  certain  foods  and  a\('iding  others.  This  was 
exemplified  by  llic  .Icwish  race. 

Next  we  come  to  the  physiologic  period,  when  the  functions 
of  the  various  organs  were  paranioutit.  and  the  symptoms  tli(\v 
produced  were  the  sole  thing  to  be  regarded  in  treating  disease. 
To  a  certain  exteTit  this  is  used  to  the  jiresent  day.  but  we  have 
add(Ml  1o  il  ihe  eliologic  jx'riod  ol'  medicine,  in  wliicli  we 
endeax'or  to  discoxcr  the  cause  of  the  disordered  function  of  any 
organ.  This  has  lieeii  made  jiossible  only  through  the  vast  labo- 
ratory researches  Hiat  have  been  carried  diit  (bii-iiig  the  past 
fifty  years,  by  the  (lisc()\-ei-\'  of  ])acteria  and  by  animal  experi- 
ments to  (h'tei-miiie  llie  part  the  bacteria  jibiy  in  man's  anatomy. 
Also  in  the  discovery  of  the  cell  or  unit  of  which  our  body 
is  composed  and  observing  tln^  changes  that  occur  in  these  cells 
as  tli(^  result  of  disease.  Thus  it  is  that  medicine  has  changed 
from  an  act  to  a  science.  It  has  not  reached  the  jiinacle  of  an 
exact  scienc(\  Imt   it  is  aj^proaching  that    goal.     AVh(>n  we  con- 

482 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATERNITY  483 

sider  how  we  have  conquered  many  of  thu  dread  diseases,  as 
diphtheria,  typhoid  fever,  malaria,  etc.,  and  robbed  them  of 
their  terror  through  the  knowledge  of  their  cause  and  the  appli- 
cation of  the  one  and  the  onh'  thing  that  will  destroy  that  par- 
ticular cause,  then  we  begin  to  realize  what  is  being  accom- 
plished in  modern  medicine. 

The  Panama  Canal  stands  not  only  as  a  monument  to  the  skill 
and  energy  of  American  engineers,  but  even  more  to  the  glory 
of  American  physicians.  DeLessep's  failure  was  not  due  to  a 
lack  of  skill  or  courage  on  his  part,  l)ut  to  yelloAV  fever  and 
malaria.  The  medical  profession  has  paved  the  way  for  this 
great  undertaking  l)y  discovering  and  proving  that  certain 
mosquitos  are  responsible  for  the  spread  of  both  these  dread 
diseases,  but  not  until  two  loyal  and  unselfish  physicians,  Car- 
roll and  Lazear,  had  given  their  lives  to  prove  this.  Todaj^  we 
know  that  if  "we  destroy  the  mosquito  we  can  stamp  out  yellow 
fever  and  malaria.  As  a  result  of  the  energies  of  the  American 
physician  the  Canal  Zone,  with  its  heterogeneous  population,  has 
lieen  made  more  healthy  than  New  York  City. 

AVhen  ]\Ionroe  county  was  first  organized  and  began  to  be 
settled  the  etiologic  phase  of  medicine  was  unknown.  All  tlie 
diseases  we  now  know  were  known  then  and  were  perfectly 
described  except  for  their  cause,  and  armed  Avith  this  knowdedge 
the  pioneer  doctors  came  into  this  wilderness  and  worked  hard 
and  faithfully  in  the  endeavor  to  relieve  the  suffering  of  their 
fellow  men.  At  first  it  was  necessary  to  send  to  La  Crosse  as 
the  nearest  jilace  to  obtain  a  doctor.  Consequently,  the  mother 
of  the  family  applied  "home  remedies"  as  long  as  she  could 
before  sending  for  a  doctor,  who  often  came  too  late.  There  was. 
therefore,  great  rejoicing  when  the  first  doctor  came  into  the 
county  and  cast  his  lot  with  those  early  pioneers.  The  people 
were  scattered  and  drives  were  long  and  hard,  especially  in 
the  winter.  In  those  days  there  were  not  the  fine  roads  we  have 
now,  but  one  had  to  pick  his  way  around  stumps,  over  logs 
and  through  creeks.  ]\Iany  times  the  doctor  had  to  go  a  foot  or 
on  horseback  because  the  roads  would  not  permit  the  use  of  a 
buggy.  Without  the  telephone  a  man  had  to  drive  for  the  doc- 
tor, and  if  he  lived  twenty  or  thirty  miles  away  the  doctor  could 
not  get  there  until  the  next  day.  jNIany  trips  were  so  long  that 
it  required  two  days  to  -make  the  trip  and  return.  The  people 
were  very  poor  and  were  unable  to  pay  more  than  a  very 
meager  compensation  or  nothing  at  all  for  the  services  rendered. 
However,  those  early  men  cared  not  for  that,  they  went  and  did 


484  HISTORY  OP^  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

all  they  could  to  i-dicve  the  suffering.  Thoy  often  had  to  act 
as  nurse  as  well  as  physician.  They  sat  by  the  sick  bed  for  long 
weary  hours  to  see  whether  the  spark  of  life  was  going  to  be 
siuiffed  out  or  Avould  take  on  added  vigor  and  begin  to  l)urn 
anew.  They  were  the  recipients  of  family  secrets  and  their 
advice  was  sought  in  times  of  trouble.  They  healed  and  soothed 
the  troubled  mind,  soul,  and  body,  with  their  cheerful  words, 
kindly  advice,  or  some  simple  decoction.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
they  gained  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  that  could  not 
be  supplanted,  and  as  long  as  they  were  able  to  drag  one  foot 
were  sought,  and  no  one  else  would  do  l)ut  the  old  family  doctor? 

As  preachers  and  lawyers  were  equally  scarce,  the  doctor  was 
called  upon  to  perform  the  services  of  both,  and  was  held  to  be 
thoroughly  competent.  In  those  days  there  were  no  specialists, 
so  the  family  doctor  administered  to  all  ailments.  Today  cer- 
tain men  specialize  on  different  parts  of  the  body,  and  become 
more  expert  in  dealing  with  that  part.  They  are  thus  enabled 
to  give  the  people  better  service.  ])nt  in  order  to  do  this  they 
have  sacrificed  much  in  tlie  love  and  esteem  in  Avhich  they  were 
held  in  tlie  lunirts  of  the  people.  AVho  would  think  of  going  to 
an  eye  specialist  or  an  abdominal  surgeon  witli  his  family  troubles 
and  expect  sympathy  and  advice?  The  days  of  the  old-time 
family  physician  are  past.  To  be  sure,  we  still  have  the  general 
practitioner  who  looks  after  the  general  sickness  in  the  family, 
and  is  ready  to  call  the  aid  of  someone  especially  skilled  when 
needed.  Indeed,  this  must  be  so,  Avhen  we  consider  what  is  being 
done  all  around  us.  Some  wealthy  men,  as  John  D.  Rockefeller 
and  ]\IcCormick,  have  given  large  sums  of  money  to  establish 
research  laboratories,  to  equip  them,  and  to  pay  men  to  devoti' 
their  whole  lives  to  the  study  of  one  disease,  as  infantile 
paralysis,  etc. 

Some  men  are  devoting  their  lives  and  energies  to  perform- 
ing and  perfecting  surgical  operations,  so  that  today  there  is 
not  a  single  organ  of  the  body  that  is  not  the  subject  of  opera- 
tion. And  then  there  is  the  pathologist  and  jihysiologist,  who 
works  in  the  laboratory  experinuniting  with  animals  to  ascertain 
th(^  cause  of  disease  and  its  treatment  before  applying  the  same 
to  man  (yet  there  are  those  who  would  say  do  not  experiment 
Avith  animals  in  order  to  learn  how  to  save  a  human  life,  but 
rather  let  man  die).  "When  we  consider  these  and  the  many  more 
departments  of  medicine,  with  all  the  accumulating  knowledge 
it  is  no  wonder  that  one  poor  man  cannot  master  them  all. 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATERNITY  485 

About  tlie  only  thing  that  keeps  alive  the  old  spark  of 
gratitude  and  love  for  the  general  practitioner  is  his  obstetrics. 
He  who  stands  beside  a  woman  during  her  suffering  and  com- 
forts her  and  encourages  her  in  her  great  and  holy,  yet  trying- 
mission,  of  bringing  a  new  soul  into  the  world  endears  himself 
to  her  in  a  way  that  it  not  easily  forgotten  or  cast  aside.  AVhat 
a  pleasure  it  is  and  what  gratitude  one  receives  only  he  who  has 
had  the  experience  knows. 

The  doctor's  life  must  be  an  unselfish  one,  for  hoAV  often  is 
he  aroused  from  a  sound  sleep  or  disturbed  while  at  a  meeting, 
a  social  gathering,  to  go  and  relieve  the  suffering.  If  he  is  for- 
tunate enough  to  make  a  discovery  or  invent  some  new  instru- 
ment he  does  not  hurry  to  the  patent  office  to  protect  himself 
and  enrich  his  purse,  but  gladly  gives  his  knowledge  to  his 
brothers  for  the  good  of  mankind.  This  has  been  handed  down 
to  him  from  the  days  of  Hippocrates  that  he  is  in  honor  bound 
to  impart  all  good  knowledge  to  his  worthy  brother  practition- 
ers. Neither  does  he  go  to  the  newspaper  office  that  his  fame 
may  be  heralded  abroad,  but  rather  spreads  the  glad  tidings 
only  among  those  who  will  be  able  to  use  them.  And  many  is 
the  doctor,  whose  epitaph  has  overtaken  him,  long  before  his 
good  works  are  known.  Grant,  Sherman  and  Napoleon  are 
household  names,  because  they  have  commanded  armies  and  lead 
many  men  to  death,  while  Pasteur,  Koch,  Virchon,  Senn,  Billings, 
and  hosts  of  others,  are  hardly  known,  and  yet  for  every  life 
the  generals  have  sacrificed  these  men  have  saved  hundreds.  Few 
people  know  wdiat  a  debt  they  owe  to  Lord  Lister,  when  he  dis- 
covered that  by  the  use  of  antiseptic,  surgical  operations  could 
be  performed  without  lieing  followed  by  the  dread  hospital  gan- 
grene or  suppuration.  This,  together  with  the  use  af  anaes- 
thesia, has  enabled  the  surgeon  to  go  fearlessly  at  his  task,  and 
thus  Darwin's  law  of  the  "survival  of  the  fittest"  no  longer 
applies. 

As  there  are  no  large  cities  in  this  county,  hospitals  were 
slow  to  make  their  appearance,  and  the  doctors  were  compelled 
to  perform  many  operations  in  private  houses,  which  they  did 
Avith  the  skill  and  success  of  their  more  fortunate  brethren  at 
the  hospital  in  the  cities. 

A  doctor  not  only  devotes  his  time  and  energies  to  the  study 
of  cause  and  treatment  of  disease,  but  places  before  himself 
the  higher  ideal  of  preventive  medicine.  Thus,  he  goes  about 
telling  people  how  to  live  to  avoid  sickness.    However,  they  are 


486  IIISTOKY  OF  .AIOXROK  COUNTY 

very  slow  to  chanijc  their  liahils  tli.it  tliey  may  enjoy  better 
healtli.  IF  you  tell  them  to  eat  plainer  food  and  masticate  it 
more  thoroughly,  so  as  to  avoid  dyspepsia,  they  think  they  are 
wasting  too  much  tinu'.  If  you  tell  him  to  live  in  the  sunshine 
and  exercise  moi-c  they  ai-e  afraid  Ihry  will  neglect  their  l)usi- 
ness.  AVheii  you  tell  them  to  breathe  plenty  of  fresh  air  and 
sleep  with  their  windows  open  at  niglit.  they  are  greatly  alarmed 
lest  some  dread  monster  will  come  in  with  the  "night  air,"  lit- 
tle thinking  that  after  sun  down  all  air  is  ■"night  air."  People 
are  no  more  ready  to  barken  to  our  modern  physicians  than  they 
were  to  the  (Jreat  Physician  when  lie  said.  "Oh,  Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem,  how  oft  would  I  have  gathered  you  under  my  wings 
as  a  hen  gathers  her  chickens,  and  ye  would  not." 

(The  above  excellent  article  is  here  supplemented  by  the  lives 
of  physicians  of  the  county,  living  and  dead,  as  far  as  we 
have  been  able  to  obtain  them. — p]ditor.) 

Martin  Rockwell  Gage,  M.  D.,  deceased,  who  for  many  years 
was  one  of  the  most  ])rominent  and  well  known  physicians  of 
western  Wisconsin.  Avas  born  in  Bellona,  Yates  county,  X.  Y.,  in 
182o.  His  father,  Martin  Gage,  was  also  a  native  of  the  p]mpire 
state,  and  by  occupation  a  merchant,  which  business  he  success- 
fully followed  in  the  state  of  New  York,  wiiere  he  died  at  the 
age  of  tift.y  years.  Soon  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  i\Irs. 
Gage  removed  to  P^ast  Saginaw,  ]\lich.,  and  died  there  at  the  age 
of  eighty.  The  Gage  family  Avere  of  English  origin,  and  the 
ancestors  of  Dr.  Gage  were  among  the  eaily  jiioneers  of  New 
England. 

Dr.  Gage  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  five  brothers 
and  one  sister,  all  of  whom  lived  to  a  mature  age.  ]Mary  Ann, 
the  sister,  married  S.  ]M.  AVhittaker.  and  died  numy  years  ago. 
D.  AV.  C.  Gage,  eldest  brother  of  Dr.  Gage,  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  Judge  Folger,  of  Geneva.  N.  Y..  and  after  being  admitted 
to  the  bar,  located  at  East  Saginaw.  .Midi.,  in  isr)(i.  and  engaged 
in  the  i)ra('tici'  (»f  his  profession,  and  there  di'^d  in  1880.  Erasnnis 
I),  resided  at  Geneva,  and  for  many  years  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  New  York  ("cntral  TJailway.  He  entered  the  army  in  18(51, 
as  captain  of  a  company  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-eighth 
Regiment.  New  York  Volunteers.  He  Avas  seriously  Avounded  in 
the  head  Avhich  caused  him  to  leave  the  army  for  a  time,  but 
recovering  from  liis  injury  he  I'e-entered  the  army  and  Avas 
placed  in  command  of  a  regiment  and  Avas  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Cold  llaihor.  Charles  Carroll  Gage  Avas  an  attorney  at  law 
and  loi-  a  time  was  engaged  in  the  practice  Avith  ]\I.  P.  AVing  at 


MARTIN   R.    GAGE,   M.   D. 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATERNITY  487 

La  Crosse.  After  a  brief  illness  he  died  at  Sparta.  Daniel  Web- 
ster Gage,  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  went  to  California,  and 
afterwards  to  Arizona,  where  he  died  in  1891. 

Dr.  Gage  received  his  education  in  Geneva,  N.  Y.  lie  began 
the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  E.  S.  Smith,  of  Bellona, 
Yates  county,  and  began  his  collegiate  medical  course  at  the 
Geneva  college.  He  later  attended  the  Buffalo  Medical  College, 
but  returned  to  Geneva,  and  graduated  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  that  college  with  the  class  of  June  26,  1852.  He  began 
practice  with  his  preceptor  at  Bellona,  N.  Y.,  but  later  went  to 
Coudersport,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  until  1854,  when  he  came 
to  AA'isconsin  and  first  located  at  Beloit,  and  there  resided  until 
he  came  to  Sparta.  In  August,  1862.  he  entered  the  army  as 
surgeon  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Regiment,  AVisconsin  Volunteers, 
remaining  with  this  regiment  until  the  Atlanta  campaign,  being 
then  ordered  on  detail  duty,  and  so  continued  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  While  in  the  army  he  was  for  a  time,  in  1863,  acting 
medical  director  of  the  military  district  of  Columbus,  Ky. ;  was 
brigade  surgeon  in  Gen.  Nathan  Kimball's  division  on  the  forced 
march  from  Satartia  to  Snyder's  Bluff,  Miss.,  about  June  1,  1863, 
and  was  present  at  the  seige  of  Vicksburg,  and  acting  division 
surgeon  of  General  Vietch's  division  of  Sherman's  army  during 
its  march  from  Vicksburg  to  ^Meridian,  Miss.,  in  1864.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Sparta  and  resumed  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  in  which  he  engaged  for  fifty-one  years.  He 
was  a  close  student  and  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  his  pro- 
fession, attaining  to  a  position  of  prominence  as  one  of  the  most 
learned  and  skillful  physicians  in  Wisconsin.  lie  was  possessed 
of  a  cheerful  disposition,  was  broad  minded  and  liljeral  in  his 
views,  and  those  traits  endeared  him  to  those  with  Avhom  he  came 
in  contact.  In  1877  he  became  associated  with  Dr.  D.  C.  Beebe, 
another  well  known  physician  of  Sparta,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Gage  and  Beebe.  Later  Dr.  W.  T.  Sarles  became  connected  with 
the  firm,  Avhich  arrangement  continued  until  1888,  when  Dr. 
Gage  withdrew,  and  was  ever  after  in  practice  alone. 

Before  coming  to  AVisconsin  he  served  as  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  in  Potter  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  the 
first  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  Monroe  county,  under 
the  act  of  the  legislature  creating  that  office,  resigning  the  posi- 
tion when  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Wisconsin 
Regiment.  He  was  a  member  of  the  AVisconsin  State  Medical 
Society,    and    of   the    American    Medical    Association,    and   was 


488  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

pliysieiaii  fur  llie  State  I'ublic  School  tor  Depeudeut  Cliikh'eu, 
located  at  Sparta. 

Politieally  a  Democrat,  he  was  candidate  for  the  state  legis- 
lature iu  1865,  and  though  he  ran  far  ahead  of  his  ticket,  lie  was 
defeated.  In  187G  he  Avas  chosen  by  his  party  as  a  candidate  for 
congress  for  the  Seventh  Congressional  district,  but  as  his  dis- 
trict was  overwhelmingly  Republican,  he  again  suffered  defeat 
with  the  others  of  his  party.  Sociality,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Kniglits  of  Pythias,  and  prominently  identified  with  the  ^Masonic 
Order,  being  a  member  of  Valley  Lodge,  No.  60,  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  Sparta  Chapter,  No.  19,  Royal  Arch 
]\lasons,  and  Sparta  Commandery,  No.  16,  Knights  Templar. 

Dr.  Gage  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  whom  he  mar- 
ried at  the  "Ladies'  Seminary,"  Ebnira,  N.  Y..  where  she  was  a 
teacher,  died  two  years  after  their  marriage.  On  May  27,  1858, 
the  doctor  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Maria  Louise  ]Mar- 
tin,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Octaria  AY.  ]Martin,  of  Beloit, 
AVis.  After  forty-five  years  of  happy  married  life.  Dr.  Gage  was 
called  to  his  great  reward ;  his  death  occurred  February  25,  1903, 
and  was  mourned  by  his  many  friends  and  the  citizens  generally 
as  a  great  public  loss.  His  widow,  who  still  survives,  is  a  descend- 
ant of  an  old  and  prominent  New  England  family.  She  was 
born  at  AYestfield,  N.  Y.,  and  came  with  her  parents  to  "Wis- 
consin at  the  age  of  eight  years,  receiving  her  education  at 
the  academy  at  Southport,  noAV  Kenosha.  She  is  a  lady  of 
rare  mental  attainments,  kindhearted  and  generous,  and  con- 
tributes liberally  of  her  means  to  the  support  of  all  worthy 
causes,  never  forgetting  to  bestow  kindly  tokens  of  respect  upon 
her  many  and  dear  friends. 

DeWitt  C.  Beebe,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Rupert,  Vt.,  February 
19,  1838,  passing  his  early  life  in  his  native  state.  He  received 
his  medical  education  at  Belleone  Hospital  ^Medical  College,  New 
York  City,  and  at  Albany  (N.  Y.)  Medical  College,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated.  Early  in  the  "War  of  the  Rebellion  he 
entered  the  army  as  surgeon  in  the  Fourth  New  York  Cavalry, 
in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Soon  after  the 
declaration  of  peace  the  doctor  came  west,  locating  in  Sparta, 
and  later  became  associated  with  Dr.  IM.  R.  Gage,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Gage  &  Beebe,  which  continued  for  a  great  many 
years,  later  Dr.  AV.  T.  Sarles  was  taken  into  the  firm,  which  was 
styled,  Gage,  Beebe  &  Sarles. 

Dr.  Beebe  was  a  Alason  and  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pvthias.   and   served   as  state  medical   examiner   of  the  Ancient 


DE  WITT  C.   BEEBE,  M.   D. 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATERNITY  489 

Order  of  United  Workmen  during  the  prosperous  days  of  the 
order.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Wisconsin  State  Medical  Society 
and  the  Central  Wisconsin  Medical  Society,  and  served  for 
many  years  as  a  member  of  the  local  board  of  United  States 
Pension  Examiners. 

Dr.  Beebe  was  a  man  of  strong  religious  tendencies,  and 
was  connected  with  the  Congregational  Church  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century;  was  prominent  in  its  affairs  and  devoted 
much  time  to  the  work,  especially  in  connection  with  the  Sunday 
school,  of  w^hicli  he  w^as  superintendent  for  a  long  period.  At 
this  church,  every  year,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  he  con- 
ducted the  memorial  service  on  the  Sunday  preceding  Decoration 
Day.  Strong  in  his  patriotism,  he  was  prominent  in  G.  A.  R. 
circles,  and  it  was  principally  through  his  untiring  efforts  that 
the  Soldiers'  Monument,  now  standing  in  North  Park,  was  finally 
completed  and  presented  to  the  city  of  Sparta.  His  good  citi- 
zenship was  further  exemplified  by  his  long  service  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education,  and  accomplished  inueh  for  the  Sparta 
schools  by  his  broad  minded  policies;  served  the  city  as  mayor, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  served  two  years  as  postmaster; 
under  his  administration  the  free  delivery  system  was  inaugu- 
rated. Dr.  Beebe  was  a  strong  man  and  noted  for  having  the 
courage  of  his  convictions,  a  man  of  ideals  who  held  to  them 
steadfastly,  once  he  was  convinced  of  their  righteousness;  one  of 
those  men  who  in  a  way  dominate  in  a  community,  but  always 
in  the  interest  of  progress  and  good  government.  He  was  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  high  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  At 
all  times  a  deep  student,  his  professional  career  was  marked  by 
great  success  and  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life  his  advice  and 
counsel  was  much  sought  by  other  physicians.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Sparta,  July  4,  1908,  leaving  surviving  him  his  widow 
and  four  children. 

He  w^as  married  in  the  town  of  his  birth  to  Mary  C.  Sheldon 
on  the  31st  day  of  May,  1863 ;  five  children  came  to  them,  Carl  M. 
and  Spencer  D.,  both  practicing  physicians,  now  located  in 
Sparta  ;  July  i\I.,  now^  deceased ;  IMamie,  the  wife  of  P.  H.  Ber- 
trand,  now  living  at  Jefferson  City,  Kan.,  and  Alice  ]\I.,  who  lives 
with  her  mother  in  the  Sparta  home. 

George  W.  Milligan,  M.  D.,  is  the  oldest  physician  in  Sparta, 
Wis.,  having  located  in  that  city  in  1852,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  in  continuous  practice.  He  was  born  March  11,  1826,  in 
Cairo,  Green  county,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  James  A.  and  Eleanor  Mille- 
gan,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Green  county.     James 


490  HISTORY  OF  :\rOXROE  COUNTY 

A.  Millegan  ^n-t'W  to  in<iiiliood  aud  married  in  the  cuuuty  oi"  his 
birth,  subse(|n('iitly  moving  west  and  located  at  several  points 
in  tlic  ^litldlc  West,  finally  going  to  ^Montana,  where  he  died. 
He  was  a  farmer  l)y  oeeiipation. 

Dr.  Millefian  attended  a  eommon  seliool  (if  liis  neigh])orhood 
and  was  (jnite  young  when  lie  cDiiiiiieiieed  the  study  of  inedicine, 
meanwhih'  engaged  in  various  pursuits.  In  1S49  lie  graduated 
from  the  Pittstield  College  and  afterward  continued  his  studies 
until  18r)2,  when,  alter  a  short  t'xperiene<'  in  the  East,  he  came 
to  Sparta,  Avhere  he  has  made  his  home  to  the  present  day.  AVhen 
Dr.  ]\lillegan  first  came  to  Sparta  it  was  a  village  of  about  two 
or  three  hundred  inhabitants,  and  as  he  was  the  first  physician 
to  settle  in  the  county,  it  is  related  that  great  enthusiasm  was 
manifested  Avhen  he  arrived,  and  the  people  turned  out  and  gave 
him  a  grand  reception.  He  has  from  tlie  very  fii'st  1)een  suc- 
cessful in  his  professional  career,  and  in  his  long  experience 
he  has  gained  the  confidence  of  the  community  in  which  he  has 
so  long  lived.  During  the  Civil  War.  Dr.  .Millegan  was  examin- 
ing surgeon  for  the  district,  aud  has  served  as  county  physician 
for  ]\Ionroe  county,  but.  owing  to  his  advanced  age,  he  has  retired 
from  the  active  practice  of  medicine,  occasionally  giving  his 
\aluiil)le  advice  and  consultations,  hoAvevei-. 

For  a  great  many  years  he  Avas  associated  Avith  Dr.  H.  11. 
Williams  under  the  firm  name  of  ]Millegan  c^  AVilliams:  but  for 
a  number  of  years,  owing  to  his  advanced  years,  he  has  retired 
from  active  practice  and  is  living  a  quiet  life  in  his  old  home  in 
Sparta.  Genial,  kindly,  strong  in  his  profession.  Dr.  ]\Iillegan 
is  surely  one  of  the  history  makers  in  this  part  of  the  state,  a 
man  who  has  placed  the  mark  of  his  personality  upon  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  has  so  long  and  honorably  resided. 

Fred  P.  Stiles,  M.  D.,  up  until  very  recently,  when  he  removed 
to  Racine.  AVis.,  Avas  one  of  the  most  lu-ominent  residents  of 
Sparta,  Wis.,  both  as  a  successful  physician  iiid  a  public-s])irted 
citizen  ;  he  is  from  sturdy  Ncav  England  stock,  his  first  Ameri- 
can ancestor.  Robert  Stiles,  having  landed  on  the  ^lassachusetts 
coast  in  ^(^'.V.).  Th(»  doctor  traces  his  decent  through  an  uid)roken 
line  and  in  the  i-ecords  of  the  seventh  generation  he  finds  that  a 
Stiles  nuirried  a  sister  of  the  famous  Rebecca  I\Iorac,  who  was 
hang"d  as  a  Avitch  during  the  witchcraft   excitement  at  Salem. 

Luther  Stiles,  grandfather  of  Dr.  Stiles.  Avas  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  removing  thus  to  New  Amsterdam.  X.  Y..  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  scythes  in  partnership  with  his  brothers; 
lia\ing  decided  to  move  west,  lu'  migrated  to  Aliehigan,  being  a 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATERNITY  491 

pioneer  of  Coldwater,  in  that  state,  where  he  erected  the  first 
saw  mill  in  the  locality.  He  died  in  Elgin,  111.  His  son,  Cornelius 
C.  Stiles,  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  wh<-n  a  boy,  came  with 
his  parents  to  Michigan,  later  removing  to  £]lgin.  111.,  where  he 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building  for  n  number  of  years. 
He  has  now  retired  at  Sandwich,  111.  In  Elgin  he  married  ]\Iiss 
Cornelia  Phelps,  a  native  of  Greenwood,  N.  Y..  and  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  old  Puritan  families. 

Fred  P.  Stiles  was  born  at  Elgin,  111.,  March  22,  1855.  He 
received  a  good  literary  training  at  the  Kankakee  (Illinois)  high 
school  and  the  Romeo  (^lichigan)  Union  School.  In  1880  he 
graduated  from  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  of  Chicago,  and 
immediately  thereafter  came  to  Sparta  and  entered  upon  the 
general  jiractice  in  which  he  was  very  successful.  The  demands 
upon  his  services  being  so  pressing,  he  took  into  partnership  his 
brother,  V.  Stiles,  of  River  Side,  Cal.,  who  had  been  engaged 
in  practice  for  eleven  years.  The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Homeopathy ;  the  AVisconsin  State  Homeo- 
pathic Society,  of  which  he  was  at  one  time  president ;  the  Ameri- 
can Climatological  Association,  and  the  United  States  Board  of 
Pension  p]xaminers.  He  is  also  associate  editor  of  the  ]\Iinne- 
apolis  Homeopathic  JMagazine.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  JMason  and  a 
Knight  Templar,  and  served  for  ten  years  as  eminent  commander 
of  Sparta  Commandery,  No.  16.  The  doctor  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  though  no  office  seeker,  took  a  lively 
interest  in  local  affairs.  He  has  served  and  held  the  office  of 
president  of  the  school  board  and  mayor  of  the  city  of  Sparta, 
and  in  other  positions,  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constituents. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  married  at  Sparta  to  Miss  Nellie  Root,  daugh- 
ter of  George  AV.  and  Jane  Root,  the  former  lived  with  Dr.  Stiles 
for  some  years  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  January,  1889, 
and  he  bad  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  son  of  a  Revolution- 
ary soldier  living  in  that  part  of  the  state.  Dr.  Stiles  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  has  been  prominent  in 
its  affairs  for  a  great  many  years.  Owing  to  an  attack  which 
rendered  an  operation  necessary,  the  doctor  was  in  failing  health 
during  the  summer  of  1910,  and  upon  his  partial  recovery, 
decided  to  abandon  country  riding  and  an  opportunity  opening 
for  an  office  as  a  city  caller  in  Racine,  he  moved  there  in  the 
spring  of  1911,  where  he  now  resides. 

Wilbur  T.  Sarles,  M.  D.,  has  for  a  great  many  years  been  prom- 
inent in  Sparta  and  vicinity,  where  he  has  engaged  successfully  in 
the  practice  of  medicine,  though  he  has  always  found  time  to 


492  HISTORY  OF  :M0XR0E  COUNTY 

devote  to  the  jjiihlir  affairs  of  liis  city,  and  lias  always  been 
identified  with  the  niovi'incnts  of  progress  and  improvement. 

Dr.  Sarles  comes  from  honored  Aiiici-icaii  aiiccsti-y.  Ids  grand- 
father, Jesse  1).  Sailcs,  was  born  in  Westchester  county,  New 
York.  He  removed  with  his  fannly  when  a  boy  to  Dutchess 
county,  in  the  same  state,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  mar- 
ried. He  came  to  AVisconsin  when  in  middle  lif(\  and  was  a 
pioneer  settler  of  Racine  county,  and  there  died. 

'].  D.  Sarles,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  l)orn 
in  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  and  when  a  young  man  migrated 
west,  settling  in  AVisconsin,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  is  a  minister  of  the  Alethodist  Ilpiscopal  Church,  but  owing 
to  advanced  age  has  retired  from  active  work  of  the  ministry, 
and  is  living  quietly  in  retirement  in  the  city  of  Sparta.  Rev. 
J.  D.  Sarles  married  .Miss  Alargarete  Thoinpson,  of  Cayuga 
county.  New  York,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  AVil- 
bur  Sarles  was  born  November  14,  1856,  in  Armenia,  Juneau 
county,  AVis.  He  completed  a  high  school  course  at  Prescot,  AVis., 
and  received  more  advanced  training  in  an  academy  at  River 
Falls,  Wis.,  at  Galesville  University,  and  tiien  attended  Rush 
Medical  College,  at  Chicago,  from  which  he  graduated  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1882.  The  month  following  he  conunenced  practice  at 
Sparta,  where  he  has  continued  to  make  his  home,  having  met 
with  success  which  his  al)ilities  and  talents  deserve.  He  is  a 
surgeon  for  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railway  Company  at 
this  place ;  is  a  mend)er  of  the  AVisconsin  State  Aledical  Society, 
of  which  he  is  ex-president ;  of  the  Central  AVisconsin  ]\Iedical 
Society,  of  which  he  is  also  an  ex-president ;  of  the  La  Crosse 
Valley  Medical  Society;  the  National  Association  of  Railway 
Surgeons,  and  of  the  American  Aledical  Association,  of  Avhich 
he  is  now  a  trustee. 

Fraternally  he  is  united  with  the  Alasonic  Order,  is  a  member 
of  Sparta  Commandery,  No.  IB,  K.  T.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  has  for  years  been  an  active  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  the  party,  being  one  of  the  influential  leaders  of  this 
section  of  the  state;  he  was  a  delegate  from  the  Seventh  Congres- 
sional District  to  the  Chicago  convention  Avhich  nominated  Roose- 
velt in  1904.  and  was  elected  as  a  Taft  elector  from  the  Seventh 
District  in  1908.  He  served  three  consecutive  terms  as  mayor 
of  Sparta,  during  Avhich  time  he  inaugurated  the  water  works, 
the  electric  lighting  and  the  street  paving;  his  re-election  testi- 
fying of  his  capal)ility  in  this  responsible  position.  For  twenty- 
five  vears  he  has  Ixmmi  a  nu^nbcr  of  the  United  Statics  Doard  of 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATEKNITY  493 

Pension  Examiners,  of  which  he  has  served  as  secretary  during 
all  that  time. 

On  March  23,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nina  Schaller 
and  they  have  two  daughters  by  adoption,  Grace  and  Francis. 
The  family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  the 
doctor  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 

Dr.  Sarles  is  a  companionable  man,  gifted  with  an  analytical 
and  inquiring  mind  and  has  won  an  enviable  reputation  in  his 
profession,  being  a  surgeon  of  rare  skill,  his  services  are  sought 
far  beyond  the  large  local  practice  which  he  enjoys  in  connection 
with  his  firm,  and  he  is  withal  a  mighty  good  citizen. 

Charles  E.  Quigg,  M.  D.,  who  has  been  engaged  in  practice  at 
Tomah,  AVis.,  since  1883,  has  attained  more  than  local  fame  in 
his  profession,  and  he  is  also  well  known  in  political  circles 
in  that  section.  Dr.  Quigg  Avas  born  September  30,  1852,  in 
Ticonderoga,  N.  Y..  and  received  every  advantage  for  thorough 
training,  both  in  literature  and  in  his  profession,  having  attended 
various  standard  institutions  during  his  boyJiood  and  youth.  He 
completed  his  medical  studies  at  Bennett  Medical  College,  Chi- 
cago, from  Avhich  he  was  graduated  in  1880,  and  he  began  prac- 
tice immediately  at  Fox  Lake  and  Grand  Rapids,  AA-'is.,  in  1883 
coming  to  Tomah,  where  he  has  since  remained.  He  has,  by  skill 
and  efficiency,  built  up  a  wide  and  lucrative  practice,  and  many 
admirable  personal  qualities  have  won  him  the  esteem  and  praise 
of  the  entire  community.  His  felloAV  citizens  have  shown  their 
appreciation  of  his  genuine  worth  by  calling  him  to  various 
offices  of  responsibility  and  importance,  and  he  has  served  seven 
years  as  health  officer  of  Tomah,  four  terms  as  mayor  of  that 
city,  and  one  term  (1893-94)  as  member  of  the  state  assembly 
from  his  district,  although  it  is  a  Republican  stronghold  and  he  s 
stanch  Democrat. 

In  1897  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Wisconsin  Board 
of  Medical  Examiners,  and  in  1899  received  a  reappointment 
to  the  same  for  a  term  of  four  years.  Dr.  Quigg 's  brother 
physicians,  also,  have  honored  him  in  various  ways.  In  1883 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  AA^isconsin  State  Eclectic  Medical 
Society ;  he  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical 
Society;  and  in  1893  he  Avas  a  delegate  to  the  AVorld's  C*ongress 
of  ]\Iedico-Climatology.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  National 
Eclectic  Medical  Association.  Dr.  Quigg  was  licensed  to  prac- 
tice in  four  states — AA^isconsin,  Illinois,  Colorado  and  California. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  and  a  member  of  various  other 
orders,  Avas  a  memlier  of  Sparta  Commandery,  No.  16,  Knight? 


494  in^:TUKY  OF  MUNKOK  LOLXTY 

Templar.  A  valued  nieinbei-  n\'  his  i)rot"essioii  and  of  the  eoni- 
uiuuity  ill  whieh  he  lived,  he  passed  away  at  his  home  iu  Tomah 
oil  the  day  of  — — . 

Dr.  George  R.  Vincent  was  one  of  Tomah  s  pioneer  physieians 
and  luul  a  lonjj^  and  honorahle  eareer  iu  the  i)raetiee  of  medieiue 
in  that  city;  he  was  born  in  New  York  state,  reeeived  a  eominon 
sehool  and  niedieal  college  edneation  and  moved  to  the  state  of 
Wisconsin  in  1866,  settling  al  the  then  thriving  village  of  Tomah 
and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  one  of 
the  best  i)hysieiaus  in  this  jiart  of  the  state,  having  lniill  up  a 
large  practice  in  the  earlier  days  which  extended  throughout  this 
and  the  neighboring  counties;  he  had  a  large  circde  of  friends 
who  at  different  times  induced  him  to  accept  political  honors 
and  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  tlie  affairs  of  his  home  city; 
served  one  term  in  the  AVisconsin  legislature  as  a  member  of  the 
assembly  from  this  district  in  1878;  he  was  a  member  of  the 
State  jMedical  Society  and  also  of  the  American  ^Medical 
Association. 

In  the  year  1866,  just  before  coming  to  Toiuali.  Dr.  Vincent 
was  married  at  Stratford,  X.  Y..  to  ]Miss  Elizabeth  Kibbe;  she 
died  in  this  city  in  1889,  and  two  years  later  he  was  married  to 
Miss  J\Iary  Tyler,  Binghampton,  X.  Y.  Dr.  Vincent  was  very 
successful  iu  his  practice  and  retired  from  activ(^  Avork  about 
ten  years  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  city  of  Tomah 
on  the  18th  day  of  September.  1910.  The  doctor  was  truly  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  this  county  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and 
endured  the  hardships  which  were  incident  to  that  work  in  the 
earlier  days,  when  ])hysicians  did  not  have  the  advantages  of 
rai)id  transportation  with  automobiles,  and  were  obliged  to  make 
long  drives  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  often  taking  two  days  to 
make  a  trip  to  see  a  patient  and  n^turn.  IL^  is  remembered  by 
the  present  citizens  of  Tomah,  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  friend- 
sliii>  and  acquaintance,  as  a  man  who  placed  loyalty  to  his  home 
city  above  everything  else,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  devote  his 
time  and  some  money  to  l)uilding  iij)  the  interests  of  the 
community. 

Dr.  Horace  Palmer  was  born  in  .Motitix'licr.  Vt..  on  October 
28,  1823;  graduated  at  the  Vermont  Medical  College  at  Wood- 
stock, January  18,  1851,  and  commenced  tlie  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  the  same  year  at  Manstield,  ]Mass. 

II<'  married  Susan  (".  Hall,  at  ^Mansfield,  March  22.  ISoT,  and 
removed  to  Wisconsin  the  following  May,  settling  in  West  Salem. 
where  he  continued  practicing  his  profession,  and  July  13.  1875. 


thp:  medical  fratp^enity  495 

mo\(.'(l  to  Sparta  and  i)ur('hased  the  pioneer  drug  store  oi'  the 
])lace,  at  that  time  owned  by  Ira  A.  Hill,  placing  George  E.  Mar- 
riner,  now  of  La  Crosse,  in  charge  of  same  while  he  continued 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Palmer's  fatal  illness  began 
vritli  a  cold  which  developed  into  pneumoni;i,  and  the  fatal  end 
came  on  December  25,  1880.  Dr.  Palmer  occupied  a  prominent 
place  in  social  and  business  circles,  and  was  universally  esteemed, 
lie  left  a  wife,  two  daughters  and  one  son,  Lissie  H.  (deceased), 
wife  of  Henry  S.  Howell,  and  Fannie  A.,  wife  of  ]\l.  Fillmore 
Howell,  and  Fred  E. 

Crawford.  E.  Phillips,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  leading  representa- 
tives of  the  medical  profession  of  ]\Ionroe  county,  was  born  near 
Meadville.  Crawford  county,  Pa..  October  31,  1853,  a  son  of 
David  J.  Phillips,  a  native  of  Ohio,  but  of  New  England  ancestry. 
He  was  reared  in  his  native  state,  and  married  Huldah  Winans, 
also  born  in  Ohio,  and,  like  her  husband,  descended  from  a  New 
England  family.  Di-.  Phillips  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
a  few  years  after  his  marriage  he  moved  to  Crawford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
February,  1872,  at  the  age  of  about  fifty  years. 

C.  E.  Phillips,  M.  D.,  received  his  education  at  the  common 
schools,  and  also  took  a  scientific  course  of  study  at  the  Mead- 
ville Commercial  College.  Pearly  in  life  he  decided  to  engage 
in  the  medical  profession  as  his  life  w^ork,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  began  the  study  at  jNIeadville,  and  graduated 
at  the  Eclectic  ^ledical  College  at  Cincinnati  in  the  spring  of 
1874.  Believing  that  superior  opportunities  for  rising  in  his 
profession  might  be  found  in  the  West,  Dr.  Phillips  decided  to 
locate  in  Nebraska,  and  accordingly  removed  to  Arapahoe.  But 
the  devastations  of  the  grasshoppers  in  that  state  rendered  his 
selection  of  a  location  an  undesirable  one,  and  after  spending  a 
year  tliere  recruiting  his  health  as  well  as  practicing  his  profes- 
sion, he  decided  to  seek  another  place  of  residence.  Wilton  at 
that  time  promised  favorably,  and  consequcjitly  in  the  fall  of 
1875  he  located  in  this  city,  where  he  enjoyed  an  extensive  and 
lucrative  practice.  In  order  to  inform  himself  in  the  later  dis- 
coveries of  the  science  of  medicine,  the  doctor  took  a  course  at 
the  Bennett  ^ledical  College  in  1886,  and  received  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  at  that  institution. 

Dr  Phillips  was  married  October  17,  1877.  to  Eva  Winans,  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  J.  C.  AYinans,  a  prominent  physician  at  ]\Iadi- 
son,  Ohio.  j\Irs.  Phillips  is  a  lady  of  culture  and  a  fine  artist. 
To  this  union  has  been  born  one  son,  Vernil,  born  October  4,  1887. 


496  HISTORY  OF  :\10NK0E  COUNTY 

The  doctor  was  both  an  excellent  physician  and  a  popular  and 
l)rogressive  citizen.  He  was  a  prominent  ^lason,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Blue  Lodge,  chapter  and  Commandery  of  Sparta.  He 
removed  to  California  in  1909  and  died  there  September  17,  1910, 
his  remaii.s  b('in«i-  tal\cii  to  ]\Iadison,  Ohio,  for  burial. 

John  F.  Richards,  M.  D.  Among  the  earlier  physicians  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  county  was  Jolni  F.  Richards,  who  came 
to  Tomah  in  1862,  and  resided  there  continuously  until  the  time 
of  his  death. 

Dr.  Richards  was  born  in  Clermont  county,  Ohio,  in  1818; 
his  father,  John  R.  Richards,  and  hiy  mother  were  both  natives 
of  ]\Iaryland.  AVhile  a  boy,  Mr.  Richards  lived  in  the  same  vil- 
lage as  the  Grant  family,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
father  and  with  U.  S.  Grant,  afterwards  the  celebrated  general, 
Avho  went  to  AVest  Point  from  Clermont  county,  Ohio.  Dr.  Rich- 
ards studied  medicine  in  his  native  county  and  attended  the 
Ohio  ]\Iedical  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1848,  and 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Highland  count}'  later, 
where  he  remained  until  1802,  when  he  removed  to  the  city  of 
^Milwaukee  and  there  engaged  in  the  drug  business  and  prac- 
ticed his  profession. 

Tn  the  spring  of  1866  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Tomah, 
where  he  remained  continuously  until  September  3,  1903,  the 
date  of  his  death.  He  served  one  term  in  the  legislature,  being 
that  of  1872,  and  was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  was  a  quiet 
unassuming  man,  a  deep  student  in  his  profession,  and  during 
the  later  years  of  his  life,  after  he  had  retired  from  active  prac- 
tice, he  was  frequently  called  into  consultation  with  other  physi- 
cians, who  availed  themselves  of  his  vast  experience  in  the  gen- 
eral practice  of  medicine.  The  last  fifteen  years  of  his  life  he 
retired  from  active  work  and  lived  in  his  old  homestead  in  the 
city  of  Tomah,  visiting  among  liis  three  children:  his  daughter, 
]\Irs.  D.  C.  Cheney,  who  lived  at  ^Milwaukee,  AVis..  at  that  time; 
Randolph  A.,  tlie  editor  of  this  work,  at  Sparta.  AVis.,  and  John 
F.,  living  at  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

He  died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter  in  ^lilwaukee  on  the 
date  stated  above,  and  his  remains  were  brought  to  Tonmh  and 
interred  beside  those  of  his  wife,  whose  death  had  taken  place 
several  years  before. 

Carl  M.  Beebe.  M.  D.  Among  the  young  men  in  this  profes- 
sion who  have  made  rapid  strides  to  the  front  is  Carl  'SI.  Reebe, 
of  Sparta,  one  of  the  firm  of  Sarles,  Beebe  &  Beebe. 

He  was  born  at  Sparta,  "Wis.,  February  19,  1866,  the  son  of 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATEENITY  497 

De  Witt  C.  Beebe.  He  received  a  high  school  education,  gradu- 
ating from  the  Sparta  high  school  with  the  class  of  1884,  after 
which  he  attended  the  state  university  for  two  years  and  then 
took  a  course  at  Rush  Medical  College,  in  Chicago,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  1889,  and  pursuing  his  medical  study 
farther  he  went  to  New  York  and  took  a  course  in  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  graduated  from  that  institution 
in  1891.  He  was  for  some  time  the  assistant  physician  at  the 
Wisconsin  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  at  Oshkosh,  and  from  there 
he  removed  to  Zumbrota,  in  the  state  of  Minnesota,  where  he  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  his  profession  until  1896,  when  he  returned 
to  Sparta  and  went  into  partnership  with  his  father  and  Dr. 
Sarles.  This  firm  continued  until  the  time  of  the  death  of 
Dr.  D.  C.  Beebe,  and  upon  its  reorganization,  S.  D.  Beebe,  the 
younger  brother,  was  taken  into  the  partnership  under  the  firm 
name  of  Sarles,  Beebe  &  Beebe. 

Dr.  Beebe  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  municipal  affairs 
in  the  city ;  has  served  as  alderman  on  the  city  council ;  is  now  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education  and  is  a  supervisor  represent- 
ing the  First  Ward  of  the  city  upon  the  county  board;  he  has 
been  closely  connected  with  several  movements  for  the  better- 
ment of  conditions  in  the  city  generally  and  is  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive citizens  of  the  community.  He  married  Miss  Minnie 
Blakesley  September  1,  1891. 

William  B.  Ford,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Sparta,  Wis.,  August  27, 
1874,  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  the  city, 
graduating  from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1893 ;  he 
entered  the  University  of  Wisconsin  soon  after,  graduating  from 
that  institution  in  1898.  After  spending  one  year  in  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  he  entered  Rush  Medical  College,  at  Chicago,  from 
which  institution  he  graduated  in  1903. 

The  doctor  is  a  Mason  and  a  Knight  Templar,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  Sparta  Masonic  lodges  and  Commandery;  is  a  member  of 
the  Kappa  Sigma  college  fraternity;  served  as  secretary  of  the 
Monroe  County  Medical  Society  for  three  years.  He  has,  since 
his  graduation,  practiced  continually  in  Monroe  county,  a  por- 
tion of  the  time  in  Sparta ;  is  now  located  at  Norwalk.  where  he 
enjoys  a  lucrative  practice  in  the  village  and  the  farming  coun- 
try in  the  vicinity. 

Lewis  S.  Graves,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Jordan,  New  York  state, 
December  24,  1873.  His  early  education  was  received  at  Jordan 
high  school  and  the  Jordan  free  academy.  He  entered  Bennett 
Medical  College,  at  Chicago,  from  which  he  graduated  with  the 


408  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

class  of  1901 ;  he  has  practiced  his  profession  at  Couneaut,  Ohio, 
and  Chicago,  111. ;  and  is  at  present  located  at  AVilton,  "Wis.,  enjoy- 
ing a  lucrative  practice,  lie  is  a  meniber  of  tlie  ]\Ionroe  County 
^Medical  Society ;  the  AVisconsin  State  Medical  Society,  the  Wis- 
consin Eclectic  ]\Iedical  Society  and  the  American  ]\Iedical 
Association. 

George  Oliver  Murray,  M.  D.,  was  born  iji  Hawick,  Scotland, 
October  4,  1857.  where  lie  received  an  academic  education.  lie 
elnig^ated  to  Canada  in  1882  and  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
until  1893,  when  he  went  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  entering  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1896. 
Ill  that  year  he  located  at  AVindsor,  Dane  county,  Wis.,  where  he 
practiced  for  three  years;  then  removed  to  Tunnel  City,  ]\Ionroe 
county,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years.  In  1906  he  moved 
to  Tomah,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1908  he  was  appointed 
health  officer  of  the  city,  which  position  he  still  holds. 

He  married  Sarah  Jolmsoii,  of  Ilighgate,  Canada,  in  1894,  two 
children  being  born  to  them,  Robert  Oliver,  in  1895,  and  Agnes 
Oriska  in  1897. 

Spencer  D.  Beebe,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Sparta,  Wis.,  in  1869, 
is  the  youngest  son  of  Dr.  1).  C.  Beebe,  now  deceased.  His  early 
education  was  received  in  the  schools  of  Sparta,  graduating  from 
tlie  liigli  school  with  the  class  of  1889 ;  afterwards  attended  the 
university,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  and  entered 
Rush  ]\Iedical  College,  graduating  in  1896.  He  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Aurora,  111.,  moving  from  there  to 
p]lroy,  Wis.,  where  he  remained  for  a  few  years,  afterwards  com- 
ing to  Sparta  and  entering  the  firm  of  Sarles,  Beebe  &  Beebe. 
Dr.  Beebe  is  a  fine  musician,  having  a  tenor  voice,  highly  trained, 
and  for  some  years  has  directed  the  large  chorus  choir  of  the 
Congregational  Church. 

A.  R.  Bell,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Tomah,  July  26,  1872;  he 
received  his  early  education  in  country  schools,  entering  the 
Tomali  higli  school,  from  which  he  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1894.  Clioosing  the  medical  profession  for  his  life  work  he 
entered  the  AVisconsin  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  from 
which  he  graduated  April  f),  1900,  came  back  to  Tomah  and 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  ])rofession  April  7.  1900.  lie 
was  at  one  time  connected  with  Dr.  Simonson  of  the  Tomah  Hos- 
pital, but  is  at  ]n-esent  ])racticing  alone.  He  is  now  serving  as 
secretary  of  the  Alonroe  County  IMedical  Society. 

Hugh  H.  Williams,  M.  D.,  a  practicing  physician  of  Sparta, 
lias  pursued  bis  iirdt'cssioii  in  that  city  since  1896.  Avhen  he  was 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATERNITY  499 

graduated  from  the  Rush  Medical  College,  of  Chicago,  111.,  and 
in  the  intervening  years,  has  by  his  skill  and  prepossessing  man- 
ner, built  up  a  flourishing  practice.  He  was  born  in  "Wales  on 
August  20,  1869,  the  sou  of  AVilliam  and  Elizabeth  (Williams) 
Williams,  who  both  spent  their  lives  in  their  native  country 
and  where  both  died  in  1873. 

Hugh  II.  attended  the  common  schools  of  Wales,  and  after 
the  death  of  his  parents,  accompanied  by  his  uncle,  Peter  Wil- 
liams, he  came  to  the  United  States  in  1879  and  located  at  Pipers- 
ville.  Wis.  Ilis  Uncle  Peter  was  afterward  killed  by  a  horse  in 
Coles  Valley,  Monroe  countj^  Coming  to  Sparta,  Mr.  Williams 
entered  the  Sparta  high  school,  graduating  therefrom  Avith  the 
(.'lass  of  1891 ;  he  then  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office 
of  G.  W.  ]\Iilligau,  of  Sparta,  and  later  entered  Rush  Medical 
College,  of  Chicago,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1896.  He 
immediately  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  city  of  his 
adoption.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Spanish-American  War 
he  enlisted  in  the  Third  Regiment,  Wisconsin  National  Guards, 
and  as  assistant  surgeon,  participated  with  his  regiment  through 
the  Porto  Rican  campaign,  and  after  his  discharge  from  the  regi- 
ment, continued  for  one  year  to  act  as  assistant  surgeon  with  the 
United  States  regulars  in  Porto  Rico. 

Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and  a  Knight 
Templar.  On  March  4,  1901,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Tillie  Olson, 
daughter  of  Ole  Olson,  of  Sparta.  ]\Irs.  William  died  on  Sep- 
tember 6,  1906,  leaving  besides  her  husband,  one  son,  Hugh  H. 
Williams,  Jr. 

E.  J.  Riordon,  M.  D.,  of  Wilton,  Monroe  county,  w^as  born  in 
Massachusetts,  June  1,  1856,  and  is  the  son  of  Janos  and  Mary 
(Richards)  Riordon,  natives  of  Ireland  and  Massachusetts, 
respectively.  In  1867  the  father  came  west  with  his  family  and 
located  at  ^Milwaukee,  Wis.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and 
obtained  employment  with  Bradley  and  Metcalf,  manufacturers 
of  shoes,  with  whom  he  remained  some  years.  He  died  in  1903, 
honored  and  respected  by  his  fellowmen.  He  was  the  father  of 
five  childrei:.  only  two  of  whom  are  living.  In  religious  affilia- 
tions he  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  in  politics  a 
Democrat. 

Dr.  Riordon  received  his  education  in  the  common  school 
which  he  attended  until  his  fifteenth  year.  In  early  life  he 
gained  some  renown  as  a  violinist  and  dancer,  and  for  three  years 
was  one  of  the  attractions  of  Dan  Rice's  show.  In  1876  he  en- 
listed in  Company  B,  Fourth  United  States  Cavalry.  He  was  sent 


500  HISTORY  OF  IMONROP]  COUNTY 

to  Jefferson  Barracks.  ^Missouri,  and  later  to  Fort  KUiott.  He 
Avas  discharged  in  1879  and  returned  to  his  home  in  ^Milwaukee, 
where  for  eight  years  he  was  employed  by  Bradley  and  ]\Ietcalf 
in  the  manufacture  of  shoes.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  pursued  for  three  years 
in  ]\Iilwaukee,  then  entered  the  Keokuk  IMedical  College  (now 
the  Drake  University,  of  Iowa),  and  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  ]\I.  D.,  and  in  1900  eame  to  Monroe  county  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the  ]Monroe  County 
Medical  Society,  a  member  of  the  "Wisconsin  State  ]\Iedical  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  president  of  the  village  of  "Wilton,  member  of  the 
village  board  of  health,  and  in  politics  a  Democrat. 

L.  G.  Scheurich,  M.  D.,  of  Tomah,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
ranks  among  the  younger  class  of  wide-awt'ke  and  progressive 
professional  men  of  ]\Ionroe  county.  He  was  born  in  December, 
1882,  and  is  a  son  of  August  and  Barbara  Kathryn  (Maurer) 
Scheurich.  In  1886  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  who 
located  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  his  father  here  finding  employment 
in  a  tobacco  factory.  He  had  a  family  of  seven  boys,  all  of  whom 
are  now  (1912)  living,  the  doctor  being  the  oldest  of  the  family. 

Dr.  L.  G.  had  good  educational  advantages  during  his  boy- 
hood, attending  the  public  schools  of  Baltimore,  and  after  com- 
pleting his  common  school  work  he  entered  the  Loyola  college 
at  Baltimore  in  1896,  where  he  received  a  thorough  course  of 
training  and  graduated  with  the  class  of  1903  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  In  1904  he  entered  the  University  of  Maryland,  and 
after  a  four-year  course  graduated  from  the  medical  department 
with  the  class  of  1908  with  the  degree  of  M.  D..  and  immediately 
thereafter  went  into  the  Bay  VieAv  hospital  at  Baltimore  as  assist- 
ant physician.  After  spending  one  year  in  this  capacity  he 
became  chief  resident  physician,  which  position  he  hold  until 
June  15,  1910.  October  11,  1910,  he  moved  to  Tomah  and  com- 
menced an  active  practice  here,  his  experience  and  efficiency 
acquired  from  his  hospital  service  placing  him  at  the  head  of  a 
large  and  lucrative  business,  and  during  his  last  year  in  tlie 
liospital  at  Baltimore  he  made  a  specialty  of  the  use  and  adminis- 
tration of  tuberculin  in  the  treatment  of  tuberculosis,  which  has 
been  effective  in  much  of  his  practice.  In  this  specialty  he  was 
associated  with  Dr.  Gordon  "Wilson,  one  of  the  leading  tuber- 
culosis specialists  in  the  world. 

Dr.  Scheurich  is  a  man  of  fine  personality,  courteous,  affable 
and  pleasing  in  manner,  with  the  ability  botli  to  make  and  hold 
friends,  of  whom  he  has  a  wide  circle.     In  love  with  his  profes- 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATERNITY  501 

sion,  he  devotes  himself  to  it  with  fidelity  and  gives  promise  of 
a  successful  and  useful  career. 

Vernon  W.  Stiles,  M.  D.,  who  has  attained  to  a  position  of 
prominence  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  profession,  is  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters  born  to  Cornelius  C. 
and  Cornelia  (Phelps)  Stiles,  both  of  wdiom  were  natives  of 
central  New  York.  Besides  our  subject,  the  others  are :  Emma 
G.,  widow  of  J.  C.  Taylor,  Oceanside,  Cal. ;  Luther  II.  Stiles,  of 
Minneapolis;  William  II.,  of  San  Bernardino,  Cal.;  Dr.  Fred  P. 
Stiles,  a  practicing  physician  of  Racine,  "Wis. ;  Susie  C,  widow 
of  E.  AV.  Hills,  Redlands.  Cal.,  and  Henry  A.,  who  is  a  druggist 
at  Sturgeon  Bay,  Wis.  The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  Luther  Stiles  and  Clarissa  Pierce,  natives  of  Massa- 
clmsetts;  the  grandfather  on  the  maternal  side  was  also  a  native 
of  Massachusetts.  Cornelius  Stiles,  father  of  Dr.  Stiles,  went 
from  New  York,  his  native  state,  to  Coldwater,  Mich.,  when 
fourteen  years  of  age.  Remaining  there  for  six  years  he  then 
removed  to  Elgin,  111.,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter 
and  joiner  and  also  engaged  in  farming.  It  was  while  living  at 
Elgin  that  he  met  and  married  Cornelia  Phelps,  and  where  the 
family  was  born.  In  about  the  year  186-1  he  moved  his  family 
to  Kankakee,  and  ten  years  later  to  Sandwich,  111.,  where  he  died 
in  1907  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  having  been  born  in 
1824.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1827  and 
died  in  1905,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  They  were  successful, 
liberal,  broad-minded,  public-spirited  and  influential  citizens 
and  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  all  who  knew  them. 

Dr.  Vernon  W.  Stiles  was  born  at  Elgin,  111.,  January  31,  1861, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Kankakee  and 
the  Sandwich  high  school.  Completing  his  studies  he  went  to 
Chicago  when  seventeen  years  of  age  and  secured  a  position  as 
clerk  in  a  drug  store.  At  the  end  of  three  years  he  entered  the 
drug  store  of  his  brother  in  the  same  capacity,  and  later  opened 
a  drug  store  on  his  own  account  at  Manteno,  111.,  which  he  sold 
one  year  later  and  came  to  Sparta,  where  he  was  employed  for 
two  years  in  the  drug  store  of  Fred  Newton.  He  was  offered  and 
accepted  a  position  with  Hemphill  &  Woy  and  established  a  drug 
store  at  the  Cheyenne  Indian  agency  in  the  Indian  Territory, 
and  two  years  later  began  the  study  of  medicine.  He  matricu- 
lated with  the  Hannemann  Medical  College,  in  Chicago,  where 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1888,  receiving  his  degree  of 
M.  D.  He  spent  one  year  as  house  physician  in  the  Hannemann 
hospital  in  Chicago,  and  located  in  1889  at  Riverside,  Cal.,  where 


502  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

lie  eontinut'd  a  successful  practice  for  ten  years.  In  1S{)9  he  came 
to  Sparta  and  entered  into  ;i  co-partnership  with  his  l)rother, 
Dr.  Fred  P.  Stiles,  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued his  professional  work  with  jrratifying  results. 

Dr.  Stiles  is  a  man  of  intense  energy  and  activity  and  devotes 
nuich  time  to  atfairs  outside  of  his  professional  duties.  lie  is  a 
member  of  the  California  State  ^Medical  Society,  the  Southern 
California  INIedical  Society,  the  AVisconsin  Homeopathic  ]\Iedical 
Society,  and  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  is  affiliated 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order. 

In  1905  Dr.  Stiles  was  united  in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss  Helen 
Frances  Dodge,  daughter  of  the  late  Rufus  S.  Dodge,  of  Sparta. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Frances  Stiles. 


CHAPTER  LI. 
TOWNSHIP  HISTORY. 

It  is  with  the  deepest  regret  that  the  editor  finds  it  necessary 
to  record  the  meagre  historical  data  concerning  some  of  the  town 
organizations.  The  passing  away  of  so  many  of  the  pioneers 
in  various  parts  of  the  county  has  deprived  us  of  the  means  of 
gathering  historical  facts  concerning  the  early  days  in  several 
communities,  facts  which  would,  no  doubt,  be  of  great  interest 
and  value;  interesting  indeed  because  of  the  conditions  which 
existed,  the  privations  endured,  the  difficulties  overcome  by  the 
first  settlers  furnishing  the  individual  experiences  which  go  to 
make  history. 

Through  all  the  events  of  the  past  we  make  our  way  to  the 
present,  but  how  the  pioneer  lived,  the  kind  of  house  he  man- 
aged to  erect,  the  political  events  surrounding  the  newdy  formed 
municipalities,  the  story  of  how  the  pioneer  saw  the  wilderness 
gradually  transformed  into  fine  farms,  prosperous  villages,  busy 
cities,  all  paying  tribute  to  their  creative  energy  and  untiring 
perseverance,  is  one  which  always  brings  its  lessons  to  the  pres- 
ent, lessons  taught  by  the  hardest  and  sternest  of  all  teachers, 
experience.    But  the  lessons  are  rich  in  results. 

At  the  organization  of  the  county,  as  appears  in  another 
chapter,  there  was  but  one  town,  wdiich  included  the  whole 
county,  the  town  of  Leon.  As  the  years  went  by  and  circumstances 
warranted  it,  the  county  board  created  new  townships,  setting 
them  otf  from  those  already  established.  It  is  difficult  to  follow 
the  records  concerning  territory  embraced  in  the  limits  of  each 
town,  for  of  necessity  newly  created  towns  were  composed  of 
parts  of  others  so  that  no  attempt  will  be  made  to  do  so  in  this 
chapter.  There  are  now  twenty-four  townships,  four  villages 
and  a  part  of  a  village.  Ontario,  and  two  cities. 

ADRIAN. 

In  1854,  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  at  which  anything 
was  done  with  reference  to  dividing  the  county  into  townships, 
the  county  board  created  five  towns,  includiug  the  town  of 
Adrian,  it  being  set  off  at  the  same  time  as  Angelo,  Sparta  and 

503 


504  HISTORY  OF  :\10XK0E  COUNTY 

Leon.  The  two  persons  niainl}'  instrumental  in  the  settlement 
of  tills  town  were  AV.  AV.  Jackson  and  Webster  Kenyon,  who 
settled  there  in  1854,  together  with  a  number  of  others,  and  com- 
menced at  once  laying  plans  for  a  village  in  the  township  to  be 
called  Jacksonville.  As  has  been  told  elsewhere  the  coming  of 
the  Milwaukee  and  LaCrosse  railway  raised  great  hopes  in  the 
breasts  of  these  pioneers,  that  it  would  come  through  their  town 
and  proposed  village,  but  fate  had  decreed  it  otherwise.  The 
town  was  settled  quite  rapidly,  however,  and  farming  lands 
opened  u])  for  settlement.  The  life  of  AV.  W.  Jackson  has  been 
told  elsewhere,  and  here  we  record  a  short  sketch  of  Webster 
Kenyon.  He  was  born  in  New  York  state,  November  18,  1830, 
coming  west  in  1854.  In  1863  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  remaining 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Kenyon  Avas  by  profession  a  civil 
engineer  and  held  the  office  of  county  surveyor  of  Monroe  county 
for  eighteen  years.  Having  retired  from  active  work  on  his  farm 
and  in  surveying  he  moved  to  the  city  of  Tomah  and  there  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  died  Wednesday,  December  6, 
1911.  The  township  of  Adrian  contains  fine  farming  land  and 
many  valuable  farms  have  been  developed.  The  history  of  this 
progress  is  that  of  about  every  other  toAvnship,  one  of  struggle 
and  privation  for  a  time  with  the  rcAvards  of  earnest  labor  reaped 
by  succeeding  generations.  The  present  tow^n  officers  are: 
Geo.  P.  Stevens,  chairman ;  William  Bakkhouse  and  M.  Kroener, 
supervisors ;  George  Falkner,  clerk ;  John  Edminster,  treasurer ; 
W.  C.  Kirst,  assessor;  E.  C.  Cole,  justice  of  the  peace.  The  pop- 
ulation at  the  census  of  1910  w^as  806. 

TOWN  OF  ANGELO. 

The  story  of  the  race  between  a  man  by  the  name  of  Searl 
and  Dr.  Seth  Angle  to  the  land  office  in  ]\Iineral  Point  to  locate 
the  present  site  of  the  village  of  "Athens,"  in  the  town  of  Angelo, 
has  already  been  told.  Angle  came  out  ahead  by  one  hour  and 
located  the  land  upon  Avhich  the  water  poAver  Avas  situated  and 
proceeded  to  erect  a  saAvmill,  Avhich  at  that  time  AA'as  the  only 
one  in  this  part  of  the  country  except  the  one  erected  by  Esau 
Johnson  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  on  the  Kickapoo, 
and  the  lumber  business  Avas  lively  in  those  days  at  the  doctor's 
mill,  so  much  so  that  at  times  settlers  Avere  obliged  to  get  in  line 
and  Avait  for  hours  for  their  turn  to  get  a  load  of  lumber.  Loyd 
Angle,  a  brother  of  Dr.  S.  P.  Angle,  also  came  about  the  same 
time,  and  in  1852,  Avith  his  son,  0.  F.  Angle,  settled  on  a  farm 
located  near  the  mill.     0.  F.  Angle  some  years  later  came  to 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  505 

Sparta  and  weut  iuto  the  livery  business  and  was  elected  sheriff 
of  the  county,  serving  one  term.  Dr.  Angle,  however,  did  not 
stay  a  great  while  in  the  sawndll  business,  but  sold  out  to  Ed- 
ward Canfield,  brother  of  Lee  Canfield,  Sr.  Edward  Canfield 
had  one  of  those  dreams  which  came  to  many  enterprising  settlers 
in  the  days  of  the  early  settlement,  a  dream  which  pictured  a 
city  on  the  site  occupied  by  his  mill  and  the  two  or  three  stores 
and  dwellings  of  the  then  inhabitants  of  the  village,  and  so  he 
had  a  plat  made  of  the  land,  streets  and  alleys  regularly  set 
out  and  dedicated,  had  the  plat  duly  made  by  the  county  sur- 
veyor. Seeking  to  give  it  a  name  equal  in  fame  with  "Sparta," 
he  called  it  "Athens,"  so  those  two  famous  cities  of  Greece  find 
their  namesakes  in  America,  but  history  was  not  kind.  Sparta 
became  a  city,  but  Athens  still  remained  a  country  village,  and 
its  shadow  gradually  grew  less  from  a  business  point  of  view, 
as  in  1856  there  were  more  stores  there  than  there  are  now.  It  is 
a  mistake  made  frecpiently  and  very  commonly  in  alluding  to 
Athens  as  "Angelo,"  but  that  is  not  correct,  as  the  settlement 
retains  upon  the  records  to  this  day  its  original  name  and  all 
conveyances  of  property  in  the  so-called  village  are  made  under 
its  name  of  Athens.  Originally  the  village  v\'as  laid  out  in  gen- 
erous proportions.  It  had  its  public  square,  now  occupied  by  a 
church;  and  its  "State  street,"  and  to  its  credit  be  it  said  that 
at  the  time  the  county  was  organized  this  little  group  of  settlers 
put  up  a  very  good  fight  to  have  the  county  seat  located  there. 
The  plat  of  Athens  was  recorded  in  the  offices  of  the  register  of 
deeds,  May  13,  1856,  made  by  C.  C.  Miller,  the  then  county  sur- 
veyor. Early  settlers  were  numerous.  Among  them  may  be  men- 
tioned L.  M.  Huntley,  who  arrived  in  1854,  as  did  George  Shepherd 
and  John  "W.  Smith.  In  1859  Rev.  Robert  Williams,  a  Welsh 
minister,  settled  in  the  town  and  established  a  Welsh  church. 
His  son,  W.  G.  Williams,  now  prominent  in  banking  circles, 
farmed  it  with  his  father  as  well  as  attended  to  his  ministerial 
duties.  The  old  Angelo  water  power  is  now  the  property  of  the 
0.  I.  Newton's  Sons  Company  and  is  used  for  furnishing  power 
for  the  electric  light  and  power  plant,  in  connection  with  the 
power  in  the  city  of  Sparta.  Within  the  town  are  many  valu- 
able small  fruit  farms,  many  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
this  industry  is  a  large  source  of  revenue  to  its  inhabitants.  The 
present  officers  of  the  town  are:  J.  W.  Leverich,  chairman; 
George  Kronberg  and  Jenk  AVilliams,  supervisors;  Wilber  S. 
Fish,  clerk;  Fred  Hutson,  treasurer;  Fred  Heilman,  assessor; 
E.  T.  Hanchett,  justice.    Population  census  of  1910,  666. 


50G  HISTORY  OF  :\H)XROE  OOFXTY 

BYRON. 

At  ;i  inciting  of  the  county  l)oarcl  of  ^lonroo  county  on  Jan- 
uary (i.  18G3,  a  petition  having  been  presented  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  proposed  town,  a  resolution  was  passed  detaching  town- 
ship sixteen,  range  three  west,  from  the  town  of  Leon  and  creat- 
ing it  the  town  of  Byron,  and  provided  that  the  first  election 
should  be  lield  at  the  house  of  Frederick  Swartslow  on  the  first 
Tuesday  in  April,  1863,  which  was  accordingly  done  and  the  town 
organization  perfected.  Originally  the  town  comprised  the 
entire^  territory  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Scott  and  Byron. 
A  large  portion  of  the  then  town,  in  the  nortlieast  part  especially, 
is  low  land  and  at  the  time  there  were  large  cranberry  marshes 
in  their  wild  state,  except  that  as  the  industry  developed  ar- 
rangements were  made  by  ditching  so  that  the  marshes  could  be 
flooded  whenever  there  appeared  to  l)e  danger  of  frost,  and  it 
was  during  the  height  of  this  business  that  a  station  and  post- 
office  was  established  at  Dodge's  mill  and  called  Norway  Ridge, 
the  name  it  still  bears.  Cranberry  culture  is  still  a  large  factor 
in  the  commercial  life  of  the  town.  Several  very  productive 
marshes  have  been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  development  and 
are  situated  near  Valley  Junction,  but  perhaps  the  most  valuable 
are  to  the  east  and  north  in  Juneau  and  Jackson  counties.  The 
town  was  not  settled  as  thickly  as  some  other  portions  of  the 
county  until  after  the  war,  and  is  now  rather  thinly  settled  in 
some  portions.  There  has  been  for  some  years  quite  a  sale  for 
the  peat  lands  around  Valley  Junction.  Drainage  ditches  have 
been  constructed,  which  developed  some  of  this  land  so  that  dry 
farming  is  carried  on  successfully.  Of  those  who  went  into  the 
rebellion  from  this  town  their  record,  if  they  were  enlisted  in  the 
county,  appears  elsewhere;  outside  of  that  there  is  no  record. 
The  present  town  officers  are :  C.  T.  ]\relteson,  chairman ;  super- 
visors, Odis  McLin,  A.  Anderson:  clerk,  F.  Muerman ;  treasurer, 
A.  'SI.  ("hristensen ;  assessor,  F.  A.  Bennett. 

Population  census  of  1010,  806. 

CLIFTON. 

Clifton  was  one  of  the  early  towns  being  organized  by  a 
resolution  of  the  county  board  on  August  14,  1855,  and  the  an- 
nual meeting  ordered  to  be  held  in  the  home  of  A.  Heath  on  the 
first  Tuesday  in  April,  1866.  The  meeting,  however,  was  held 
at  the  home  of  Tj.  A.  Farr.  The  first  town  officers  elected  at  that 
time  were  John  Foster,   chaii-man:  Andrew  Lansing  and  A.  H. 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  507 

Ishani,  supervisors ;  G.  B.  Holdeii,  town  clerk ;  L.  A.  Farr,  treas- 
urer; Edward  Masters,  school  superintendent;  Leonard  Phillips, 
assessor;  justices,  J.  L.  Sargent,  Charles  Dickinson  and  Edgar 
H.  Eddy;  constables,  Roswell  Smith,  A.  M.  Baldwin  and  Henry 
F.  Dresden;  sealer  of  weights  and  measures,  Smith  Austin;  so 
the  town  started  out  with  a  full  equipment  of  officers.  There 
were  twenty-four  votes  cast  at  that  election,  six  of  whom  are 
still  living.  The  oldest  settler  in  the  town  w^as  Lyman  Preseott, 
who  came  in  1853  or  1854.  Industries  began  early,  for  we  find 
that  in  1856  L.  A.  Farr  erected  a  sawmill,  and  in  1858  A.  A. 
Noyes  built  a  grist  mill.  The  first  farm  house  in  the  town  is  said 
to  be  the  one  erected  by  Lody  Angle  before  its  organization.  It 
will  be  noted  that  this  town  was  very  large  and  took  in  territory 
afterwards  cut  out  for  other  towns,  so  that  many  familiar  names 
of  other  towns  appear.  School  was  commenced  in  a  building 
l)uilt  in  1856  for  that  purpose.  There  are  at  present  three  school 
buildings  in  the  town,  all  first-class  district  buildings.  The  pres- 
ent town  officers  are:  Vincent  Arzt,  chairman;  Wm.  Vonhaden 
and  Cr.  Johnson,  supervisors ;  Oscar  Blaschke,  clerk ;  Frank 
Blaser,  treasurer ;  Edwin  Eirschele,  assessor ;  Charles  F.  Froh- 
mader,  justice  of  the  peace. 

Population  at  census  of  1910,  934. 

GLENDALE. 

This  town  was  organized  November  13,  1855,  and  the  first 
town  meeting  was  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  1856,  at  the 
home  of  Samuel  C.  Lyon.  The  officers  elected  at  that  time  w^ere 
Samuel  C.  Lyon,  chairman ;  Gaines  Phillips  and  C.  D.  Bradley, 
supervisors ;  Charles  Tollard,  clerk ;  Hiram  Driggs,  treasurer ; 
H.  J.  Moore  and  L.  Johnson,  justices;  J.  E.  Lyon,  J.  G.  Moore  and 
S.  Worden,  constables ;  R.  H.  Benedict  and  S.  D.  Moore,  assessors. 
The  first  store  building  was  built  by  J.  R.  Lyons  in  1871,  and  a 
mercantile  business  conducted  by  him  there  for  a  great  many 
years.  Mr.  Lyons,  at  the  preparation  of  this  work,  is  still  living, 
making  his  home  at  Kendall.  He  has  held  many  official  positions, 
being  at  one  time  member  of  the  assembly,  and  served  two  terms 
as  register  of  deeds  of  the  county.  A  postoffice  was  first  estab- 
lished at  the  home  of  S.  C.  Lyon  in  1872  with  him  as  postmaster. 
Glendale  has  a  noble  record  of  enlistments  in  the  army  during 
the  rebellion,  and  here  is  the  roll  of  honor:  William  Harland, 
John  Harland,  Henry  Davis,  Richard  Windson,  John  Brigham, 
Daniel  Newton,  Thomas  New^ton,  T.  B.  Broughton,  Z.  R.  Brough- 
ton,  P.  W.  Broughton,  Samuel  AVorden,  Leonard  Johnson,  John 


508  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXROE  COUNTY 

Birdsill,  George  Birdsill,  Chang  Green,  Chester  Green,  Mauson 
Green,  Richard  Douglas,  Job  Driggs,  Phillip  Spohn,  Charles 
]\Iiller,  AViliiam  ]\liller,  Ilial  AVest,  Casper  K(.'ller,  James  R.  Lyon, 
Samuel  Lyon,  Samuel  Richardson,  John  Richardson,  Perry  Rich- 
ardson, Nelson  Paine,  Norrie  Greely,  Henry  Greely,  John  Wil- 
liams, David  Moore,  Horace  ]\Ioore,  James  ]\IcQueen,  George  Rob- 
bins,  James  Dunlap.  Robert  Dunlap,  Frank  Fi'ench,  Hiram  French, 
Leander  Brainerd,  Organ  Benedict,  James  Searles,  Charles  Tol- 
lard,  0.  K.  Thompson,  Joseph  AVard,  James  Kellar,  John  Leason, 
and  ]5arroAV  Stone.  The  present  town  officers  are:  A.  I.  Street, 
chairman;  H.  D.  Chard  and  J.  R.  Rossol,  supervisors;  George  H. 
Robertson,  clerk;  E.  J.  Gregor,  treasurer;  J.  AY.  Bradley,  asses- 
sor; F.  C.  Stokes,  justice.    Population,  971. 

GRANT. 

This  town  was  so  long  a  part  of  the  town  of  Lincoln,  having 
been  set  off  in  1899,  that  its  early  history  is  that  of  Lincoln  and 
is  embodied  in  the  sketch  of  that  town.  The  present  officers  of 
the  town  are:  S.  F.  Shookman,  chairman;  AA'illiam  A^roman,  Her- 
maii  Kemp,  supervisors;  AA^.  C.  Green,  clerk;  Fred  Pnrdy,  treas- 
urer; Eli  Sutherland,  assessor;  Ham  Griffin,  Abe  Griffin  and 
AVilliam  Brennan,  justices.    Population,  442. 

GREENFIELD. 

Organized  August  14,  1855,  the  same  time  tliat  the  towns  of 
Clifton  and  Sheldon  were  organized,  and  in  point  of  years  it  is 
one  of  the  oldest  settlements.  A\^ith  the  building  of  the  Chi- 
cago, IMilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  line,  or  the  Milwaukee  &  LaCrosse 
Railway,  as  it  was  then  knowm  in  1858,  came  the  establishment 
of  the  little  settlement  of  Tunnel  City,  at  the  tunnel  on  that  line. 
This  place  has  grown  steadily  as  a  trading  point,  at  one  time 
being  a  central  market  in  the  blueberry  trade.  It  has  now  sev- 
eral stores  and  other  business  interests.  The  building  of  the 
^Milwaukee,  Sparta  &  Northwestern  Railway  in  1910  and  1911 
made  a  great  change  in  the  village  as  the  route  went  right 
through  the  business  section  of  the  place,  resulting  in  the  com- 
pany buying  a  lot  of  buildings,  and  in  some  cases  just  the  lots, 
so  that  the  little  place  has  shifted  around  considerably.  A  large 
double-track  tunnel  has  been  put  through  the  bluff  a  little  north 
of  the'tunnel  of  the  St.  Paul  company.  The  present  toAvn  officers 
are:  George  Becker,  chairman;  Fred  Heser  and  'M.  J.  Betthau- 
ser,  supervisors:  clerk,  AY.  II.  Hinds;  treasurer,  A\''illiam  Seno- 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  509 

gles;  Frank  Pier,  assessor;  D.  J.  Woodward  and  A.   I.  Reich, 
justices.     Population,  800. 

JEFFERSON. 

The  town  of  Jefferson,  lying  in  the  southwestern  part  of  J\Ion- 
roe  county,  known  as  township  fifteen,  north  of  range  three  west, 
was  originally  a  part  of  Portland  township,  which  comprised 
townships  fifteen,  range  three  west,  and  fifteen,  four  west,  until 
the  year  1858,  when  the  tow^nships  separated  and  township  fif- 
teen, range  four  west,  was  organized,  and  by  a  vote  of  its  people 
it  was  named  "Jefferson."  Township  fifteei:!,  range  three  west, 
retained  its  name  of  Portland,  which  it  still  bears.  The  years 
1854  and  1855  found  in  the  town  of  Jefferson  the  following  fami- 
lies located  on  their  several  homesteads :  Alex.  Thompson,  James 
Thompson,  Abram  Aller,  Joseph  McFarland,  John  and  Hames 
Draper,  John  Breatiff,  James  Stansby,  H.  Shattuck,  John  Hall, 
Simpson,  Thomas  and  Henry  Matby,  Richard  F.  Cole,  Thomas, 
William  and  Elviridge  Rathbun,  Oren  Hutchinson,  L.  AVeight- 
man,  Sam  Osburn,  Dixon,  Chester  Perkin,  Gibert  and  Washington 
Love,  Gilbert  Tuttle,  John  Sullivan,  Jefferson  Lower,  James 
Erkenbraetz,  Pat  Chambers,  Joseph  Koeslier,  Albert  Fisher, 
Christ  Fuhrmeister,  A.  Heiser,  Stephen  Doering,  Charles  Rumppe, 
Peter  Herring,  John  Krahenbush,  George  Klues.  In  the  year  1856 
and  early  in  1857  the  following  emigrants,  mostly  from  the  beau- 
tiful Rhine  river  country  near  Cologne,  established  their  homes 
in  this  town :  Hilger  Karis,  Matt  Esser,  Herman  Brois,  Peter 
Schrier,  John  and  Quirin  Schrier,  Hilger  and  Ludwig  Schotten, 
Caspar  Schmitz,  Peter  Gross,  John  J.  and  Fred  Gross,  Peter  and 
Caspar  Schiefer,  Mathias  and  Gerhard  Butzler,  Peter  Miehels, 
and  in  November  of  the  same  year  Cornelius  and  Henry  H. 
Cremer,  Henry  Berg,  Martin  Jungferdorf,  William  B.  Brueggen, 
Herbert  Koehlbraf.  William  McFarland,  John  Aller,  George 
Whittley,  Thomas  Young,  and  a  few  more.  At  this  time  and 
since  the  organization  of  the  town  in  1858  we  find  a  little  log 
school  house  in  Coles  valley,  and  near  Melvina  is  a  school  dis- 
trict called  "District  No.  1;"  a  little  frame  school  house  near 
Thompson's  is  District  No.  2,  and  a  little  log  school  house,  now 
known  as  St.  Mary's,  is  District  No.  3.  Richard  Cole  was  the 
first  chairman  of  the  town,  and  James  Thompson  and  Michael 
Wiebel  were  the  side  supervisors,  with  A.  Heiser  as  town  clerk 
and  Albert  Fisher,  town  treasurer ;  A.  Thompson,  assessor,  and 
James  Drapper,  town  superintendent  of  schools. 

In  the  spring  of  1858  the  first  church  was  built  in  the  town, 


510  IIISTOKY  OF  MONROP]  COUNTY 

being  the  Catholic  ehureh  of  St.  Mary's,  ^hieh  was  constructed 
of  logs  twenty  by  forty-eight  feet  in  size,  ne;ir  section  one.  The 
post  office  in  St.  ]\Iary's  was  established  in  1859.  Caspar  Schmitz 
was  its  first  postmaster,  and  during  this  time  new  settlers  came 
into  this  town:  .Jacol)  Joesten,  Mathew  !Muehlenberg,  C.  Wie- 
bell,  C.  Dickson,  S.  Betz,  Peter  Basciiii.li.  F.  R.'iiihnl.l.  C.  Bier- 
haum,  ]\latt  Ileintz,  Peter  Flock,  II.  Rondorf,  John  and  Jacob 
Seiberg,  J\Iannlius  Squires,  A.  Harrington.  A\'illiam  Collins,  John 
]\Iitchell,  Herman  Schrier  and  a  few  more.  It  was  indeed  a 
hard  struggle  for  tlic  first  settlers  in  the  fo^^n.  as  the  land  was 
very  hard  to  clear  and  the  crops  of  1858  and  1859  Avere  poor 
and  there  was  no  waj'  of  earning  anything  in  this  new  country, 
so  that  tlie  hardships  endured -by  the  pioneers  in  this  section 
were  quite  severe,  but  the  year  3860  brought  abundant  crops  of 
every  kind  and  tiie  people  began  from  that  time  to  prosper.  The 
first  presidential  election  was  held  in  the  town  of  Jefferson  in 
November,  1860,  and  the  toAvn  went  Democratic,  and  to  this  day 
has  ever  since  cast  its  majority  vote  in  the  Democratic  colunui. 
During  the  Civil  "War,  1861-1865,  the  toAvn  furnished  more  than 
its  quota  to  serve  their  country  in  this  struggle,  and  it  pro- 
gressed in  various  wa,ys,  forming  a  new  school  house  district. 
No.  4,  and  two  joint  school  houses  in  the  towns  of  Portland,  and 
Jefferson,  and  Wells,  and  the  ])olitical  affairs  for  a  good  many 
years  were  run  by  A.  Heiser,  Peter  Schrier,  P.  Basenach,  A. 
Fisher,  Cole  James  Thompson,  II.  II.  Cremer,  Q.  Schnieier,  and 
a  feAV  others,  and  at  this  time  Fred  Feihrmiester  was  town  su- 
perintendent of  schools  up  to  1862,  and  after  that  time  the  county 
superintendent  system  was  formed  and  Dr.  ^1.  R.  Gage  became 
county  superintendent. 

The  increasing  population  in  the  town  and  in  adjoining  towns 
made  it  necessary  for  the  people  around  St.  ]\Iary's  in  the  year 
1868  to  build  a  new  church,  which  was  constructed  of  lumber  forty 
by  eighty-four  feet  in  size,  and  ihcn  a  resident  priest  stationed 
there,  it  having,  previous  to  this  time  uji  to  1865,  been  attended 
from  LaCrosse ;  Jacob  Joisten  being  now  postmaster  at  St.  ^NFary's 
until  1884.  Capt.  C.  A.  Hunt  in  1866-67  bought  some  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  and  erected  the  first  mill  on  the  section, 
gathering  some  families  around  him.  This  ])Iiice  he  named  '']\Iel- 
vina,"  which  was  on  the  mail  route  that  then  existed  between 
Sparta  and  Viroqua,  and  the  captain  Avas  its  postmaster  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  ]\relvina  is  a  thrifty  village  and  the  railroad 
station,  with  good  markets,  and  merchants  lumdling  goods  of 
every  description,  lias  a  creamery,  a  i  liurch  ;ind  graded  schools. 


TOAVNSIIIP  HISTORY  511 

In  the  winter  of  1866-67  seventeen  families  organized  and  de- 
cided to  build  a  Catholic  church  in  Pine  Hollow,  being  the  north- 
east quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  twenty-nine,  to 
which  II.  H.  Cremer  donated  three  acres  of  land,  and  a  frame 
church  was  built  thirty-four  by  sixty-eight  by  twenty-two  feet 
in  size,  which  was  destroyed  by  a  tornado  on  the  25th  of  June, 
1875.  This  storm  swept  over  this  part  of  the  country,  doing 
great  damage.  Soon  after  that  the  organization  of  seventeen 
families  was  increased  by  the  following,  which  came  from  Jef- 
ferson county,  Wisconsin:  Peter  Klinkler,  Michael  Berens,  M. 
Hensen,  Joseph  Futhren,  j\Iatt  Biver,  A.  Justinger,  P.  Klesar,  F. 
Bussinger,  I\I.  Sneider,  J.  Graff,  Joseph  Bluer,  all  of  whom  came 
in  1868,  and  the  membership  of  this  church  having  increased 
to  about  sixty,  it  was  decided  to  build  a  new  structure  of  stone, 
which  was  completed  in  1878  and  remained  in  St.  Mary's  until 
1886,  when  it  received  its  own  pastor.  At  the  present  writing 
it  has  a  congregation  of  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  families, 
with  a  parochial  school  and  a  fine  government  in  every  way. 

Pine  Hallow's  postmaster  was  ]\Iatt  Cremer,  and  he  was  post- 
master from  the  early  70 's  to  1879,  when  the  postoffice  was  then 
established  in  Cashton  and  Mr.  Surdam  was  its  first  postmaster. 
In  the  year  1878  the  Northwestern  Railroad  Company  started  to 
build  a  road  from  Summit,  in  ]Monroe  county,  to  Viroqua,  in 
Vernon  county,  and  some  grading  was  done  along  the  line,  but 
it  appears  this  work  was  transferred  over  to  the  Chicago,  ]Mil- 
waukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  system  and  work  was  then  begun 
on  the  present  line  of  the  road  to  Melvina,  from  where  the  Hon. 
H.  H.  Cremer  was  the  first  to  buy  a  ticket  to  Sparta  over  that 
road,  December  25,  1878,  and  in  1879  the  road  was  completed  to 
Viroqua,  and  the  village  platted,  which  was  named  Cashton  in 
honor  of  W.  H.  Cash,  of  New  Lisbon.  Wis.  The  village  was  sit- 
uated on  section  thirty  and  people  now  began  buying  lots  and 
buildings  sprang  up  like  magic.  William  Byries,  Tate  Nelson, 
Matt  Cremer,  William  Kissel,  F.  Delle  and  many  others  erected 
business  buildings,  blacksmith  shops  and  the  like,  and  sooner 
than  the  space  of  one  year  it  became  quite  a  thrifty  village, 
though  under  the  town  government,  and  in  1891  the  village  was 
incorporated  under  the  statutes  of  this  state  and  began  to  operate 
its  own  affairs. 

The  town  of  Jefferson  has  from  its  earliest  organization. 
1855-1858,  to  the  present  time  progressed  in  its  farming  and 
dairy  interests,  and  its  people  have  kept  abreast  of  the  other 
towns  in  the  countv.    It  is  now^  considered  one  of  the  best  towns 


512  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

in  ]\Ionroe  county,  having  in  its  domain  tlie  village  of  j\Ielvina, 
with  its  schools  and  church,  tlie  magniticent  church  of  St.  Mary's, 
a  parochial  school  and  district  schools;  and  Pine  Hallow,  Avith 
St.  Peter's  and  St.  Paul's  church  and  its  parochial  school,  and 
district  schools,  and  also  two  more  schools  of  modern  styles,  mak- 
ing in  all  eight  schools.  The  population  is  over  eleven  hundred. 
Two  lumber  yards  and  a  mill  at  Mclvina,  and  various  industries 
now  existing  at  the  village  of  Casliton  comprising  the  many  im- 
provements; the  people  are  active  and  industrious. 

At  this  time  only  tw^o  of  the  earliest  settlers  survive,  Henry 
H.  Cremer  and  Quirin  Schreier;  the  rest  have  gone  to  their  long 
reward,  so  that  many  doubtless  interesting  incidents  of  the  hard- 
ships and  trials  of  those  early  pioneers  are  forever  lost.  Its 
present  officers  are  AVilliam  Ileiser,  chairn^an;  R.  Bruggeman 
and  W.  Mullenberg,  supervisors;  H.  J.  AVillgrub,  clerk;  Frank 
AV.  Scliroicr,  treasurer,  and  Peter  Jost,  assessor. 

CHURCH  OF  THE  NATIVITY  OF  ST.  MARY'S. 

This,  the  oldest  religious  community  in  the  county  of  Monroe, 
was  founded  in  the  fall  of  1856  by  ten  immigrant  families  from 
Germany,  They  were  at  the  same  time  the  first  settlers  of  what 
is  known  as  St.  ]\Iary's  ridge,  in  the  towns  of  Jefferson,  AVells, 
and  Sheldon.  Their  names  are :  John  Schreier  and  family, 
Peter  Schreier,  Herman  Schreier,  Quiram  Schreier,  Louis  Schot- 
ten,  Fred  Gross,  Herman  Bans  and  family.  Hilary  Karis  and 
family,  Peter  Michels  and  family.  Math.  Butzler  and  family,  Ger- 
hard Butzler,  Philip  Becklor  and  Jacob  Nelles,  Mr,  Peter  Schreier 
was  the  first  to  arrive  on  the  ridge  and  having  explored  the 
surroundings  called  the  rest  of  his  friends  in  the  fall  of  1856,  The 
year  folloAving  fifteen  more  families  from  the  fatherland  in- 
creased the  young  colony.  Among  these  were  Peter  Schiefer, 
Hilary  Schotten,  Peter  Gross,  Herman  AVackcr,  Casper  Schieflfer, 
Herman  Flock,  Henry  Schmitz,  Casper  Sclimitz,  John  Schaaf, 
Martin  Jungferndorf.  AVilliam  Brueggen,  Adam  Kohlgraf,  John 
Gross  and  Christ  Brueggen.  These  settlers  were  nearly  all  from 
the  shores  of  the  Rhine.  The  first  ground  Avas  donated  to  this 
congregation  by  Caspar  Schieffer.  It  forms  the  present  St. 
IMary's  cemetery,  where  nearly  all  these  old  settlers  were  finally 
l;ii<l  to  rost.  The  first  ])urial.  ]\Irs.  Peter  Gross,  took  place  July 
7,  1857.  The  first  religious  services  were  held  under  the  open 
sky.  Rev.  Henry  Tappert,  at  the  time  tlio  only  Catholic  priest 
in  LaCrosse,  took  charge  of  this  new  comnuinity  as  a  mission, 
traveling  the  distance  of  fortv  miles  with   a   team  of  oxen,  at 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  513 

regular  intervals.  First  Catholic  services  were  conducted  in 
Monroe  county  here  on  the  ridge  by  Rev.  Tappert  in  the  home  of 
Hilary  Schotten,  the  present  home  of  Mr.  Godfry  Butzler,  1857. 
The  first  Catholic  church  built  in  Monroe  county  was  the  log 
church  built  by  the  farmers  at  St.  Mary's,  twenty  by  thirty  feet, 
and  this  developed  to  be  the  center  of  Catholic  worship  for  all 
the  different  nationalities.  The  oldest  church  record  existing 
dates  from  the  year  1858,  kept  by  Peter  Gross,  and  enumerates 
thirty-nine  families. 

In  the  year  1860  the  postoffice  was  started  at  St.  Mary's.  The 
first  incumbent  United  States  postmaster  was  Casper  Sehmitz. 

In  1861  Rt.  Rev.  Michael  Henni,  bishop  of  Milwaukee,  vis- 
ited the  Catholics  in  Monroe  county  at  St.  Mary's  for  the  first 
time. 

The  year  1862  mentions  in  the  church  records  the  arrival  of 
the  first  Irish  Catholic  settlers  in  this  locality,  James  i\Iurphy, 
Thomas  Sullivan,  B.  McDermit,  and  P.  Haney.  In  1868  the  little 
church  had  outgrown  the  increasing  community  and  seventy- 
six  families  registered  to  support  the  erection  of  a  new  church. 
The  same  was  built  in  1869  at  a  cost  of  $3,200.  The  Rev.  S.  Flor- 
entine was  the  first  resident  Catholic  priest  in  Monroe  county. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Michael  Heiss.  All  of  Monroe  county 
was  under  his  administration  and  the  records  here  mention  births 
and  baptisms  from  all  over  the  county.  A  document  dating  from 
the  year  1868  records  in  most  solemn  words,  the  dedication  and 
consecration  of  two  church  bells.  Rev.  Herman  Gross,  a  man 
of  exceptional  talents  and  deep  piety,  was  Rev.  Michael  Heiss 's 
successor.  He  organized  from  St.  Mary's  the  present  congrega- 
tion of  Bad  Ax,  in  Vernon  county.  The  congregation  at  Cashton 
and  Pine  Hollow  was  also  branched  off  from  St.  ]Mary's  at  this 
time. 

A  mission  was  held  here.  Catholic  revival,  by  the  then  well- 
known  Rev.  Becker,  S.  J.,  and  later  on  by  the  old  pioneers.  Revs. 
Port  and  Newbrand,  S.  J.,  in  1879  and  1890.  Rev.  Willibald 
Hackner  had  charge  of  St.  jNlary's  twice.  Among  the  other  well- 
known  pastors  are  to  be  mentioned  Revs.  John  G.  Laurer,  J.  ]\I. 
Wicker,  J.  J.  Meyer,  Willibald  ]\Iahowald,  0.  S.  B.  This  congrega- 
tion Avas  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Wisconsin,  December 
24,  1883.  Our  church  records  mention  the  founding  of  Norwalk 
in  1873  and  report  that  the  place  was  first  called  Dover.  ( ?) 
Mr.  Quirin  Schreier,  an  old  settler,  taking  the  census  in  1880 
mentions  that  Cashton  was  a  town  of  forty-one  souls.  The  first 
Catholic  school  at  St.  Mary's  was    conducted    by    Mr.    Quirin 


514  HISTORY  OF  :\10XR0E  ("OUXTY 

Sclireier.  The  present  substantial  stone  school  building  was 
erected  in  1889.  The  graded  school  of  eight  grades  is  conducted 
by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Francis,  from  LaC'rosse,  and  frecjuented  by 
130  children.  It  is  heated  by  steam  and  is  a  free  school.  The 
present  St.  Mary's  church,  un(iuestioi)ab]y  one  of  the  most  stately 
houses  of  worship  in  the  county,  was  built  in  18i)7  by  ]\lr.  Henry 
Roettiger,  a  well-known  contractor,  of  Fountain  City.  The  build- 
ing measures  122x50  feet,  witli  a  tower  of  140  feet.  It  is  con- 
structed of  stone  and  (Team  brick  and  conforms  to  the  old 
gothic  style.  The  cliurch  is  licrited  by  steam.  The  furniture,  its 
altars,  pulpit,  etc.,  are  i)roductions  of  the  E.  Ilackner  Co.,  of 
LaCrosse,  AVis.  The  fresco  painting  and  two  original  ten  by 
fourteen  feet  large  scriptural  oil  paintings  complete  tlie  build- 
ing. This  church,  though  far  in  the  country,  is  visited  by  many 
strangers  and  has  drawn  forth  much  wonder  and  admiration. 
The  building  was  twice  damaged  by  lightning,  and  consequently 
is  now  also  protected  by  the  latest  approved  rods.  It  is  esti- 
mated to  represent  a  present  valuation  of  about  $50,000. 

Since  1904  Rev.  John  Kaiser  is  the  pastor.  lie  is  assisted  by 
Mr.  H.  M.  Flock,  present  chairman,  of  Ridgeville,  and  ]\Ir.  Fred 
Degenhardt,  as  trustee.  The  congregation  numbers  140  families; 
110  of  same  are  Germans  and  the  remainder  are  of  Irish  descent. 
Services  are  given  every  Simday  in  botli  languages.  The  com- 
munity increases  annually  by  an  average  bii-th  number  of  30. 
against  which  there  are  about  six  to  \on  funerals.  The  congre- 
gation owns  ;il)out  seven  acres  of  bind  whereon  its  church,  par- 
sonage, teachers'  residence  and  scliool  bouse  are  placed.  All 
the  buildings  have  modern  improvements  and  are  substantially 
built.  The  members  of  St.  ]Mary's  church  are  frugal,  industrious, 
charitable,  healthy  and  God-fearing,  and  conse((uently  ha])py  and 
idiundantly  blessed. 

RFV.  JOHN  KAISER. 

SS.  PETER  AND  PAULS  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

PINE  HOLLOW. 

The  first  meeting  in  order  to  start  SS.  Peter  and  Paul's  con- 
gregation was  held  at  the  old  home  of  ^Ir.  Henry  II.  Cremer. 
December  14,  1867.  The  pioneers  who  took  part  in  organizing 
the  parish  were  the  following:  Henry  II.  CreuKM',  Peter  Ileintz. 
]\lichael  Berens,  Bernard  Leis,  Peter  Basenach,  ]Matt  Ilenitz,  Jo- 
seph Koessler,  Peter  Krall,  Anthony  Schmelzer,  Peter  Bredel, 
Henry  Bergs,  Peter  Hansen,   Adrian   ]\Iiller,   Adam    ^lildbaner, 


TOAVNSIIIP  HISTORY  515 

Simon  Betz,  Gerard  Biitzler,  and  Peter  Klinkner.  These  seven- 
teen men  went  to  work  and  built  a  frame  ehnreh  on  the  same 
plaee  where  we  find  the  cemetery-ehapel  today.  In  this  chureh 
the  services  were  held  for  about  seven  years.  On  June  24,  1875, 
a  cyclone  took  the  ])uilding  from  its  foundation,  leaving  a  pile 
of  ruins.  By  that  time  the  number  of  families  had  become  forty 
and  these  forty  at  once  started  a  new  church  at  the  place  donated 
to  the  congregation  by  Mr.  Henry  Bergs.  The  church  was  built 
of  stone,  as  one  of  the  old  members  remarked  at  the  time  :  "One 
of  rock  on  rock  so  no  wind  can  l)low  it  down  again."  This 
building  was  enlarged  in  the  year  1896,  so  by  this  time  it  is  118 
feet  long.  Until  1886  the  services  were  conducted  by  the  re- 
spective pastors  of  St.  ^Mary's,  five  miles  northeast  of  Pine 
Hollow.  In  1886  a  parsonage  was  erected,  and  the  same  year 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul's  congregation  had  its  first  resident  pastor, 
namely,  Rev.  Anthony  Havestadt,  now  pastor  of  Big  River,  Wis. 
He  worked  for  the  welfare  of  the  parish  fill  1892,  when  the  pres- 
ent pastor.  Rev.  Peter  Schnitzler,  took  charge  of  the  place.  In 
1893  SS.  Peter  and  Paul's  Catholic  school  was  built,  which  is  in 
charge  of  the  Dominican  Sisters  of  Racine.  The  number  of  pu- 
pils are  about  one  hundred.  AVhile  the  congregation  was  started 
by  seventeen  members,  today,  September  18,  1911,  we  count  156 
families,  with  1,025  souls.  The  pastor,  Rev.  P.  Schnitzler,  is  also 
attending  to  St.  Patrick's  church  in  Vernon  county,  seven  and 
one-half  miles  southeast  of  Cashton. 

LAGRANGE. 

This  town  was  one  of  the  late  ones  in  its  organization,  being 
originally  a  part  of  the  town  of  Lincoln.  It  was  set  of¥  by  the 
county  board  November  13,  1873,  and  its  first  election  held  at  the 
Dodgeville  school  house  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April,  1874. 

The  history  of  the  town  is  closely  allied  with  that  of  Lincoln 
and  early  records  cannot  be  obtained.  It  has  developed  info  one 
of  the  wealthiest  towns  in  the  county  in  farming  lands,  and  now 
boasts  of  a  railroad  station  on  the  Northwestern  line,  constructed 
as  the  ]\Iilwaukee,  Sparta  and  Northwestern  originally,  which 
runs  through  the  town.  It  sent  many  men  into  the  war  of  the 
rebellion,  those  who  enlisted  in  Monroe  county  being  given  in 
another  chapter.  "Within  the  limits  of  this  town  is  situated  the 
government  Indian  school,  described  elsewhere.  From  this 
town  have  come  many  men  prominent  in  county  affairs  and  to 
attempt  to  name  them  all  in  this  brief  outline  would  be  too  much 
of  a  task  should  a  sketch  of  each  be  attempted.     Elsewhere  in 


516  IIISTOKY  OF  .MOXKUE  LUL'XTY 

this  work  will  be  foimd  the  lives  of  many  of  its  proinineut  citi- 
zens, and  these  go  iu  great  part  to  make  up  the  history  of  the 
town.  The  present  officers  are:  W.  E.  Bolton,  chairman;  W. 
Houn  and  George  Ileser,  supervisors ;  G.  M.  Prickett,  clerk ; 
treasurer,  A.  N.  Getman ;  assessor,  X.  J.  Forrest ;  justice,  A.  J. 
Vandervort.    Population,  1.124. 

TOWN  OF  LAFAYETTE. 

The  town  of  Lafayette  was  organized  in  the  spring  of  185G. 
being  detached  from  the  town  of  Angelo.  The  first  town  meet- 
ing was  held  at  the  residence  of  L.  A.  Farr.  on  section  twenty- 
six,  on  the  first  day  of  April,  1856,  with  John  Foster,  Andrew 
Lansing  and  Jacob  L.  Sargent  acting  as  inspectors  of  election. 
The  whole  number  of  votes  cast  at  this  election  was  thirty-four, 
resulting  in  the  following  named  persons  being  elected  the  first 
officers  of  the  town  :  Chairman,  John  Foster ;  supervisor,  Andrew 
Lansing,  A.  IL  Isham ;  clerk  of  town,  G.  B.  Holden ;  town  treas- 
urer, L.  A.  Farr;  town  superintendent  of  schools,  Edward 
Marten;  town  assessor,  Leonard  Phillips;  justices,  Jacob  L.  Sar- 
gent, Charles  Dickinson,  Edgar  H.  Eddy  and  Charles  AVilson ; 
constables,  Roswell  Smith,  Amos  ]\I.  Baldwin  and  Henry  F.  Dres- 
den ;  sealer  of  w^eights  and  measures,  Smith  Austin.  During  the 
summer  vacancies  occurred  in  the  offices  of  chairman,  of  town 
board  and  superintendent  of  schools,  John  P'oster  moving  from 
town.  AV.  J.  Tucke  was  chosen  at  the  fall  election  to  fill  out  his 
unexpired  term,  and  AVilliam  Bush  was  chosen  to  fill  out  the 
unexpired  term  of  Edward  Masters  as  superintendent  of  schools. 
Masters  having  absconded.  At  the  fall  election  of  1856  forty-six 
votes  were  cast,  an  increase  of  twelve  during  the  summer.  At 
the  1857  election  fifty-five  A'otes  were  cast;  at  the  town  meeting 
of  1858,  eighty-one  votes  were  cast ;  at  the  general  election  of 

1859,  seventy-one  votes  were  cast ;  at    the    general    meeting    of 

1860,  ninety-seven  votes  were  cast;  at  the  general  election  of 
1868,  ninety-eight  votes  were  cast.  In  1871  or  1872  the  county 
board  annexed  to  the  town  of  LaFayette  town  nineteen,  formerly 
known  as  the  town  of  Eaton.  To  this  the  people  of  LaFayette 
were  decidedly  opposed  and  petitioned  ]\[r.  A.  II.  Isham,  who 
was  chosen  chairman  of  the  town  the  following  year,  to  use  his 
influence  with  the  county  board  to  get  rid  of  that  territory,  the 
result  being  that  at  the  county  board  meeting  of  1872  or  1873 
the  town  of  New  Lyme  Avas  organized,  being  the  old  town  of 
Eaton. 


WILLIAM   I.   BUSH 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  517 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

In  185J:  Lloyd  Angle  eanie  to  IMonroe  county  from  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  stopping  for  a  short  time  in  Angelo,  where  his  brother, 
Dr.  Seth  Angle,  had  preceded  him  and  had  located,  soon  after 
building  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  but  Lloyd  Angle  located  in  LaFay- 
ette,  on  section  twenty-nine,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Sar- 
gent farm ;  in  the  summer  of  1853  built  the  first  farm  house  in 
the  town,  an  excellent  building  for  the  times,  which  burned  down 
a  fcAv  years  later.  Lyman  D.  Roescott  came  from  Waukesha 
county  in  1853,  and  located  on  section  twenty-eight.  In  1853 
Rev.  AYilliam  Bush  came  from  New  York  state,  bought  the  north 
half  of  section  thirty-three,  and  in  September,  1855,  moved  his 
fandly  to  their  new  home.  The  family  consisted  of  his  wife, 
formerly  Ursula  Graves,  and  four  children,  O.  R.,  by  a  former 
wife;  Mary  E.,  William  E.,  George  W.  and  Nettie  U.,  born  in 
1859.  L.  A.  Farr,  who  came  from  Ohio  in  1841,  locating  in  Dane 
county,  moved  to  the  town  of  LaFayette  in  1855,  locating  on 
section  twenty-nine,  where  the  town  hall  now  stands.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  became  associated  with  John  Foster  in  building 
the  first  sawmill  in  the  town.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
village  of  LaFayette,  or  "Best  Point,"  as  it  was  first  called. 
About  1857  A.  A.  Noyes  came  from  Baraboo  and  built  a  grist  mill 
at  Tar  Falls,  on  Tar  Creek ;  in  1857  Spieer  Shaw  came  from  New 
York  state  and  built  a  tavern,  the  first  hotel  in  town,  which  he 
opened  and  called  the  ''York  State  House."  A  store  was  opened 
by  a  man  named  Grant  and  another  man  l)y  the  name  of  Ranny ; 
a  shoe  shop  was  started  by  A.  II.  Southard  and  a  blacksmith  shop 
by  Henry  Fabin. 

In  1858  the  Milwaukee  &  La  Crosse  railroad  Avas  built 
through,  going  within  less  than  a  mile  of  the  village,  which  was 
now  a  hununer,  contractors  and  railroad  men  for  a  time  making 
it  their  headquarters.  About  this  time  Noah  Dickman  com- 
menced the  erection  of  a  large  hotel,  two  stories  and  a  basement, 
but  he  was  too  slow,  for  before  it  Avas  finished  the  boom  col- 
lapsed and  it  was  never  occupied.  It  went  afterwards  by  the 
name  of  "Noah's  Ark."  The  York  State  House  was  for  a  time 
after  that  kept  by  Charles  Dickman,  who  came  from  Sparta. 
During  the  building  of  the  mills,  stores  and  the  railroad,  and 
for  two  or  three  years  afterward  LaFayette  was  a  busy  point, 
l)ut  nothing  now  marks  it  except  the  old  residence  of  Mr.  Farr 
on  the  north  bank  of  Tar  creek.  Among  the  early  settlers  was 
Levi   St.   John,  coming  from  Rock   county,  AA^isconsin,   in   1855. 


518  HISTORY  OF  AlOXROP:  COUNTY 

1 1  is  daughter,  Kinina  St.  John,  is  belii'ved  to  l)e  the  first  Avliiti' 
child  born  in  the  town.  II.  G.  Shaw  arrived  in  1857  with  a  fam- 
ily of  six.  J.  C.  Dana  eanie  from  New  York  state  in  1855,  locat- 
ing on  section  fifteen,  having  married  Eveline  P.  Eddy,  and 
before  coining  west  two  children  wei'e  born  to  thcni.  Milo  J.  and 
Edith  K.  .Air.  Dana  died  in  181)2.  .Mrs.  Dana  still  lives  in  the 
town  at  the  home  of  her  grandson.  Ralk  E.  Dana.  In  1855  T.  J. 
Rowan  came  to  Monroe  county  Ifoni  Ohio,  for  a  time  s1()i)ping  in 
Big  Creek  valley,  soon  after  locating  in  LaF.iycttc  township.  In 
the  same  year  there  came  with  Ivcv.  William  Bush,  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Graves  and  wife,  with  one  son.  \V.  I-].,  and  a  daughter, 
Olive,  who  afterwards  married  .1.  ]\I.  ]\Iorrow.  Nathaniel  Graves 
located  on  section  twenty-nine  and  soon  afterwards  opened  a 
blacksmith  shop.  l)elieved  to  be  the  first  one  in  ojieration  in  the 
tow-n. 

Abner  H.  Isham.  native  of  New  York,  canu^  to  ^Monroe  county 
from  Rock  county  in  185.S,  jiurchased  228  acres  of  land  in  section 
twenty-nine,  then  a  part  of  Angelo.  ar.d  in  ^H^^7)  moved  his  family 
to  his  new  home.  INlr.  Isham  Avas  a  man  ol'  hn-ge  (|ualities  of 
heart,  and  mind,  public-spirited,  generous,  htlpful  and  hopeful, 
a  man  to  tie  to  as  a  friend;  a  trusted  public  servant,  as  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  for  more  than  thirty-five  years  he  w^as  one  of 
the  superintendents  of  the  poor  of  ]Monroe  county.  He  was  a 
prominent  ^Mason  ami  attained  high  honors  .Muong  his  brethren; 
a  believer  in  Christianity  and  a  friend  and  helper  of  every 
Christian  and  moral  movement. 

M.  V.  B.  ]\Iorse,  born  aiul  raised  in  New  Ham])shire,  came  to 
the  town  in  1856;  C.  N.  AVright  came  with  him  from  the  same 
place  and  located  in  tln^  town,  afterwards  moving  to  Sparta  in 
the  60 's.  Soon  after  ilr.  ]\lorse's  arrival  A.  IF.  ^lay,  his  brother- 
in-law,  came,  and  together  they  ]Mirchase(l  440  acres  of  land  in 
Bush  Prairie,  and  until  ]May's  dinith  condueted  this  large  farm 
under  the  firm  nanu'  of  oMorse  &  May. 

C.  E.  Ilaiichett.  a  native  of  New  York,  canu^  first  to  the  town 
of  Angelo  in  185(),  buying  land  in  LaKayett"  at  about  the  same 
time.  Here  he  developed  a  fine  farm,  Avas  an  up-to-date  farmer 
and  a  good  business  man.  He  liuilt  the  second  frame  barn 
erected  in  tln'  town,  AVilliam  Bush,  his  neighboi'.  building  the 
first.  George  E.  ITanchett  came  ;it  the  same  time  as  C.  E.  and 
bought  land  in  LaFayette,  and  at  first  ojiened  up  a  blacksmith 
sho]).  He  dev(4oped  a  fim^  farm  and  entered  in  later  years  into 
the  Irnit  business  which  his  son.  AVilliam  II.,  has  continued. 
"William  II.  was  born  and  raised  iu  the  town  and  has  acquired 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  519 

great  prominence  in  agricultural  circles.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  promoters  of  the  Sparta  Fruit  Growers'  Association  and 
for  many  years  has  been  its  president ;  established,  in  company 
Avith  his  brother-in-law,  E.  A.  Smith,  the  AVisconsin  Fruit  Pack- 
ers' Company,  at  North  Crandon ;  is  president  of  the  ]\Ionroe 
County  Guernsey  Breeders'  Association. 

Roswell  Smith,  so  well  and  favorably  known,  who  recently 
died,  came  in  1855,  being  here  at  the  organization  of  the  town. 
A.  W.  Smith,  a  brother,  commonly  known  as  "Gus. "  came  first 
in  1855,  and  permanently  located  in  the  tovvn  in  1856,  and  at 
about  the  sanu^  time  Peter  Frye  arrived  and  located. 

Joseph  Covey  came  in  the  spring  of  1855  from  Illinois,  locat- 
ing on  section  thirty-three.  J.  J.  French  came  to  the  town  in  the 
50 's,  settled  on  section  twenty-nine  and  opened  up  and  developed 
a  large  farm ;  was  treasurer  of  the  town  during  his  residence 
there.  He  afterwards  moved  to  the  city  of  Sparta,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death.  I.  AV.  Cooper  Avas  another  early  settler, 
coming  from  Connecticut,  Iniying  200  acres  in  section  twenty- 
one. 

Lewis  D.  Evans  soon  after  emigrating  to  America  from 
Wales  settled  in  Waukesha  county,  remained  there  for  seven 
years,  moving  to  the  town  of  LaFayette  in  1854,  buying  a  large 
tract  of  land  in  section  eighteen,  and  by  hard  work  and  Welsh 
sagacity  developed  a  fine  farm,  and  in  1886,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  was  considered  very  well  ofP.  Charles  T.  Rhodes,  orig- 
inally from  Connecticut,  having  worked  for  a  time  in  Chicago  in 
the  j\IcCormick  Harvester  Works,  came  to  the  town  in  the  spring 
of  1855,  buying  several  large  tracts  of  land.  Chandler  Dam- 
man  came  to  Wisconsin  from  INIaine  in  1814,  settling  in  Dane 
county,  and  in  1857  removing  to  Monroe  county,  locating  on  the 
farm  noAv  owned  by  William  Heasty. 

Henry  R.  Jones  and  AV.  P.  Williams  came  from  Wales  in 
1865,  locating  in  what  is  known  as  Welsh  valley.  Bruce  E. 
McCoy  settled  at  a  point  wdiere  the  village  used  to  stand  after- 
ward in  1868  and  Avas  very  prominent  in  the  development  of  the 
toAvn  from  that  time  on.  Space  forbids  the  tracing  of  family 
histories,  but  this  record  shows  that  LaFayette  had  more  than 
her  share  of  good  men  in  the  early  days,  men  Avho  became  prom- 
inent in  county  and  state  at¥airs.  The  toAvu  is  finely  developed 
and  AA'ithin  its  borders  are  many  valuable  small  fruit  farms,  and 
it  is  also  rich  in  dairying  industry. 

Its  present  officers  are:  J.  A.  BroAvn,  chairman;  Ed.  Allen- 
dorf  and  Bernard  Alukrenin,   supervisors ;   C.   W.   Smith,   clerk; 


520  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Albert  Wymaii,  treasurer;  A.  J.  Torrey,  assessor;  M.  -J.  Dana, 
justice,    ropulatiou,  387. 

The  first  cheese  factory  in  the  town,  aiid  perhaps  in  the 
county,  was  established  by  Morse  &  Diinkart  in  1871  or  1872. 

About  this  time  occurred  wliat  was  perhaps  tlie  most  remark- 
able flight  and  nesting  of  wild  pigeons  that  ever  occurred  any- 
M'here.  About  six  or  seven  miles  north  of  LaFayette  mills  the 
pigeons  nested  in  the  "grey  pines" — myriads  of  them.  The  nests 
were  so  close  together  that  there  Avould  frequently  be  from  fifty 
to  one  lumdred  nests  in  one  tree.  It  is  related  by  B.  E.  McCoy, 
then  a  resident  of  the  town,  thai  Ih^y  came  on  a  ]\Ionday  morn- 
ing, and  that  the  roar  of  their  fliglit  was  as  loud  as  the  noise  of 
a  train  of  100  cars  on  frozen  ground.  It  was  a  great  time  for 
hunters  and  sportsmen;  thousands  upon  thousands  of  tluMu  were 
killed  or  captured  alive  for  the  market,  the  Indians  especially 
reaping  a  great  harvest  in  the  squab  trade.  Tliis  nesting  oc- 
curred for  two  years,  the  first  time  heing  right  at  LaFayette 
mills,  and  the  next  about  seven  miles  north,  as  stated. 

At  the  time  the  Nortlnvestern  road  Avas  built  to  Sparta  the 
town  raised  $2,000  in  bonds  for  aid.  This  was  the  result  of  a 
visit  into  the  town  of  J.  ^1.  ]\Iorrow,  George  Richardson,  Dr. 
Gage  and  iMr.  ^Montgomery,  who  endeavored  to  secure  $4,000 
from  the  town  for  that  purpose. 

In  187'-?,  B.  ?].  McCoy,  then  and  for  many  years  chairman  of 
the  town,  nuide  a  notable  fight  on  the  county  board,  and  later  in 
the  courts,  over  the  sale  of  tax  certificates  on  lands  in  the  town. 
It  appears  that  there  was  a  very  large  amount  of  tax  certificates 
outstanding  on  lands  in  the  town  wliieh  the  county  treasurer  and 
elei-lv  considered  woiUdess.  and  the  j^roposition  was  made  at  the 
session  of  the  county  l)oard  of  that  year  to  sell  tliem  to  George 
Runkel.  who  offered  ten  cents  on  the  dolhir  for  tliein,  and  a 
resolution  passed  the  board  to  S'll  at  that  figure.  ^Ir.  ]McCoy 
protested  on  beliair  of  tlie  lown  and  fought  tlie  resolution  on  the 
ground  tliat  it  was  poor  ])olicy.  owing  1o  )iroba])l(»  illegalities, 
whicli  might  have  to  l)e  made  good  at  a  consideral)ly  larger 
price.  After  the  passage  of  the  resolution  formal  protest  was 
filed  for  LaFayette  by  ]\Ir.  IMcCoy. 

A  year  or  two  after  this  'Slv.  ^IcCoy,  acting  for  the  town, 
brought  suit  against  the  county  to  recover  the  face  value  of  the 
tax  certificates,  as  they  had  been  diai-ged  back  1o  flu-  town  and 
the  town  thus  became  the  owiu-i-  ol"  them.  Tlu^  result  of  this  liti- 
gatiou  was  Ihal  1lic  counly  was  eonqx'lled  io  ]r,\y  to  tlie  toAvn  of 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  521 

LaFayette  ^^1,503  for  the  eertifieates,  thus  viiidieating'  the  action 
and  jiulgmeut  of  Mr.  McCoy. 

Prior  to  the  attempt  of  the  government  to  remove  the  AVinne- 
bago  Indians  from  this  state  to  Nebraska,  a  council  of  the  tribe 
was  called  by  Governor  AVashburn  to  meet  in  the  town  of 
LaFayette.  This  council  was  held  on  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Sargent  place,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  McCoy's  mills.  At  this 
council  there  were  about  four  hundred  Winnebago  Indians. 
Governor  AVashburn  and  the  assistant  secretary  of  war  Avere 
there  and  conducted  the  negotiations  with  the  Indians,  Avho  were 
subsequently  taken  west  under  the  charge  of  Captain  Hunt. 

The  great  storm  in  Alarch,  187(3,  did  much  damage  in  the 
town,  and  the  Lafayette  mill,  in  common  with  several  mills  of 
the  county,  was  undermined  and  wrecked. 

In  1890  the  pasturage  of  cattle  on  a  large  scale  was  under- 
taken by  B.  E.  AlcCoy  and  son,  Colonel  McCoy,  on  a  portion  of 
the  lauds  now  in  the  military  reservation,  a  large  part  of  which 
was  owned  by  them.  This  was  continued  for  several  seasons 
with  much  success. 

LEON. 

The  first  settlement  in  this  town,  which  at  one  time  com- 
prised the  entire  county  of  Monroe,  was  made  in  1851  by  Ephraim 
Shaw,  who  arrived  in  June,  1851.  He  took  up  some  land  and 
went  to  farming.  This  farm  Avas  afterAvards  sold  to  Robert 
Smith,  Avho  in  1880  erected  a  handsome  brick  residence  almost 
upon  the  same  site  Avhere  Air.  ShaAv's  house  stood.  In  August, 
]851,  AV.  J.  Austin  arrived  in  Leon,  taking  up  1,400  acres  of 
land,  100  acres  of  Avhich  he  cleared  the  first  summer.  The  Aus- 
tin holdings  Avere  the  establishment  of  a  great  farm,  Avhich  as 
years  Avent  by,  Avas  cut  up  into  smaller  farms,  but  Avas  the 
foundation  of  the  Austin  fortune.  It  is  related  that  on  the  fifth 
season  of  his  farming  operations  he  gathered  a  crop  of  12,000 
bushels  of  grain,  9,000  of  Avhieh  Avere  oats,  tlie  balance  Avheat 
and  corn. 

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  November,  1853,  the  A'illage  Avas 
platted  and  its  inhabitants  became  convinced  that  it  Avould 
eventually  become  the  county  seat  of  a  ucav  county,  as  it  Avas 
then  the  only  regularly  platted  settlement  Avithin  the  limits  of 
the  county,  and  as  it  deA'eloped  later  on  the  village  did  make  a 
determined  effort  in  1854  to  have  the  county  seat  located  here 
in  the  bill  Avhich  Avas  before  the  legislature  i^roA'iding  for  the 
organization  of  Alonroe  countv ;  but  at  that  time  the  settlement 


522  HISTORY  OF  310XR0E  COUNTY 

at  Sparta  liad  grown  to  such  proportions  and  was  situated  on 
the  main  stage  lines  tliat  i1  was  successful  over  Leon  in  that 
contest;  the  village  cons(M|iicntly  has  never  grown  to  any  great 
extent,  being  more  of  a  ti-ading  point  than  anything  else. 

In  July,  1851,  K.  S.  Kingman  and  his  two  brothers,  Rosalvo 
and  Alvarado,  came  from  Ashtabula,  O.,  and  settled  in  the  town. 
Mr.  Kingman  afterwai'ds  Avcnt  lo  Sparta  and  was  closely  con- 
nected with  the  cailx  history  and  development  of  that  \  iUage 
and  city.  About  Ibis  lime  many  settlers  came  in  and  the  ])(>pu- 
lation  increased  rajiidly.  A  postolfice  was  established  in  185C. 
was  discontinued  after  a  few  years,  but  was  again  re-established 
and  has  existed  there  ever  since. 

In  1861  a  grist  mill  was  built  by  (\  F.  Western,  Avho  ran  it 
about  a  year,  when  it  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Austin  in  18G2.  The 
mill  at  one  time  during  his  ownership  had  four  run  of  stone  and 
turned  out  as  liigh  as  I-IO  barrels  of  flour  a  day.  The  mill  is  fur- 
nished l)y  a  tine  water  i)ower  equal  to  forty-eight  horse  power 
and  today  is  used  principally  as  a  feed  mill. 

Among  the  early  settlers  aside  from  those  mentioned  were 
A.  TI.  Gilliland.  who  came  in  1853;  AV.  S.  Jewell,  who  came  the 
same  year;  A.  II.  Matteson,  who  arrived  in  1858;  Charles  J.  Mat- 
teson.  who  settled  in  the  toAvn  in  1854,  built  a  store  and  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  for  about  twelve  years;  afterwards 
went  to  farming.  H.  A.  Link,  wlio  came  in  June,  1858.  His  son, 
the  Hon.  "W.  W.  Link,  still  resides  in  the  town  and  is  the  oldest 
living  settler.  He  has  lieen  prominent  in  ]\Ionroe  county  atfairs 
and  is  living  a  peaceful  life  on  his  estate  at  an  advanced  age.  In 
the  early  days  a  tavern  was  kept  at  Leon  by  D.  M.  "West,  who 
Avanted  tlie  town  naiiu^d  ''^Miranda,"  after  his  wife,  but  the  name 
was  proposed  by  a  man  named  LaAvton,  who  said  it  reminded  him 
of  a  beautiful  little  valley  he  had  seen  in  ]\Iexico  called  Leon. 
The  early  settlers  liked  it,  so  Leon  it  was.  Peter  DeCoursey,  Avho 
was  one  of  the  first  county  board,  came  in  1851  with  his  father, 
Isaac;  Samuel  AVakeman,  Reuben  Kudney.  Nelson  1'.  Carrier  in 
1852;  Aitlnii"  Jewel.  John  Oakley  and  Henry  Oakley,  1854;  Hiram 
Hutchins  and  Henry  Vanetten,  in  1855 ;  David  Johns  and  Lewel- 
len  Johns,  in  1853;  James  ]\rort()n.  the  stage  driver,  and  Samuel 
Greenman.  in  1852. 

The  first  religious  service  in  the  town  was  in  the  50 's  by  a 
Congregational  minister  named  Reynolds  sent  out  by  a  mission- 
ary society  in  the  Kast  to  ])reach  the  gospel  to  the  "heathen"  in 
Leon.    He  did  not  stay  very  long. 

Leon    is    truly    one    of    the  garden  spots  of  the  county.     Its 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  523 

beautifully  situated  farms,  highly  developed,  are  among  the 
richest  to  be  found  anywhere.  There  are  two  creameries  in  the 
town,  one  situated  in  the  settlement  and  the  other  on  the  farm  of 
Ernest  Austin,  one-fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  the  village.  There 
are  three  churches  in  the  town,  the  oldest  being  the  Congrega- 
tional, and  the  next  in  point  of  time  the  jMethodist  church.  At 
one  time  an  Advent  church  Avas  maintained  for  a  time,  but  went 
out  of  existence  for  lack  of  support.  There  is  a  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church  situated  on  Fish  creek  ridge,  about  five  miles 
from  the  village,  which  has  a  large  congregation. 

The  present  officers  of  the  town  are :  A.  E.  Evenson,  chair- 
man ;  Ben  Lee  and  Clyde  Richardson,  supervisors ;  Winfield  Link, 
clerk;  Ben  Fox,  treasurer;  E.  C.  Solberg,  assessor;  Justice,  Ben 
Fox.     Population,  751. 

TOWN  OF  LINCOLN. 

AVas  set  ofl:  November  22,  1860 ;  originally  included  territory 
comprised  in  it  and  towns  of  LaGrange  and  Grant.  In  April, 
1861,  the  first  town  meeting  Avas  held,  at  Avhich  AV.  L.  Hay  ward 
was  elected  chairman ;  M.  C.  Hart  and  Benjamin  Miller,  super- 
visors; AVilliam  Parsins,  toAvn  clerk;  C.  C.  Miller,  town  super- 
intendent ;  A.  Alaynard,  assessor,  and  AVilliam  Farnum,  toAvn 
treasurer. 

The  first  settler  in  the  territory  of  the  present  town,  Avhich  is 
township  nineteen,  range  one  west,  was  either  AV.  T.  Alaynard 
or  a  man  by  the  name  of  Isaac  Cooper,  each  of  Avhoni  came  into 
the  town  in  1855.  In  1857  Hannibal  Hamlin  Lamb  came  and 
erected  a  building  Avliich  became  familiarly  known  as  "Lamb's 
Tavern"  until  it  was  burned  doAvn,  the  last  occupant  of  which 
Avas  a  son  of  the  original  founder,  and  in  this  house  Avas  held  the 
first  tOAvn  meeting,  at  wdiich  Calvin  Beers  Avas  elected  chairman ; 
L.  N.  SAveet  and  William  Randall,  superAdsors;  AY.  A.  Barber, 
toAvn  clerk ;  Clifford  AYoodard,  treasurer,  and  J.  L.  Burk, 
assessor,  this  being  a  temporary  organization. 

The  first  saAvmill  in  this  ncAV  toAvn  Avas  built  in  1861  and  Avas 
knoAvn  as  "Beer's  mill,"  but  reliable  information  shoAvs  that  it 
was  built  by  other  parties.  It  Avas  in  this  mill  that  the  first  school 
was  taught  in  the  tOAvn,  and  the  first  sermon  preached,  and  the 
first  Sunday  school  held  Avithin  its  Avails.  The  first  sermon  was 
preached  by  old  Elder  Medd,  as  he  Avas  fandliarly  knoAA^i,  and 
one  other  minister,  Avho  came  into  the  town  early  and  was  knoAvn 
as  "Pappy  Lea,"  Avho  also  conducted  services  here.     About  the 


524  IlliSTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

year  1863  Kiiiory's  saAviiiill  and  also  Snow's  mill  wore  built. 
Emory's  mill  Avas  later  known  as  Lowrie's,  and  in  Ihis  mill  a 
boiler  ex])losioii  kilb'd.  or  fatally  injured,  John  Lidtlle  and  Mr. 
Gilson,  the  father  oT  W.  E.  Gilson,  who  is  at  present  a  resident  of 
the  town. 

In  ]8(i7  WaiTcii  and  Gand)le  bnill  the  sawmill  at  Ihc  place 
which  is  now  the  xiMage  -of  Warrens,  aiul  there  lias  been  several 
stationary  and  portable  sawmills  located  in  the  town  for  a  portion 
of  the  lime.  l)nt  oid.N'  one  of  early  date,  which  became  established 
as  a  i)ermanent  business,  is  the  George  Warren  Company,  of  War- 
rens, which  conducted  a  sawmill  business  for  a  great  many  years, 
and  it  lias  now  become  a  mill  for  finishing  lundier  ready  for  the 
builder.  This  firm  has  grown  to  such  ])roportions  that  they  noAV 
conduct  a  Idacksmith  shop,  repair  shop,  grist  mill  and  a  bank, 
each  business  being  located  in  connnodious  buildings. 

There  is  also  located  at  Warrens  the  Rex  ]\Ianiifacturing 
Company,  owned  liy  C.  O.  Siiipper,  and  this  plant  is  a  sawmill 
and  jdaning  mill,  manufacturing  and  repair  shop,  and  is  con- 
ducted in  a  substantial  stone  liuilding.  For  the  first  years  of  its 
existence  and  up  to  1871  mail  for  this  town  came  directed  to 
Tomah.  but  at  that  date  a  postoffice  Avas  established  near  War- 
ren's mills,  and  James  Gamble  bcn-ame  the  first  ]K)stmaster.  serv- 
ing until  1875.  when  AY.  A.  Barber  Avas  appointed,  and  he  has 
served  continuously  in  that  capacity  up  to  the  present  time.  The 
name  of  the  ]iostoffice  Avas  changed  to  AYarrens.  For  the  south- 
ei-n  j)oi'ti()ii  of  the  toAvnship  mail  Avas  i-eceived  at  the  Tomah 
postoffice  until  the  establishment  of  a  j^ostoffice  at  Kirby  and 
then  there  Avas  a  Aveekly,  and  afterAvards,  a  daily  service  from 
AYarrens  until  the  rural  routes  Avere  established.  In  the  toAvn- 
ship  there  ai'c  noAV  three  rural  routes  starting  from  Warrens 
Avhich.  to  a  great  extent,  cover  the  toAvn. 

The  cranberry  business  is  of  considerable  imiiortance  and  has 
been  lor  a  great  many  years.  Aluch  capital  has  been  invested  in 
inipiiixing  the  cranberry  marshes,  until  noAv  it  has  becoim^  a  i)er- 
manent  industry.  Here  also  at  the  village  of  AYarrens  is  a 
profitabh^  point  for  the  sale  of  Avild  blneberrjes  and  blackberries, 
and  (juite  a  number  of  farmers  in  this  vicinity  have  gone  into 
raising  strawberries,  raspberries  and  cultivated  blackberries,  so 
that  it  is  a  rai)idly  groAving  industry,  and  even  apples  are  being 
raised  to  some  extent  mi  tlie  heavi(M-  soil  of  the  ridge  lands.  The 
toAvn  has  many  up-to-date  and  jjrogressive  farmers,  and  in  com- 
mon with  most  of  the  toAvns  in  the  county,  the  dairying  industry 
has  become  piominent  and  the  breeding  of  thoroughbred  cattle 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  525 

is  undertaken  by  its  more  advanced  farmers  with  great  success. 

During-  the  Civil  AVar  the  town  furnished  four  sokliers,  all 
brothers,  and  were  the  sons  of  Landlord  Lamb,  of  "Lamb's 
Tavern:"  Louis  A.  Lamb,  Galon  A.  Lamb,  Henry  Lamb,  and 
William  Lamb,  w^ho  all  returned  honorably  discharged,  Galon  A. 
being  the  only  one  wounded,  and  he  still  resides  in  the  town. 
Some  of  the  earlier  pioneers  are  still  living,  notably  L.  N.  Sweet 
and  wife.  G.  R.  Baker  and  wife,  W.  A.  Barber  and  Avife,  Clifford 
Woodard  and  wife,  George  Munson,  F.  G.  Warren,  Louis  Morse, 
T.  R.  Gillett,  B.  L.  Gillett,  L.  L.  Gillett,  and  W.  H.  Gillett. 

The  present  town  ot^eers  are:  George  F.  Goff,  chairman; 
August  Burkholz  and  J.  P.  Pederson,  supervisors;  H.  H.  Harris, 
clerk,  and  L.  B.  Lauser,  treasurer. 

An  incident  is  told  of  one  of  the  earlier  settlers,  an  old-time 
hunter,  Silas  Patterson,  who  bears  on  his  person  the  marks  of 
an  attack  of  a  large  black  bear,  being  at  that  time  (not  many 
years  after  the  Civil  War)  in  need  of  aid  in  purchasing  supplies 
for  a  hunting  trip.  Mr.  F.  G.  Warren  w^as  asked  by  Patterson 
to  loan  him  the  money  with  Avhich  to  make  the  purchase,  stating 
that  if  Mr.  Warren  would  trust  him  he  would  pay  him  as  soon  as 
he  got  the  bounty  on  a  nest  of  young  wildcats  he  had  located. 
]\Ir.  Warren  replied  that  he  "did  not  care  to  take  chances  on  wild- 
cat security,"  but  much  to  his  surprise,  a  few  days  later  Silas 
came  in,  bringing  the  cats  ^nd  exclaiming,  "What  did  I  tell  you!" 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Spanish-American  war  Lincoln 
sent  two  men,  Mett  Rose  and  James  Larson,  who  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Third  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  served  through 
the  campaign  in  Porto  Rico,  returning  with  that  regiment  in 
October,  1898,  and  were  mustered  out. 

The  town  of  Grant  was  from  187-I  to  1891)  a  part  of  the  town 
of  Lincoln. 

Present  officers :  Geo.  E.  Goff,  chairman ;  August  Burkholz 
and  J.  P.  Pederson,  supervisors ;  H.  H.  Harris,  clerk ;  M.  P.  Laur- 
sen. 'treasurer ;  JMelvin  IMosher,  assessor;  W.  C.  Goff  and  T.  R. 
Gillett,  justices.    Population,  902. 

TOWN  OF  LITTLE  FALLS. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  organization  of  the  town  of  Little 
Falls  in  the  proceedings  of  the  county  board  of  this  county.  It 
seems  that  at  the  time  of  the  organization  of  this  county  the 
territory  comprised  in  the  towai  of  Little  Falls  and  wdiat  was 
then  known  as  the  town  of  Eaton  on  the  east  of  it  was  supposed 
to  be  in  Jackson  county,  and  these  two  towns  were  originally 


526  lllSTOKY  OF  .MOXHOH  ("OUXTY 

orgaiiizi'il  iiiid  their  tirsl  nicetiiigs  held  as  a  part  of  that  county, 
l)ut  subsequently  the  mistake  was  discovered  and  the  chairman 
of  the  town  board  of  Little  Falls  appeared  at  the  annual  session 
of  the  county  board  of  iMonroe  county  in  November,  1856,  claim- 
ing a  seat  as  a  member  of  that  body.  Objection  Avas  raised  to 
this,  but  the  reason  for  it  does  not  appear  upon  the  record.  After 
some  discussion  and  consideration  of  tlic;  matter  the  board 
tinally  voted  to  give  the  supervisor  from  the  town  of  Little  Falls 
a  seat  with  all  the  rights  of  a  member,  and  AV.  \V.  Benton  wa.s 
duly  sworn  in  as  the  first  member  of  the  county  board  from  the 
town  of  Little  Falls  on  Xovemlx-r  11,  1856.  Settlers  canie  into 
the  town  early  and  ])egan  developing  its  farm  and  timber  lands 
and  water  i)owers.  Perhaps  the  oldest  settlor  in  point  of  time 
was  AVilliam  Printz.  who  came  in  1852,  being  some  two  years 
before  the  county  itself  Avas  organized,  and  the  {)oint  near 
Cataract  Avas,  in  fact,  one  of  the  first  localities  in  Avhich  settlers 
])egan  to  take  up  land.  He  Avas  folloAved  by  Thomas  Richards 
in  1854,  and  the  other  pioneers  in  order  in  Avhieh  they  came  Averc 
George  Walters,  1855:  ^Ir.  Ilovey,  1855,  Avho  kept  a  store;  Bert 
:MatheAvs,  1856;  :\[.  P.  Matteson,  1856;  C.  AV.  Johnson.  1857;  John 
ir.  Brackett,  1864. 

There  Avere  many  other  settlers  betAveen  1856  and  1860,  but 
it  has  been  impossible  to  mention  them  all.  It  is  sufficient  to  say 
that  they  Aver(^  men  of  sturdy  character  and  lielped  to  build  uj* 
the  early  industries  of  the  toAvn,  laying  the  foundation  for  the 
future,  Avhieh  has  surely  proved  their  Avorth.  There  is  a  fin(! 
Avater  poAver  at  the  present  site  of  the  village  of  Catarait  Avhich 
has  been  in  use  for  a  great  many  years  and  at  one  time  furnished 
the  poAver  for  a  Avoolen  mill.  Avhich  Avas  erected  there  and  has 
since  run  vni-ious  institutions,  including  saw  mills  and  a  grist 
mill. 

BetAveen  the  years  1850  and  1860  the  tOAA'u  of  Little  Falls  saAV 
some  A'ery  lively  times.  There  Avas  no  railroad  then  at  Black 
River  Falls,  as  Sparta  liecame  the  first  railroad  point.  Little 
Falls  being  situated  on  the  Avay  betAveen  these  tAvo  toAvns  there 
Avas  considerable  teaming  done,  not  only  from  Sparta  up  to  the 
lumber  Avoods,  but  also  in  the  other  direction.  Freight  Avas 
hauled  back  and  forth  and  a  stage  made  daily  trips  each  Avay  be- 
tAveen Cataract  and  Sparta  and  to  Black  Riv(M'  Falls,  another  line 
running  also  from  Sparta  and  Cataract  up  to  Eau  Claire,  and 
during  this  period  and  later  these  stage  lines  and  freight  hauling 
companies  did  an  inunense  amount  of  travel.  Th(»  toAvn  being  sit- 
uated as  it  Avas,  became  a  sort  of  center  for  a  stopping  place  for 


TOAVNSIIIP  IITSTORY  527 

ti-MvcU'is,  and  at  one  time  there  were  six  hotels  in  the  town,  two 
at  the  village  of  Cataract,  one  at  ]\lax  Craig's,  one  at  !Sam  Ba- 
con's, one  at  Hugh  Gallagher's,  and  one  at  Pett's  tavern. 

At  the  breaking  ont  of  the  Civil  War  the  citizens  of  Little 
Falls  came  forward  handsomely  to  take  up  the  gun  for  their 
country.  On  the  call  for  three  months'  men  Ilarold  AValker  and 
George  Pomeroy  were  the  first  to  enlist,  and  at  the  second  call 
David  Douglas,  Perry  AValker  and  Alonzo  Barr  were  the  first 
to  i)ut  down  their  names  and  enter  the  service,  and  all  tJiree  were 
subsequently  killed.  All  of  the  men  who  went  to  the  front  from 
this  town  volunteered,  and  none  had  to  ho  drafted.  LaRoy  Farr, 
then  eighteen  years  of  age,  left  his  home  as  a  first  lieutenant, 
was  taken  prisoner  at  his  first  battle,  which  was  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, and  was  put  in  prison  at  Andersonville.  Later  he  was  sent 
to  IMacon,  Ga.,  and  when  he  was  finally  released  his  health  was 
broken  down.  The  veterans  Avho  enlisted  in  the  various  military 
organizations  in  the  rebellion  from  the  town  of  Little  Falls  were 
as  follows :  Samuel  Janes,  Warren  Pomeroy,  George  Pomeroy, 
Anthony  Trumbly,  Thomas  McCumber,  Samson  LaBew,  William 
Henry  Washburn,  Robert  A.  Duws,  II.  PI.  Atchison,  John  Baker, 
Isaac  i\Iatteson,  Charles  Matteson,  LeRoy  Farr,  Albert  IMatthews, 
C.  AV.  Johnson,  Austin  S.  Beemer,  David  Douglas,  Perry  AYalker, 
Harold  AValker,  John  Locke,  AA^illiam  Dodson,  Adam  ("arnahan, 
Archie  Carnahan,  Andrew  Carnahan,  Charles  Edwards,  Chub 
Sanders,  T.  P.  Loyd.  John  Alartin,  DeLos  Head,  Mr.  Birge,  Bert 
Matthews,  Alonzo  LaBarr.  Robert  AIcLain,  George  Cross,  Pliilo 
AValker,  ]\Ir.  Brennan,  Henry  Crossen,  Cummins  Sprout  and 
Rushbrok  Sweet. 

Most  of  the  town  is  now  well  developed  and  the  village  of 
Cataract  has  become  quite  a  little  settlement,  situated  as  it  is 
near  a  good  Avater  power  and  is  a  convenient  trading  point  for 
the  farmers  living  in  the  vicinity.  The  town  has  furnished  from 
its  citizens  several  men  who  have  acquired  prominence  in  the 
county  affairs,  among  Avhom  may  be  named  the  Seantletons, 
father  and  son ;  a\Iyron  Brackett,  who  for  a  number  of  years  was 
a  member  of  the  county  board  and  later  served  as  supervisor  of 
assessment  until  the  office  was  abolished ;  A.  J.  Carnahan,  who 
now  resides  at  Sparta,  but  who  was  elected  as  sheriff  while  a 
resident  of  the  town ;  Hugh  Gallagher,  who  was  chairman  during 
the  railroad  agitation,  when  the  now  defunct  Sparta-Melrose  rail- 
road was  cutting  a  good  deal  of  figure,  and  many  others  who 
have  helped  manage  the  affairs  of  their  town  and  county. 

During  1908-09-10  there  was  considerable  excitement  through- 


528  HISTORY  OF  .MUXKOE  CULXTY 

oiil  tile  town  over  llir  ])on(liiig:  of  it  to  aid  in  lniiUliiig  tlie  Sparta- 
]\lt'lrosc'  railroad,  whii-li  was  then  undt-r  consideration,  and  a 
rather  warm  meeting  was  held  upon  the  proposition  at  which  the 
citizens  took  sides,  whidi  finally  culminatetd  in  a  lawsnit  to  de- 
clare the  l)onds  illegal.  The  town  lost  the  litigation  Init  in  the 
course  of  time  the  railroad  bond  limit  exi)ired  and  the  Sparta- 
]\Ielrose  railroad  has  become  a  matter  of  history,  and  it  may  also 
be  said  that  it  never  made  any  history,  it  being  a  project  on 
paper,  principally.  I'l-oin  start  to  finish. 

The  present  officers  of  the  town  are:  D.  R.  Richards,  chair- 
man; Jacob  "Walters  and  Obert  Isensee,  supervisors;  X'eil  Han- 
son, clerk;  J.  T.  Scantleton,  treasurer;  AV.  V.  Schmelling.  assessor, 
and  G.  S.  Greeno.  justice  of  the  peace. 

NEW   LYME. 

This  is  one  of  the  later  towns,  the  territory  endiraced  in  it 
being  originally'  a  part  of  LaFayette.  ajid  its  early  history,  there- 
fore, is  that  of  the  latter  towu.  ft  was  organized  in  1872  and 
the  toAvn  was  also  at  one  time  included  in  \^hat  was  known  as 
the  town  of  Eaton,  no  longer  in  existence,  but  the  sketch  of  its 
early  history  being  given  later  on  in  this  chapter. 

The  present  town  officers  are :  L.  R.  Hoard,  chairman ;  Ezeb 
Veir  and  David  Fletcher,  supervisors;  Robert  Prescott,  clerk: 
John  B.  JMeyer,  treasurer;  Leo  Richmond,  assessor;  L.  D.  Pres- 
cott, justice.    Population,  281. 

OAKDALE. 

On  Xovcniher  12,  1857,  the  county  board  cut  off  the  territory 
now  comprised  in  Oakdale  and  created  a  new  town  under  the 
name  of  Leroy.  At  the  session  of  the  county  boai'd  in  X^)V(Miil)er. 
1862,  the  name  Avas  changed  to  Oakdale. 

Among  the  earlier  settlers  were  E.  ]\lel(>\  and  Daniel  Dame, 
in  1854;  Enoch  Baker  and  William  Y.  Baker,  1855;  Lewellan 
Amidon  and  Seth  Chase,  in  1856.  The  first  Iniilding  erected  was 
a  log  cabin  built  by  E.  ^INIeloy  on  section  seventeen:  the  fii'sf 
church  on  the  ground  was  the  Catholic,  which  began  services  on 
Indian  creek,  three  miles  south  of  Oakdale  station,  in  1869.  In 
1857  a  school  house  was  built  and  school  commenced  with  a 
small  nund)er  of  pupils,  ]\liss  Emma  Baker  being  the  teacher. 

The  toAvn  had  the  ordinary  existence  of  toAvns  in  the  county, 
developing  with  the  coming  of  the  railroad,  settlement  being 
quite  rapid  after  that.  Nothing  of  consequence  disturbed  the 
peaceful  occupation  of  its  inhabitants  until  1907.     On  AVednes- 


TOAVNSIIIi*  HISTORY  52'J 

day,  July  3rcl,  of  thai  year  llic  town  was  visited  with  a  cyclone 
which  passed  through  the  to^vns  in  the  nortlieastern  part  of  the 
county  and  was  particularly  severe  in  this  town.  The  line  of  the 
storm  was  from  Jackson  county  down  tlirough  a  portion  of  the 
town  of  Lincoln,  across  the  east  side  of  LaGrange,  through  the 
southwest  corner  of  Byron,  and  then  midway  through  the  town 
of  Oakdale. 

The  cyclone  struck  Oakdale  near  J.  ('.  Hill's  farm  and  de- 
stroyed iMr.  Hill's  barns  and  other  buildings,  except  his  house.  All 
of  the  buildings  on  the  farms  of  Mr.  ]Myers  and  Mr.  Musser  w'ere 
destroyed,  as  were  also  all  the  buildings  on  the  farm  of  Fred 
Gabower.  ]Mr.  IMyers  had  his  arm  broken  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mus- 
ser saved  themselves  by  going  into  the  Avoods  and  clinging  to 
small  trees.  The  little  village  settlement  was  right  in  the  path  of 
the  cyclone.  The  houses  of  B.  C.  Dame  and  A.  N.  Maltby  were 
completely  destroyed,  and  Daniel  Dame  killed.  Nothing  but  the 
foundation  of  Mr.  Dame's  house  remained.  Mr.  ]Maltby's  house 
was  moved  a  little  from  its  foundation  and  crushed  into  kindling 
wood ;  the  windmill,  barns,  sheds  and  everything  on  the  prem- 
ises were  swept  away.  Robert  Smith  was  killed  also,  and  many 
persons  received  injuries  more  or  less  severe.  Trees  were  up- 
rooted or  were  broken  off,  some  were  left  standing  with  the  bark 
completely  stripped  off  from  them.  Mr.  Johnson's  store  was 
moved  slightly  from  its  foundation,  part  of  the  roof  torn  off  and 
the  windows  smashed.  Syverson's  elevator,  containing  1,350 
bushels  of  oats,  was  unroofed  and  w^recked  and  the  grain  scat- 
tered all  over  the  country. 

The  amount  of  damage  done  in  the  town  of  Oakdale  is  hard  to 
estimate,  but  it  ran  up  into  many  thousands  of  dollars.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  destruction  of  the  buildings  mentioned  the  barn  on 
Jackson  Prell's  farm  was  wrecked  and  Fred  Gabower,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  loss  of  his  buildings,  lost  all  his  crops  and  a  fine 
orchard. 

The  present  officers  of  the  town  are:  George  Kelk,  chairman; 
Richard  Wagner  and  Charles  Shelby,  supervisors;  "VV.  W.  Hug- 
hart,  clerk;  Joseph  Tiber,  treasurer;  R.  A.  Weiss,  assessor;  A.  N. 
]Malt1)y.  justice.    Population,  813. 

PORTLAND. 

This  town  was  organized  in  1858  and  the  first  election  of  town 
officers  held  April  5,  1859,  in  the  school  house  situated  on  section 
thirteen.  The  officers  elected  at  that  time  Vv^ere :  Richard  Cole, 
chairman;  Peter  Schreier  and  John    E.    Stevens,    supervisors; 


53Q  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Adolph  Ileiser,  clerk;  Albert  Fisher,  treasurer;  J.  J.  Willsey  and 
J.  MeFarlaiul,  assessors;  James  Draper,  superintendent  of 
schools;  J.  E.  Stevens,  Jolin  Leigli  and  Adolph  Ileiser,  justices; 
Solomon  Roberts  and  Albert  Fisher,  constables;  John  Cleaves, 
sealer  of  weights  and  measures. 

Among  the  first  settlers  in  the  town  were  Adam  Russell,  who 
held  the  position  of  postmaster  at  what  was  then  called  Mt. 
Pisgah,  and  operated  a  tavern,  or  stopping  place,  for  travelers 
located  on  section  thirteen,  on  the  so-called  Black  river  road, 
where  it  is  related  Gen.  Jeremiah  Rusk,  then  a  stage  driver  on 
the  line  l)etween  Sparta  and  Yii'(>i|ua.  stopped  for  r(^fr(^slnnent 
for  man  and  l)east. 

Jn  1857  or  1858  Jacob  llazen  came  and  started  the  tirst  store 
on  section  tliirty-six  at  what  is  called  "Hazen's  Corners."  In 
1858  James  Lord  settled  on  section  thirty-six  and  started  a  store 
with  a  bar  in  connection,  whicli  did  not  last  long.  The  women 
in  the  community  made  a  raid  on  the  saloon,  carried  the  kegs 
outside,  opened  the  bung  holes  and  let  the  evil  spirits  run  at 
large.  The  first  dwelling  recorded  is  that  located  on  section 
twenty-three,  which  was  erected  in  the  early  50 's  by  a  man 
named  ITayden.  Among  the  earliest  settlers  were  Sam  Krahen- 
l)uhl.  F.  A.  Meissner,  David  Kallicut,  Thomas  Clegg,  J.  Phillips, 
Henry  AVillsey,  J.  E.  StcA^ens,  J.  J.  AYillsey,  John  B.  Skinner, 
Christoff  Cleaves,  H.  Troop,  James  Spa\dding,  Christ  Brown,  D. 
Jones,  E.  E.  Evans,  H.  H.  Barber,  ]\latt  Sturdevant  and  Eric 
Peterson. 

The  town  furnished  about  seventeen  soldiers  during  the  Civil 
AVmi':  James  Ilalverson.  J.  J.  AVillsey.  John  E.  Stevens.  J.  B. 
Skinner,  ^Martin"  Frickson,  Louis  Ei-it-kson,  AYesley  Sturtevant, 
Eri(d<  Peterson,  Jacob  Hazcn,  AV.  Stalker.  T'lirist  Brown.  Lars 
Loom,  Lars  Peterson.  Gustav  Olson,  Adrian  Aliller,  Anuind  Han- 
son, and  C.  Cleaves. 

Henry  AVillsey  erected  the  first  grist  mill  in  1859.  and  the 
first  sawmill  was  built  by  David  Killicut  in  1864.  Tlie  German 
Lutheran  clnirrh  was  established  in  1878.  There  is  a  very  pros- 
perous creamery  located  in  the  town,  which  enjoys  a  large  num- 
ber of  patrons  in  the  town.  Portland  is  one  of  the  richest  farming 
territories  in  the  county. 

Its  present  officers  are:  T.  R.  Jones,  cimirman:  Frank  J. 
Alasliak  and  Ilelmer  Paulson,  supervisors;  Charles  Perso,  clerk; 
Ole  C.  Lee,  treasurer;  ^Martin  A.  I]rickson,  assessor.  Population, 
1.088. 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  531 

TOWN    OF    RIDGEVILLE. 

This  town  was  organized  on  the  first  day  of  April,  1856,  the 
first  tOAvn  meeting  being  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April  in 
this  year,  at  which  M.  Aney,  B.  S.  Blake  and  A.  W.  Gibbs  were 
elected  supervisors;  Samuel  H.  Griswold,  town  clerk;  George  B. 
Aney,  assistant  clerk,  and  Anson  Spinner,  justice  of  the  peace; 
later  on  A.  AV.  Gibbs  having  moved  away,  Sanford  A.  Haushaw 
was  appointed  supervisor  in  his  place  on  the  28th  of  January, 
1857. 

Among  the  first  settlers  was  Manuel  i\Ietzger,  who  came 
direct  from  Germany  and  settled  on  a  piece  of  land  south  of  and 
near  the  present  village  of  Norwalk,  the  farm  now  being  owned 
by  Mrs.  Abraham  Smith.  He  built  a  stone  house  of  rough  stone 
on  a  hillside,  and  this,  undoubtedly,  was  the  first  building  erected 
in  the  town  of  Eidgeville.  From  his  early  residence  there  the 
entire  valley  has  acquired  the  name  of  "iMetzger's  valley,"  by 
which  it  is  known  even  to  tlie  present  time.  At  about  the  time 
that  Metzger  came  other  settlers  drifted  in,  among  whom  were 
Silas  McGary,  Anson  Spinner,  L.  II.  Gonger,  Sebastian  Feldmuir, 
David  AVoodliff,  George  and  M.  Aney,  John  Bell,  Henry  Vieth, 
John  AVallz,  Jacob  Aney,  Carl  Zimmerman,  Oliver  Hale  and 
Isaac  Ilargrave,  and  many  others,  following  each  other  so  quickly 
that  it  is  difficult  to  get  all  of  the  names. 

The  Lutherans  erected  the  first  church  in  this  town  in  the 
year  1870,  but  prior  to  that  time  preaching  had  been  had  by 
an  English  ^Methodist  preacher  whose  name  cannot  be  recalled. 
Tlie  first  sermon  in  German  was  delivered  by  Henry  Esch,  the 
father  of  Congressman  John  J.  p]sch.  ]\Ir.  Esch  later  moved  to 
Sparta.  This  sermon  was  delivered  at  the  log  school  house  in 
the  town  of  Ridgeville,  and  after  that  for  a  number  of  years 
Mr.  Esch  held  religious  services  in  the  German  homes  in  that 
vicinity. 

Beginning  Avitli  the  earlier  days  the  cause  of  education  re- 
ceived due  attention,  and  soon  after  the  organization  of  the  town 
a  small  log  building  was  erected  upon  Emanuel  Aletzger's  farm, 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  south  of  the  present  village  of  Nor- 
walk, and  school  was  opened  and  has  continued.  At  about  1875 
a  frame  building  was  erected  in  the  village  of  Norwalk,  one  mile 
north  of  the  first  place. 

In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  this  town  furnished  not  less  than 
thirty-nine  soldiers,  a   record  surely  to  be  proud  of,  and  Avhile 


532  lllSTOKV  OF  MONROE  COUXTY 

tlit'ir  full  naiiK'  cannot  in  all  cases  he  (riven.  Ilie  following  is  the 
list  as  near  as  can  be  ascertained  :  Mr.  Jiluni,  Jacob  Root,  Abraham 
P""airbanks,  John  Brnnner,  C.  ^leyers,  Jacob  Ilettnian,  Silas 
]\lc('ary.  James  Shanbin,  Fred  Vincenz.  A.  Vinccnz.  F.  Heller- 
man,  Ileiiry  Kroeger,  William  ^lunz.  Tom  ]\lcGary,  John  Woodliif, 
Henry  ]\IcGary,  Delos  Crandcl.  ^Ir.  Sherwin.  Leander  Perry, 
Thomas  Jones,  Samuel  Jerred,  Fred  Smelling.  ^Ir.  Grosset,  ]Mr. 
Vanalstine,  J.  ('.  ]Munz.  George  ]Munz.  .Mr.  Baidver.  William  Wil- 
liip,  John  IIolz,  >Mathew  Flock.  AVilliam  Cari'.  Aiidriw  Xolan, 
John  Xolan,  Oliver  Hale,  August  Rath,  William  ("harideg.  Sigiium 
Congei",  ^Ir.  Edwards  and  ]\Ir.  Richards. 

This  town  in  the  earlier  days  was  quite  heavily  tindjered  and 
attracted  the  business  of  lumbering,  which  was  commenced  by 
Ilaldeman  Brothers  and  Luethe  in  1887,  by  the  erecting  of  a  saw 
mill  on  the  ^Morris  creek,  near  the  present  school  house.  It  was 
operated  l)y  steam  and  conducted  for  some  time.  A  grist  mill 
Avas  built  in  tlie  town  in  1898  by  Bergman  Brothers  and  is  still 
in  operation.  A  feed  mill  Avas  erected  by  ("hrist  Hett  and  p]ugene 
IMcGary  in  1883-4. 

The  advantages  for  a  trading  point  led  ]Mr.  B.dz  to  build  a 
store  at  what  is  known  as  Ridgeville.  at  the  four-road  crossing, 
where,  at  present,  Paul  Kewitt  is  living.  This  Avas  erected  in 
the  early  50 's,  and  after  the  Northwestern  Railway  Avas  built, 
stores  Avere  built  up  by  Dolson  and  Sanbert  on  or  near  the  place 
Where  Norwalk  is  uoav  situated. 

Fred  IJettman  built  a  blacksmith  shop  near  the  railroad  cross- 
ing, south  of  Avhat  is  knoAvn  as  NorAvalk  in  L-^57.  and  at  al)out  the 
same  time  one  Avas  erected  in  Ridgeville  1)y  A.  Englert  on  Avhat  is 
noAV  one  of  Fred  Zlemer's  farms,  so  that  in  tlie  early  days  nearly 
every  requirement  of  the  inhal)itants  as  far  as  stores,  mills  and 
shops  Avere  concerned,  Avas  satisfied. 

In  1894  the  village  of  XorAvalk  Avas  inc<)r})oratcd  and  tluis 
hecame  a  separate  municipality  from  the  toAvn. 

With  unceasing  toil  of  the  early  German  pioneers  and  con- 
tinued by  the  later  generations,  the  tOAvn  of  Ridgeville  has  becouK^ 
one  of  the  richest  farming  connnunities  to  b'  found,  perhaps,  in 
this  jiart  of  the  state;  its  ridge  lands  are  \ei-y  fertile  and  lieautiful 
farms  can  he  found  along  the  i)latcau  raising  cro])s  of  various 
kinds  as  Avell  ada]>tcd  to  the  gi-owing  of  ajiples  and  other  fruits. 

Present  officers:  Fred  AV.  Xoth,  chairman;  Charles  Ilanisch 
and  Fred  AVoodliff,  sujiervisors;  Fred  F.  Leulhe,  clerk;  Herman 
AVendorf,  treasurer;  Anton  Kroeger,  assessor;  John  H.  Alannel 
and  AndreAv  Anderson,  justices.    Population,  775. 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  533 

TOWN  OF  SHELDON. 

The  first  reeorcls  oi'  an  election  in  this  town  was  that  of  the 
second  day  of  November,  1858.  It  was  held  at  the  mill  of  Millen 
Graham  in  the  present  village  of  Oil  City.  There  appears  to  have 
been  held,  iiowever,  a  town  meeting  on  the  fifth  day  of  July,  1848, 
at  which  a  temporary  organization  was  effected  and  Millen  Gra- 
ham elected  chairman;  AYilliam  Hubbard  and  ]\Iiner  Moore,  super- 
visors; AV.  J.  Heath,  clerk  and  assessor;  William  Abbott,  treas- 
urer, and  Henry  Eseh,  assistant  assessor.  Esau  Johnson  was  the 
first  settler  in  this  town,  having  come  in  the  year  1846,  and  was 
also  the  first  man  to  settle  in  the  county  of  Monroe.  Soon  after 
that  others  began  to  drift  in  and  to  work  for  him  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  in  the  year  1856  quite  a  number  had  settled  in  this 
vicinity,  among  whom  were  Jacob  INIenn,  Jacob  Farmer,  Henry 
Eseh,  Edward  Warren,  AVilliam  A.  Hubbard,  George  Daughtery^ 
H.  J.  Smith,  W.  J.  Heath,  Elison  jMcGee,  Thomas  Day,  Tom  Lewis, 
Patrick  DeVany,  Bernard  Ilamatty,  George  Shippe,  Thomas 
Wilkins,  Andres  Molley,  Ezra  Cook,  Fern  Rawson,  William 
Crichett,  Joseph  Tritett  and  M.  M.  Curpy. 

The  first  building  erected  was  a  lumber  shanty,  built  by  Esau 
Johnson,  on  section  twenty-four,  in  1846,  and  it  probably  was 
the  first  structure  of  any  kind  erected  in  the  county  of  Monroe ; 
a  church  was  l)uilt  in  1860  ])y  J.  J.  Menu,  constructed  of  logs, 
and  was  a  small  building.  Before  that  time  services  had  been 
held  in  dwelling  houses  and  school  houses  and  the  first  sermon 
that  was  preached  was  by  a  man  named  John  Hamilon,  and  not 
long  after  that  services  were  conducted  by  Henry  p]seh  and  by 
Galusia  and  J.  Brown. 

The  first  school  house  was  erected  in  1856  and  was  taught  by 
one  Andrew  Faust.  It  was  located  near  the  present  village  of 
Oil  City.  During  the  (  ivil  AVar  this  town  furnished  more  than  its 
share  of  soldiers,  some  of  whom  were  Millen  Graham,  John 
Switzler,  George  Lewis,  AY.  P.  Abbott,  Andrew  AYruck,  Fredrick 
Talkey,  Hod  Lamg,  George  Daughtery,  James  Moomy,  Edward  J. 
Harris,  David  Eviur,  Peter  Singer,  John  Singer,  AVilliam  Schmitz, 
Christ  AYruck,  George  AYilson,  Martin  Moore,  L.  C.  Johnson  AY.  J. 
Heath,  Sam  AVilkinson,  E.  B.  Smith,  Henry  Johnson,  Thomas  and 
Eugene  Sullivan,  E.  Tuttle,  Louis  Walker,  Hen  Iloldcomb,  Louis 
Everts,  Andrew  Alolley,  C.  B.  Stoddard,  James  Finnel,  Edward 
and  Henry  Critchett,  Elusion  Rawson,  Leonard  Hutchins,  Gilbert 
and  Daniel  Hutchins,  Eles  Prichard,  John  Granzo,  L.  Savier  and 
Daniel  Moore. 


534  inSTORY  OF  .MONROE  COrXTY 

111  comnutii  with  other  towns  of  the  county,  the  IuihIkt  busi- 
ness commenced  quite  early,  and  the  first  saw  mill  was  l)uilt  by 
AV.  J.  Heath  in  1856  and  was  in  existence  quite  a  number  of  years. 
The  first  grist  mill  was  erected  by  ^Millcn  Graham  in  the  early  60's 
and  the  first  store  was  conducted  by  Willifim  Ohatnuiii.  beginning: 
in  1868. 

There  are  two  ehurehes  in  the  town,  one  in  the  village  of 
Ontario,  and  one  about  two  miles  south  of  Xorwalk,  which  is  a 
German  Evangelical ;  tiie  one  situated  in  Ontario  is  conducted 
by  the  United  Brethren  and  services  are  conducted  in  l)oth  at 
the  present  time  by  the  same  pastor,  the  R'-v.  Mave.  There  is 
considerable  dairying  among  the  farmers  in  tliis  town  and  a 
creamery  is  located  in  Ontario,  one,  which  at  the  present  time 
does  a  large  amount  of  business  and  a  great  deal  of  good  to  the 
surrounding  farmers  who  have  access  to  it. 

Its  present  officers  are  Ben  Drawver.  chairman;  R.  Ilaldeman 
and  John  Barry,  supervisors;  Eld.  Abbott,  clerk;  Sam  AVruck, 
treasurer;  Fred  Schumacher,  assessor;  P.  H.  Marburger,  justice. 
Population,  771. 

TOWN  OF  SPARTA. 

Closely  connected  with  the  history  of  the  city  of  Sparta  is  that 
of  the  town,  for  it  Avas  all  one  at  the  beginning,  and  the  settlers 
who  came  in  and  took  up  land  at  the  point  and  vieinity  of  where 
the  city  now  stands  Avere  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town  of 
Sparta,  notably  the  Petit  boys,  wdio  first  settled  somewhere  near 
Castle  Rock,  Rev.  Walrath,  J.  D.  Damman,  A.  H.  Blake  and  the 
score  or  more  of  others,  who  are  so  fully  mentioned  in  the  chapter 
devoted  to  the  city. 

There  are  many  who  came  in  during  the  later  fifties  and  early 
sixties,  and  to  give  a  complete  list  of  .them  would  be  a  task, 
indeed ;  among  them,  however,  may  be  mentioned  Palmer  Austin, 
who  was  an  early  settler  in  the  fifties;  A.  P.  Payne,  also  E.  II. 
Eddy  in  1854,  and  C.  E.  Peek.  :\rr.  :\Ie:\Iann  and  Josiah  Tueker 
in  the  same  year;  0.  M.  Shattuek,  1856;  John  Ilutson,  Sr..  and  Sol 
Ilutson,  who  settled  in  Big  Creek  in  1855  or  1856.  Among  those 
who  came  later  were  Peter  Frye,  Russell  Brownell,  John  AYinters, 
Henry  Esch,  Lansom  Parks  and  R.  11.  Rogers. 

The  town  of  Sparta  has  prospered  amazingly  since  the  earlier 
days  and  its  assessed  valuation  in  1011  reached  the  enormous  sum 
of  !|<1,016,526  and  its  equalized  valuation  $1,272,900;  and  among 
the  towns  in  the  county  which  have  pushed  tlie  good  roads  move- 
ment this  town  has  been  the  pioneer.     In  fact,  the  efforts  nmde 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  535 

by  the  town  in  this  direction  called  itself  to  the  attention  of 
the  state  anthorities  and  undoubtedly  was  one  of  the  moving 
causes  to  the  extensive  plans  for  the  improvement  of  country 
roads  everywhere  in  the  state,  and  to  it,  Chairman  Aug  Sehlaver, 
now  deceased,  was  due  great  credit  for  inaugurating  it. 

The  town  was  originally  organized  October  8,  1854,  by  a  reso- 
lution of  the  county  board  and  was  one  of  the  first  five  towns  into 
which  the  county  was  divided  after  the  organization  of  it.  An 
election  was  held  the  following  spring  in  which  a  full  complement 
of  town  officers  w^as  elected,  the  town  board  continuing  to  admin- 
ister the  municipal  affairs  of  the  entire  territory  within  the  limits, 
including  the  so-called  village  until  the  latter  was  incorporated 
and  became  a  separate  municipality,  as  lias  been  elsewhere 
related. 

The  present  officers  of  the  town  are  J.  P.  Johnson,  chairman; 
Evan  Humphrey  and  J.  T.  "VVillgrubs,  supervisors ;  A.  J.  Frye, 
clerk ;  W.  P.  Bamber,  treasurer ;  Gothern  Liddle,  assessor.  The 
population  of  the  town,  according  to  the  census  of  1910,  was  1,504. 

TOWN  OF  TOMAH. 

Containing  within  its  limits,  as  it  did,  from  the  earliest  day 
the  village  of  Tomah,  the  history  of  this  town  naturally  is  merged 
in  that  of  the  village;  for  it  w&s  here  that  the  earlier  settlers 
located  and  right  around  the  territory  of  the  village  were  built 
the  first  farm  buildings  of  any  kind  and  the  first  land  was  taken 
up  for  farms,  so  that  the  history  of  the  city  of  Tomah  is  practi- 
cally that  of  the  Avhole  township,  except,  of  course,  the  develop- 
ment of  the  farming  communities. 

The  town  was  organized  by  a  resolution  of  the  county  board  on 
November  13,  1856,  with  a  provision  for  the  election  of  officers 
on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April  folloAving;  the  village  then  being  a 
part  of  the  toAvn,  participated  in  the  election  which  was  held  at 
the  house  of  John  Sexton;  John  G.  Staysa  was  elected  chairman; 
supervisors.  Benjamin  ]\Iel  and  C.  A.  Adams;  clerk,  Harvey  Bush, 
and  treasurer,  Alden  Cremer. 

The  early  settlement  of  the  town  outside  of  the  village  was 
quite  rapid,  many  coming  in  during  the  early  fifties ;  among  them 
were  many  names  which  are  today  familiar  not  only  to  the  older 
residents,  but  to  the  present  generation  through  their  descend- 
ants. D.  R.  ]\Ieloy,  who  afterwards  moved  into  the  village  and 
became  a  justice  of  the  peace,  came  into  the  town  in  1854,  took  up 
some  land  and  went  to  farming;  Charles  Gilson,  for  so  many  years 
one  of  the  most  respected  citizens  of  Tomah,  came  in  ]\Iay,  1854, 


536  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOE  COUNTY 

took  land  near  tlie  village.  Avlii<li  lie  developed  into  the  old 
Gilsoii  farm,  still  owned  in  great  part  by  his  deseendants.  Of 
course,  Jesse  Boorman.  who  is  mentioned  in  the  chapter  on  the 
city;  Harvey  Bush  was  an  1854  comer,  building  the  second  log 
cabin  in  tlie  town,  was  its  tirst  town  clerk;  Alden  Cremer  came  in 
1854,  and  also  Isaac  English,  Avho  took  up  IfiO  acres  of  land  and 
added  to  it  until  lie  liad  a  fine  farm  of  300  acres,  witli  a  fine  frame 
dwelling  and  other  buildings  ui)on  it;  George  I.  Bell,  afterwards 
in  business,  came  with  his  parents  in  1854,  settling  in  the  town. 

Among  the  1855  settlers  was  (".  A.  Adams,  who  went  to  farm- 
ing; John  G.  Staysa,  also  a  farmer;  .lolin  Randall,  who  developed 
the  Randall  farm:  Luther  Hill,  who  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  town  with  Indians  and  wildcats  as  neighbors,  but  who,  with 
foresight,  selected  the  farm  upon  which  he  and  his  descendants 
have  ever  since  lived. 

John  Ilinemaii  ciniic  in  1S57  with  his  family,  among  them  Hon. 
]\Iiles  Hineman.  whn  lias  acquired  (•onsidi'ra])lc  prominence  in 
the  state  and  is  one  of  IMonroe  county's  most  ])rogressive  citizens. 
]\Iany  others  might  be  nu^ntioned.  all  of  tliem  men  of  the  char- 
acter of  all  the  early  settlers,  willing  and  ready  to  endure  the 
hardships  incident  to  opening  up  a  new  country,  confidently  rely- 
ing upon  the  fact  that  the  future  would  bring  forth  its  fruit,  the 
result  of  honest  toil,  in  which  they  were  not  disappointed. 

At  the  headAvateis  of  Coiini  il  creek  in  the  tov.-n.  so  it  is  told, 
stood  the  old  couiicil  house  used  liy  llic  Winuebagoes  and 
]\IenominiM'  Irihcs;  witliii:  whose  walls.  b(4'ore  the  coming  of  the 
white  man.  doul)t]ess  was  heard  many  stii'ring  speeches  of  Indian 
eloquence,  and  it  was  here,  so  tradition  states,  that  Tomah.  the 
great  ]\Ienominee  chief,  gathered  his  tribe  in  council. 

The  developmeni  of  the  toAvn  has  been  similar  to  that  of  other 
towns  of  the  county,  having  th(»  advantage,  lunvevei-.  of  the  near- 
ness to  a  market  sui)plied  by  the  village  and  city:  it  has  fine 
farms,  good  schools  and  its  people  are  progressive. 

Its  present  oflicei-s  are  G.  ('.  Pingel.  chairman:  (\  ^lartin  and 
A.  Roscovius,  supervisors:  W.  II.  Kandall.  clerk;  Dan  Linehan. 
treasurer:  AVilliam  (ivovestein.  assessor.     Population,  723. 

TOWN  OF  WELLS. 

Tlie  town  of  Wells  was  set  ofF  in  the  fall  of  1871  and  the  first 
t<»wn  meeting  held  at  the  home  of  O.  L.  Arnold  on  the  second  day 
of  April.  1872.  The  officeis  chosen  at  this  meeting  were  James 
AVc^lIs.  chairman;  John  Seymour  and  George  Kind,  supervisors; 
J.  Ti.  Wolcott.  clerk;  O.  I..  .Xiiiold.  assessor,  and  James  Ingles, 


TOWNSHIP  HISTORY  537. 

treasurer.  At  this  inei'ting  it  was  voted  to  liold  future  town  meet- 
ing's at  tl'.e  home  of  Henry  Bauinbaeli,  Avhieh  was  eontiniu'd  until 
1890,  when  the  })resent  town  ludl  was  built. 

Among  the  earlier  settlers  was  Anton  Sehulte,  still  living; 
R.  E.  Lyons.  William  Thurston,  Richard  De^^■itt,  J.  J.  Swatzlow, 
James  A\"ells,  Ilosea  Nichols,  K.  "W.  Thurston,  Ora  Dewitt,  Frank 
Toloek,  John  J.  Smith.  Simeon  Wells  and  the  Arnold  brothers. 

The  town,  being  one  of  the  late  ones,  was  comprised  in  the  town 
of  Leon  in  its  early  history.  AVhen  the  resolution  was  introduced 
in  the  county  board  to  set  ott'  this  town  it  i)rovided  that  it  should 
be  called  "Charleston,"  but  on  motion  of  Alilton  iNIontgomery, 
then  a  meml^er  of  the  board,  it  was  changed  to  Wells. 

The  present  town  ot^cers  are  C.  II.  Sehulte,  chairman ;  Frank 
Selbach  and  John  Baumbach,  supervisors;  D.  M.  Murphy,  clerk; 
Mike  Ebert,  treasurer,  and  George  Brooks,  assessor.  Popula- 
tion, 664. 

WELLINGTON. 

This  town  was  cut  off  from  the  town  of  Sheldon  on  November 
13,  1856,  by  resolution  of  the  county  board;  its  early  history  is 
comprised  somewhat  in  that  of  the  town  of  Sheldon  and  its  rec- 
ords have  not  been  available  for  preparing  this  article. 

Its  present  officers  are  A¥illiam  Schindler,  chairman  ;  AVilliam 
Batzel  and  Dan  Hutchinson,  supervisors;  Herman  Bartz,  clerk; 
Henry  Clair,  treasurer,  and  Frank  Clair,  assessor.  Population, 
664. 

WILTON. 

Wilton  was  created  a  town  in  Oetolter,  1854.  at  the  same*  time 
that  Sparta  and  Angelo  were  set  off;  its  history  is  comprised  prin- 
cipally^ with  that  of  the  early  history  of  the  village  of  Wilton  and 
its  records  have  not  been  made  available  in  the  preparation  of 
this  article.  It  has  a  fine  farming  country  tributary  to  the  village 
and  ranks  high  among  the  towns  in  the  dairy  business. 

Its  present  officers  are  Joe  Lincoln,  chairman;  L.  Koehler  and 
William  Raabe,  supervisors;  T.  S.  Kudered.  clerk;  Alex  Gnew^i- 
kow.  treasurer ;  George  Kudered,  assessor,  and  A.  H.  Noth,  jus- 
tice.   Population,  816. 

At  one  time  there  existed  in  the  county  a  town  known  as  the 
town  of  Eaton,  having  within  its  limits  a  s(>ttlement  known  as  the 
village  of  Eaton ;  this  town  being  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county,  was  gradually  split  up  in  the  making  of  diflf^erent  towns, 
and  finally  passed  out  of  existence  altogether,  the  last  of  its  terri- 


538  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

tory  being  attached  to  the  town  of  Greenfield,  as  it  is  no  longer  in 
existence  its  history  is  of  little  importance  and  will  not  be  entered 
into. 

TOWN  OF  SCOTT. 

This  town  was  set  off  from  Byron  in  1880 ;  its  first  settler  was 
Andrew  Scott,  who  came  there  in  1850,  followed  by  William  Dodge, 
who  ])ut  up  a  saw  mill.  The  principal  settlement  is  at  Norway 
Ridge,  surrounding  Avhich  are  large  cranberry  marshes,  which 
lias  been  the  principal  industry  of  the  town  for  many  years. 

Its  present  officers  are  Henry  Soraers,  chairman;  John  Scott 
and  Ernest  ]\Iiers,  supervisors;  L.  jM.  L.  Purvianee.  clerk:  Chris 
Nelson,  treasurer;  L.  L.  Cook,  assessor,  and  AV.  ]M.  Hunt  ;iiid 
AVilliam  Gray,  justices.    Population,  180. 


CHAPTER  LII. 

SPARTA  WOMAN'S  CHRISTIAN  TEMPERANCE  UNION. 
BY  ELIZABETH  S.  DUNN. 

The  mothers  of  Sparta  caught  the  vibrating  current  from  the 
crusade  spirit  emanating  from  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  in  1875,  and  tra- 
dition says  Miss  Francis  E.  AVillard  gave  an  address  in  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Churcli  and  organized  the  union;  Mrs.  Gorman, 
wife  of  the  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church,  was  chosen  president ; 
Mrs.  Hoyt,  Mrs.  Allis,  Mrs.  Ady,  Mrs.  Dr.  Millegan,  Mrs.  Hage- 
man  Palmer,  Mrs.  Wolcott  and  Mrs.  C.  M.  Foster  were  charter 
members,  besides  others  whose  names  I  have  not  learned.  The 
early  record  was  not  preserved,  therefore  a  correct  history  of  the 
beginnings  that  perfected  a  firm  foundation  for  reform  work  can- 
not be  given. 

AVe  are  told  that  the  early  work  was  conducted  along  the  lines 
of  the  original  crusade,  which  had  its  birth  at  Hillsboro,  Ohio, 
December  23,  1874.  These  consecrated  women,  led  by  Mrs. 
Gorman,  met  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  after  a 
session  of  prayer,  marched  sixty  strong  and  prayed  and  sang  in 
front  of  the  saloons. 

The  union  entertained  the  state  convention  in  the  fall  of  1882 ; 
the  sessions  were  held  in  the  old  Baptist  Church.  Mrs.  D.  T. 
Hoyt  was  president,  Mrs.  R.  S.  Baldwin,  Mrs.  D.  C.  Beebe,  Mrs. 
M.  A.  "Wilson  and  Mrs.  Dunlevy  were  among  the  helpers.  The 
writer  became  a  member  at  this  convention. 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Wilson,  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Dunle\y  and  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Pilcher  served  as  presidents  from  1883  to  1889.  During  Mrs. 
Wilson's  administration  a  flourishing  Y.  W^.  C.  T.  U.  was  organ- 
ized, with  Mary  Foote  as  president  and  Belle  Ady  as  treasurer, 
also  a  Loyal  Temperance  Legion  was  mothered  by  the  union. 
Howard  Teasdale  gave  good  service  as  superintendent,  and  after 
he  resigned  Mrs.  Fred  Richardson  took  up  the  work.  This  most 
essential  part  of  the  work  was  given  up  for  want  of  a  leader  in 
the  existing  organizations  for  children. 

Mrs.  Pilcher  resigned  in  the  fall  of  1889  and  Mrs.  Cornelia  M. 
Foster  volunteered  to  fill  the  unexpired  term.     In  the  spring  of 

539 


540  lllSTOKY  OF  .MOXKOK  lULXTY 

J 890  she  received  a  iinaiiiinuus  call  to  the  ])residency,  and  for 
eleven  years,  until  lilOl,  she  was  i-e-elected  annually  by  the  wishes 
and  votes  of  all.  These  were  years  in  which  tiie  society  exercised 
large  intlueuce  and  enjoyed  signal  prosperity.  In  January.  1890, 
she  inaugnrated  the  annual  thaidv-otfering  meeting,  entertaining 
the  AVhite  Kibbons  at  her  home.  At  these  social  functions  national 
and  state  oilficers  were  invited;  they  came,  bringing  messages 
from  workers  of  national  repute;  the  money  received  was  used  to 
carry  on  the  work.  Mr.>.  Foster  a(loi)te(l  -lohn  \V<'sley's  motto 
for  the  union's  guitje  lo  adivity.  to  "Do  all  the  good  you  can. 
to  all  the  i)eoi)le  you  can.  in  all  llic  ways  you  can.  and  just  as 
long  as  you  can."  Taking  up  the  following  departnu'uts  of  work  : 
Kvangc^listic.  mother's  meetings,  franchise,  Hower  mission,  litera- 
ture, jiarlianuMitary  usage.  i)ress,  jail  and  almshouse  work,  scien- 
tific temperance  instruction  in  schools,  Sabbath  observance,  social 
purity,  lumberman's  work,  narcotics,  soldiers  and  sailors.  A 
superintendent  was  api)ointi'(l  to  take  charge  of  each  department, 
several  of  these  departments  of  work  having  been  adopted  in  the 
early  history  of  the  union.  (The  national  carried  on  forty  depart- 
ments of  work,  each  local  union  adoi)ts  as  numy  as  can  be  made 
useful.) 

The  union  was  a  prominent  factor  in  the  campaign  in  1892 
and  1893  that  secured  no  license  f<u-  Sparta.  Days  of  fasting  and 
])rayer  Avere  frequent,  relying  on  the  all  wise  Father  for  wisdom 
and  strength  to  "Wage  our  peaceful  war  against  evil." 

In  1892  ]Mrs.  Foster  conceived  the  idea  of  having  the  union 
present  a  drinking  fountain  to  the  city;  many  devices  were  car- 
ried out  that  called  for  sacritice  to  raise  the  required  sum  to  buy 
the  fountain:  Avheu  it  was  secured,  a  committee  Avas  sent  to  a 
council  meeting  to  present  it  to  the  city  fathers,  and  instead  of 
giving  encouragement  to  ou.r  plans  they  refused  to  aci^ept  it ;  their 
excuse  was  it  would  be  in  the  way  on  Water  street.  Their  refusal 
was  a  keen  disappointment  to  the  brave  women  wiio  had  made 
the  blessing  to  the  city  jiossible.  Proving  that  "Where  there  is 
n  will  there  is  a  wa.w''  ]\Irs.  Foster  said,  "Let  us  buy  a  property 
and  put  the  fountain  on  it.''  On  ^lay  27.  1892,  the  property  on 
Water  street  was  bought  and  llu'  l)uilding  used  as  a  saloon  was 
transferred  into  W.  (".  T.  l'.  rooms  ami  dedicated  to  tcMuperance 
Mork  October  9,  1892.  An  artesian  well  was  cVilled  and  the  foun- 
tain put  in  place  as  it  is  today,  and  its  liberal  usi^  testifies  to  its 
need. 

The  following  winter  ^Irs.  Foster  made  an  agreement  with  her 
arinv  of  niiu'ty  to  serve  luncheons  to  farmers  Avho  came  with  their 


WOMAN'S  CHRISTIAN  TEIMEPRANCE  UNION        541 

loads  to  the  city;  we  went  bv  twos  each  inoi-niiii?  to  tlu>  AV.  C. 
T.  U.  rooms  with  baskets  of  sanchviches  and  doughnuts,  coffee 
■and  cream,  until  all  had  been  served. 

Attaining  towards  greater  possil)ilities  in  temperance  work,  Mrs. 
Foster,  ]\Irs.  AVilson.  Emily  Garrett  and  Mrs.  AVolcott,  as  leaders 
in  the  niovenu^nt,  conceived  the  idea  of  building  a  temple  to  take 
the  place  of  the  converted  saloon,  and  as  if  by  magic  the  struc- 
ture materialized.  The  building  was  erected  and  dedicated  in 
June  1895  to  temperance  reform  work,  to  be  known  as  the 
W.  C.  T.  U.  Temple  of  Sparta. 

]\Irs.  Foster's  ability  as  a  leader  and  organizer  caused  the 
AV.  C.  T.  U.  of  Sparta  to  become  one  of  the  banner  unions  of  the 
state,  both  in  UK^nbership  and  methods  of  work.  In  May,  1899, 
the  union  entertained  the  state  convention,  meetings  being  held 
in  the  armory.  As  a  reminder  of  the  union's  popularity  at  that 
time  I  quote  from  Dr.  CVawford's  address  of  welcome,  "The 
present  membership  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  and  it  is  a 
■growing  membership.  It  comprises  some  of  the  best  women  of 
the  city.  In  this  society  may  be  found  piety,  cultivation,  tact, 
social  influence,  business  al)ility  and  practical  poAver. " 

Tlie  Eau  Claire  Home  for  Unfortunate  Girls  appealed  to  the 
hearts  of  many  of  the  union  and  it  was  given  loyal  support  while 
it  existed. 

Airs.  Foster  resigned  the  presidency  in  Alarch,  1901,  on  account 
of  failing  liealth,  and  Airs.  AVilson,  the  vice  president,  acted  as 
president  until  the  annual  election  Alarch  22,  1901,  when  she  was 
advanced  to  the  president's  chair,  serving  until  December  22, 
1901,  when  she  resigned  by  letter.  The  office  was  not  filled  until 
the  election  in  Alarch,  1902,  at  which  Airs.  Prill  was  elected;  she 
served  two  terms,  being  re-elected  in  1908,  and  in  Alarch,  1904, 
Elizabeth  S.  Dunn  was  chosen  to  that  office,  which  she  still  fills. 
AVith  the  passing  years,  noted  changes  have  taken  place,  con- 
ducive to  lessening  the  union's  power  for  advancement  and  many 
of  the  true  and  tried  have  been  promoted — Airs.  Alae  Richardson, 
Airs.  Foster,  Airs.  Emily  Garrett  Foster,  Airs.  Hoyt,  Airs.  Sarles, 
Airs.  Ady  and  many  others,  besides  those  who  have  moved 
from  us.  The  formation  of  many  clubs  has  reduced  our  member- 
ship ;  the  ministers  of  churches  nor  their  wives  of  the  later  years 
have  co-operated  with  us  as  in  Dr.  and  Airs.  Crawford's  time. 
But  through  the  inevitable  changes  we  have  endeavored  to  main- 
tain the  principles  for  which  this  organization  was  called  into 
existence,  the  betterment  of  humanity ;  keeping  the  fires  of  inter- 
est burning  in  the  different  departments  of  work.   A  calender  con- 


542  HISTORY  OF  :\10XRO?:  COT'XTY 

taining  topics  for  eaeli  meeting  is  adopted  eaeli  year.  Frequent 
visits  to  tlie  county  alinsliouse  and  asylum  are  made  holding  a 
service  of  song.  AVe  are  active  in  fifteen  lines  of  work.  This  year 
tlie  franchise  department  undo-  tlie  supervision  of  ]\Iiss  Belle 
Ady,  is  considered  the  most  important. 

This  year,  1912,  marks  the  receiving  of  a  legacy  of  $1,630  left 
the  union  by  Kmily  Oarrett  Foster,  who  loved  the  AV.  C.  T.  U. 
Temple  and  made  j)ossible  the  perpetuation  of  a  "Avoman's  build- 
ing," which  stands  as  a  monument  to  her  memory.  Though  taken 
from  us,  she  still  lives  in  the  hearts  of  the  AVhite  Ribbon  sister- 
hood. The  present  membership  is  between  fifty  and  sixty;  Mrs. 
E.  S.  Dunn  has  served  as  president  since  1904. 

We  are  glad  we  have  a  part  in  the  largest  organization  in  the 
world  of  women,  Avaging  our  peaceful  war  (our  weapons  are  agi- 
tation, education  and  converting  public  sentiment)  against  the 
greatest  home  destroyer,  soul  destroyer  and  vice  creator  in  the 
world,  the  legalized  liquor  traffic,  and  Ave  Avill  not  be  justified  in 
disbanding  "until  the  last  Avhiskey  bottle  comes  off  the  medicine 
shelf;  Avhen  the  last  saloon  is  closed;  AA^hen  ti>e  last  church  meni- 
l)('r  has  signed  a  dramshop  petition ;  Avhen  the  last  boy  has  quit 
drinking  beer;  then  the  temperance  people  can  sit  doAvn  and  rest, 
until  then  our  Avork  is  not  done  in  the  AVoman's  Christian  Tem- 
perance Union. 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

GERMAN  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES. 
BY  REV.  OTTO  ENGEL. 

ST.  JOHN'S,  TOWN  OF  RIDGEVILLE. 

The  earliest  settlers  of  this  portion  of  Monroe  county,  for- 
merly called  "Dividing-  Ridge,"  were  Lutheran  peasants  from 
Jefferson  county.  In  1855  Gottlieb  Gnewikow,  William  Albrecht, 
Ferdinand  Vincenz,  Carl  Fuerbringer  and  Henry  Vieth  appeared 
on  the  ground.  Daniel  Zellmer,  Gottfried  Kewitt,  ]Michael  Zielke, 
Daniel  Raedel  and  Louis  IMatthes  followed  during  the  subsequent 
year.  But  it  was  not  until  the  arrival  of  Mr.  AVilliani  Waegner  in 
September,  1860,  that  efforts  were  made  to  gather  the  scattered 
Lutherans  into  a  congregation.  AVith  indomitable  energy  he 
canvassed  the  neighboring  country  and  called  a  meeting  for  the 
tenth  of  IMarch,  1862.  Fifteen  persons  heeded  the  call.  Regular 
services  were  now  conducted  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Waeg- 
ner, who  read  from  Hof acker's  sermon  book.  April  1,  1862,  a 
permanent  organization  was  established.  A  congregational  con-, 
stitution  was  at  once  adopted  for  the  government  of  the  infant 
society,  which  was  subscribed  by  twenty-five  men,  heads  of  fami- 
lies, as  uniting  in  the  organization  of  this  church.  Their  names 
were  AYilliam  Waegner,  Christian  Richert,  Frederic  Gnewikow, 
Daniel  Zellmer,  Christoph  Eckelberg,  John  Bartels,  Daniel  Raedel, 
Meinhardt  Gnewikow,  Ludwig  Kuthlow,  Christoph  Hoffman, 
Christian  Libke,  William  Albrecht.  August  Koellner,  Gottfried 
Kewitt,  Frederic  Eckelberg,  Christian  Helmke,  '  Asmus  Holz, 
David  Kortbein,  Christian  JMueller.  Carl  Mueller,  Joachim  ]\Ietel- 
mann,  John  Schultz,  Gottlieb  Kuehl,  Herman  Horstmann,  Chris- 
tian Marten.  The  following  were  chosen  as  the  first  officers: 
AVilliam  AVaegner,  Frederic  Gnewikow,  Christian  Richert,  John 
Bartels  and  Daniel  Zellmer.  At  the  same  tiiiic  the  congregation 
was  incorporated  under  the  incorporate  title,  "The  Evangelical 
Lutheran  St.  John's  Church."  After  due  deliberation  a  commu- 
nication was  sent  to  Senior  J.  Muehlhaeuser,  founder  and  first 
president  of  the  Wisconsin  Synod,  applying  for  a  pastor.     As  a 

543 


544  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOE  COLXTY 

consequence,  Rev.  ^Michael  Ewert,  the  nearest  Lutheran  i)astor, 
having  his  home  at  Burr  Oak.  was  instructed  to  provide  this  faith- 
ful band  with  the  means  of  grace.  lie  was  received  with  great 
joy  when  he  preaclieil  the  first  Lutheran  sermon  in  ]\Ionroe  county 
on  the  fifteenth  of  ]\Iay.  ]8()2,  at  the  district  school  house  No.  1, 
in  the  present  town  of  Ridgevillc  He  promised  to  preach  at  least 
once  in  eight  weeks,  receiving  for  every  round  trip  of  sixty  miles 
.^8.00  in  casli.  The  Lord's  Su])p('i-  was  administered  for  the  first 
time  on  the  eighteenth  of  May  to  thirty-four  communicants.  Dur- 
ing his  time  a  suitable  place  of  worsliip  was  erected,  a  log  iiouse, 
20  l)y  'A2  feet.  In  -Tune,  ]8fi2,  after  the  congregation  had  pre- 
viously been  admitted  to  the  Wisconsin  Synod,  the  new  church 
was  dedicated  with  solenni  ceremony,  tlie  Jxrv.  F.  AV.  Hass  from 
]\Iormon  ("ooley  assisting. 

Rev.  ^Michael  Kwert,  the  first  minister  who  preached  tlie  word 
to  the  oldest  Lutheran  settlement  in  .Monroe  county,  was  born  at 
Radschief,  Province  of  Posen,  Germany,  February  18,  1812.  After 
receiving  his  preliminary  education  in  the  parochial  schools  of  his 
native  village,  he  entered  the  Teachers'  Institute  at  Brond)erg.  In 
1856  he  crossed  the  ocean  and  came  to  AVisconsin.  wliere  he  was 
called  upon  to  preach  to  the  pastorless  peo])le  of  Golden  Lake. 
AVaukesha  county,  connecting  himself  with  the  Frankeau  Synod. 
By  reconnnendation  of  Pastor  Muehlhaeuser,  he  was  ordained 
for  the  gospel  ministry  in  October,  1861,  therewith  becoming  a 
member  of  the  "Wisconsin  Synod.  In  the  same  year  he  accepted  a 
vocation  to  the  "jMemminger  ("hurch"  at  Burr  Oak,  resigning  his 
pastorate  at  Cedar  Creek  and  Richfield,  "Waukesha  county,  shortly 
after  Christmas.  He  died  January  10,  1888,  and  is  buried  in  tl'tc 
cemetery  at  Ox  Boav,  Jackson  county. 

Througli  the  instrumentality  of  Dr.  Ed.  Aloldehnke.  wlu)  had 
previously,  in  June,  1863,  preached  at  Ridgeville  while  on  his 
missionary  expeditions,  the  Rev.  John  A.  lloyer  Avas  connnis- 
sioned  to  become  the  first  resident  Lutheran  nunister  in  ]\Iouroe 
county.  He  arrived  August  25,  1865,  and  delivered  his  first  ser- 
mon on  the  following  Sniiday.  His  ordination  was  performed  by 
"W.  Dammann,  of  Milwaukee,  on  llu^  nineteenth  Sunday  after 
Trinity.  A  parsonage  was  built  for  liim  in  tlie  spring  of  the 
following  year.  Rev.  Hoyer  labored  with  great  zenl.  ]u-eaching 
not  only  at  Ridgeville,  but  also  at  Clifton,  where  he  had  organized 
a  congregation  during  the  first  year  of  liis  ministry,  until  he 
received  and  accepted  a  call  to  Eldorado,  AVi.-;  .  October  27,  1867. 

During  the  ensuing  interim  of  seven  months  Air.  AVaegner  con- 
ducted services.    May  20,  1868,  the  Rev.  Ludwig  P^bert  was  unani- 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES      545 

moiisly  called  from  Portland,  Houston  county,  jMinnesota,  where 
he  had  rendered  service  to  a  number  of  German  Lutheran  congre- 
gations. He  founded  a  church  at  South  Ridge  and  erected  a  house 
of  worship  at  Clifton,  whereupon  he  departed  from  Ridgeville 
April  9,  1871,  in  order  to  return  to  the  fatherland,  accepting  a 
position  as  teacher  in  a  gymnasium. 

April  10,  1871,  the  Rev.  Albert  F.  Siegler,  a  native  of  Wollin, 
Pomerania,  Germany,  and  first  student  under  Dr.  Moldehnke  in 
the  College  at  AVatertown,  AA^is.,  was  invited  to  take  charge  of 
the  church.  He  accepted  the  invitation,  and  entered  upon  his 
work  April  26,  1871,  preaching  his  first  sermon  from  the  Gospel 
of  the  Good  Shepherd.  His  installation  followed  on  Pentecost 
Monday,  May  29,  Rev.  C.  G.  Reim,  La  Crosse,  AVis.,  officiating. 
During  his  pastorate  the  congregation  grew  too  large  to  be  accom- 
modated in  the  old  log  church,  and  consequently  it  was  decided 
to  erect  the  second  house  of  w^orship,  a  frame  building,  54  by  32, 
spire  75  feet,  with  altar  niche  and  sancristy,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000. 
Mr.  H.  L.  Scherr  and  E.  Brauer  were  the  contractors.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1874,  the  completed  building  was  set  apart  to  the  worship 
of  God,  the  pastor  loci  conducting  the  official  ceremony.  A  church 
strife,  into  which  the  congregation  was  precipitated  by  the 
Reformed  members,  while  the  building  was  in  progress,  ended  in 
the  withdrawal  of  thirteen  families  and  the  formation  of  Salem's 
Church,  October  17,  1873,  which  became  extinct  in  1890.  Rev. 
Siegler 's  career  of  this  and  fourteen  other  congregations  and 
preaching  places  came  to  a  close  when  he  was  called  to  Ixonia, 
AVis.,  July  17,  1877. 

July  24,  1877,  the  Rev.  Erdman  A.  Pankow,  whose  father 
immigrated  to  Lebanon,  Dodge  county,  with  the  so-called  old 
Lutherans  of  Pomerania  and  Brandenburg  in  1843,  was  called  to 
the  pastorate.  He  accepted  and  commenced  his  labors  October  14, 
being  installed  by  Rev.  C.  G.  Reim  of  La  Crosse,  AVis.  This  rev- 
erend gentleman  held  the  office  of  pastor  of  St.  John's  at  Ridge- 
ville. St.  Paul's  at  Tomah  and  St.  Jacob's  at  Norwalk  four  years, 
when  he  was  obliged  to  give  notice  to  this  congregation  that  on 
account  of  ill  health  he  would  have  to  sever  his  connection  with 
this  pastorate  September  18,  1881. 

AVhen  Rev.  Pankow  removed  to  St.  Louis,  IMo.,  the  services  of 
Pastor  Andrew  Schroedel  was  procured  September  18,  1881. 
After  due  deliberation  he  commenced  his  labors  in  December, 
when  he  was  formally  installed  by  Rev.  J.  Badke  of  Dorset  Ridge. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  the  first  bells  were  hung  in  the  steeple. 
The  first  mission  festival  was  celebrated  September  20,  1885.    At 


546  IllSTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

a  eoiigregatioiial  meeting  held  June  2,  1889,  it  was  resolved  to 
ereet  a  new  i)arsonage  on  a  recently  purchased  lot,  whereupon 
AVilliani  Zelhner,  P'red  Gnewikow  and  Henry  Schlinz  were 
appointed  a  building  committee  to  carry  out  the  design  of  the 
congregation.  Accordingly,  November  25,  1889,  a  contract  was 
entered  into  with  Charles  Prehn  of  Portage,  AVis.,  for  the  erection 
of  a  frame  building,  for  the  sum  of  $1,050.  But  before  the  com- 
pletion of  the  parsonage,  October  28,  the  Rev.  Schroedel  asked 
for  an  honorary  dismissal,  having  received  a  call  to  AVatertown 
as  i)rofessor.     This  was  granted  November  25,  1889. 

December  29,  1889,  the  Rev.  Christian  F.  C.  Koehler  from  East 
Farnungton,  Polk  county,  AYisconsin,  was  chosen  to  fill  the  pulpit. 
He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  on  the  twentj^-second  of 
February,  1890,  being  installed  by  Professor  Schroedel.  Upon 
his  instigation  a  special  meeting  was  called  on  March  7,  1892,  for 
the  purpose  of  devising  plans  for  a  new  school  house,  22  by  36. 
On  March  13  the  congregation  took  title  to  a  plot  of  ground  com- 
prising two  acres,  purchasing  the  same  from  ^Martin  Achtenberg, 
for  a  consideration  of  $275.  AYilliam  ]\Iatthes  was  given  the  con- 
tract and  finished  the  work  in  November.  Rev.  Koehler 's  min- 
istry lasted  until  June  4,  1899.  when  he  was  compelled  to  resign, 
being  stricken  with  a  hemorrhage.  He  removed  to  AYhite  Bear. 
Minn.,  and  soon  after  died,  October  11,  1900. 

Rev.  George  AVashington  Albrecht  was  tl'c  next  pastor.  He 
entered  upon  his  clerical  duties  July  26,  1899,  and  was  introduced 
to  his  congregation  the  following  Sunday  l)y  Prof.  Jul.  Gamm. 
The  membership  soon  became  too  great  to  accommodate  the 
crowds.  A  larger  ])uilding  became  imperative.  It  was,  therefore, 
decided  to  erect  a  brick  structure,  45  by  65,  siltar  niche  16  by  20. 
tower  110  feet  high.  Plans  sketched  by  Schick  and  Harrison  of 
LaCrosse,  AYis.,  were  ai)prov(Ml.  and  the  contract  let  to  Ernest 
Daherr.  of  Tomah.  AYis.,  .May  14.  1900.  tlie  excavation  Avas  begun 
willi.  The  cornel'  stone  was  laid  with  ini]^ressive  services  on  hte 
twenty-second  of  July,  the  Rev.  Pi-of.  A.  F.  Ernest  of  AYatertown, 
AYis.,  preaching  frdiii  Romans  8:31-32  and  1  Corinthians  3:11-12. 
The  new  church  was  formally  dedicated  to  Almighty  God  on  Jan- 
uary 20,  1901.  1lie  Rev.  Phil  von  Rohr,  jiresident  of  synod;  Rev. 
J.  Gamm,  iirofessor  at  Watertown.  AYis.,  and  Rev.  A.  F.  Siegler. 
])astor  at  AVauwatosa.  AYis.,  conducting  the  services  of  consecra- 
tion. The  Rev.  Albrecht  continued  in  faithful  service  in  tlie  con- 
gregation until  December  1,  1907,  when  he  received  permission  to 
move  to  Osceola,  AVis.    He  died  May  14.  1910. 

P'ebruary    1.   1908,    Rev.    Ewald    Herrmanns'    faithful     and 


EVANGELICAL  LUTIIEKAN  CHURCHES  547 

iiiiliapi)y  i)astorate  of  two  years  began,  lie  eanie  to  this  charge 
from  the  Deerfield  and  Newville  congregations,  near  Waterloo, 
Wis.,  where  he  had  labored  since  1904.  His  resignation  was 
accepted  March  7,  1910,  whereupon  he  removed  to  Regina, 
Saskatchewan,  Canada. 

The  present  incumbent  is  the  Rev.  August  C.  Stock,  wdio  has 
labored  with  diligence  and  acceptability  since  June  19,  1910.  Dur- 
ing his  nunistry  a  pipe  organ  was  purchased  for  $2,000.  The 
golden  jubilee  of  the  congregation  was  celebrated  June  2,  1912, 
the  Revs.  E.  A.  Pankow,  A.  F.  Siegier,  0.  Kulow  and  Prof.  J. 
Schaller  delivering  sermons.  Extensive  rebuilding  and  beautify- 
ing of  the  parsonage  have  taken  place  lately  at  a  cost  of  about 
$1,600. 

The  membership  of  the  church  is  represented  by  one  hundred 
and  thirty-six  families.  The  present  officers  are  Fred  Gnewikow, 
president ;  William  Lange,  secretary ;  Aug.  Kewitt,  treasurer  • 
William  Sommerfeld,  F.  Fuchs,  Aug.  IMartin,  elders.  The  prop- 
erty owned  by  the  congregation  is  estimated  at  $20,000.  In  con- 
nection with  the  church  is  a  congregational  school  with  about 
forty-five  in  attendance.  A  Ladies'  Aid  Society  is  in  flourishing 
condition.  A  very  able  church  choir  is  under  the  direction  of  the 
present  pastor.  The  "Gemeinde-Blatt"  is  read  by  thirty-two 
members.  Rev.  Leo  Kirst  and  Rev.  Arnold  Schulz  have  entered 
the  gospel  ministry  from  this  congregation. 

ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH  OF  TOMAH. 

By  Rev.  J.  G.  Glaeser. 

As  near  as  can  be  ascertained  at  present  writing,  the  first 
regular  sermon  was  preached  in  Tomah  by  the  Rev.  A.  F.  Siegier, 
the  resident  Lutheran  minister  of  St.  John's  Church  of  the  towai 
of  Ridgeville,  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  oji  Monday  follow^ing 
Easter  Sunday,  in  the  year  1872.  The  services  were  held  in  the 
home  of  William  Fieting.  Christians  of  Lutheran  faith  residing 
in  Tomah  and  vicinity  had  prior  to  the  date  given  occasionally 
assembled  in  private  homes,  having  one  from  their  midst  to  read 
a  sermon.  As  shown  by  the  early  records,  once  before  the  men- 
tioned date  the  Rev.  Ebert  of  Ridgeville  delivered  a  sermon  in 
Tomah  at  a  special  occasion.  Regular  services  were  inaugurated 
by  the  said  Rev.  A.  F.  Siegier  in  1872.  Services  were  held  every 
four  weeks  in  the  private  homes  of  Lutherans  in  Tomah.  In  those 
days  the  homes  of  the  people  were  mostly  small.  Much  incon- 
venience w^as  soon  experienced  to  accommodate  the  worshippers. 


548  IIISTUKY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

So  the  thought  to  provide  for  a  more  siiital)k'  jilaee  to  assemble,  if 
such  eoukl  be  had,  became  dominant.  In  the  fall  of  1873  an 
agreement  was  made  by  the  Jaitherans  of  Tomah  with  the  Con- 
gregational Church  Society  of  said  village  by  which  the  Lutherans 
should  have  the  use  of  their  church  every  fonrtli  Sunday  in  the 
afternoon.  ^Misunderstandings  over  prosperity  urgently  de- 
manded to  organize  as  a  church  body  and  seek  an  own  churcli 
home  at  an  early  date.  At  a  congregational  meeting  July  26, 
3874.  articles  of  incorporation  were  drafted,  agreed  to  and  tli" 
same  received  and  fih'd  liy  the  register  at  the  court  house  in 
Si)arta  on  August  18,  1874.  The  society  is  known  under  the  incor- 
porate name,  German  Evangelical  Lutheran,  St.  Paul's  Church  of 
Tomah,  AVis.  The  constitution  of  the  society  sets  forth  that  the 
Holy  Scriptures  shall  be  source,  norm  and  rule  of  doctrine  and 
Christian  life,  that  the  Book  of  Concord,  the  volume  containing 
the  General  and  the  Lutheran  confessions  of  faith,  shall  be  the 
true  manifestation  of  faith  as  the  same  is  propagated  by  this 
chin-ch.  Aside  from  the  doctrine  question,  the  object  of  organ- 
izing, the  aims,  the  Avork  of  the  organization,  the  requisites  of 
membership,  etc.,  are  defined.  The  names  of  the  charter  members, 
seventeen  in  number,  may  find  place  in  the  history  of  the  church, 
to  wit:  E.  Daher,  "William  Fieting,  Aug.  Scholz,  Carl  Kuppcr. 
Louis  Schnlz,  Fred  Helmke,  L.  Frieske,  Fr.  Maas,  Dav.  Martin, 
Ad.  Koehn,  Fred  Schmidt,  Fr.  Duwe,  Fr.  Lueck,  Alb.  Bongers. 
Jul.  Lueck,  Ferd.  Krueger  and  Rud.  Roscovius.  The  statistics  on 
the  day  of  organization  give  seventeen  voting  members,  forty- 
four  communicant  members,  ninety-three  souls. 

Lnmediately  after  organizing  Karl  Grutke  was  taken  in  as 
voting  member,  making  eighteen  in  all,  and  the  first  board  of 
trustees  was  elected,  a  l)ody  of  three  in  the  early  days  of  the 
church,  which  has  been  changed  later  to  six.  The  first  board  of 
trustees  were  Karl  Grutke,  David  ^Martin  and  Lud.  Frieske.  The 
financial  powers  of  the  members  of  St.  Paul's  Church  was  very 
limited  in  the  early  days  of  its  existence,  but  the  trust  in  God 
gave  the  small  congregation  courage  to  vote  to  purchase  suitable 
ground  for  a  church  building.  Two  lots  on  North  Superior  ave- 
nue, 50  by  150  each,  Avere  purchased.  Consideration,  $180.00.  At 
a  meeting  September  26,  1875,  the  congregation  decided  to  erect 
a  church  edifice  on  their  lots.  Tlic  building  1o  be  24  x  36  x  12,  of 
frame  construction.  The  construction  work  was  at  once  taken 
up  and  the  first  church  building  of  the  congregation  Avas  soon 
completed.  On  December  26,  1875,  the  new  church  Avas  dedicated. 
The  entire  cost  of  same  Avas  $600.     The  building  is  to  this  day 


EVANGP]LICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES  549 

occupied  by  the  congregation,  it  being  a  part  of  its  parochial 
school  building. 

St.  Paul's  Lutheran  congregation  of  Tomali  has  always  known 
the  duty  of  Christian  congregations  toward  the  rising  genera- 
tions in  their  midst  and  has  made  provisions  for  Christian  train- 
ing of  the  children  of  its  members,  as  circumstances  demanded.  In 
the  early  days  of  the  congregation,  when  the  members  were  few 
and  poor  at  that,  they  could  not  see  their  way  clear  to  provide  a 
regular  day  school,  so  they  did  the  next  best  thing,  giving  the 
children  a  Sunday  school.  But  a  Sunday  school  could  not  suffice, 
where  the  young  should  learn  to  know  the  Savior  well  and  where 
god-fearing  men  and  women  should  be  trained,  who  could  serve 
God,  country  and  fellowman  aright.  So  the  congregation  decided 
at  a  meeting  December  26,  1877.  to  furnish  a  winter  term  of  four 
months'  daily  schooling  to  the  children  of  the  church  members. 
Mr.  E.  Daher  was  engaged  to  teach  the  four  months'  term  of 
1877-1878.  Re-engaged  the  succeeding  terms  to  1881.  October 
9,  1881,  the  congregation  voted  to  call  its  first  regular  teacher 
and  organize  a  full  day  school  of  nine  and  one-half  to  ten  months 
a  year.  Mr.  Kahlfass  was  called  at  the  meeting  above  stated.  He 
accepted  the  call  and  taught  for  one  and  one-half  years.  A  school 
board  was  elected  February  5,  1882,  by  the  congregation.  The 
members  of  the  first  school  board  were  William  Fieting,  Ernst 
Daher  and  Fr.  Helmke. 

The  parochial  school  had  come  to  stay.  The  first  teacher,  on 
his  resignation,  was  succeeded  by  Messrs.  Jul.  Bittner  and  Ad. 
Stolz.  Thus  the  things  were  done  by  the  congregation  to  rear 
the  young  in  the  admonition  unto  the  Lord,  as  circumstances  and 
ability  of  th(^  church  of  Tomah  could  possibly  afford. 

One  live  question  of  the  congregation  yet  was  unsolved,  the 
provision  of  an  own  resident  minister.  True,  the  pastor  of  St. 
John's  Church  of  Ridgeville,  the  Rev.  A.  F.  Siegler,  and  his  suc- 
cessors, the  Revs.  E.  Pankow  and  A.  Schroed<^I,  did  all  their  time 
and  ability  permitted  to  provide  for  the  spiritual  wants  of  the 
Tomah  Lutheran  Church.  The  growing  congregation  in  Tomah 
demanded  its  own  resident  minister.. 

At  the  congregational  meeting  April  6,  1884,  it  was  voted  to 
call  a  minister.  Mr.  John  Jenny  was  elected  to  fill  the  pulpit  of 
St.  Paul  in  Tomah.  Mr.  Jenny,  at  present  pastor  of  St.  James* 
Lutheran  Church  of  Milwaukee,  is  a  graduate  of  Northwestern 
College  of  Watertown,  Wis.,  graduating  from  the  Lutheran  Sem- 
inary of  ]\Iilwaukee  in  June,  1884.    The  Rev.  Jenny  accepted  thf 


550  HISTORY  OF  :\10XROE  COUNTY 

call   to  Toniali   in   1884  and  was  installed  pastor  of  St.  Paul's 
Lutheran  Church  of  Tomali  in  the  fall  of  the  year  given. 

Pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  Jenny,  1884-1892. 

The  congregation  now  had  its  own  resident  minister.  The 
next  step  to  be  taken  was  to  provide  a  parsonage  for  the  congre- 
gation. After  considering  several  locations  for  same  it  was 
decided,  January  liO,  1886,  to  accept  an  otter  of  the  lot,  50x150, 
adjoining  the  cinircli  projx'rty  on  the  south.  Avith  a  small  cottage 
thereon,  consideration  being  $900.  Tlic  Rev.  Jenny  had  taken 
unto  himself  the  ministerial  work  as  well  as  the  school  work,  the 
congregation  l)eing  too  weak  then  to  support  a  minister  and  a 
teacher.  But  soon  the  Lutheran  congregation  of  Sparta  pe- 
titioned the  Tomah  congregation  to  i)ermit  tlieir  pastor  to  till  tiic 
pulpit  of  theii-  small  church  also.  The  petition  was  granted  De- 
cember 26,  1887,  and  the  Rev.  J.  Jenny  became  pastor  of  the 
circuit — Tomah,  Sparta  and  town  of  Lincoln,,  Zeeda  and  (Jood- 
year.  The  ministerial  Avork  thus  plentiful  left  no.  or  not  sufficient. 
time  to  the  minister  to  properly  care  for  the  school.  So  a 
parochial  teacher  was  again  called  by  the  congregation.  ]\Ir. 
Phil  Gruetzmacher  took  charge. 

The  congregation  had  grown  to  number  fifty-nine  voting  mem- 
bers January  1,  1889.  A  larger  church  edifice  became  a  pressing 
need.  At  a  meeting  August  25,  1889,  the  congregation  voted  to 
build  a  neAv  church,  which  church  building,  by  a  decision  arrived 
at  in  special  meeting  December  1,  1889,  should  atford  a  seating 
capacity  of  350  and  be  of  frame  with  brick  veneer  construction. 
The  contract  of  erection  was  awarded  to  E.  A.  Daher  of  Tomah 
for  $3,585  on  February  15,  1890.  On  June  8,  the  basement  com- 
plete, the  corner  stone  was  laid.  Prof.  E.  Xotz  of  the  Lutheran 
Seminary  of  IMilwaukee  assisting  the  pastor  in  the  act,  preached 
the  sermon.  On  the  twelfth  day  of  Octol)er.  1890,  the  church 
Avas  dedicated.  The  Revs.  IL  Vogel,  F.  Stromer  and  C.  Gansewitz 
doing  service  to  an  elated  congregation  by  speaking  Avords  to  the 
honor  of  God,  Avho  had  made  Avilling  liearts  and  open  hands  to 
erect  a  structure  of  the  kind.  The  ])astor  read  the  dedicatory 
praj^er.  The  dimensions  of  the  church  edifice,  stately  Ihon.  Avere 
38x56xl(i.  Avith  toAver  104  feet  and  altar  niche  and  sancristy. 
The  total  costs  Avere  $4,493.92. 

At  a  special  meeting  September  19.  1892,  the  pastor  AA'as  given 
an  honorable  dismissal  from  his  duties  in  order  to  accept  a  call 
to  Dnluth,  ]\liun. 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES  551 

PASTORATE  OF  THE  REV.  G.  E.  BERGEMANN,  NOVEMBER 
1,  1892— NOVEMBER  30,  1899. 

Rev.  G.  E.  Bergemami,  of  Bay  City,  Midi.,  was  called  to  fill 
the  pulpit  of  St.  Paul's  Lutheran  church,  of  Tomah,  vacated  by 
Rev.  J.  Jenny.  Rev.  Bergemann  accepted  the  call  and  took 
charge  of  his  work  in  Tomah  November  1,  1892.  The  Rev.  Berge- 
mann is  at  present  pastor  of  St.  Peter's  Lutheran  church,  of 
Fond  du  Lac,  AVis.  He  holds  the  office  of  president  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  synods  of  AVisconsin.  A.  0.  States  is  ex- 
officio  member  of  various  boards  of  said  synod.  The  Rev.  Berge- 
mann is  a  graduate  of  Northwestern  college,  of  Watertown,  '85, 
graduating  from  Lutheran  seminary  in  June,  1887. 

In  the  parochial  school  of  Tomah  congregation  Mr.  Gruetz- 
macher  having  resigned  as  teacher  ]\Ir.  Brann  succeeded  him  in 
November,  1892.  Mr.  Otto  Borchert  took  charge  of  the  school 
in  the  spring  of  '9.3,  resigning  his  position  in  January,  1899. 
Mr.  Chas.  F.  Brenner  was  given  the  school  the  same  year. 

In  1896  the  parsonage  was  altered — -enlarged  at  an  expense 
of  $700.00.  During  Rev.  Bergemann 's  pastorate  the  church's 
indebtedness  was  reduced  to  -$500.00.  In  the  year  1899  the  con- 
gregation celebrated  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  its  exist- 
ence, commemorating  the  day  by  placing  a  ncAv  pipe  organ  in 
their  church  at  a  cost  of  $785.00.  August  20  was  the  day  desig- 
nated to  mark  the  twenty-fifth  mile-stone.  Services  were  held 
in  the  forenoon,  afternoon  and  evening,  the  speakers  being  the 
Revs.  J.  Jenny  and  G.  E.  Bergemann.  Church  census  figures  on 
the  day  were  given  out,  126  voting  members,  437  communicant 
members — 682  souls.  The  Rev.  G.  E.  Bergemann  soon  thereafter 
accepted  a  call  to  St.  Peter's  Lutheran  church,  of  Fond  du  Lac, 
leaving  his  Tomah  charge  the  first  days  in  December,  1899. 

PASTORATE  OF  THE  REV.  J.  G.  GLAESER,  FROM  JANU- 
ARY 11,  1900,  TO  PRESENT  DATE. 

The  Rev.  J.  G.  Glaeser,  of  Naugart,  Marathon  county,  Wis- 
consin, was  called  as  pastor  by  St.  Paul's  Lutheran  church,  of 
Tomah,  to  succeed  the  Rev.  G.  E.  Bergemann.  Rev.  Glaeser,  a 
graduate  of  the  Lutheran  seminary  in  December,  1887,  ordained 
a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  town  of  Paris,  Kenosha  county,  Wis- 
consin, December  26,  1887,  accepted  the  call  tendered,  arriving  in 
Tomah,  January  11,  1900,  taking  charge  of  the  work  of  his  ncAV 
field  at  once.  The  congregation  had  A'oted  December  31,  1899, 
to  wipe   out  the  entire  indebtedness  of  the  society  the   coming 


552  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

year.  It  was  accomplished.  In  the  general  meeting  of  December 
27,  1900,  the  congregation  decided  to  purchase  a  peal  of  tAvo 
bells  from  ]\Ienerly  Bell  Foundry  for  $740.00.  The  money  was 
raised  within  ten  days  by  subscription  ])y  the  meml)ers.  The 
location  of  the  school  house  along  side  the  alley  back  of  the  church 
was  unsatisfactory  from  every  point  of  A'iew.  So  the  congrega- 
tion elected  a  committee  lo  find  a  suitable  location  for  their 
school.  Of  the  several  locations  offered  the  congregation  de- 
cided to  purchase  the  lot,  50x150,  north  of  ihe  church  property, 
owned  by  Mrs.  A.  i'techl,  for  !l>l,500.00.  The  dwelling  on  same 
was  sold  by  the  church  for  .^500.00.  It  was  planned  to  move  the 
school  building  on  the  lot,  to  add  a  new  part,  12x26,  same  height 
and  form  of  architecture  to  building,  and  put  a  high  basement 
under  entire  building  (26x52)  for  class  room  purposes.  The  plan 
was  realized  and  improvements  made  as  planned,  costing  closely 
to  $8,000.00,  of  which  sum  one-half  was  paid  at  once,  the  balance 
the  year  following.  The  teacher  resigned  in  June,  li)02.  The 
school  year  1902-1903  was  filled  by  Theo.  Kadert,  a  student  of 
New  Ulm  Seminary  for  Teachers.  In  September,  1903.  Teacher 
Emil  Reim  took  charge  of  the  congregation's  parochial  school. 
The  school  had  by  a  vote  of  the  members  taken  July  12,  1903, 
been  made  an  institution  of  two  class  rooms.  Mr.  Reim  was 
chosen  as  principal  and  teacher  of  the  I  room,  and  ]Miss  Ella 
Birr  taught  the  lower  grades  from  1903-1906,  ]\[iss  Anna  AVolflP, 
1906-1911.  In  September,  3911,  iMiss  Frances  Glaeser  took  charge 
of  room  II  of  the  school.  ]\Ir.  Alex.  Jaeger  succeeded  ]Mr.  Reim, 
who  A^acated  liis  position  in  June,  1908,  accepting  a  call  as 
principal  to  Tlustisford.  Wis.  On  January  1,  1912,  the  school 
register  showed  ninety-three  scholars;  fifty-one  were  in  the  first 
room,  with  Alex.  Jaeger  as  teacher;  fni't>'-two  in  the  lower 
grades,  wilh  Frances  Glaeser  as  teachei-. 

The  church  membership  had  grown  so  that  the  l)uikling 
could  no  longer  house  the  congregation.  The  question  :  What 
can  be  done  to  furnish  more  room  for  assemblies  on  the  days  of 
public  worship?  became  i)ressing.  It  was  decided  to  have  the 
architect  firm  of  Schick  &  Roth  look  into  the  cost  of  remodeling 
and  enlarging  the  church  edifice  if  possible.  ^Ir.  Scliidv.  looking 
over  the  groui;d,  liuilding,  and  inquiring  how  the  congregation 
thought  to  ace()mi)lish  an  enlargement  of  their  church,  gave  as 
his  o])inion  that  an  addition  suitably  large  conld  well  be  built. 
Sketches  were  drawn  by  tlie  architects  setting  fortli  the  inner 
and  outward  appearance  of  the  remodeled  building.  August  16, 
1908,  it  was  voted   I)y  the  congregation  to  call  upon  Schick  & 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  ("IIURC'IIES  553 

Roth,  architects,  to  draw  plans  and  specifications  as  sketches 
liad  shown.  The  plans  drawn  called  for  an  addition  36x50,  with 
sacristy  and  altar-niche  of  solid  brick  construction.  The  base- 
ment under  addition  to  afford  room  for  an  assembly  hall,  furnace 
room  and  spacious  closets.  The  old  part  to  receive  elevation  of 
ceiling,  new  plaster  and  stucco  work,  etc.  January  26,  1909,  the 
bids  for  material  and  work  of  erection  were  opened  and  awarded 
to  Mr.  Peter  Nelson,  contractor  and  builder,  of  LaCrosse.  The 
bid  was  $8,575.00.  With  the  opening  of  spring  work  was  com- 
menced, and  no  accident  or  misunderstanding  of  the  parties 
concerned  marring  the  progress  of  work,  the  building  was  com- 
pleted October  10,  1909.  On  that  day  the  church  was  dedicated 
in  proper  manner.  The  former  pastors,  J.  Jenny  and  G.  E. 
Bergemann,  were  come  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord  with  the  congre- 
gation and  preach  the  Word.  The  two  young  ]nen  in  the  ministry 
of  the  Lutheran  church  gone  forth  from  the  Tomah  congrega- 
tion, the  Revs.  Arnold  Scliulz  and  Leo  Kirst,  Avere  present  and 
spoke  the  Word  of  Truth  to  their  home  church  members.  The 
cost  of  the  addition,  remodelling  of  old  pait,  new  furniture, 
electric  fixtures  and  heating  plant  amounted  to  $14,000.00,  of 
which  sum  $11,000.00  was  paid  in  by  the  members  and  friends 
on  completion  of  improvements  stated.  In  February.  1909,  the 
congregation  purchased  the  lot  north  of  their  property  of  Mrs. 
Crabb  for  $1,800.00.  The  same  year,  1909,  the  city  of  Tomah  put 
in  brick  pavement  on  Superior  avenue,  causing  St.  Paul's 
Lutheran  congregation  an  expense  of  $700.00  as  its  part  of 
payment. 

The  church's  property,  located  on  Superior  avenue,  the 
beauty  street  of  the  city  of  Tomah,  comprises  five  lots,  each 
50x150,  a  half  block  excepting  the  southeast  corner  lot.  On  the 
lots  are  to  be  found  a  two-room  school  house,  the  spacious  church 
edifice  having  a  seating  capacity  of  650,  and  a  good-sized  parson- 
age. January  1,  1912,  the  following  figure-J  were  given:  196 
voting  members,  623  communicant  members,  1,035  souls. 

ST.  JOHN'S,  SPARTA. 

About  thirty-seven  years  ago  a  few  German  Lutherans  drove 
to  the  town  of  Ridgeville  for  the  purpose  of  listening  to  a 
Lutheran  sermon  and  partaking  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
according  to  the  institution  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
The  pastor  at  Ridgeville  w^as  at  that  time  the  Rev. 
A.  F.  Siegler.  He  kindly  invited  them  to  his  house  and 
inquired  about  the  religious  outlook  in  Sparta.     He  subsequently 


554         inSTOKY  OF  .MOXKOE  COUNTY 

came  to  Sparta  at  liis  earliest  convenience,  collected  the  scat- 
tered Lutherans,  ijreadicd  to  thcin.  and  administered  the  sacra- 
ments. Divine  services  were  lu'ld  in  ])rivatc  houses  at  irregular 
intervals  for  nuuiy  years,  until  the  Kcv.  Siegler  asked  the  Sparta 
Lutherans  to  look  for  the  service  of  some  other  pastor  who  could 
SU])pl\'   1  ln'iii   ol'tciici-. 

The  iK'xl  iniuister  who  was  calh'd  upon  to  ])r('ach  the  Lord 
Jesus  ('hrist  and  administfi-  the  sacraments  was  Rev.  Henry  ('. 
Daget'oerde,  the  tirst  laljorer  commissioned  to  Amci-ica  by  Pastor 
Ludwig  Harms,  founder  and  soul  of  the  Hei'mannsl)urg  Foreign 
^Missionary  Society.  He  was  stationed  at  Barre  .Mills.  LaC'rosse 
county,  and  pleached  the  gospel  to  this  people  until  he  accepted 
a  pastorate  in  Jiloomtield,  Wis.,  in  the  fall  of  1877. 

After  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Dagefoerde  the  Rev.  Louis  E. 
Junker,  pastor  of  ("hrist  Lutheran  church,  ut  J^nrr  ()al<.  i)rom- 
ised  to  preach  tlic  word  every  third  Sunday.  During  his  circiun- 
spective  i)astorship,  in  1S80,  Sparta  Lutherans  organized 
themselves  into  a  congregation,  calling  themselves  ''St.  John's 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church."  The  following  persons  consti- 
tuted the  organization :  August  Schlaver.  Sr.,  August  Niemasch, 
Peter  Boelke,  ^lichael  Lueck.  Julius  Dellmann,  Godfrey  Gantke, 
Julius  jNleseur,  August  Jaiinke,  Julius  Pollack.  Of  these  Peter 
Boelke,  ^Michael  Lueck,  Julius  Pollock  and  August  Jahnke  are 
still  members  of  tlu^  church.  Immediately  after  the  organization 
steps  were  taken  to  erect  a  house  of  worshi])  on  a  ]»ai'ccl  of  land 
located  on  ]\Iain  street.  This  frame  building  served  the  congre- 
gation foi'  twenty-two  years  until  it  was  supplanted  by  a  more 
substantial  sti-ucture. 

After  the  removal  of  Rev.  Junker  the  cJuirge  was  entrusted 
to  the  care  of  Rev.  Phillip  Sprengling,  a  graduate  from  the  Theo- 
logical seminary  in  ^lilwaukee.  lie  Avas  ordained  for  the  minis- 
try in  May,  18S2.  at  Burr  Oak,  the  Rev.  1'.  Lange  officiating. 
After  five  years  of  untiring  and  conscientious  discharge  of  duty 
he  was  called  to  llika.  town  of  Centerville,  Manitowoc  county, 
where  he  is  still  laboring  with  nmrked  success. 

AVhen  this  chai'ge  Avas  vacated  l)y  the  resignation  of  Rev. 
Sprengling  the  Lutherans  of  Sparta  thought  it  more  expedient 
to  iniite  witli  the  congregation  at  Tomah.  In  1887  the  Rev.  John 
fJenny,  Avhosc  i)arents  Avere  nuMubers  of  the  Swiss  colony  coming 
to  Xcw  (ilai'us.  Ci-een  couTity.  "Wisconsin,  in  1845,  entered  the 
field. 

Rev.  Jcnn.N'  was  succeeded  1)\-  tlie  Rev.  G.  E.  Bergemann,  AA'ho 
received  his  theological  training  from  Prof.  Dr.  Adhoenecke,  the 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHLURCllES  [)oo 

foremost  instructor  of  dogmatics  in  America.  He  severed  his 
connection  with  this  congregation  when  he  accepted  a  more 
prominent  pastorate  at  Fond  du  Lac,  AVis.,  serving  the  Wisconsin 
synod  as  vice-president  since  1907  and  as  president  since  I'JUU. 

The  subsequent  herald  of  the  cross  was  Rev.  John  G.  Glaeser, 
visitor  of  the  Southwestern  district  of  the  Mississi[)pi  confer- 
ence. He  came  from  St.  Paul's  church  in  the  town  of  Berlin, 
Marathon  county,  and  was  installed  at  Tomah  on  January  11, 
1900. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Rev.  Glaeser  Mr.  H.  W.  Schmeling  was 
called  to  be  pastor  of  the  German  Lutheran  tlock  at  Sparta.  Ho 
was  ordained  to  the  office  of  the  ministry  July  7.  1901.  The 
necessity  for  a  more  spacious  place  of  worship  soon  became  more 
and  more  apparent.  In  January,  1902,  active  measures  were 
taken  for  a  new  church  edifice.  A  lot  was  procured  on  Jeff^erson 
avenue  and  L  street.  3Ir.  Parkimon  furnished  plans  and  speci- 
fications. The  contract  was  let  to  Ernest  Schmalz  and  Gustav 
Friske.  Work  on  the  projected  church,  84x40x20,  spire  109  feet, 
was  commenced  early  in  spring  and  the  corner  stone  was  laid 
with  becoming  ceremonies  I\lay  4,  1902.  On  this  occasion  a  ser- 
mon was  preached  by  Rev.  Rich.  Siegler,  of  Barre  Mills.  No-' 
vember  9,  1902.  dedication  was  held.  Rev.  G.  E.  Bergemann. 
Fond  du  Lac,  AVis.,  proclaimed  the  gospel  in  the  forenoon.  Rev. 
J.  G.  Glaeser,  Tomah,  AVis.,  conducted  the  afternoon's  service, 
and  Rev.  J.  Jenny,  Alilwaukee,  AVis.,  delivered  an  English 
address  in  the  evening.  In  1905  the  congregation  celebrated  the 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  its  organization  by  arranging  special 
services  for  the  3rd  of  September,  the  Revs.  F.  A.  Siegler  and 
P.  Sehroeder  officiating.  A  bell  weighing  1,302  pounds  was 
bought  from  the  famous  jNIeneely  Company.  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  in- 
stalled on  the  same  occasion.  A  commodious  and  convenient 
parsonage  was  purchased  in  1907.  Following  the  custom  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  a  parochial  school  was  established  in  1903,  the 
pastor,  Rev.  Schmeling,  conducting  the  same  for  five  years.  In 
1908  Aliss  Edith  Steinke  was  employed.  IMiss  Ella  Lorenz  will 
take  her  place  in  September,  1912.  The  average  attendance  has 
been  from  forty  to  fifty  pupils. 

The  present  congregation  consists  of  94  families,  350  com- 
municants, and  490  souls.  The  present  officers  of  the  church  are : 
Pastor,  Rev.  H.  AA".  Schmeling;  president.  Alichael  Lueck ;  secre- 
tary. Henry  Hoppmann ;  treasurer,  Hugo  Protz ;  school  director, 
Louis  Luebcke;  teacher.  Ella  Lorenz;  organist,  Amelia  Jalinke. 


556  IIISTOKY  OF  .MOXKUE  COUNTY 

Tlie  whole  value  of  the  church  puroperty  approximates  $1,600, 
Kegular  P^nglish  preaching  is  given  once  a  month. 

ST.  JACOB  S,  NORWALK. 

St.  Jacob's  is  an  outgrowth  of  St.  John's,  at  KidgeviHc,  the 
mother  church  of  eight  congregations  in  ^tonroe  county.  In 
1875  some  of  its  members  living  in  the  vcinity  of  Xorwalk  were 
inclined  to  tiiink  that  the  time  had  ai)proached  to  hold  services 
in  a  somewhat  closer  proximity  to  their  homes.  Accordingly  ihey 
asked  the  Rev.  A.  F.  Siegler,  pastor  at  Ridgeville  since  1871,  to 
hold  religious  services  in  the  village  of  Xorwalk.  Soon  after- 
wards Rev.  Siegler  came  here  and  began  to  labor  with  intentions 
to  establish  a  preaching  post.  The  first  meetings  were  conducted 
in  the  old  school  house  and  at  Roof's  hall.  Rev.  Siegler  remained 
with  this  society  two  years. 

He  was  succeeded  on  his  departure  by  the  Rev.  Erdman  A. 
PankoAV,  at  one  time  professor  of  ancient  languages  in  Concordia 
college,  Concordia,  ^lo.  During  his  time  the  congregation  Avor- 
shiped  fortnightly  in  a  wagon  shop.  Septendjer  18,  1881,  the 
Rev.  Pankow,  by  reason  of  continued  ill  health,  Avas  compelled 
to  tender  his  resignation,  much  to  the  regret  of  his  ])arishioners. 

The  third  incuml)ent  was  the  Rev.  Andrew  Scliroedel.  late 
president  of  the  Minnesota  synod,  who  was  called  innnediately 
after  his  predecessor's  resignation,  assuming  his  position  in  De- 
cember, 1881.  ITnder  his  skillful  guidance.  January  30,  1882. 
the  permanent  organization  of  the  society  was  effected  with  nine 
members.  The  names  of  those  who  participated  Avere :  Jacol) 
Schuele,  Gustav  Prechcl.  AVilliam  Schedler.  Clii-istian  Drawer. 
Julius  ]\Iittelstaedt,  John  Arndt.  AVilliam  Schulz.  J.  (iurske.  At 
the  same  time  they  Avere  incorporated  under  the  prevailing  bnvs 
of  the  state,  naming  themselves  "Evangelical  Lutheran  St.  Ja- 
cob's Church."'  The  first  trustees  Avere :  President,  AVilliam 
Schedler;  secretary,  Gottlieb  Jahnke;  treasurer,  Jacob  Schuele. 
A  congregational  constitution  Avas  ado])ted  and  signed  by  tlie 
A'oting  members.  Febniai'v  12,  1881.  the  lii'st  cliun-h  house. 
2-4x36,  for  Avliidi  ])i'o\isioiis  had  bi-en  made  during  Rev.  PankoAv's 
term,  Avas  completed  and  litly  dedicated,  the  loi-al  ])astor  per- 
forming the  dedieatoi-y  act.  and  the  Rev.  J.  Badke.  from  Dorset 
Ridiie.  assisting.  Tlie  Luthei-ans  of  X'orAvalk  may.  therefore, 
.justly  asci-il)e  to  themselves  the  honor  of  erecting  the  first  house 
of  Avorship  in  tlie  village.  Rev.  Scliroedel  supplied  this  church 
until  October,  1880,  Avhen  he  accepted  a  ]irofessorship  in  the 
XorthAvestern  T"^niversitA',  WatertOAvn,  AYis. 


EVANGELICAL  LLTIIEHAX  CHURCHES  557 

The  next  pastor,  serving  witli  great  earnestness  from  1890- 
1899,  was  the  Kev.  Christian  F.  C.  Koehler,  who  previously  had 
been  serving  congregations  at  East  Farmington  and  Osceola, 
AVis.  The  first  confirmation  took  place  during  his  ministry  on 
April  5,  1891.  In  June,  1891,  this  congregation  Avas  received  as 
an  integral  part  of  the  Wisconsin  synod,  the  only  German 
Lutheran  church  body  represented  in  Monroe  county.  Mr.  John 
Koeninger  was  the  first  delegate  to  synod  convened  at  St.  John's 
Lutheran  church,  ]\Llwaukee.  June  18-25,  1891.  A  Sunday  school 
was  established  and  placed  under  the  management  of  INIr.  Jacob 
Schuele  and  Mrs.  J.  Koeninger.  The  Rev.  Koehler  continued 
to  perform  his  duty  in  the  midst  of  this  congregation  until  he 
Avas  forced  to  resign  on  account  of  a  severe  abdominal  disease. 
He  occupied  the  pulpit  for  the  last  time  at  Burr  Oak,  on  tli(> 
occasion  of  a  mission  festival,  his  death  taking  place  four  days 
later,  October  11,  1900,  at  the  parsonage  of  Rev.  Phil  von  Rohr, 
AVinona,  Minn. 

After  Prof.  John  P.  Koehler,  instructor  of  church  history  and 
new  testament  exegesis  in  the  theological  seminary  of  the  p]van- 
gelical  Lutheran  AVisconsin  Synod  in  Milwaukee,  had  acted  as 
supply  for  nearly  a  whole  year,  the  Rev.  George  AVashington 
Albrecht  was  appointed  to  the  charge,  his  installation  occurring 
on  the  30th  of  July,  1891.  He  officiated  in  that  capacity  until  it 
was  decided  by  the  congregation  to  become  an  independent 
charge,  October  21,  1906. 

December  8,  1906,  Pastor  E.  IMayerhoff,  who  resides  at 
AA^oncAvoc,  AVis.,  since  his  retirement  from  active  Avork  on  account 
of  infirmities  of  age,  Avas  called  as  vicar.  He  labored  AA'ith  this 
people  until  the  Rca'.  Otto  Engel,  the  present  incumbent,  Avas 
extended  a  call. 

The  Rev.  Engel,  a  graduate  of  Concordia  college  and  the  sem- 
inary in  Mihvaukee,  accepted  the  call  after  mature  deliberation, 
and  Avas  ordained  to  the  office  of  the  ministry  by  Rca'.  Mayerhoff, 
August  18,  1907,  thus  becoming  the  first  resident  minister  of 
any  denomination  at  NorAvalk.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  an  ex- 
cellent parsonage  Avas  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,000.  A  full 
parochial  school  Avas  opened  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  the 
pastor  acting  as  teacher  four  years.  The  congregation  ha\dng 
groAvn  in  the  meantime,  in  the  fall  of  1909  it  Avas  decided  to  build 
a  ncAv  house  of  Avorship.  The  l)uilding  committee  consisted  of 
Eduard  Bergmann,  Robert  GracAvin  and  Rudolf  Martin.  Plans 
and  specifications  Avere  furnished  by  Schick  &  Roth,  LaCrosse 
architects.     The  contract  Avas  let  to  J.  A.  Heilmann  on  the  15th 


558  IlllSTOKY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

of  February,  11)10,  for  ^(),280.  Five  thousand  and  twenty-six  dol- 
lars were  raised  by  the  pastor  to  carry  on  the  woik.  Tlic  corner 
stone  was  laid  ]\lay  29,  1910.  The  services  were  participated  in 
by  Rev.  J.  G.  Glaeser,  Toniali,  Wis.,  and  Rev.  C.  AV.  Siegler, 
Hanj?or,  AVis.  The  new  church  was  completed  in  October.  It  is 
a  hue  brick  structure,  ."UxliO,  beautiful  and  churchly  in  all  ap- 
])ointnu^nts,  calculated  to  comfortably  seat  2.10  ])crsons.  The 
(b'dication  services  were  held  OcIoIxt  2:5,  Prof.  -J.  P.  Koehler, 
^Milwaukee.  Wis.;  Rev.  K.  A.  Paukow,  Caledonia.  .Alinn..  and 
Rev.  A.  (".  Stock.  Ridgevillc.  Wis.,  preaching-  dedicatory  sermons. 
In  the  construction  of  the  new  chui'ch  an  expenditure  of  about 
j)^10,000  was  made.  The  motto  had  been:  Evei-vthing  new  for 
the  new  church. 

The  congregation  is  composed  of  forty-fiv(>  voting  and  eleven 
contributing  niembers.  The  present  officers  of  the  society  are: 
President,  Robert  Graewin;  secretary,  Gusta^-  .lanke;  treasurer, 
Carl  Hanisch ;  elder,  Soren  Kastberg.  A  Sunday  school  is  ably 
oonducted  by  3Irs.  Emma  Hornung  and  Alarie  Koepcke,  having 
an  attendance  of  twenty-two  scholars.  Connected  with  the 
church  there  is  a  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  consisting  of  twenty-five 
active  members.  The  church  property  is  estimated  at  .tlo.OOO. 
About  twenty-six  copies  of  the  Gemeinde-Blatt  and  three  copies 
of  the  Lutheran  AVitness  ar-e  taken  by  the  congregation.  The 
salary  paid  to  the  pastor  at  present  is  .$400.  The  congregation 
possesses  its  own  cemetery.  Xorwalk  Lutherans  have  one  of  the 
most  beautiful,  substantial  and  commodious  church  buildings  in 
]\Ionroe  county.  The  basement  of  the  ehnreli  is  utilized  for 
school  purposes. 

ST.  MATTHEW'S,  TOWN  OF  LINCOLN. 

The  jjutheran  families  in  the  town  of  Lincoln  were  visited  by 
the  Revs.  A.  F.  Siegler,  E.  A.  Pankow,  A.  Schroedel,  pastors  of 
St.  John's  in  the  town  of  Ridgevill(\  at  irregular  intervals,  public 
services  being  conducted  in  ]iiMvate  residences.  This  was  ]>rior 
to  1880. 

When  the  Rev.  .1.  .lenny,  formerly  stationed  al  iron  Cr(>ek, 
near  ]\Ienomouie,  AVis.,  liecame  the  first  resident  Lutlieran  min- 
ister of  Tomah.  Sei)teiiiber  28,  1884.  lie  was  c.dled  upon  to  take 
charge  of  the  missidu  in  the  town  of  Lincoln.  Regular  services 
were  now  held  every  three  or  four  weeks  in  the  school  house  on 
tlie  Rlacdv  River  road,  one  and  one-half  miles  north  fi-om  T\ii-by. 

On  November  6,  1892,  after  Rev.  -Jeiniy  had  been  appointed 
missionary  of  the  mining  district  near  Duluth.  ^linn..  th(>  Rev. 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES      559 

G.  E.  Bergemann,  since  1887  pastor  of  Trinity  church  at  South 
Ji.iy  (  ity,  ]Mich.,  assumed  full  charge  of  his  clerical  duties  at 
ToHiali  and  town  of  Lincoln.  December  16,  1894,  a  meeting  was 
held  by  the  mend)ers  of  the  mission  in  the  aforementioned  school 
house  immediately  after  service  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a 
congregation.  A  constitution  stating  name,  object  and  doctrinal 
position  of  the  society  was  drafted  and  signed  by  the  vofing 
members  present,  December  26,  1894.  The  organization  was 
completed  by  electing  the  following  olBcers :  President,  Rev.  G. 
E.  Bergemann;  secretary,  Wm.  Hoffmann;  treasurer,  Wm.  Kemp. 
The  name  "Eivangelical  Lutheran  St.  ]\[atthew's  Church  of  the 
Town  of  Lincoln,  Monroe  County,  AVisconsin, "  was  unanimously 
selected. 

A  call  to  St.  Peter's  Lutheran  church  at  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis., 
ended  the  labors  of  Rev.  Bergemann  for  this  people,  December, 
1899,  and  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Glaeser  was  called  from  Naugart,  AVis., 
entering  upon  his  work  January  14.  1900.  Soon  after  his  ar- 
rival a  meeting  was  called  to  consider  the  question  of  building 
a  church  edifice.  The  congregation  voted  to  purchase  an  acre 
of  land  from  Llenry  Severloh,  Sr..  located  on  Black  river  road, 
only  a  few  rods  distant  from  the  school  house  which  had  served 
the  congregation  for  many  years.  It  was  decided  to  erect  a  build- 
ing 26x40  feet,  frame,  with  brick  veneer,  tower  52  feet  high. 
The  contract  was  awarded  to  E.  A.  Daher,  of  Tomah,  early  in 
the  spring.  In  ]May  the  corner  stone  of  the  proposed  building 
Avas  laid  with  customary  ceremonies,  the  local  pastor  delivering 
an  appropriate  and  impressive  address.  July  1.  1900,  the  new 
church  was  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the  Triune  God,  the 
former  pastors.  Rev.  J.  Jenny  and  G.  E.  Bergemann.  upon  special 
invitation  by  the  congregation,  conducting  the  dedication  serv- 
ices. The  total  cost  was  .^1.600,  there  being  nineteen  members 
to  contribute  towards  the  elimination  of  the  church  debt  which 
remained  after  the  completion  of  the  building.  April  4.  1907, 
the  congregation  incorporated  under  the  laws  governing  religious 
societies,  the  papers  being  filed  at  the  Courthouse  in  Sparta,  Col. 
8,  No.  223-224.  The  first  board  of  trustees  of  six  members  w^ere : 
Aug.  Kemp,  Fred  Gehrke,  AVm.  Schroeder,  Frank  Hoffman,  Her- 
man Gehrke  and  AYm.  Kastens.  In  1911  the  congregation  had 
the  interior  of  the  church  covered  with  tasteful  metal  ceiling,  at 
a  cost  of  $225. 

The  membership  is  twenty-six  A-oting,  four  contributing  and 
about  ninety  communicant  members.  The  present  church  of- 
ficers are:    Pastor,  J.  G.  Glaeser;  trustees,  John  Zahrte,  August 


560  HISTORY  OF  :moxroe  county 

Kc'inp.  Augu;sl  iJirkliolz;  elders,  Win.  Ka.stuii!;,  IJeniiaii  Oehrke, 
AVin.  Ziininormann. 

FRIEDENS    CHURCH,    TOWN    OF    LITTLE    FALLS. 

The  tirst  iiiiiiister  of  the  gospel  who  acliuiiiistered  the  means 
of  grace  among  tlie  Lutheran  families  in  the  town  of  Little  Falls, 
fourteen  miles  north  of  Sparta,  was  the  Rev.  Louis  E.  Junker,  a 
self-sacrificing  and  devout  Christian.  He  came  from  Burr  Oak 
valley  sixteen  miles,  where  he  had  been  located  since  1878,  and 
preached  at  irregular  intervals  in  private  residences  and  school 
houses.  In  the  spring  of  1882  Rev.  Junker  left  this  congrega- 
tion and  went  as  pastor  to  Eitzen,  ]\Iinn.,  closing  his  earthly 
pilgrimage  December  5,  1910. 

After  the  removal  of  Rev.  Junker  the  administration  of  the 
sacraments  ceased  until,  through  the  instrumentality  of  ^Ir.  John 
Loesch.  a  staunch  Lutheran  who  had  served  Rev.  Junker  as 
driver,  the  Rev.  J.  J.  ]Mcyer.  an  unpretending  laborer  in  the 
Lord's  vineyard,  was  called  upon  to  look  after  the  spiritual  wel- 
fare of  this  people.  Rev.  ]\Ieyer  resided  at  Burr  Oak.  and  com- 
menced to  preach  the  AVord  every  fourth  week  in  1890.  conduct- 
ing divine  Avorship  with  six  families  in  district  school  house  No. 
6.  the  use  of  which  was  kindly  and  gratuitously  granted  to  them 
l)y  the  school  board,  an  offer  wliich  was  accepted  with  gratitude! 
AVhen  the  little  flock  was  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  a  few 
families  coming  from  Irish  Valley  and  Pine  Hill,  an  organization 
was  effected  with  sixteen  male  members  in  1896.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  it  was  desired  to  erect  a  house  of  worship,  ^lessrs.  II. 
Parlow.  AVm.  Jahnke  and  Franic  Zillmer  Avere  appointed  as  a 
building  coniniittee.  'lln'  new  Iraiiic  church,  32x42.  tower  oO 
feet,  was  appropriately  dedicated  October  2-1,  1897.  the  Rev. 
Meyer  preaching.  From  1882-1888  this  preaching  station  was 
supplied  with  tlic  AVoi'd  of  God  by  Rev.  Pliillip  Sprengling.  a 
graduate  from  the  seminary  at  .Milwaukee,  who  sat  at  the  feet 
of  Dr.  A.  L.  GraebiH'r.  a  i'ecogniz(Hl  authority  on  the  history  of 
the  Lutheran  church  in  America. 

He  Avas  succeeded  by  Rev.  AVilliam  Parisius.  Avho  was  installed 
as  pastor  of  Christ's  church  at  Burr  Oak.  and  of  Frieden's  church 
on  the  16th  of  Septend)er,  1900,  by  the  Rev.  R.  Siegler.  But 
since  the  Avork  at  Burr  Oak  so  occupied  the  time  of  Rev.  Parisius 
that  he  could  not  look  after  the  interests  of  this  congregation  as 
Avell  as  he  Avould  like  to,  he  asked  them  to  (-aW  upon  some  other 
neighboring  minister. 

By  his  recommendation,  in  the  summer  of  1902.  the  serA'ice  or 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CIlUKC'llES  561 

Eev.  n.  AV.  Sc'limeling,  of  Sparta,  was  secured.  He  preaches 
every  alternate  Sunday  in  the  afternoon,  conducting  an  English 
service  immediately  after  the  German  every  month. 

The  present  congregation  consists  of  45  families,  160  com- 
municants and  240  souls.  The  church  officers  are :  President, 
August  Brandt ;  secretary,  Albert  Wegner ;  treasurer,  John 
Hanke.  The  Sunday  school  has  a  comparatively  large  enroll- 
ment. Summer  school  is  held  every  year  during  July  and 
August,  religion  and  German  reading  and  writing  being  the 
principal  branches.     The  pastor  resides  at  Sparta. 

PORTLAND  CHURCH,  TOWN  OF  PORTLAND. 

The  first  German  settlers  of  the  southwestern  part  of  JMonroe 
county,  known  as  Portland  Center,  came  from  Jefferson  county, 
and  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  In  May,  1862, 
Ferdinand  Perso,  Carl  Voelz  and  William  Hanke  entered  this 
district.  Christian  Hanke,  August  Savall  and  Frederic  Breiten- 
feld  came  in  close  succession.  Destitute  of  Lutheran  preaching 
they  resolved  to  send  Mr.  Christian  Hanke,  a  strict  Lutheran,  to 
<\Iormon  Cooley  in  order  to  secure  the  services  of  Rev.  Fred.  Wm. 
Hass.  In  1865  this  pioneer-preacher  made  his  first  appearance, 
traveling  the  distance  of  twenty-four  miles  on  foot.  Thus  these 
early  Lutherans  were  privileged  to  hear  the  gospel  from  the  lips 
of  an  old  acciuaintance,  for  some  had  known  the  Rev.  Hass  in 
Pomerania,  Germany,  where  he  labored  as  teacher  in  Alt-Sans- 
kow  and  Zuchen  for  over  twenty  years.  He  crossed  the  ocean  in 
1856,  settling  at  Watertown,  "Wis.,  September  9,  where,  upon  the 
advice  of  Phil.  Wetzel,  a  teacher,  a  school  was  entrusted  to  his 
care  by  Rev.  A.  Wagner.  October  1,  1858,  he  Avas  made  pastor  of 
Bethany  church  and  St.  INIichael's,  near  Hustisford,  and  through 
the  instrumentality  of  Rev.  G.  Fachtmann  he  located  at  IMormon 
Cooley,  town  of  Shelby  (formerly  town  of  Greenfield),  July  9, 
1862.    He  died,  seventy-one  years  of  age,  June  14,  1890. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Henry  C.  Dagefoerde,  who  was  in- 
fluenced by  the  powerful  sermons  of  Pastor  Ludwig  Harms  to 
enter  the  Hermannsburg  Foreign  Mission  Institute  at  Hermanns- 
burg,  Hanover,  Germany,  in  his  thirty-sixth  year,  and  who  en- 
joyed the  reputation  of  having  been  an  industrious  laborer  in 
Christ's  vineyard  until  his  death  at  Trumann,  Minn.,  October  9, 
1910.  He  took  charge  of  this  congregation  when  he  was  installed 
as  pastor  of  St.  John's  Lutheran  church  at  Barre  Mills,  LaCrosse 
county,  popularly  known  as  "Bostvick  Valley  church,"  May  11, 
1873,    coming  from   Leeds,   Columbia   county,   where   he   served 


562  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

liis  first  ehargo  after  his  arrival  in  America,  in  1869.  Rev.  Dage- 
foerde  supplied  this  small  band  of  Lutherans  with  the  means  of 
grace  in  the  l*ortlaud  Center  school  house  until  he  took  leave  of 
his  congregation  at  Barre  Mills  to  labor  at  Bloomfield,  Wis. 

After  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Dagefoerde  Ihe  congregation 
secured  the  service  of  Rev.  I'eter  U.  Lange,  Avho  was  l)orn  at 
Sclduepke,  near  Ilermannsburg,  Germany.  August  28,  184:^,  and 
immigrated  to  the  I'nited  States  in  1872,  sfttling  at  Peshtigo, 
AVis.,  where,  October  6,  he  became  pastor  of  a  congregation  that 
had  lost  cliui'ch  and  parsonage  in  the  great  forest  fires,  October 
6,  1872.  He  located  at  liarro  ]\Iills  in  Deceml)er,  1877,  and  per- 
formed ministerial  acts  among  these  people  until  ^lay.  1886, 
wlien  lie  removed  to  Pipestone,  31  inn.,  to  serve  in  the  capacity 
of  synodical  missioiiai-^-.  During  his  stay,  in  1878,  a  brick 
chui'ch,  20x.'^(),  Avas  completed  and  dedicated,  the  neighboring 
ministers  assisting.  Decemliei-  'A].  1877.  a  constitution  was  drawn 
up  and  signed  liy  tlie  following  members:  C.  A.  Yoelz,  C. 
Hanke,  Ferdinand  I'crso,  August  Sa\all,  Ma.rtin  Savall,  August 
Hoehn,  Carl  Mai'tin.  Tlie  fii-st  regularly  elected  church  officers 
Avere:  ("hrislian  llaid^e.  Fei'dinand  l^erso.  C.  A.  Yoelz.  The 
death  of  Mr.  Lange  occurred  Mardi  22,  1900,  at  AVeyauwega, 
AYisconsin. 

The  fourth  iiicumlieiit  was  Rev.  K'ichai'd  .^ieglei-.  who  pursued 
his  collegiate  studi<'s  at  Xorl Invest ern  rni>'ersity.  Watertown, 
AVis..  and  has  now  adxaiieed  to  tlie  position  of  tield  missionary. 
He  took  111.  liis  resi(]eiice  at  Uarre  .Mills.  A|.ril  26,  1886.  In  1890, 
when  West  Salem  and  Bangor  wei-e  added  lo  his  care,  the  con- 
gregation Avas  advised  to  call  upon  the  ser\ice  of  Rev.  F.  Bred- 
low.  ])astor  of  Zion's  Lutheran  eliurcli  at  Klroy. 

In  a  congregational  meeiing  held  Xovember  80.  1890,  a  call 
was  extended  to  Rev.  Bi'edlo\\-  for  one  yi'ar.  his  salary  being  $7."). 
He  served  this  people  as  avcII  as  he  could  every  third  Sunday, 
traveling  ])y  rail  to  Alelvina  or  Norwalk  and  then  walking  the 
rest  of  the  (listanc(>  to  Portland  Center.  Tlie  Rev.  F.  Bredlow 
was  born  May  31,  1852,  at  Eichberg,  near  Kreuz,  Province  of 
Posen,  Oermany.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1881  and  then  ac- 
quired his  training  for  the  Avork  of  the  ministry  at  the  Lutheran 
theological  seminary  of  the  AVisconsin  synod  in  Alilwaukee,  lo- 
cated in  Eimmermann's  park,  on  Thirteenth,  between  A'^ine  street 
and  Fond  du  I^ac  avenue.  He  finished  his  course  in  1886  and  has 
served  congregations  at  Thei'csa,  Dodge  county;  Tuckertown, 
Sauk  county,  and  Elroy,  .Tuneau  county.     Mr.  Bredlow  is  now 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES      563 

connected  with  the  general  council  and  serves  congregations  near 
"VVetaskiwin,  Alberta,  Canada. 

After  the  removal  of  Rev.  Bredlow,  the  Rev.  W.  Parisius, 
Avho  had  recently  arrived  from  the  pro-seminary  for  America 
at  Kropp,  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  was  placed  in  charge  of 
this  organization.  He  was  introduced  to  his  congregation  at 
Elroy,  August  27,  1893,  by  Rev.  E.  Mayerhoff,  a  superannuated 
minister  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  drove  to  Portland  via 
Kendall,  Ontario,  Cashton,  a  distance  of  about  forty  miles,  once 
a  month. 

In  1895  this  congregation  came  under  the  pastoral  care  of 
Rev.  Theodor  Hartwig,  who  located  at  Bangor  as  the  first  resi- 
dent minister  of  St.  Paul's  church,  an  offshoot  from  the  Bost- 
viek  Valley  church,  September  15,  1895.  Rev.  Hartwig  obtained 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  Lutheran  church  in  Water- 
town  and  ^Milwaukee,  is  a  contributor  to  the  Theologische  Quar- 
talschrift,  a  religious  periodical,  and  read  a  doctrinal  paper 
at  the  last  convention  of  the  Wisconsin  synod,  assembled  at  Mil- 
waukee, June  19-24,  1912. 

When  Rev.  Hartwig  took  leave  of  this  flock  to  follow  a  call 
to  Naugat,  Wis.,  the  Rev.  William  F.  Rader,  for  twenty-one  years 
pastor  of  St.  John's,  at  Wauwatosa,  Wis.,  was  appointed  to  this 
charge,  his  installation  taking  place  in  the  fall  of  1904.  He  re- 
mained until  1908,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Prairie  du  Chien, 
Wis.,  the  Rev.  H.  Schmeling,  of  Sparta,  in  the  meantime  filling 
the  pulpit. 

The  present  pastor  is  the  Rev.  Carl  W.  Siegler.  who  minis- 
tered to  St.  John's  church  at  Stanton.  Neb.,  from  October,  1900. 
to  July,  1907,  serving  at  the  same  time  as  recording  secretary  of 
the  district  synod  of  Nebraska,  affiliated  with  the  general  synod 
of  Wisconsin,  IMinnesota,  Michigan  and  other  states.  He  en- 
tered upon  his  duties  in  January,  1909. 

The  congregation  now  numbers  eleven  voting  and  five  con- 
tributing members.  The  property  owned  by  the  congregation  is 
estimated  at  $1,500.  The  present  church  officers  are :  C.  Perso, 
Wm.  Rosenow  and  A.  Breitenfeld.  A  graveyard  surrounds  the 
church. 

ST.  PETER'S,  TOWN  OF  CLIFTON. 

The  first  Lutheran  sermon  in  the  towns  of  Clifton  and  Oak- 
dale  was  preached  during  ]\Iay.  1863,  in  the  house  of  Christian 
Hergert,  by  Prof.  Dr.  Ed.  F.  ^Moldehnke,  first  itinerant  mission- 


564  HISTORY  OF  .AlOXKOE  COUNTY 

iiry  ol'  the  Wist-onosiii  syjiod.  Jii  3865  St.  Peter's,  second  oldest 
J^uthcran  cougregation  in  ^loiiroe  couuty,  commonly  called 
"Clifton''  or  "Jndian  Creek"  clnucli.  was  organized  at  tiir  resi- 
dence of  Christian  Joos,  Avho  came  to  this  section  of  the  state 
from  Jefferson  county  in  1859. 

The  first  regular  nnnister  representing  the  TiUthci-an  churt-h 
in  this  Aicniity  was  Rev.  John  August  lloyer,  who  emigrated 
from  Hamburg,  Germany,  April  15,  18()5,  and  came  to  Ridgeville. 
August  25,  as  the  first  resident  minister  in  ]\Ionroe  county,  lie 
preached  his  first  sermon  to  the  newly  organized  congregation 
in  the  latter  part  of  October,  supplying  this  charge  Avitii  preach- 
ing every  third  Sunday,  the  services  being  held  in  private  dwell- 
ings and  jiublic  school  houses.  After  two  years  of  faithful  labor. 
Rev.  Iloyer  accepted  a  call  to  Eldorado,  near  Fond  du  Lae.  Wis., 
and  })reached  his  farewell  sermon  on  the  seventeenth  Sunday 
after  Trinity,  October  13.  1867.  Ilis  last  entry  in  the  Clnirch- 
Record  reads:  "The  Lord  bless  this  congregation,  young  and 
old,  unto  eternal  life  and  salvation.     Amen." 

Ilis  successor  was  Rev.  Ludwig  Ebert.  wlio  came  to  America 
from  the  Pilgrim  IMission  House  at  St.  Chrischona,  near  Basel. 
Switzerland,  in  1862,  to  serve  the  Lutheran  church  in  the  Dia- 
spora. During  his  pastorate  in  1869  steps  were  taken  to  erect  a 
house  of  Avorship  on  a  site  presented  to  the  congregation  by 
Fred.  Geil,  t"wo  and  one-half  miles  west  from  the  present  village 
of  Clifton,  on  the  old  ]\Iinnesota  stage  road.  The  result  was  a 
frame  building,  24x.36xl6  feet  in  dimensions,  which  was  sol- 
emnly dedicated  on  the  ITtli  of  October,  1869,  the  Rev.  Ebert 
preaching  the  dedicatory  sermon  at  the  altar  from  the  First  Book 
of  Kings,  eighth  chapter,  verses  22-30,  54-60,  ami  then  expound- 
ing from  the  pulpit  the  fundamental  doctrine  of  justification 
according  to  John  3  :16. 

After  Rev.  Ebert 's  departure,  which  occurred  around  Easter. 
1870,  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Albert  F.  Siegler,  of  IMenomo- 
nie,  Wis.  He  followed  the  example  of  his  predecessor  and 
resided  at  Ridgeville,  breaking  the  bread  of  Life  to  this  congre- 
gation every  third  Sunday.  Extending  his  missionary  journeys 
into  Jackson,  AVood  and  Juneau  counties,  he  deemed  it  necessary 
to  divide  his  field  and  induced  Indian  Creek,  Dorset  Ridge,  South 
Ridge  and  AVilton  to  call  their  own  minister. 

This  plan  went  into  effect  when  ]\Ir.  AV.  II.  Bergholz,  a  grad- 
uate from  Concordia  seminary.  St.  Louis,  ^lo..  came  to  live  at 
Dorset  Ridge,  six  miles  south  of  the  Clifton  church,  his  ordination 
and  installation  taking  place  July  13.  1873.     In  1877  he  severed 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES     565 

his  connection  with  this  charge,  having  received  and  accepted  a 
call  to  Eldorado,  Fond  dn  Lac  county,  "Wisconsin. 

He  was  followed  by  Rev.  Carl  Zlonike,  who,  after  taking 
active  part  in  the  Austro-Priissian  and  Franco-Prussian  wars, 
had  left  the  fatherland  as  a  candidate  of  th-^  Wangeniann  Mis- 
sion Institute  at  Berlin,  Germany,  commissioned  for  emigrant 
missionary  work  in  America.  After  a  conscientious  discharge  of 
his  ministerial  duties  he  moved  to  Golden,  111. 

Mr.  Julius  Badke,  graduating  from  the  Practical  seminary 
of  the  Missouri  synod  at  Springfield,  111.,  succeeded  to  the  pas- 
torate in  1880,  being  ordained  for  the  ministry  by  Rev.  E.  A. 
Pankow,  November  25,  1880.  He  relinquished  his  charge  in  July, 
1884,  and  then  left  for  Glencoe,  Trempeleau  county,  AVisconsin. 
afterwards  entering  the  Canada  synod,  of  which  he  still  is  a 
member,  residing  at  Brantford,  Ontario. 

Immediately  after  his  predecessor's  resignation.  Rev.  Frank 
Stej'er  was  called  from  Ahnapee  (Algoma),  Kewaunee  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  had  been  active  as  missionary,  covering  the 
territory  along  the  "Wisconsin  Central  railroad,  from  Auburndale 
to  Ashland.  During  his  pastorship  a  commodious  parsonage  was 
built  on  the  property  adjoining  the  church,  and  henceforth  we 
find  the  ministers  of  this  charge  permanently  located  in  the  midst 
of  this  congregation. 

In  a  joint  meeting  held  at  Wilton,  under  the  chairmanship  of 
Rev.  A.  Schoedel  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1889,  it  was  decided  to 
divide  the  field  comprising  St.  Peter's  at  Clifton,  Immanuel's  at 
Dorset  Ridge,  St.  Matthew's  at  South  Ridge,  and  St.  Paul's  at 
Wilton.  As  a  result  Rev.  John  Casparius  Himmler  was  called  to 
Indian  Creek  and  Dorset  Ridge,  Avhile  South  Ridge  and  Wilton 
became  a  separate  charge.  ]\Ir.  Ilinnnler  reports  at  the  celebration 
of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  congregation,  664  baptisms, 
304  confirmations.  112  weddings  and  181  burials. 

Rev.  Himmler 's  ministry  with  this  organization  lasted  until 
1895,  and  Rev.  Henry  Viestenz  was  chosen  as  the  next  officiating 
pastor.  On  IMay  25,  1896,  the  resolution  was  passed  to  erect  a  new 
church.  Messrs.  R.  Grassmann,  H.  Battalia,  J.  Senz,  A.  Brock- 
mann  and  C.  von  Iladen  were  appointed  the  building  committee. 
October  17.  1896,  the  new  frame  church,  34x50  feet,  was  conse- 
crated to  the  service  of  Almighty  God,  Rev.  J.  Himmler,  Helen- 
ville.  Wis.,  and  Rev.  L.  Ranch,  Fountain  City,  Wis.,  preaching  able 
sermons.  After  an  efficient  service  of  seven  years  Rev.  Viestenz 
was  obliged  to  resign  on  account  of  ill  health,  March  16,  1902. 

AVhen  Rev.  Viestenz  moved  to  Tacoma,  Wash.,  to  regain  his 


566  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

health,  Rev.  Iimnauuel  Brackebnseh  was  chosen  to  become  his 
successor.  He  came  from  Door  county  and  preached  his  first  ser- 
mon in  ]\Iarch.  December  18,  1108,  Si.  Paul's  church,  at  Hustler, 
was  organized  with  members  of  this  congregation.  In  a  regular 
congregational  meeting,  held  on  the  26th  of  .June.  1912,  it  was 
decided  to  introduce  f]nglish  preaching  once  a  montii.  The  first 
service  of  this  kind  was  conducted  .lul\-  14.  1!)12. 

The  congregation  at  ])resent  iniinhers  sixty-six  voting  and 
fourteen  paying  members.  The  present  officiary  of  the  church 
is:  Rev.  I.  Brackebusch,  president:  Rich.  Wagner,  vice-presi- 
dent; Ed.  Wappler,  secretary;  Al.  Brockniann,  treasurer; 
Gustav  Grassmann,  John  Brandt,  Louis  von  lladen,  trustees. 
Connected  with  the  church  is  a  school  Avith  thirty  to  forty 
scholars,  the  basement  of  the  church  being  used  as  a  school 
room.     The  chiu-eh  property  is  valued  at  about  il^o,000. 

IMMANUEL'S,   TOWN  OF   CLIFTON. 

Lnmanuel's  Lutheran  church  more  commonly  known  as 
"Dorset  church,"  is  located  five  miles  northAvest  from  Kendall. 
It  was  organized,  in  all  probability,  in  1870,  upon  the  sugges- 
tion of  ]\Ir.  Hugo  AVetzel,  who  Avas  the  first  German  pioneer  in 
this  vicinity,  coming  from  Dodge  county  in  1861.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1870  a  parsonage  and  a  church  were  erected  of  hewn 
logs  upon  a  site  deeded  to  the  organization  by  Ernestine  AYet- 
zel  on  March  28,  1870.  During  the  same  year,  in  the  fall,  Rev. 
Phil.  "Wetzel  arrived  from  Hustisford,  AYis.,  and  preached  at 
irregular  intervals  to  Hugo  AYetzel,  Christian  Ililke,  Henry 
Zarling,  Fred  Thurow,  Carl  Glander,  Christian  AYolkow,  Carl 
Radloflt"  and  Fred  Raabe.  But  since  ]Mr.  AYetzel  Avas  no  ordained 
minister  nor  connected  Avitli  a  Lutheran  synod,  the  Rev.  A.  F. 
Siegler,  pastor  at  Ridgeville,  Avas  called  upon  to  perform  the 
duties  of  an  ordained  clergyman.  He  preached  in  the  parsonage 
and  in  the  incomplete  church  until  Rev.  "\Y.  Bergholz  Avas  chosen 
first  resident  pastor,  serving  at  the  same  time  St.  Peter's  at 
Clifton  and  St.  MatthcAv^s  at  South  Ridge. 

In  a  joint  meeting  AA'hich  Avas  called  by  the  Dorset,  Clifton 
and  South  Ridge  congregations,  January  10.  1877.  it  Avas  agreed 
to  appoint  Rev.  C.  Zlomke  from  Atlantic.  la.,  to  the  charge.  He 
entered  the  field  during  !May.  preaching  on  tAVO  consecutive  Sun- 
days at  Dorset  and  Clifton,  and  devoting  every  third  Sabbath 
day  to  missionary  Avork  in  the  South  Ridge  and  AYilton  settle- 
ments. His  salary  amounted  to  $325,  Immanuel's  contributing 
$125.  When  he  Avas  granted  an  honorarj'  dismissal,  June  27,  1880, 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES     567 

he  accepted  a  position  at  Golden,  111.  The  Rev.  E.  Pankow 
preached  during  the  interval. 

In  October,  1880,  the  congregation  came  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  Rev.  J.  Badke,  who  had  been  connected  with  the  Illinois 
Staatszeitung,  in  Chicago,  until  he  determined  to  prepare  him- 
self for  the  ministry,  graduating  from  Concordia  seminary, 
Springfield,  111.,  in  June,  1880.  He  moved  into  the  parsonage 
on  the  26tli  of  October  and  delivered  his  introductory  sermon  on 
the  last  of  the  same  month.  Under  his  administration,  February 
11,  1883,  the  board  of  trustees  was  enlarged,  consisting  now  of 
six  members  instead  of  the  customary  three,  viz. :  Carl  Siekert, 
Ferd.  Waege,  Fred  Raabe,  Fred  Thurow,  Fred  Steingraeber  and 
Henry  AVestphal.  In  January,  1883,  Rev.  Badke  decided  to 
move  to  Wilton.  This  caused  considerable  dissatisfaction  on  the 
part  of  the  congregation,  and  the  visitor.  Rev.  Phil,  von  Rohr, 
Winona,  Minn.,  was  called  upon  to  settle  the  difficulties.  The 
result  was  that  the  congregation,  consisting  of  thirty-six  fam- 
ilies, changed  the  constitution  and  called  a  Reformed  minister. 

On  May  13,  1883,  Rev.  John  Wirz,  stationed  at  Ridgeville, 
where,  in  1873,  under  similar  conditions,  a  Reformed  church 
sprang  into  existence,  spoke  his  first  sermon  and  was  soon  after, 
June  3,  chosen  as  preacher.  In  consequence  of  this  change  a 
few  members  deemed  it  inconsequent  to  have  a  Reformed  pastor 
preach  to  Lutheran  people  and  withdrew.  They  were :  Fred 
Zimmermann,  August  Klatt,  Fred  Thurow,  Carl  Zimmermann, 
August  AA^olfgram,  Henry  Koehler  and  Carl  Bellack. 

Rev.  F.  Steyer,  who  had  been  appointed  by  the  remaining 
three  congregations,  took  up  his  residence  at  Clifton  and  came 
to  preach  in  the  Strozinsky  school  house  to  the  few  afore- 
named Lutherans.  Instruction  for  confirmation  was  conducted 
in  a  vacant  house  belonging  to  Mr.  Bruno  Krueger.  After  a  few 
months  they  worshiped  in  district  school  house  No.  5.  At  last, 
the  congregation  failing  to  collect  the  promised  $200  salary,  the 
Rev.  Wirz  was  asked  to  resign,  June  4,  1886.  On  April  17, 
1887,  Rev.  Steyer  was  allowed  to  preach  in  the  church,  where- 
upon he  was  chosen  pastor  May  2d. 

In  the  spring  of  1889  Rev.  Steyer  dissolved  his  connection 
with  this  congregation  in  order  to  go  to  Fair  Haven,  Stearns 
county,  INIinnesota,  and  Rev.  J.  Himmler  came  to  fill  the  vacancy, 
his  installation  taking  place  on  the  7th  day  of  July,  1889.  He 
labored  diligently  in  the  midst  of  this  congregation  and  at  Clif- 
ton, South  Ridge  and  Wilton,  having  in  the  meantime  separated 
from  this  charge  with  intentions  of  calling  their  own  minister. 


568  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOK  ("Ol'XTY 

Rev.  Iliinnilcr.  luning  been  called  to  St.  Peter's  ehurch  at 
lleleiiville,  AVis..  in  the  spring  of  1895,  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  II. 
Yiosteuz,  who  had  last  held  a  position  as  pastor  of  several 
Lutheran  organizations  in  the  town  of  Greeufield,  Sauk  county, 
Wisconsin.  Soon  after  ills  arrival  it  became  evident  that  a  larger 
edifice  was  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  the  congregation,  and 
it  was  decided  to  erect  a  new  church  structure.  The  l)uilding 
committee  was  composed  of  the  following  men:  Fred  Zimmer- 
mann.  Christian  Glauder  and  Fred  Raabe.  In  the  fall  of  1898 
the  elegaiil  cliurch,  28x44  feet  in  size,  Avith  a  seating  capacity  of 
250,  Avas  completed,  the  dedication  taking  place  on  October  23, 
Rev.  AV.  Parisins  officiating  in  tlie  forenoon  and  Rev.  G.  Berge- 
inann  i)reaehiiig  an  ai)i)r()pi-iate  sermon  at  the  afternoon's 
service.  In  1902  Rev.  Yiestenz'  health  began  to  fail  and  he  was 
finally  obliged  to  discontinue  his  work  on  that  account. 

After  his  departure  the  congregation  gave  a  call  to  Rev.  Im. 
Brackebusch.  the  i)resent  pastor,  who  was  installed  into  the 
pastorate  of  linmanuel's  Lutheran  church  on  the  9th  of  ]\Iarch, 
1902,  by  request  of  Rev.  Phil,  von  Rohr,  late  president  of  the 
Wisconsin  synod,  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Glaeser  delivering  the  sermon. 

The  church  enrollment  nuiii])ers  at  present  forty-two  voting 
and  eleven  paying  members.  The  present  board  of  trustees  are; 
Eniil  Pasch.  president;  August  Raabe,  secretary;  Christian  Glan- 
der,  treasurer;  Ed.  AYendorf,  Al.  Gloede  and  Carl  Glander, 
elders.  The  churdi  pro[)erty  is  valued  at  $4,500.  Every  other 
year  German  school  is  held  during  six  months,  the  average 
attendance  Ix'ing  .dxuil  Iwenly-iive.  Public  serAices  are  con- 
ducted every  alternate  Sunday.  The  minister  occupies  the 
parsonage  at  Clifton,  six  miles  north. 

ST.   MATTHEW'S,   TOWN   OF  WELLINGTON. 

Tlie  nucleus  of  Si.  .Matthew's  Lutlieian  churcli,  al  the  junc- 
1ion  of  South  Ridge  and  Pleasant  Ridge,  in  lise  town  of  \Yelling- 
ton.  may  be  found  in  a  conversation  between  Louis  Friske  and  a 
Lutheran  from  Ridgeville.  at  Enderby's  uiill  in  Wilton,  in  the 
fall  of  18()!).  When  lojd  aliout  ihe  existence  of  a  Lutiieran 
church  at  Ridgevide.  Louis  Friske  and  his  h  •oilier  Julius  walked 
fourteen  miles  to  hear  a  Lutheran  sei-mon.  .'\s  a  result  Rev.  L. 
Ebert.  i)astor  of  St.  .loim's  Lulhci'an  church  in  the  town  of 
Ridgeville.  inaugurated  Lutheran  |)reaching  at  South  Ridge. 
whci'c  until  then  .Methodist  ministei-s  from  Spring  A'alley  had 
been  condui'ling  services  at  the  .Musch  schot)l  house  with 
Lutheran  people.     The  homes  of  Peter  Friske  and  John  Klaehr 


EVANGELKWL  LrTIIEKAX  (  IirRClIES  569 

were  the  tirst  gathering  places.  Those  who  attended  here  Avere : 
Louis  Friske,  ]\lilliam  Schatz,  Carl  Brandenbvirg,  Peter  Friske, 
AVilliani  Pahl,  Carl  Rohde,  William  Arndt,  August  Bartz,  Louis 
Ziebart,  Fred  ^laluege,  Julius  Friske,  Louis  IMusch.  AVilliam 
Brandenburg,  John  Klaehr.  Pastor  Ebert  conducted  divine  wor- 
ship once  a  month  on  week  days,  administering  Holy  Communion 
on  Sundays,  this  hai)pening  four  times  during  the  year. 

AVlien,  in  April,  1871,  Rev.  Ebert  resigned  at  Ridgeville  and 
chose  some  other  vocation,  the  Rev.  A.  F.  Sicgler  was  appointed 
to  fill  the  vacancy.  He  continued  the  good  work  of  his  prede- 
cessor and  came  to  labor  among  these  Lutherans  during  mid- 
week, mostly  on  AVednesdays,  accompanied  by  AV.  AYaegner,  a 
devout  layman.  On  account  of  large  attendance  Air.  Siegler 
abandoned  the  services  in  private  houses  and  began  preaching  at 
the  Alusch  school  house. 

Noticing  that  the  care  of  fifteen  congregations  and  preaching- 
stations  exceeded  his  power,  the  Rev.  Siegler  insisted  upon  call- 
ing a  special  minister  for  Dorset  Ridge,  Indian  Creek  and  South 
Ridge.  The  proper  man  was  found  in  the  person  of  Rev.  AA". 
Bergholz,  who  took  up  his  residence  in  an  old-time  log  house 
on  the  Dorset  ridge  in  1873.  He  came  every  third  Sabbath  day, 
often  walking  the  distance  of  fourteen  miles.  The  minister's 
salary  at  that  time  was  $3  per  member. 

Rev.  Bergholz.  in  the  meantime  having  received  a  call  to  the 
eastern  part  of  the  state,  was  followed  by  Rev.  C.  Zlomke,  who 
Avithdrew  from  the  Iowa  synod  in  1875  on  account  of  doctrinal 
differences.  His  installation  took  place  on  Alonday  before 
Pentecost,  Alay  14,  1877,  and  w^as  effected  by  Rev.  A.  F.  Siegler. 
Air.  Zlondvc.  who  served  in  the  Second  squadron  of  the  First 
Royal  Hussar  regiment  at  Danzig,  Germany,  in  1864,  made  use 
of  his  skill  as  a  horseman,  coming  on  horseback  from  Dorset  to 
teach  the  children  the  fundamental  truths  of  Christianity  on 
Saturday  and  preaching  Christ  every  third  Sunday. 

After  three  years'  service  Rev.  Zlomke  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  J.  Badke,  who  came  from  the  fatherland  in  June,  1864,  and 
after  many  hardships  finally  entered  the  ministry,  serving  the 
congregations  at  Dorset,  Clifton,  AA'ilfon  and  South  Ridge  as 
his  first  charge.  During  his  incumbency,  January,  1881,  the 
resolution  was  i)assed  to  build  a  church.  January  7,  1883,  the 
church  officers,  Gottlieb  Jesse,  Louis  Ziebart,  Henry  Klaehr, 
were  authorized  to  purchase  a  tract  of  land  comprising  one  acre 
from  Frank  AVebb,  at  a  cost  of  $60. 

In   the   meantime  this   charge   was   vacated.   Rev.   F.   Steyer, 


570  HISTORY  OF  MOXKOE  COUNTY 

for  whom  a  parsoiiaj^e  liad  hoeii  l)iiilt  at  Clii'ton,  beginning  his 
ministry  in  1884.  Difficulties  arising  during  the  building  period, 
1880-1887,  (h'manded  i)rea('hing  ;i1  the  red  ])riek  and  the  Ilef- 
fernan  school  liouses,  until  the  new  diurrli,  ;i0xr)0x20  feet,  Avas 
completed,  and  October  16,  1887.  approi>riately  dedicated,  the 
Rev.  A.  Schroedel  delivering  the  sermon  and  the  local  pastor 
ably  conducting  the  dedicatory  services.  Rev.  Steyer  preached 
his  last  sermon  on  Easter  ]\Ionday.  April  22,  1889,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Minnesota,  where  he  united  with  the  ^Missouri  synod, 
which,  together  with  the  AVisconsin,  ^Minnesota,  ]Michigan  and 
Nebraska  synods,  forms  the  synodicnl  conl'erence,  the  largest 
Lutheran  church  body  in  Americn. 

In  the  spring  of  1889,  by  the  ri'comnieni'ation  of  the  .synod, 
this  parish,  comprising  four  congregations  in  the  eastern  section 
of  this  county  since  1873,  divided,  St.  Peter's  at  Clifton  and 
Ininianuel's  at  Dorset  forming  one  charge,  and  St.  Paul's  at 
AVilton  and  St.  Matthew's  at  South  Ridge  the  other.  The  latter 
at  once  extended  a  uninamous  call  to  Rev.  .1.  Ziebell.  who  ac- 
cepted and  took  charge  July  G,  1889.  Immediately  after  his 
installation  he  settled  at  AVilton,  six  miles  northwest,  from  which 
place  this  congregation  was  supplied  until  it  becanu'  an  inde- 
pendent charge,  in  1908. 

A  several  years'  vacancy  occurred  when  Rev.  Ziebell  resigned 
in  the  winter  of  1892.  During  this  time,  1892-1895,  St.  Alat- 
thew's  had  the  service  of  Rev.  C.  Koehler,  from  Ridgeville.  lie 
conducted  divine  worship  every  third  Sunday,  tending  at  the 
same  time  to  tlie  construction  of  a  parsonage  at  AVilton.  towards 
which  this  congregation  contributed  il<250. 

The  next  incumbent  was  Rev.  J.  Ilering,  at  one  time  assist- 
ant professor  in  the  seminary  of  tlie  Towa  synod.  During  his 
ministry,  in  1899.  an  organ  was  bt)uglit ;  two  bells  were  dedi- 
cated in  1905.  January  25.  1908,  it  was  agreed  to  separate 
from  the  AVilton  charge  and  engage  a  minister.  A  property 
opi)osite  the  cliui-cli  was  securetl  from  F.  F.  Alachus  at  .$1,500 
to  serve  as  a  i)arsonage. 

Rev.  PI.  Zimmermann,  foriiierl\-  at  Shickley,  Neb.,  followed 
the  call  which  was  extended  to  him  on  the  11th  day  of  June, 
1908,  thus  becoming  the  first  resident  jiastor.  Authorized  by 
the  president  of  the  synod,  the  Rev.  Ziunnei-mann  Avas  installed 
as  pastor  o!  this  conogregation  by  Rev.  J.  Ilering  on  the  2d  of 
August,  1908.  I'pon  his  instigation  a  seccnid  organ  was  ob- 
tained, which  served  for  the  first  time  on  the  28d  of  ^lay,  1910. 
Rev.  A.  F.  Siegler  preaching  a  special  sermon  upon  this  occasion. 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES      571 

On  November  5,   1911,   a  total  remodeling   of  the   eliureh  was 
planned,  with  a  school  room  in  the  basement. 

The  present  church  membership  consists  of  88  voting,  8  con- 
tributing and  310  communicant  members,  451:  souls.  This  church 
also  maintains  a  day  school,  which  has  an  enrollment  of  forty 
pupils,  German  and  religion  being  the  principal  studies.  Regular 
monthly  English  services  have  become  a  permanent  institution. 
The  following  are  the  present  officers :  Wm.  Graewin,  president ; 
Otto  Schnell,  secretary ;  Louis  Klaehr,  treasurer ;  Albert  Neitzel, 
elder.  The  value  of  the  church  property,  including  parsonage, 
is  about  $6,300.  The  church  will  be  ready  for  re-dedication 
about  the  1st  of  September. 

ST.  PAUL'S,  WILTON. 

When,  in  1873,  upon  the  request  of  Rev.  A.  F.  Siegler,  until 
then  the  only  stationary  Lutheran  minister  in  Monroe  county, 
the  Rev.  W.  Bergholz  was  chosen  pastor  of  the  Indian  Creek, 
Dorset  and  South  Ridge  settlements,  this  field  of  labor  was  soon, 
in  1875,  extended  by  the  addition  of  a  preaching  post  in  the 
vicinity  of  AYilton.  The  names  of  those  assembling  for  divine 
services  at  the  Mitchel  school  house,  one  and  one-half  miles 
south  of  the  village,  were:  Christian  Holch,  John  Jesse,  AYilliam 
Arndt,  August  Bartz,  Carl  Liefke,  August  Rohde  and  Carl 
Brandenburg.  They  contributed  $20  towards  the  support  of  the 
minister. 

Upon  the  departure  of  Mr.  Bergholz,  which  occurred  in  1877, 
Rev.  C.  Zlomke  was  elected  to  serve  the  society,  the  Rev.  A.  F. 
Siegler  supplying  the  pulpit  until  his  arrival.  Pastor  Zlomke 
came  to  proclaim  the  gospel  to  this  little  flock  every  third  Sun- 
day on  his  return  from  South  Ridge,  where  he  preached  in  the 
morning.  His  annual  pay  was  $30.  In  1880,  when  the  same  call 
had  been  tendered  for  the  second  time,  Rev.  Zlomke  moved  to 
Illinois,  and  from  there  to  St.  Joseph,  ]\Iicli.,  vvdiere  he  was 
connected  with  Trinity  Lutheran  church  for  twenty-eight  years, 
retiring  from  active  service  in  1911  after  a  continuous  service 
of  thirty-eight  years. 

In  1880  Rev.  J.  Badke  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the 
four  congregations  belonging  to  this  parish:  Immanuel's  at 
Dorset  Ridge,  St.  Peter's  at  Indian  Creek,  St.  Matthew's  at 
South  Ridge,  and  St.  Paul's  near  Wilton.  On  account  of  incon- 
venience of  location  and  insufficient  accommodations,  it  was  de- 
termined in  May,  1882,  to  discontinue  preaching  at  the  Mitchel 
school  house.     Services  were  now  held  at  the  L^nited  Brethren 


572  IIISTOKY  OF  :\10XR0E  COUNTY 

church,  in  AVillon.  \\liicli  "was  rcnitod  for  an  in<h>finite  period  at 
$16  per  iiiimiiii.  Ju  .Januai'v,  1883,  Rov.  Badkc  found  it  expe- 
dient to  live  in  AViitou  and  consequently  vacated  the  parsonage 
on  Dorset  Ridge.  Here  he  eanie  in  contact  with  Rev.  Phil. 
AVetzel,  who,  in  consequence  of  advanced  age,  had  retired  from 
the  Dorset  Ridge  in  the  I'ail  of  187:^,  preaching  occasionally  to 
his  family  and  a  circle  of  close  friends.  After  tlie  arrival  of 
Rev.  I^adke.  .Mr.  AV(4zel  refrained  from  public  preaching,  and 
soon,  ill  1884.  rctui-ned  to  Watertown,  AVis.,  his  former  home. 
Avhei-e  he-died  JMarch  8,  ]890,  eighty-four  years  of  age.  In  1884, 
Api-il  2.  tile  coiigregation  adopted  a  constitution  by  which  it  shall 
be  govci'iicd.  The  church  ot'ticers  appointed  at  l!iis  meeting 
were:  W.  Arndt.  II.  .Mittag,  J.  Schroeder,  F.  AVaege.  Rev. 
Badke  connnenced  preaching  every  alternate  Sunday  in  the 
afternoon,  for  wliicli  service  he  received  $30,  since  1883,  $50. 

Air.  Badke  was  succeeded  in  1884  by  Rev.  F.  Steyer,  who 
preached  to  his  parishioners  in  the  chapel  ov  ned  by  the  United 
Brethren,  coming  foiu'teen  miles  froni  ("lit'lon,  Avhere  a  roomy 
and  comfortable  parsonage  had  been  built  for  the  pastors  of  this 
charge.  Fel)ruary  7,  1887.  the  congregation  organized  under 
the  state  laws  in  the  presence  of  Air.  August  Newhouse,  the 
justice  of  the  peace.  Soon  the  necessity  of  possessing  a  place 
of  worship  Avas  severely  felt.  Ste]is  Avere.  therefore,  taken  to 
secure  a  site  on  whicdi  to  er(»ct  a  suitable  church  edifice.  A 
tract  of  Innd  was  ])ui'chased  from  Frank  Farmer,  one  block 
west  from  tiie  Knglish  eluireli.  Two  hundred  and  sixty-four 
dollars  were  signed  by  the  thirty-four  members,  and  $11.")  were 
collected  from  the  Inisiness  people  and  neighboring  congrega- 
tions. The  completed  church  building  was  appropriately  dedi- 
cated December  11,  1887,  Revs.  A.  Schroedel,  of  Ridgeville,  and 
A.  Sehlei,  of  AVonewoc,  AVis..  officiating  Avith  the  pastor.  In 
the  spring  of  1889  ReA'.  Steyer  accepted  a  pastorate  in  Alinne- 
sota,  but  soon  moved  to  Arkansas,  Avhere  he  lias  ser\'ed  a  num- 
ber of  congregations  attached  1o  th(»  Alissouri  syiuxl  for  more 
than   eighteen   y(»ars. 

After  Rev.  Steyer 's  honorary  dismissal,  the  synod  advised 
to  divide  this  charge,  lu'oposing  Rev.  J.  llinnuler  for  Indian 
Creek  and  Doiset  Ridge,  and  Rev.  J.  Ziebell  for  AVilton  and 
South  Ridge.  Thi'  inslallation  of  Rca'.  Ziebell.  formerly  of  El- 
roy,  occurred  on  the  7th  of  July,  1880.  the  sermon  of  the  occa- 
sion being  given  by  Rev.  A.  Schroedel.  July  14,  1802.  tAvo  acres 
of  lai:d  Avere  bought  from  O.  \.  Ilillger  for  a  cemetery,  tlie 
ground  being  consecrated  on  Ihe  31st  of  July,     (^n  December  5, 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES      573 

1892,  Rev.  Ziebell  delivered  his  farewell  address  and  resigned 
from  the  ministry. 

During  the  interim  which  followed  Rev.  Christian  Koehler, 
jiastor  at  Ridgeville,  supplied  the  congregation  with  regular 
preaching  from  December,  1892,  to  January,  1895.  He  super- 
intended, in  1893,  the  erection  of  a  parsonage  on  the  lot  adjoin- 
ing the  church.  In  the  construction  of  this  parsonage,  main  part 
24x16x16  feet,  addition  24x16x10  feet,  an  expenditure  of  $881 
has  been  made.  South  Ridge  congregation  contributing  $250. 

December  14,  1894,  Rev.  Julius  Hering,  who  received  his 
classical  training  at  the  universities  of  Leipsig  and  Rostock, 
Germany,  was  called  from  Norton,  Minn.  The  call  was  accepted 
and  by  authority  of  the  president  of  the  Wisconsin  synod,  the 
late  Phil,  von  Rohr,  the  Rev.  C.  Koehler  installed  Mr.  Hering 
on  the  27th  of  January,  1895.  An  organ  was  purchased  in  1896, 
a  bell  was  placed  in  the  belfry  in  1898,  church  furniture  was  ob- 
tained in  1899.  a  marble  baptismal  font  is  used  since  1911.  On 
January  23,  1897,  the  spire  of  the  church  ^\as  struck  by  light- 
ning, causing  considerable  damage.  July  4,  1897,  it  was  decided 
to  repair  the  damage  and  add  sixteen  feet  to  the  old  church. 
]\Ir.  Adolf  Prochnow,  the  contractor,  finished  the  work  in 
November. 

The  membership  of  this  church  is  represented  by  about 
seventy  families.  A  parochial  school  is  held  under  the  auspices 
of  the  church,  with  about  thirty-five  in  attendance,  in  a  special 
building  bought  for  this  purpose  in  1906.  The  present  church 
officers  are :  Fred  Schroeder,  president ;  Ferdinand  Waege, 
secretary ;  Hugo  Limp,  treasurer ;  Emil  Friske,  elder.  The 
amount  of  the  pastor's  salary  is  $550.  Since  1908  St.  Paul's  is 
an  independent  charge. 

ST.  JOHN'S,  KENDALL. 

The  first  attempt  to  gather  the  few  scattered  Lutherans  in 
and  about  Kendall  into  a  local  congregation  was  made  by  Rev. 
John  Wirz,  a  Reformed  minister,  in  1884.  Mr.  Wirz,  who  lived 
on  the  Dorset  Ridge,  where,  besides  Salem's  Reformed  church 
at  Ridgeville,  he  served  Immanuel's  Lutheran  church,  came  here 
every  third  Sunday  to  preach  to  eight  families :  Julius  Raabe, 
Henry  Paeth,  Ernest  Siekert,  John  Boetzel,  August  Rosenkranz, 
Carl  Sumke,  August  Raabe,  George  Krause,  receiving  $8  per 
member  for  his  salary.  But  when,  in  the  summer  of  1886,  ]\Ir. 
Wirz  accepted  a  call  to  Cincinnati,  0.,  this  little  flock  dis- 
banded, some  of  its  adherents  moving  West,  the  remainder  at- 


574  IIISTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

tending  church  in  the  neighborhood,  at  South  Ridge  and  Dorset 
or  North  Ridge. 

The  second  effort  to  establish  a  Lutheran  cliurch  was  made 
twelve  years  later  by  Rev.  AVm.  Parisius,  wiio  resided  at  Klroy, 
and  i)i(;i(li((I  to  a  congregation  in  the  town  of  Glendale,  four 
miles  southeast  of  Keiidnll.  lie  conducted  divine  services  every 
alternate  Sunday,  especially  in  the  shoe  shop  of  ]Mr.  Jul.  Friske, 
the  former  toAvn  hall,  having  about  twenty  persons  in  the  audi- 
ence, among  others:  H.  ]'rielii)p,  August  Rlieden,  Julius  Friske. 
Frank  Schankc,  Ijouis  Jahnke,  Emil  Friske  and  Fred  ^Mantzke. 
In  1899  failing  health  compelled  liim  to  limit  his  woi-k  to  the 
congregations  at  Elroy,  Glendale  and  Ilillsboro.  thus  leaving 
Kendall  Lutherans  without  a  spiritual  guide.  His  successor, 
Rev.  L.  Ranch.  i)reached  twice  in  the  house  of  ^\v.  IT.  Prielipp, 
in  1900. 

After  five  years  Rev.  Im.  l^r.ickebusch,  pastor  of  St.  Peter's 
Lutheran  church  at  Clifton,  endeavored  to  organize  a  Lutheran 
congregation.  Upon  the  urgent  request  of  Mr.  Fred  Zimmer- 
mann,  an  elder  of  the  Dorset  charge  living  in  Kendall,  Rev. 
Brackel)usch  wrote  to  the  Home  Mission  Board  of  the  "Wisconsin 
synod,  asking  them  lo  commission  a  pastor  for  Kendall.  But 
they  did  not  deem  tlic  plan  expedient  and  nuittcrs  Avere  dropped. 
Then  it  happened  that  the  Rev.  Brackebusch  called  the  attention 
of  Rev.  Phil,  von  Rohr.  at  that  time  president  of  the  AVisconsin 
synod,  to  this  inviting  and  seemingly  ])romising  field,  where- 
upon the  responsiliility  for  the  provision  of  these  i)eople  rested 
with  the  ])resi(lent  himself.  In  Alay,  190t),  the  superintendent 
of  the  home  Alission  board,  Rev.  E.  F.  Dornfeld,  came  to  investi- 
gate the  religious  outlook,  advising  to  form  a  congregation  and 
raise  $100  as  a  salary  for  a  pastoi".  A  meeting  was  called  for 
the  17th  of  -lunc.  Id  lake  i)lace  at  the  home  of  Fred  Zinnner- 
mann.  A  call  sisiiicd  l)y  August  Wolfgram.  August  Zirk.  Fred 
Zimnun-mann.  Ilein-y  Kiel.  George  AViese,  Ilernum  Prielipp  and 
Henry  Stade,  was  delivered  to  Rev.  Brackebusch.  instructing 
him  to  a])pear  with  it  before  synod,  assembling  at  Alilwaukee, 
June  20-2().  The  result  was  that  Senior  E.  Alayerhoff  was  in- 
duced to  look  after  the  spii-ilual  welfare  of  these  Lutherans. 
Coming  from  AVonewoc.  Wis.,  by  rail,  he  ])ri;u"lu'd  six  times  in 
the  Alethodist  church  until,  in  October,  he  was  called  to  Norwalk 
to  officiate  as  vicar. 

In  1907  Rev.  Otto  Engel  came  to  Norwalk  as  a  graduate  from 
the  tlieological  seminary  in  Alilwaukee,  AVis..  with  instructions 
to   resei've    (^'erv   third    Sundax'    for   Kendall,      lie    deli\('re(l    his 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES      575 

first  sermon  at  Norwalk  on  the  25th  of  August,  and  came  to 
Kendall  to  rent  a  church  and  advertise  Lutheran  services  on 
the  last  of  the  same  month.  The  Rev.  Engel  preached  his  first 
sermon  to  a  Kendall  audience  September  8,  1907,  at  the  Baptist 
church,  then  located  in  the  northern  section  of  the  village,  near 
the  Catholic  church.  When  the  small  band  of  faithful  Lutherans 
were  refused  the  use  of  this  house  of  worship,  they  rented  the 
English  Methodist  church.  Soon  after  a  Sunday  school  was 
commenced,  Avith  jMrs.  Sophia  Kiel,  Manda  AA'iese,,  IMinnie 
Waffle,  Paulina  Pasch  as  first  teachers.  After  several  informal 
meetings  a  special  meeting  was  announced  for  the  12th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1908.  On  that  day  an  organization  was  effected,  the 
society  resolving  to  adopt  the  name,  "Evangelical  Lutheran  St. 
John's  Congregation."  The  founders  were:  Fred  Zimmermann, 
August  Krause,  Fred  Flatow,  Henry  Kiel,  Herman  Prielipp, 
George  Wiese,  August  Klatt,  Henry  Stade,  William  AVitt,  August 
Heseley,  Fred  Apmann,  Gustave  Gruhlke.  Having  as  yet  no 
church  property  of  their  own,  they  at  once  decided  to  accept  a 
lot  donated  by  Mr.  H.  P.  Waffle,  a  descendant  of  the  Mohawk 
Dutch  in  New  York,  and  proposed  to  build  a  church.  George 
Wiese  and  William  Witt  comprised  the  building  committee.  On 
the  10th  of  May,  1908,  a  regular  congregational  meeting  was 
held  for  the  purpose  of  incorporating  according  to  the  laws  of 
the  state.  May  13  rules  and  by-laws  for  the  government  of  the 
church  were  accepted  and  signed  at  the  house  of  Henry  Kiel. 
The  new  church,  a  frame  building  in  gothic  style,  80x56x18  feet, 
was  solemnly  dedicated  on  the  28th  of  October,  1908,  the  follow- 
ing pastors  participating:  Rev.  Im.  Brackebusch,  of  Clifton; 
Rev.  H.  Zimmermann.  of  South  Ridge ;  Rev.  0.  Kuhlow,  of 
Wonewoc,  Wis.  The  total  cost  of  the  building  was  $2,800.  The 
first  mission  festival  was  held  September  12,  1909,  Revs.  H. 
Viestenz,  Greenfield,  Wis. ;  G.  Baum,  North  Freedom,  Wis.,  and 
H.  Zimmermann,  South  Ridge,  delivering  mission  sermons.  The 
first  confirmation  took  place  March  20,  1910,  six  being  taken 
up  into  membership. 

At  present  the  congregation  numbers  twenty-five  voting, 
five  contributing  and  about  seventy  communicant  members.  The 
summer  school,  whose  organization  is  contemporaneous  with  the 
beginning  of  the  church  itself,  has  an  attendance  of  seventeen 
pupils.  The  church  property  is  valued  at  $3,500.  The  present 
trustees  are :  August  Krause,  president ;  Fred  Zimmermann, 
secretary;  Henry  Kiel,  treasurer.     ^Meetings  are  held  every  third 


576  HISTORY  OF  .AlOXHOK  COUNTY 

Sunday,  the  forenoon  being  devoted  to  German,  the  afternoon 
1o  Eiiglisli  preacliinjr.     The  pastor  lives  at  Xcrwalk. 

ST.  JOHN'S,  SHENNINGTON. 

This  eongregation  is  located  on  the  boundary  line  of  ]Monroe 
juitl  -luneau  eounties,  the  majority  of  its  nnmibers  living  in  the 
town  of  liyroii,  .Monroe  county. 

The  first  Lutheran  minister  of  the  AVisconsin  synod  who  vis- 
ited this  district  Avas  the  Rev.  G.  E.  Bergemann,  then  residing 
at  Tdinah,  thirteen  miles  southwest,  the  occasion  being  the 
burial  of  ]\Ir.  AVill's  child,  February.  1897.  Those  M-ho  came  to 
hear  the  i)reaching  of  Christ  and  Ilim  crucified,  were  members 
of  the  families  of  AVill,  Kunkel  and  Koppehengst.  The  Rev. 
Bergemann  labored  very  acce])tably  for  two  years,  when  he  was 
called  to  Fond  du  Lae,  Wis.,  where,  since  1908,  he  serves  in  the 
capacity  of  president  of  the  "Wisconsin  synod. 

This  preaching  post  Avas  now  supi)lied  by  the  mini.sters 
occupjdng  the  parsonage  at  Clii'ton.  hi  1S99  the  Rev.  II.  F. 
Yiestenz  entered  the  field,  having  ])r('viously  been  preaching 
at  a  school  house  two  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Oakdale. 
Under  his  energetic  guidance  St.  John's  was  organized  at  the 
red  school  house,  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Shennington. 
Those  who  signed  their  names  to  the  constitution  were :  Fred 
Laudon,  J.  B.  Helmuth,  August  Schmeckel,  Henry  Busse,  F. 
Kunkel,  C.  Tiedemann,  Henry  Busching.  John  Schmidt  and  Her- 
man Baumann. 

When   in   1902   Rev.  Yiestenz   removed   to   the   Pacific   coast. 

the  Rev.  I.  Brackebusch  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  this 

newly  organized  congregation.     At  his  suggestion  a  meeting  was 

called  for  August  17,  1902,  at  which  it   was  resolved  to  erect 

a  house  for  the  worship  of  God,  26x.S()  in  dnnensions,  tower  ')() 

feet,  on  a  site  presented  by  Air.  Shoening,  an  old  German  settler 

coming  from  Silver  Lake,  AVis.     IMay  8,  1902,  the  corner  stone 

was   laid   according  to   the   ritual   of  the  Lutheran   church,    tlic 

Rev.  AViu.  Xonimensen,  INIauston,  AYis.,  preaching  in  the  English 

language.     Dedication    was   held   with    elaborate    ceremonies   on 

August  23,  Revs.  J.  G.  Glaeser  and  IT.  AY.  Schmeling  assisting 

the  local  pastor.     The  total  outlay  of  money  was  $1,350.     Rev. 

Brackebusch 's   ministry   with   this    infant     congregation     lasted 

until    ]\rarch    9,    1905,   when,   ujion    the   recommendation    of   the 

home  mission  board  it  was  decided  to  join  with  Babcock   (Rev. 

G.   Baum,   Grand   Rapids),   Gernuintown    (Rev.   AY.   Nommensen. 

Maustou),  and  Millston   (Rev.  J.  Glaeser,  Tomah),  in  calling  a 


EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES  .    577 

pastor  to  Necedah.  In  the  course  of  the  year  1905  Rev.  M. 
Biisack  was  called  to  the  pastorship. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  0.  B.  Nommensen,  a  candidate 
for  the  ministry,  his  ordination  and  installation  taking  place  on 
the  25th  of  August,  1907,  Rev.  B.  P.  Nommensen,  Wm.  Nommen- 
sen and  Brackebusch  officiating.  In  December,  1907,  New  Lis- 
bon was  added  to  this  charge,  and  Rev.  Nommensen  removed  to 
that  place.  February  7,  1909,  an  honorary  dismissal  was  granted 
to  Rev.  Nommensen,  allowing  him  to  accept  a  position  as  pastor 
at  South  Milwaukee. 

The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  H.  Brockmanu,  who  came  to  this 
field  from  Beaver  Dam,  Wis.  He  has  established  for  himself  a 
reputation  as  an  artist,  having  painted  the  life-size  portraits  of 
Rev.  Phillip  von  Rohr,  late  president  of  the  Wisconsin  synod, 
and  of  Rev.  John  Bading,  venerable  president  of  the  synodical 
conference,  for  Northwestern  college,  Watertown,  Wis. 

The  present  membership  includes  eighteen  families.  The 
present  board  of  trustees  consists  of  the  following  members: 
Gust  Woggan,  Fred  Laudon,  August  Schmeckel.  The  value  of 
the  church  property  is  $1,700.  The  church  is  served  every  alter- 
nate Sunday  from  New  Lisbon. 

ST.  LUKE'S,  TOWN  OF  GLENDALE. 

The  German  element  in  the  town  of  Glendale,  to  the  greatest 
extent  Lutherans  coming  from  the  metropolis  of  the  state  during 
the  panic  of  1893,  at  first  attended  church  in  Elroy,  where  a 
Lutheran  congregation  existed  since  1885.  In  the  winter  of 
1894  Rev.  Wm.  Parisius,  who  is  closely  related  to  the  famous 
dramatist,  Henric  Ibsen,  conducted  school  in  the  Schauer  valley, 
instructing  children  from  five  to  fifteen  years  of  age,  and 
through  them  gaining  their  parents  for  church.  In  January, 
1898,  a  number  of  Lutherans  assembled  at  the  home  of  Gustav 
Schauer  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  congregation.  There 
were  thirteen  charter  members,  as  follows:  William  AA^allberg, 
Fred  Schauer,  Robert  Holtz,  Ferdinand  Ziese,  Gustav  Schauer, 
William  Knoll,  Julius  Weber,  Carl  Schauer,  William  Weisspfen- 
nig,  John  Zirk,  William  Ludwig  and  William  jMatz.  On  the 
12th  of  February,  1898,  it  was  proposed  to  build  a  church  on 
the  site  deeded  to  the  congregation  by  Gustav  Schauer.  The 
building  committee  consisted  of  AVm.  Wallberg,  Rob.  Holtz  and 
H.  Ziese.  The  church,  though  small,  20x36x14  feet,  is  neat  and 
churchly  in  appearance.  The  dedicatory  services  were  held  by 
the  pastor.  Rev.  Parisius,  in  the  fall  of  1899,  the  sermon  being 


578  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

(k'livered  by  Senior  E.  Mayerhoff,  Wonowoc.  Wis.,  one  of  tlie 
oldest  and  most  honored  members  of  the  Wisconsin  synod. 

Wlieu  Rev.  Parisius,  in  1900,  assumed  a  pastorate  in  Jiurr 
Oak,  LaCrosse  county,  Wisconsin.  Rev.  L.  Raueh,  of  Fountain 
City,  Wis.,  was  vnianimously  elected  to  ])e  pastor  of  Zion's  at 
Elroy,  St.  Paul's  al  Ilillsboro.  and  St.  Luke's  at  Glendale.  lie 
accepted  in  August,  sup|)lying  the  pulpit  of  Ihc  last  mentioned 
congregation  every  second  wecl\.  During  his  administration 
the  fii'st  mission  festival  was  celebrated,  October  15,  15)11,  Rev. 
K.  Mayerhoft'  preaching  the  morning  sermon  and  stud,  theol. 
11.  Zimmci-mann  i-endering  a  suitable  sermon  in  the  afternoon. 
ri)on  his  instigation  a  Sunday  school  was  organized,  with  ]\Ir. 
AVm.  Wallberg  as  superintendent  and  the  following  as  teachers: 
^Messrs.  Jul.  Seefeld,  Wm.  Ludwig,  Carl  Schauer,  Rich.  Ziese, 
Carl  IMatz,  and  .Miss  Bertha  Ziese. 

Pi-()])()sim1  by  Dr.  Stoecker,  the  court  chaplain,  foi-  a  pastorate 
in  IJeilin,  Germany,  Rev.  Ranch  resigned  in  the  fall  i)f  IHO^i 
and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  P.  Schroeder,  who  had  been  serving 
congregations  at  Hartland  and  Pewaukee,  Wis.,  since  1897.  In 
1905  the  congregation  purchased  an  organ  and  communion  ware. 
The  lodge  (piestion,  which  caused  a  rupture  in  the  congregation 
at  Klroy  in  1906,  also  agitated  the  members  of  this  congregation, 
but  without  serious  results. 

Rev.  E.  Diierr  became  successor  to  Rev.  Schroeder.  who  re- 
signed in  order  to  accept  a  call  to  Germania.  Wis.  His  stay 
was  of  short  duration,  vacating  the  charge  in  the  fall  of  1010, 
by  folloAving  a  call  to  the  Zicui-Rosendale  charge  in  Fond  du  Lac 
county. 

Shortly  after  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Duerr.  Rev.  H.  Zim- 
merii'.ann.  of  South  Ridge,  served  as  a  supply  for  nine  months, 
until,  in  July,  1911,  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  G.  Westerhaus.  a 
late  graduate  from  the  seminary  at  ^Milwaukee,  came  to  take 
up  his  ministerial  duties.  He  introduced  regiilar  English  preach- 
ing with  much  success,  and  teaches  a  summer  school. 

The  congregation  has  seventeen  voting  and  a  few  paying 
members  on  the  roll,  and  has  a  graveyard  of  its  own.  The  pres- 
ent board  of  trustees  are :  Carl  Schauer,  vice-president ;  Win. 
Matz,  secretary;  Fred  Schultz,  treasurer.  'Pliis  little  flock  con- 
tributes $125  per  annum  towards  the  su]iport  of  the  pastor. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES. 
BY  REV.  A.  H.  EIKJARUD. 

Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of  Fish  Creek.  The  territory 
wliere  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of  Fish  Creek  is  located 
was  first  settled  by  Ole  Hansen  Ekern  in  1855.  The  following 
year  Nils  Hansen  came  and  in  1858  Amund  Hansen.  These 
pioneers  settled  in  the  upper  part  of  Fish  Creek  valley.  The  ridge 
was  not  at  that  time  considered  worth  very  much  and  on  the  dis- 
tance from  Fish  Creek  to  Newry  only  one  dwelling  house  was  to 
be  found.  The  first  settlers  on  the  ridge  were  Ole  Andersen,  John 
Svensen,  Grilbrand  Paulsen,  ^Mathias,  Even  and  William  Johnson 
(1859),  Hans  Hansen.  I\Iagnus  Svensen,  Ole  Svensen,  Marcus  Gul- 
brands(M^  and  John  Eriksen  (1861).  Every  year  thereafter  Nor- 
wegian settlers  came  thick  and  fast  and  the  beautiful  valleys  and 
ridges  of  Fish  Creek  became  a  little  Norway.  From  the  early 
60s  Rev.  A.  C.  Preus  from  Coon  Prairie  occasionally  preached  the 
gospel  among  them,  and  as  they  as  yet  had  no  church  meetings 
were  for  many  years  held  in  the  dwelling  house  of  Gulbrand  Paul- 
sen. January,  1869.  Fish  Creek  Norwegian  Congregation  was 
organized  and  a  constitution  adopted.  Rev.  A.  C.  Preus  served  as 
their  pastor  to  June  5,  1871.  December  3,  1871,  a  meeting  was 
held  and  it  was  decided  to  build  a  church  on  a  piece  of  land  bought 
from  Mrs.  Ole  Olsen  Dandvaasen.  Rev.  H.  Halvorsen  from  Coon 
Prairie  served  the  congregation  occasionally  as  his  time  permitted 
until  December,  1874,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  cand.  theol. 
A.  S.  dieting,  who  l)esides  Fish  Creek  served  three  congregations 
at  Coon  Valley  to  July  1,  1882.  Together  with  these  same  con- 
grgations  Fish  Creek  called  Rev.  E.  Jensen,  who  was  their  pastor 
for  eleven  years  to  July  1,  1898.  The  congregation  now  decided 
to  join  the  charge  of  Rev.  A.  II.  ?"ik.jarud.  North  Coon  Prairie, 
Portland  and  Brush  Creek,  and  he  has  been  the  minister  of  the 
gospel  at  Fish  Creek  to  the  present  time. 

From  a  small  beginning  the  congregation  increased  every  year 
and  it  became  necessary  to  build  a  neAV  and  larger  church,  which 
was  ready  for  use  the  last  part  of  1893,  and  the  next  year  they 

579 


580  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

took  part  in  the  erection  of  the  >Jorwegian  Lutheran  parsonage 
at  Cashton.  Very  seldom  have  I  seen  a  congregation  where  the 
attendance  at  diA'ine  services  is  better,  and  especially  so  among 
the  young  people. 

Portland  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  is  located  in  the  toAA-n 
of  I'ortland,  livr  miles  nortlnvest  fi'oui  ("asliton.  In  the  early  60s 
the  first  Norwegians  settled  around  Melvina,  in  Cannon  valley  and 
on  the  siirrounding  ridges.  For  many  years  there  was  no  organ- 
ized congregation,  but  services  occasionally  were  held  by  Rev.  A. 
C.  Preus  from  Coon  Prairie  at  different  places  among  the  farm- 
ers. For  confirmant  instructions  the  children  had  to  journey  to 
the  far  off  Coon  Prairie  church,  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of 
where  Westby  now  is  located.  April  2  and  8,  1874,  meetings  were 
held  at  Melvina,  where  Portland  Norwegian  Lutheran  Congrega- 
tion was  organized  and  a  constitution  adopted.  Ole  Thoresen, 
Christopher  Brown  and  Hans  Davidsen  were  elected  as  trustees. 
At  the  same  time  it  was  decided  to  build  a  church  on  the  present 
location  and  call  Rev.  H.  Ilalvorsen  from  Coon  Prairie  as  their 
pastor.  The  first  meeting  in  the  ncAV  church  was  held  the  same 
year — August  23.  Rev.  Halvorsen  served  as  their  pastor  from 
1874  to  1895.  February  5,  1890.  cand.  theol.  A.  H.  Eikjarud 
was  called  as  chaplain  for  Rev.  Ilalvorsen,  and  when  the  charge 
was  divided  in  1895  a  call  was  extended  to  him  from  the  northern 
part,  consisting  of  North  Coon  Prairie,  Portland  and  Brush  Creek 
congregations.  He  has  been  their  pastor  up  to  the  present  time. 
For  every  year  the  congregation  of  Portland  has  increased  in 
membership  and  has  been  active  and  faithful  workers  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  church. 

May  25,  1893,  they  decided,  together  with  the  other  congrega- 
tions in  the  call,  to  build  a  parsonage  at  Cashton,  Avhere  their  pas- 
tor has  resided  ever  since. 

BY  LARS  OLSON  AAS. 

The  Immanuel  United  Norwegian  Congregation.  The  Im- 
manuel  I'uited  Norwegian  Conjiregation  of  tlie  town  of  Portland, 
Monroe  count}',  was  organized  in  1890  with  about  100  members. 
The  majority  of  the  members  were  formerly  of  the  Norwegian 
Sj^nod  and  quite  a  few  new  members  joined.  The  church  was  built 
the  same  year  on  a  lot  donated  by  Martin  P.  Moen  and  was  a 
brick  veneer  building,  costing  about  $3,000.  On  May  22,  1907,  the 
church  was  struck  by  lightning  and  was  totally  destroyed.  In  the 
year  1908  a  new  church  was  built  on  tlie  same  ]o\.  wliidi  was  also 
a  brick  veneer  building,  at  a  cost  of  .$7,500. 


NORAVEGIAN  CHURCHES  581 

The  first  pastor  of  tltis  con.oTe2:ation  and  three  other  congrega- 
tions in  Vernon  connty  was  Rev.   Chr.  Nodtvedt.     In  the  year 

1894  Rev.  Chr.  Nodtvedt  resigned  and  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev. 
Martin  Gulbrandson,  which  he  accepted.  lie  served  as  pastor  from 

1895  to  the  time  of  his  death,  December  17,  1907.  His  resting  place 
is  in  the  cemetery  by  this  church.  Rev.  J.  Tanner  was  temporary 
pastor  until  1909,  wdien  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Chr.  Sybelrud, 
who  served  until  1912,  when  he  resigned.  Rev.  E.  Ilofstad  is 
now  serving  as  temporary  pastor.  A  call  has  been  extended  to 
Rev.  S.  O.  Rondestwedt,  but  it  is  not  certain  that  he  will  accept. 
The  present  mendjership  of  this  congregation  is  350.  The 
first  trustees  of  this  congregation  were  Lars  O.  Aas, 
Chr.  Anderson  and  S.  Stenerson ;  secretary,  John  0.  Aas;  treas- 
urer, Martin  P.  Moen.  The  present  trustees  are  James  Luckason, 
Ole  Justen,  Andrew  Johnson,  Ole  Aarness  and  Ingebrit  Olson; 
secretary,  Lars  0.  Aas ;  treasurer,  Ole  C.  Aas. 

The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congregation  of  Sparta, 
AVis..  was  organized  about  the  year  1880.  The  tirst  nnnister 
to  preside  was  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Preus,  of  Coon  Prairie.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  I.  B.  Frich.  of  La  Crosse,  who  was  followed  by  Rev. 
A.  G.  Helgeson,  of  La  Crosse.  The  next  pastor  was  E.  0.  Vik,  of 
La  Crosse,  who  for  twenty-five  years,  on  Septendjcr  7,  1912,  has 
presided  over  the  congregation  of  the  church,  its  membership  con- 
sisting of  twelve  families. 


CHAPTER  LV. 

HiouKArnv 

Lars  Oleson  Aas,  who  lives  on  his  farm  of  eiglity  acres  in  sec- 
tion Iwciity-live  Porthind  township,  is  a  native  of  Eidsvokl.  Nor- 
wny,  and  was  born  November  16,  1852.  II is  parents  were  Ole  and 
Mavy  (Lee)  Aas.  The  father  was  born  in  1807  and  spent  his  whole 
life  in  Norway,  where  he  died  in  1859.  The  mother,  who  was  born 
in  1810.  came  to  tli«-  Tnited  States  with  the  family  a  short  time 
after  the  death  of  lici-  husbaiid  and  settled  in  Portland  township 
when  Lars  was  16  years  old,  and  here  spent  the  remaining  yeai-s 
of  her  life,  her  death  occurring  -lainiai-y  2.  18i)7.  Of  a  family  of 
three  children.  Lars  is  the  only  surviving  son.  The  names  of  those 
deceased  are  John  and  Catherine.  Coming  to  the  United  States 
in  1869,  ]\lr.  Aas  found  employment  among  the  farmers  and 
endured  the  hardships  connuou  to  the  pioneers  of  AVisconsin.  By 
hard  work,  thrift  and  economy  he  accunnilated  his  earnings,  and 
in  1885  purchased  his  present  farm  ffoiii  Andrew  Erickson  and 
immediately  set  to  work  to  improx'e  the  place  and  establish  the 
home.  lie  built  a  log  house,  wdiich  is  still  well  perservcd  and  to 
whicli  he  has  since  made  additions,  together  with  liis  (  ommodious 
barn  and  other  outbuildings,  he  has  a  substantial  and  comfortal)le 
farm  home. 

On  ]March  19,  1885,  ^Iv.  Aas  was  united  in  mai-riage  to  ]Miss 
Annette  P.  Brethingen.  daughter  of  Peder  and  Karen  Brethingen, 
l)rominent  and  enterprising  citizens  of  Vernon  county.  AVisconsin. 
To  this  union  has  been  born  one  daughter.  Karla  ]\Iabel,  now  .Mrs. 
IltMH-y  P.  Ilalvcrson,  of  Portland  township. 

Mr.  Aas  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and 
county,  and  all  matters  pertaining  to  their  welfare  receives  his 
hearty  support.  lie  has  been  ti-casurer  of  his  town  and  in  1900 
and  again  in  1910  was  census  enumerator  for  Portland  township. 
In  n^ligious  matters  l\Ir.  Aas  and  his  family  ai'c  mendiers  of  the 
United  Xoi-wegian  Luthei-an  church,  of  which  he  is  secretary. 

Edward  M.  Adams,  oiu'  (»f  the  oldest  and  most  respected  citi- 
zens of  Kidgeville  township,  was  l)oi-n  at  Laporte.  Indiana.  -laii- 
uary  21,  1832.  tlie  son  of  .loseph  and  Maria  Adams,  natives  of  New 
Hampshire  and  \'ei'nion1.  i"esj)eclively.     The  father  came  west  to 

582 


BIOdl^APIlY  583 

Indiana  in  an  early  day,  where  he  married  INIaria  Stone  ;in<i  lixcd 
nntil  1833,  when  tliey  removed  to  Eacine  connty,  Wisconsin,  in 
1835,  where  they  spent  their  lives,  honored  and  respected  by  the 
whole  eonnnunity.  Henry  Adams,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was 
descended  from  an  old  New  England  family  and  was  a  soldier  in 
the  War  of  1812.  lie  was  a  mend)er  of  and  deacon  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church  and  one  of  the  early  supporters  of  and  believers 
in  the  principles  of  democracy,  and  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity 
and  highly  respected  in  his  com  in  unity. 

Edward  M.  is  the  fourth  child  in  order  ol  l)irth  in  a  family  of 
six  children.  He  attended  the  common  schools  in  Kacine  county 
until  his  sixteenth  year.  Being  thrown  on  his  own  resources  at 
the  early  age  of  fifteen  years,  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself. 
He  was  tirst  employed  in  a  sawmill  and  on  a  farm  and  at  odd  jobs. 
In  1867  he  removed  to  Monroe  county  and  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  section  nine,  Ridgeville  township,  to  which  he  added 
from  time  to  time  until  he  owned  320  acres.  He  engaged  in  general 
farming,  which  he  has  successfully  followed  to  this  time.  Ad- 
vancing in  years,  the  care  of  so  large  a  tract  became  so  great  that 
Mr.  Adams  has  disposed  of  his  land  except  eighty  acres  where  he 
and  his  wife  now  live  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  years  of 
toil.  He  is  known  as  one  of  the  successful  and  influential  farmers 
of  his  town,  and  his  place  is  well  stocked  with  good  horses,  cattle 
and  hogs,  and  from  his  herd  of  milch  coavs  he  derives  a  handsome 
revenue.  j\Ir.  Adams  has  been  a  hard  working  man  all  his 
lifetime  and  prominent  in  his  comnumity.  He  has  always  taken  a 
keen  interest  in  all  public  matters  and  has  held  numerous  local 
offices.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the  town  board  four  terms  and 
for  three  years  a  school  director. 

Mr.  Adams  was  married  on  February  9,  1871,  in  Racine  county, 
Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Annetta  M.  Chambers,  daughter  of  John  and 
Rosanna  Chambers,  natives  of  New  York  state  and  among  the 
pioneers  of  Racine  county,  having  settled  there  in  1842.  Mrs. 
Adams  is  the  sixth  child  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers  were  among  the 
best  settlers  of  Racine  county,  and  occupied  a  prominent  and 
influential  place  in  their  county.  They  died  leaving  to  their 
family  the  heritage  of  an  honored  name.  The  death  of  the  father 
occurred  in  1876,  and  that  of  the  mother  in  1868.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Adams  have  been  born  three  children  as  follows:  Morton  E., 

born  November  21,   1871.  A J.,  born   September  8,   1873, 

and  Maude,  born  April  27,  1876.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  enjoy  not 
only  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  their  own  family,  but  that  of 


584  HISTORY  OF  MOXROP]  COUNTY 

a  large  circle  of  friends,  -with  -svhoin  they  often  meet  and  talk 
over  incidents  connected  with  tlie- early  days  in  AVisconsin,  and 
are  known  to  be  kind  and  generous  and  liosjiitable  in  thcii-  liappy 
lioiiic. 

Rudolph  Affeldt  is  a  yoim^  and  i)i-os|)('r()ns  farmer  of  Ridge- 
villc  township  whose  age  dates  back  ti()ni  April  \'2,  1873,  when 
he  was  l)<)iii  ill  Dodge  county.  Wisconsin.  Ihc  youngest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  three  sons  boni  to  Carl  and  Louisa  (Zellmer)  AflPeldt.  both 
natives  of  Germany.  The  others  are  August,  born  January  10. 
1868,  and  Julius  l)orn  February  12.  1870.  The  father  came  to 
America  in  IStJ.")  Mud  first  located  in  AVatertown,  Wis.  With 
his  ])arents.  he  lived  at  Watertown  sixteen  years,  then  moved  to 
]\lonroe  county,  AVisconsin,  Avhere  they  jnirchased  a  tract  of 
eighty  acres  which  they  improved,  erected  buildings  and  made 
their  home  for  some  twenty-three  years.  lie  then  moved  to 
North  Dakota  where  he  stays  with  his  son  August,  the  mother's 
death  occurring  in  1898 ;  both  were  devoted  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church :  he  was  one  of  a  family  of  seven  boys  and  one 
girl,  and  Carl,  our  sub.ject's  father  was  the  second  child.  He 
Avas  born  on  October  14,  1828,  in  Germany.  He  was  married  in 
18G7  and  came  to  Monroe  county  in  1883:  bought  an  eighty 
acre  tract  of  land  in  section  fourteen,  town  of  Ridgeville.  He 
was  a  successful  general  farmer  from  the  start,  and  took  great 
pride  in  making  his  home  superior  to  any  others  in  the  town- 
ship. His  buildings  were  kept  in  the  best  of  order  and  his  land 
in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  The  residence  containing 
eleven  rooms,  was  built  in  1891  and  is  commodious  and  modern, 
and  the  water  supi)ly  comes  from  drive  wells  by  Miudniill  force; 
the  lawns  surrounding  the  buildings  are  eijual  to  any  city  lawn 
and  the  shrubbery  is  of  the  very  choicest.  AVhile  the  father  was 
considered  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  the  neighborhood,  great 
credit  must  be  given  to  his  son  Rudolph,  who  was  the  main  stay 
of  his  father  until  he  left  for  Dakota.  Rudolph  has  never  ceased 
in  his  eiforts  to  retain  and  improve  the  beauty  of  the  home- 
stead, and  no  other  in  the  eoiinty  suri>asses  it.  The  mother 
passed  away  in  1898. 

Rudolph  has  always  lived  on  the  home  farm  and  limited 
his  school  days  to  his  fourteenth  year,  devoting  all  his  time  and 
strength  to  the  farm  work,  and  in  1898  he  came  into  possession 
of  the  farm  and  Avas  married  on  June  6,  1899,  in  Ridgeville,  to 
!\Iiss  Emma  Zellmer.  daughter  of  Fred  and  Amelia  Zellmer.  who 
were  among  the  flrst  settlers  of  Ridgeville  township.     !Mr.  and 


BIOGRAPHY  585 

Mrs.  Affeldt  have  two  children.  Orville  IT.,  horn  -Tune  19,  1904, 
and  Raymond  A.,  horn  June  25,  1912. 

Mr.  Affeldt  is  a  Repnhlican  in  his  political  views,  and  is  con- 
sidered an  all    'r(nnid  good  man. 

Alexander  Allen-'=,  a  native  son  of  Wisconsin,  was  l)orn  Jan- 
nary  1,  1874,  on  the  family  homestead  in  AVells  township,  ]Mon- 
roe  connty,  the  son  and  yonngest  child  in  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  now.  1912.  living,  born  to  Alexander  and 
Elizabeth  (Shepard)  Allen.  When  fourteen  years  of  age,  in  1857, 
the  father  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  the  United  States  and  loca- 
ted in  New  York  City,  where  he  learned  the  tinsmith's  trade. 
He  later  came  west  to  Wisconsin,  and  located  at  Sparta,  where 
for  fifteen  years  lie  worked  as  a  laborer.  He  was  thrifty  and 
economical  and  by  frugality  accumulated  sufficient  means  with 
which  to  purchase  the  "Barker  Farm"  of  150  acres  in  the  town 
of  AVells.  He  engaged  in  general  farming  and  was  generally 
successful,  and  there  lived  until  his  death  in  1904.  His  wife, 
mother  of  our  subject,  survived  until  1908  when  she  passed  away 
mourned  by  her  family  and  a  large  circle  of  friends.  They  were 
hind  hearted  christian  people,  and  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  ])olitics.  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  his  party. 

Mr.  Allen,  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  his  edncation  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  home  town,  and  remained  on  his 
father's  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty  years.  He  then 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Com- 
pany, remaining  in  this  position  until  the  death  of  his  father 
in  1904,  when  he  returned  to  the  homestead  and  assumed  active 
management  of  the  farm.  He  employs  up-to-date  methods  and  is 
successful  in  his  operations  of  the  farm,  being  known  as  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  of  his  town.  Like  his  father 
before  him  Mr.  Allen  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

Edward  Allendorf*,  who  resides  on  his  farm  of  226  acres  of  well- 
improved  land  in  section  thirty  Lafayette  township,  where  he 
was  born  December  16,  1870,  is  a  son  and  the  second  child  in  a 
family  of  four  children  born  to  Peter  and  Tena  (Stark)  Allen- 
dorf.  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  They  came  to 
the  laiited  States  in  the  fifties  and  first  located  in  New  York 
City.  They  later  came  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  in  Monroe  county 
where  the  father  found  employment  on  the  Canfield  farm  in 
Angelo  township ;  here  he  remained  for  a  time,  then  purchased 
the  farm  in  Lafayette  township  where  Edward  now  resides  and 


584  HISTORY  «»   MONROE  ('OUXTY 

a  large  circle  of  friends,  vth  whom  they  often  meet  and  talk 
over  incidents  connected  wh  the  early  days  in  AVisconsin,  and 
are  known  to  ^u■  kin<l  and  «:nerons  and  li(»spital)le  in  their  happy 

home. 

Rudolph  Affeldt  is  a  yon^'  and  prosperous  farmer  of  Ridge- 

ville  lowiisliip  whose  a;re  dtes  back  from  April  V2,  1873.  when 

he  was  born  in  Dodtre  eouiv.  Wisconsin,  the  youngest  of  a  far^ 

ilv  of  three  sons  born  I"  ("rJ  and  Louisa  (Zellmer)  Affeldt.  ' " 

natives  of  (Jernuiny.     'Plie  thers  are  August,  born  Jamu 

1868.  and  Jidius  b<.rii   Fehiary   V2.   lS7l).     The  fath* 

America    in  ISJi.")    and    tirsth»cated    in    Watertown, 

his  i)iinti1s.  h.-  lived  at    WaTtown  .sixteen  years,  ^^ 

;Monroe    couiily,    \Vis(M)nsiii  where    they    piirehas 

eighty  aei-es  whieh   they    iiproved.   ereeted   huih'" 

their    home    f'»r   some    twety-three    years.      He 

North  Dakota  where  he  sti's  with  his  son  Augj 

dealli    oeeurring    in    lS!IS;K)th    were    devotei" 

Lutheran  chnreli :  he  was  oe  of  a  family  of^ 

girl,   and    (';irl.   our   subjee'R   father   was 
was  born  on  OcIoImt   11.   128.  in  <lernuii 

18<J7   and   came    to    Monnx  eounty    in 

jiere  tract  of  land    m    xctin    fourteeii.j 

was  a  successful   iren.  r;il    Irmer  from 

pride   in    inakiui:   his   lionitsuperior  td 

ship.     His  buildings  were  fept  in  the 

in    the    liiLrhest    stati'    (d"    elt ivation.  ' 

eleven  rooms,  was  built   inlM»l  and 

and  the  water  supply  i-om<  from 

the  lawns  surroundin</  tlie!)uiUlii 

and  the  shrid)bery  is  (d"  th  very 

considered  one   of  the   bes  faniu 

credit  must  be  <:iven  to  hi>Kon 

of  his  father  until  lie  l.-l't  Ir  Da 

in    his   ert'orts   to    retain    ad    ii 

stead,    and    no    other    in    te 

passed  away  in  1898. 

Rudol])h    has    always    l" 

his  school  days  to  his  foui 

strength  to  the  farm  wor] 

of  the  farm  and  was  n 

Miss  Emma  Zellmer.  d 

"were  among  the  flrsti 


BIOGRAPHY  587 

and  had  accumulated  an  ample  fortune  by  hard  labor  and  indus- 
try; he  first  worked  in  the  lumber  woods  of  New  Brunswick, 
previous  to  his  moving  to  New  York  state,  where  he  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  he  came  to  Wisconsin.  He  built  his 
residence  in  1865,  and  his  commodious  barn  later.  Some  sev- 
eral years  before  he  died  he  became  disabled  with  rheumatism. 
He  aiid  his  wife  were  members  of  tlie  Episeoi)al  church  and  in 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 

Our  subject  during  his  early  boyhood  was  engaged  in  assist- 
ing his  father  with  the  work  on  the  farm,  hence  the  education 
he  received  was  limited.  In  1868  in  the  City  of  Tomah  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Wilson,  daughter  of  John  and  Jane 
AVilson.  who  came  early  from  New  York  to  Monroe  coiuity.  Mrs. 
Allingham  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  six  children.  John  Wil- 
son, father  of  ^Irs.  Allingham,  died  in  1884.  ]\Irs.  Wilson  passed 
away  in  1909.  In  religious  belief  Mr.  Wilson  was  a  Presbyterian, 
but  afterwards  joined  the  Congregational  church,  of  which  he 
was  a  faithful  and  consistent  member  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allingham  have  six  children,  viz. :  Margret,  Hugh, 
John  Plamilton,  Jane  Grace  and  Bertha.  After  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Alling- 
ham married  they  lived  on  the  old  homestead,  and  after  the  death 
of  his  father,  he  acquired  by  inheritance  eighty-two  acres  of  land 
on  which  they  have  since  lived.  Our  subject  has  made  valuable 
and  lasting  improvements  on  the  land  he  acquired,  and  has  on 
his  farm  a  good,  comfortable  residence  and  a  commodious  barn 
built  in  1902.  He  is  a  successful  general  farmer,  and  from  his 
dairy  business  receives  a  profitable  income,  and  his  farm  is  well 
stocked  with  a  fine  grade  of  cattle.  i\Ir.  Allingham  has  been  treas- 
urer of  the  town  of  Tomah  for  two  terms,  director  of  the  school 
board  for  six  years  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  and  in  politics  Independent. 

Andrew  Anderson  is  another  good  farmer  of  Ridgeville  town- 
ship, Monroe  county,  who  came  to  America  from  Norway,  where 
he  was  born  August  6.  1860.  His  parents  were  Salve  and  Kristna 
(Nelson)  Anderson,  who  emigrated  to  this  countrv  in  1870  with 
a  family  of  four  children,  and  located  first  in  the  village  of  Wil- 
ton in  this  county,  where  the  father  worked  for  about  four  years 
as  a  farm  laborer  and  then  purchased  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  in 
the  town  of  Wellington,  ]Monroe  county.  Wis.  Here  l\Ir. 
Anderson  and  his  faithful  wife  are  spending  their  last  days  in 
comfort  and  ease,  as  the  result  of  their  early  labors.  They  are 
eighty-four  and  eighty  years  of  age  respectively.     They  hcid   a 


588  IIISTOKY  OF  :\[OXROE  COrXTY   ' 

family  of  eiglit  children,  ou\y  lliree  of  whom  are  now — 1912 — 
living. 

Andrew  is  what  we  may  call  a  self-made  man:  liis  cliances  for 
education  were  limited  wlien  he  was  young,  liaving  attended 
only  the  district  schools  of  ]\Ionroe  counly.  which  prompted  him 
to  exercise  his  best  efforts  in  ol)taining  a  j)ractical  knowledge  of 
affairs  in  general,  to  which  he  a  implied  himself  diligently  and  is 
now  considered  amonu  the  leading  cilizens  of  his  township.  He 
lived  at  home  on  the  farm  until  he  was  thirty-six  years  old,  and 
in  1896  was  man-ied  to  ]Miss  Ilenryetta  AVillgrnb.  and  their  chil- 
dren were  llui-hcit  II..  hoi-n  -Inly  (1.  1897.  and  Ivlwin  II..  l)()rn 
June  28,  1898.  Mrs.  Anderson  di.'d  in  1899.  -Just  before  their 
marriage,  ]\Ir.  Anderson  inherited  from  his  aunt  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  in  section  fourteen,  town  of  Ridgevillc  which  has  ever  since 
been  the  family  homestead,  Avhere  ]\Ir.  Anderson  lives  with  one 
son,  since  the  death  of  his  wife,  lie  is  a  public  spirited  man.  full 
of  ambition  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
town.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  served  two  terms 
as  justice  of  the  peace  of  Ridgeville.  He  is  fair  and  square  in  all 
his  dealings,  and  well  liked  by  his  neighbors. 

Thomas  E.  Anderson  is  another  native  son  of  Monroe  county. 
Wisconsin,  and  was  born  ]March  2,  1871.  to  Thomas  X.  and  ^lary 
(Davis)  Anderson.  The  former  came  from  County  Wexford,  Ire- 
land, to  the  United  States  in  1850,  and  found  employment  in  Xew 
York  state  as  a  farm  hand,  where  he  remained  for  a  time  and 
then  came  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  met  and  married  ]\liss  ]Mary 
Davis,  of  F\)x  Lake,  this  state :  she  was  a  native  of  County  Wick- 
low,  Ii'elantl.  To  this  union  was  born  five  children — three  of 
whom  are  living.  While  living  at  Fox  Lake,  be  purchased  a 
farm  of  120  acres  in  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  and  in  1850  moved 
his  family  to  the  farm  where  he  made  his  home  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death  wliidi  occurred  in  1905.  He  was  a  thrifty,  energetic 
man.  and  in  later  years  achieved  a  fair  measure  of  success  as  a 
farmer;  was  widely  known  in  his  connnunity  and  highly  respected 
by  all  who  kncAv  him.  He  was  a  Denu)ci*at  in  politics  and  took 
an  active  interest  in  tlie  affairs  of  his  ]iai'ty.  In  religious  faith 
he  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Thomas  E.  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  aiul  his  early  life 
Avas  about  the  same  as  tlu'  ordinary  farmei-  boy:  he  attended  the 
district  schools  in  wintei-  and  lu'lped  witii  the  larm  woi'k  in  sum- 
7ner.  Hy  hard  W(U-k.  economy  and  good  .judgment,  he  early  laid 
the  I'onndation  i'oi'  a  successful  career,  lie  saved  his  earnings 
and  soon  purclnised  in  jiis  own  i-iulit   a  twenty  aci'e  tract  to  which 


BIOGRAPHY  589 

he  added  from  time  to  time  until  he  is  now  rated  as  one  of  the 
largest  land  owners  in  Monroe  county.  He  also  deals  exten- 
sively in  live  stock,  and  his  extensive  herds  of  thoroughbred  cat- 
tle, has  caused  him  to  be  branded  "The  Cattle  Man  of  Monroe 
county."  Mr  Anderson  is  careful,  conservative  and  methodical 
in  his  affairs,  and  in  all  his  business  dealings  is  known  for  his 
uprightness  and  fairness.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  qualities, 
social  and  companionable,  affable  and  congenial,  loves  good  com- 
radeship and  good  cheer,  and  is  loyal  to  his  friends.  He  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  his  political  opinions,  and  active  in  the  councils  of  his 
part}^  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  president  of 
the  Farmers'  and  Merchants'  Bank  of  Tomah. 

Warren  A.  Aney*,  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  is 
one  of  the  progressive  and  prosperous  farmers  of  Cole's  Valley, 
Adrian  township,  where  he  is  the  owner  of  a  360-acre  farm  in  sec- 
tion thirty-four.  He  was  born  April  3,  1870,  and  is  the  son  of 
Samuel  and  Ruth  (Gibbs)  Aney,  natives  of  central  New  York, 
who  left  the  Empire  state  in  the  late  fifties  and  came  west  to 
Wisconsin,  first  locating  in  Racine  county,  and  a  short  time  there- 
after came  to  what  is  known  as  the  Ridge'  in  Ridgeville  town- 
ship, returning  again  to  Racine  county,  and  after  seven  years 
came  to  Adrian  township,  Monroe  country,  where  Mr.  Aney  bought 
160  acres  of  land  in  section  thirty-four,  where  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  years  spent  in  Sparta,  he  has  resided  for  forty-five 
years.  The  land  at  that  time  was  only  partially  cleared,  and  the 
buildings  inadequate.  In  1870  a  modern  brick  residence  was 
built  which  has  since  been  kept  iu  a  fine  state  of  preservation. 
A  large  barn  w^as  built  the  year  previous,  and  as  time  demanded 
other  out-buildings  have  been  erected.  Choice  stock  is  always  to 
be  found  on  this  farm,  which  has  been  enlarged  by  our  subject 
by  additions  until  he  now  has  360  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Aney  makes 
a  specialty  of  choice  Jersey  cattle,  Sherock  sheep  and  Durock 
Jersey  hogs. 

Samuel  Aney,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  New 
York  state,  January  12,  1828,  and  still  resides  with  his  son  on 
the  homestead  farm.  His  wife,  mother  of  subject,  died  at  Sparta, 
in  1895,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Samuel  Aney  is  the  son 
of  Michael  Aney,  of  German  lineage,  who  came  early  from  New 
York  state,  and  settled  in  Ridgeville  township  and  spent  his  last 
days  in  Adrian  township,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  Samuel,  the  father  of  Warren,  has  been  three  times  mar- 
ried, and  is  the  father  of  four  children,  viz. :  Warren  T.  Herman, 
who  resides  in  Adrian  township ;  Mary,  wife  of  A.  H.  Edminster, 


nOO  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOK  COrXTV 

of  SiJ.irtM.  and  Saj-ali  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  0.  F.  Sias. 
Samuel  Aney  had  five  brotliers  and  one  sister  who  came  to  !Mon- 
roe  eouiity  and  setth'd  in  Kidticxillc  township  in  the  late  fifties; 
they  were  John,  (ieorge.  -laek.  Daniel.  Jesse  J.,  and  Xancv.  wife 
of  James  Johnson. 

January  18.  1892.  ]\Ir.  Aney  was  united  in  marriapre  with  ]Miss 
Anna  BredloAv.  dauyhter  of  Louis  Bredlow.  of  Sheldon  township, 
hnl   now  resident  of  Xorwalk. 

William  H.  Ascott''-,  a  substantial  farmer  and  laild  owner  in 
Anselo  township.  >\lonroe  eounty.  Wisconsin,  was  born  in  tliis 
county.  July  IS.  18()fl.  His  parents.  William  and  Jane  (McCreary) 
AscGtt.  were  natives  of  Knjiland  and  Ireland,  respectively,  and 
came  to  tlu'  Fnited  States  in  about  1850.  and  located  first  at 
Schenectady,  Xew  York,  and  later  removed  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  renuiined  until  1854.  when  they  came  to  AViseonsin, 
■,\]]d  Were  amonu  the  pioneer  settlers  of  ^Monroe  county.  He  had 
eleven  brothers  and  sisters,  only  one  of  Avhom  ar(»  now  livinp-. 
namely,  ^lordica.  who  resides  at  Wiiu)na,  .Minn.  In  1870.  ^Ir. 
Ascott  moved  to  the  iai'in  in  Aniiclo  township,  which  is  now 
owned  by  our  subject,  Avhich  then  contained  120  acres,  with  only 
a  small  clearing.  Fie  made  nuuiy  improvements  and  brought  the 
land  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation  and  there  made  his  home  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  August  30,  1904,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  passed  away  Feb- 
ruar\  22.  3904.  aged  seventy-two  years.  They  were  kindhearted 
and  generous,  prosperous  in  their  undertakings,  and  were  held  in 
lii'jli   fsleciii  by  ;dl   who   knew  them. 

William  II.  Ascott  is  the  onl>'  surviving  member  of  a  family 
of  three  children,  tlie  others  were  ]\Iary.  who  married  George 
Dunbar,  and  G'eorge.  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  ^Ir.  Ascott 
Avas  but  nine  years  of  auc  when  his  parents  moved  to  his  present 
farm,  and  here  AVilliam  gi-ew  to  manhood.  He  attended  the  dis- 
trict school  and  assisted  in  the  farm  woi-k.  until  1902.  when  he 
|)urchased  the  luune  fai-m  anil  started  on  his  own  account.  To 
Ihe  original  120  acres  he  has  ailded  from  time  to  time,  until  now 
he  has  .■]20  acres.  The  first  bai'u  on  the  place  was  built  of  logs, 
which  was  re])laced  by  our  subject  in  1!)05.  with  a  frame  structure 
forty  by  eighty  feet.  .Many  other  inipi-ovements  have  been  made, 
includini:  a  silo  with  a  capacity  of  175  tons,  which  was  erected 
in  li'lO.  -Mr.  Ascott  is  en.uaged  in  geiu-ral  fai'uiing.  and  since 
1910  has  made  a  specialty  of  i-aising  Holstein  cattle,  and  he  also 
is  extensively  engaged  in  raising  snudl  fruits.    He  is  recognized  as 


BIOGRAPHY  591 

one  of  tile  prourcssive  men  of  the  county,  and  as  a  farmer  he  is 
thorouijlily  systematic  and  up  to  date  in  his  methods. 

On  September  19,  1899,  ]Mr.  Aseott  was  united  in  marriage  with 
]\Iiss  Xelli(>  X.  llutson,  youngest  daughter  in  a  family  of  nine 
children  born  to  -John  antl  ^lary  (Mann)  Ifutson,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Lincolnshire.  England.  They  came  early  to  Wis- 
consin, and  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Big  Creek  Valley,  hav- 
ing located  on  the  farm  now  oAvned  l\v  W.  F.  Parsons,  and  at  the 
time  of  his... death,  which  occurred  in  ]March.  1907,  he  was  con- 
sidered one  of  tbie  well-to-do  farmers  of  Big  Creek,  popular  in  his 
community  and  beloved  by  all  who  IcncAr  him.  Ilis  widow,  mother 
of  Mrs.  Aseott.  sni-vives.  and  makes  her  home  in  the  City  of 
Sparta. 

To  ]\lr.  and  ^Irs.  Aseott  have  been  born  three  children,  ]\Iary 
N.,  born  August  17.  1900,  John  W.,  born  May  14,  1901,  and  Ruth 
J.,  born  July  26,  1907. 

Clifford  R.  Austin,  a  native  of  ^Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  was 
born  in  Leon  township.  October  20,  1853.  His  parents  were 
William  J.  and  ^laria  E.  (Sanford)  Austin  (notice  of  whom  will 
be  found  els(Mvhere  in  this  volunu^).  He  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  common  school,  and  lived  with  his  parents  on  the  farm 
until  1880,  when  he  went  to  South  Dakota  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  453  acres.  After  spending  three  years  there,  he  sold  his  land 
and  returned  to  the  old  homestead  in  Leor.  township  and  assumed 
the  managenu^nt  of  the  farm,  which  he  continued  to  carry  on 
until  1903.  He  then  moved  to  the  tract  of  land  left  to  him  at  the 
death  of  his  father,  and  remained  there  two  years.  In  1905  he 
purchased  the  Rol)ert  Smith  farm  of  520  acres  which  he  improved 
Avith  a  handsouK^  residence,  substantial  barns  and  outbuildings, 
and  made  other  improvements  which  makes  his  farm  one  of  the 
model,  up-to-date  country  homes  of  ^fonroe  county.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming,  dairying  and  stock  raising-  and  is  a  suc- 
cessful breeder  of  light  and  heaA'y  draft  horses  and  short-horned 
cattle.  He  Avas  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Co-opieratiA'e  Creamery 
Company  and  for  tive  years  has  been  its  president  and  treasurer; 
he  is  also  one  of  the  organizers  and  treasurer  of  the  Sparta  DriA'- 
ing  and  Agricultural  Association,  Avliich  Avill  have  its  annual  ex- 
hibit of  firje  stock  early  in  Sept(Mul:)er  of  the  year  1912. 

^Irs.  Austin.  Avhose  maiden  name  Avas  Jennie  Matteson,  was 
born  August  10,  18(Jl,  in  the  toAvn  of  Leon,  ^lonroe  county,  where 
she  obtained  a  good  common  school  education,  Avhich  Avas  sup- 
plemented by  one  year  in  the  Sparta  high  school.     She  is  a  mem- 


592  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROE  COUNTY 

IxT  of  the  W.  r.  T.  I'.,  and  president  of  her  society,  Avhieh  has 
always  been  a  ]il)eral  contributor  to  the  National  Lodge  at  ]\Iil- 
wankee.  She  is  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Neighbors.  Her 
paternal  grandfather.  Nathaniel  ]\Iatteson,  was  born  in  Vermont 
in  1796,  and  in  1805  went  to  Ncav  York  w'ith  a  family  of  five 
children  and  lived  there  until  the  winter  of  1858,  when  they  came 
to  Wisconsin,  then  practical ly  a  wilderness  sparsely  inhabited, 
and  settled  in  Leon,  Monroe  county.  Alonzo  IL  Matteson,  father 
of  ]Mrs.  Austin,  who  was  born  June  24,  1830,  preceded  his  parents 
to  Monroe  county  one  year,  and  ])ui'chased  120  acres  of  land 
which,  on  the  death  of  his  father  fell  to  him.  and  there  he  reared 
his  family  of  four  children,  i\Irs.  Austin  being  the  second  child. 
lie  is  still  living,  and  for  the  past  few  years  1ms  lived  in  retire- 
ment, a  believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Rej)id)liean  party  and  a 
strong  advocate  of  temperance.  The  grandmother  died  in  1866, 
and  the  great-grandfather  of  ]\Irs.  Austin,  who  was  one  of  the 
minute  men  under  Washington,  and  who  also  served  in  tlie  War 
of  1812,  died  August  11.  1875. 

On  May  5,  1881.  ]\Ir.  Austin  was  united  in  marriage  with  ^liss 
Jennie  Matteson.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
six  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz :  Loren  E..  AVinfield  W..  Clifford 
R.  Jr..  Truman  A..  Kenneth  IL  and  Ruth  T.  Austin. 

Eugene  F.  Austin,  a  successful  farmer  and  representative  citi- 
zen of  Leon  township,  Avhere  he  was  born  July  16,  1852.  is  the 
son  of  the  late  William  J.  and  ]Maria  (Sanford)  Austin,  who  were 
both  natives  of  Ohio.  Eugene  F.  is  the  second  eldest  in  a  family 
of  five  children ;  he  attended  the  common  school  and  La  Crosse 
Business  College,  graduating  in  the  commercial  course,  and  re- 
sided on  the  home  farm  until  1882,  assuming  the  management  of 
the  farm.  In  1883  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business,  open- 
ing at  that  time  a  general  store  in  the  village  of  Leon,  which  he 
successfully  carried  on  until  1907,  when  the  large  land  interests 
he  had  acquired  denumded  his  time  and  attention,  and  he  dis- 
posed of  the  business.  He  owns  800  acres  in  Billings  and  Bowman 
counties.  North  Dakota,  and  360  acres  of  choice  Leon  valley  land, 
besides  several  buildings  in  the  village  of  Leon,  including  the 
store  building  adjoining  his  residence.  For  many  years  ]Mr. 
Austin  was  the  manager  of  his  father's  lumber  l)usiness  at  Black 
River  Falls,  and  was  also  manager  of  the  Leon  mill.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  general  farming,  stock  raising  and  dairying,  and  his 
fai-m  is  well  improved  with  a  good  class  of  outbuildings  which, 
with  his  nu)dern  eleven-room  residence  and  the  up-to-date  equip- 
ment, makes  an  ideal  country  home.    In  politics  Mr.  Austin  is  a 


EUGENE  F.  AUSTIN 


I 


BIOGRAPHY  593 

Republican,  but  is  an  independent  thinker  on  all  subjects,  and 
believes  in  putting  only  the  most  capable  men  in  office.  While 
he  has  never  sought  nor  cared  for  public  office,  he  has  served  as 
town  clerk. 

On  November  8,  1882,  Mr.  Austin  was  married  to  Miss  Sallie 
Ann  DeWitt,  daughter  of  Richard  DeWitt,  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Leon  valley,  and  Sallie  Ann  (Thompson)  DeWitt.  Her 
ancestors  on  her  father's  side  are  traced  to  France,  while  on  the 
mother's  side  they  are  traced  to  the  Puritanic  stock  of  Vermont. 
Mrs.  Austin  w^as  born  at  Florence,  Erie  county,  Ohio,  March  31, 
1846,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  four  daughters  and  two  sons,  all 
of  w^hom  are  now  living.  Her  parents  settled  in  A¥ells  township, 
Monroe  county,  in  1856,  and  were  among  the  well-to-do  and  in- 
fluential citizens  of  that  town,  and  held  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  all  who  knew  them.  The  father  died  November  17,  1901,  and 
the  mother  passed  away  in  1908.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Austin  has 
been  born  one  daughter,  Edith  Estella,  who,  after  graduating  from 
high  school,  took  a  commercial  course  at  a  La  Crosse  business 
college,  is  now  proficient  in  bookkeeping  and  stenography,  and 
for  some  time  was  in  the  employ  of  a  large  department  store  at 
La  Crosse.  She  is  a  talented  musician,  having  had  the  advantage 
of  some  of  the  best  nnisical  instructors  in  the  country,  and  she  is 
now  instructing  a  class  in  instrumental  music  at  her  home  in 
Leon.  In  addition  Miss  Austin  has  received  thorough  instruction 
in  the  art  of  hair  dressing  and  has  opened  a  hair  dressing  parlor 
at  her  home,  where  she  serves  her  many  friends  and  patrons. 

Fred  R.  Austin,  progressive  farmer,  was  born  in  Leon,  Monroe 
county,  Wisconsin,  December  21,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Isabella  (Reed)  Austin.  He  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  county,  which  was  supplemented  by  a  four-year 
course  in  the  Sparta  high  school.  He  then  served  an  apprentice- 
ship in  a  flouring  mill  at  Leon,  and  for  R.  M.  DeLong,  who  at  that 
time  was  operating  the  mill  under  lease,  from  1897  to  1902,  and 
from  1903  to  1906  had  full  charge  of  the  mill.  He  then  purchased 
the  old  homestead  of  sixty-five  acres  from  his  father  in  section  ten, 
Leon  township,  and  has  since  made  this  his  home.  He  carries  on 
general  farming  and  is  specially  engaged  in  the  dairy  business 
and  supplies  a  large  amount  of  milk  and  cream  for  the  town  and 
creamery.  He  is  a  busy  man  of  atfairs,  a  director  of  the  Farmers' 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  the  town  of  Leon ;  has  held 
the  office  of  town  clerk  for  eleven  years  and  is  now  school  treas- 
urer. He  is  a  director  of  the  Leon  Creamery,  and  from  1907 
to  1909  was  its  secretary  and  manager.     He  is  a  member  of  the 


594  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Modern  Woodineii  of  America  and  tlie  B.  A.  Y.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
party. 

On  August  4,  1900,  ^Mr.  Austin  was  married  to  Miss  Nora  An- 
derson, of  llillshoro,  N.  D.  Of  three  children  born  to  them. 
two,  Earl,  born  ]\Iarch  7.  1!)()].  and  p]rma,  born  September  1."), 
1908,  are  living. 

Henry  Austin,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  July  27,  1834. 
in  Medina  county,  Ohio.  In  1848  he  emigrated  with  his  parents 
to  Sheboygan  county,  AVisconsin,  Avhere  his  father  lived  and  died. 
In  18.13,  ]Mr.  Henry  Austin  left  Sheboygan  county  on  foot  for 
Monroe  county,  where  he  explored  the  Leon  valley  and  returned 
to  Sheboygan  county,  but  soon  came  back  to  the  Leon  valley,  and 
for  three  years  worked  on  the  farm  of  his  brother,  \V.  .1.  Austin. 
He  then  purchased  sixty-five  acres  of  land  which  he  afterwards 
sold  to  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketcli.  lie  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Miss  Lauressa  Reed,  and  1)y  this  union  there  is  one  daugh- 
ter, Eleanor,  living.  ]\Irs.  Austin  died  in  1871,  and  he  married 
for  the  second  wife,  Isabella  Reed,  sister  of  his  first  wife.  She 
was  born  December  24,  1850,  and  by  this  union  there  are  three 
living  children,  viz :  Fred  R..  our  subject ;  Roy  and  Allyn ;  the 
latter  two  residing  in  Chicago,  111.  Mr.  Austin  is  a  highly  i-e- 
spected  citizen  of  his  community,  and  all  his  life  has  been  a  hard 
working  man.  By  incessant  hard  toil,  he  l)ecame  physically  dis- 
abled, causing  him  to  retire  frou)  active  business.  Although  in 
feeble  health,  his  mental  faculties  are  unimpaired,  and  he  relates 
many  interesting  incidents  of  his  pioneer  life  in  "Wisconsin. 

William  J.  Austin,  who  for  many  wears  was  prominently 
identified  with  the  agi'icultural  and  l)usiness  interests  of  ]\Iouroe 
county,  was  born  in  Trumbull  cimnty,  Ohio,  ]May  26,  1822,  a  .son 
of  Freeman  Austin,  a  native  of  Columbia  county.  New  York;  the 
paternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  ^Massachusetts,  and  some 
of  the  earlier  ancestors  took  part  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
They  were  of  English  and  Scotdi  extraction.  Freeman  Au.stin 
lived  in  the  county  in  which  lie  was  born  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age;  he  then  went  to  Trundndl  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  that  county, 
a  daughter  of  ^Villianl  Johnson,  a  native  of  New  England.  Wil- 
liam J.  was  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removeil  to 
^Medina  county,  Ohio,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  went 
to  Portage  county  the  same  state;  he  was  reared  to  the  occupa- 
tion of  a  farmer,  and  received  his  education  in  tb.e  connnon 
schools  and  in  the  academy  at  Poland.     After  leaving  school  he 


BIOGRAPHY  595 

began  teaching,  and  followed  this  profession  for  some  time;  he 
took  lip  horticulture,  and  gave  his  attention  to  this  business  for 
three  years.     At  the  end  of  this  period  he  went  to  Rock  county, 
AVisconsin,  and   embarked  in  the  nursery  trade,  an  industry  of 
great  importance  to  a  new  country;  three  years  later  he  went  to 
Sheboygan  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  purchased  a  small  tract 
of  land,  and  for  three  years  carried  on  farming.    Disposing  of  his 
interests  at  the  end  of  that  time,  he  removed  to  Monroe  county, 
in  the  fall  of  1851,  and  entered  a  quarter  section  of  Government 
land  in  the  then  wilds  of  the  Leon  valley.    He  subsequently  added 
to  his  origninal  purchase  until  he  had  accumulated  1,040  acres, 
which  he  retained  as  the  home  farm  and  which,  by  his  energy  and 
perseverance,  was  converted  from   a  wild  state  to   one  of  high 
cultivation  and  productiveness.     Soon  after  locating  in  the  Leon 
valley,   he   became   interested   in   the   milling   business;    he   took 
charge   of  and   operated  the  Leon   mill   at   Leon,   which  at   that 
time  was  the  largest  mill  using  M^aterpower  in  the  state  outside 
of   Alilwaukee.      For   several   years  he    continued  the   successful 
operation   of  this   business,   as  a   custom   and  merchant  mill,  in 
connection  with  his  farming  interests.    Settlers  were  few  and  far 
between  in  1851,  Avhen  Mr.  Austin  located  in  the  Leon  valley; 
the  three  or  four  families  who  located  at  about  the  same  time 
gradually  moved  away,  leaving  him  the  oldest  settler  in  the  valley. 
In  his  farming  operations  his  attention  was  mainly  given  to  the 
raising  of  grain  and  stock,  and  maintained  a  dairy  from  which 
he   derived  a  handsome  revenue.     He  Avas  also   engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  for  many  years,  carrying  on  a  store  in  the 
village  of  Leon,  under  the  firm  name  of  Tuttle  &  Austin.     For  a 
number  of  years  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  and 
operated  a  lumber  yard.     The  old  paper  mill  in  Sparta  was  built 
by  him  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Mather.     He  was  a  man  of 
rare  business  judgment,  and  with  the  assistance  of  his  wife,  who 
w^as  also  possessed  of  good  business  ideas,  and  her  diligence  in 
home  matters,  was  largely  responsible  for  the  success  achieved. 
Mr.  Austin  was  a  man  who  always  commanded  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  tlie  community  in  which  he  lived.     He  was  plain 
and  unassuming  in  manner  and  very  modest  and  reticent  as  to 
his  own  accomplishments.    Although  not  a  member  of  any  church, 
he  contributed  liberally  to  their  support  as  well  as  to  all  worthy 
enterprises.    A  Republican  in  politics  he  was  active  in  the  affairs 
of  his  party,  was  a  member  of  the  general  assembly  of  1880-1881, 
and    in    fraternal    matters    was    a    thirty-second    degree    Mason. 
During  the  latter  years   of  his   life  he  and   his  wife  did  much 


596  IIISTOKY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

traveling;,  spending  their  winters  in  Florida,  on  tlie  Gulf  and  in 
California.  His  death,  which  occurred  April  '.]0,  1904,  was 
mourned  as  a  great  loss  to  his  community. 

He  was  married  April  4,  1850,  in  Sheboygan  county,  AViscon- 
sin,  to  INIaria  E.  Sanford,  who  Avas  born  at  Copley,  Summit  county, 
Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Sanford.  of  Vermont.  Her  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  AVar,  and  the 
mother's  maiden  name  was  IMargaret  Kiefer,  a  relative  of  ex- 
Speaker  Kiefer,  of  Ohio.  She  died  when  Mrs.  Austin  was  a  girl 
of  ten  years;  the  father  died  April  12,  1857;  they  reared  a  family 
of  tliree  sons  and  three  daughters:  William,  Aaron,  Ransom, 
Cordelia,  Orphic  and  Marie  E.  Airs.  Austin  passed  away  April 
10,  1901,  beloved  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her.  She  was  a 
woman  of  many  domestic  virtues  and  mental  attainments,  un- 
assuming in  manner,  nu)dest,  of  good  judgment  and  untiring 
energy,  always  ready  to  do  her  part.  Her  ancestors  were  of 
English,  Frencli  and  German  lineage. 

Ernest  Austin,  who  was  l)orii  in  Alonroe  county,  AViseonsin, 
February  10,  1860,  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  cliildren,  three  of 
whom  are  now  (1912)  liAiiig.  lioiii  to  AVilliain  -I.  and  Alaria  E. 
(Sanford)  Austin,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ohio.  Avhere 
their  families  were  prominently  identified  with  the  early  history 
of  that  state.  Ernest  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools,  which  Avas  supplemented  by  a  thorough  course  of  training 
in  the  commercial  department  of  the  A^'alparaiso  Xonnal  school, 
and  sulisequently  the  law  department  from  wliich  he  graduated 
in  1886,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  LaAvs.  The  folloAving 
year  he  Avent  to  IMinneapolis,  Avhere  for  ten  years  he  Avas  engaged 
in  the  laAV  and  real  estate  l)usiness.  After  a  brief  visit  to  his 
home  in  1898,  he  Avent  to  Seattle,  AVash.,  making  that  place  his 
home  for  a  time,  prosj)ecting  and  speculating.  He  also  A'isited 
Alaska  and  British  Columbia,  and  later  spending  one  year  in 
California,  Oregon,  Nevada  and  other  AVestern  states.  He  re- 
turned to  Alonroe  county  in  1902  and  tt)ok  charge  of  liis  business 
interests,  consisting  principally  of  farming  and  milling  in  Leon 
toAvnship.  He  is  knoAvn  as  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  Avide- 
BAvake  and  successful  in  his  business  undertakings,  and  in  poli- 
tics is  a  Republican. 

William  Alonzo  Barber,  merchant,  manufaetui-cr.  l)anker;  born 
Saratoga  county.  Ncav  York,  January  11.  1848;  son  of  Rev.  Brad- 
ford K.  and  RoAvena  A.  (AVest)  Barber;  educated  in  common 
schools  of  Ncav  A'^ork  state  and  AViseonsin;  married  AVestfield, 
AVis.,  April  9,  1867.  Alary  LaAvton;  chikiren:  Fred  R.,  born  July 


BIOGRAPHY  597 

1869,  Edith  M.,  born  1875.  AVas  teacher  in  country  schools  during 
winter  months  and  worked  on  farms  during  summer  months  from 
the  age  of  fifteen  until  enlisted  in  army;  engaged  in  lumber  Inisi- 
ness  1874;  became  partner  in  lumber  firm  of  George  Warren  & 
Co.,  1875 ;  Inisiness  incorporated  later  and  now  having  added  in- 
terests, and  he  is  president  of  the  company.  In  1891  commenced 
promotion  of  inventions  of  Howard  D.  Colman ;  first  success  in 
1896  with  Barber-Colman  Check  Pump  for  creameries;  then  the 
Barber  Knotter  for  spoolers,  after  that  "Barber- Warp-Tying  Ma- 
chine," both  now  being  largely  used  in  cotton  mills  and  popular 
in  the  United  States,  England  and  Continent  of  Europe;  is  not 
now  connected  with  this  company,  having  retired  early  in  1910. 
Partner  with  Ilulbert  and  Barber  "Ilulbert  Ranch,"  Meade 
county,  Kansas,  in  course  of  development ;  now  president  General 
Store  Company,  merchants.  Warrens,  and  of  George  Warren  Com- 
pany, manufacturer  and  dealer  in  lumber,  real  estate,  etc.,  Wis- 
consin ;  vice-president  George  Warren  Company,  bank,  Warren, 
Wis.,  and  AYarren  Land  Company,  real  estate,  telephone  and  farm- 
ing, AVarren,  AVis.  Has  served  as  town  officer ;  on  county  boards, 
and  as  school  district  officer  many  terms ;  member  of  assembly, 
Wisconsin  legislature,  1882;  appointed  postmaster  of  AYarren, 
AA^is.,  under  President  Grant,  1876,  and  has  served  continuously 
ever  since;  enlisted  for  three  years  in  Civil  Y^ar,  IMarcli  24,  1864, 
in  company  B,  thirty-seventh  AVisconsin  Infantry,  and  served 
with  regiment  at  Cold  Harbor,  and  near  Petersburg,  Va.;  dis- 
charged July,  1865.  Republican  (Stalwart),  Baptist.  Director 
AVayland  Academy,  Beaver  Dam,  AA'is.,  and  of  AYisconsin  Baptist 
State  Convention,  Incorporated. 

Arthur  W.  Barney,  banker,  of  Sparta,  AVis.,  was  born  in  Juneau 
county,  July  28,  1871,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  AY.  and  INIary 
Hatton  (Davis)  Barney,  natives  of  New  York  and  AViscon- 
sin, respectively.  ]\Ir.  Barney  received  his  preliminary  education 
in  the  public  schools.  He  began  his  business  career  in  1890  as 
bookkeeper  in  a  bank  at  Reedsburg,  AA^is.,  with  which  institution 
he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1894,  when  he  accepted  the  position 
of  cashier  in  the  Alonroe  County  Bank  of  Sparta,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  until  the  spring  of  1901,  when  he  became  assistant 
cashier  of  Bank  of  Sparta.  Shortly  afterwards  he  became  vice- 
president  of  Bank  of  Sparta,  which  position  he  still  retains.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  a  member  of  the  Alasonic  order,  and  a  Knight 
Templar. 

On  November  30,  1898,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Kittie  Hill,  daughter  of  Ira  A.  and  Mary  E.  Hill,  of  Sparta.     To 


598  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COL'XTY 

this  union  has  been  born  two  children,  viz:  Tyler  Davis,  born 
January  28.  1900.  and  .Marion.  Ix.ni  December  12.  1001. 

Gustav  Bartels,  for  numy  years  a  prominent  and  useful  citizen 
of  Riilj^evillc  township,  ^lonroe  county,  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Anna  (Kicksoer)  Bartels,  both  natives  oi'  Gci'inany.  He  was 
born  ]\larch  18,  1860,  in  AVilton,  this  county.  His  parents  came 
to  America  in  1855  with  two  children  and  first  located  in  Wilton 
township,  where  the  father  worked  at  farming  and  his  trade  of 
stonemason,  which  lir  learned  in  his  native  country,  and  with  the 
proceeds  of  his  labor  and  economy,  he  purchased  a  tract  of  fifty 
acres  in  the  town  of  Wilton,  which  he  improved,  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  made  the  family  homestead,  and 
here  lived  until  his  death  in  1907.  His  Avidow  still  survives,  and 
her  wide  circle  of  friends  and  ac(iuaintances  listen  with  nnich 
interest  to  her  many  thrilling  stories  of  their  pioneer  life,  for 
instance :  of  the  days  when  Mr.  Bartels  carried  fiour  on  his  back 
all  the  way  from  Tunnel  City  to  his  home  in  Wilton,  in  this 
county,  then  a  small  village  of  only  a  few  houses  and  one  rail- 
road; he  also  often  made  the  trip  up  and  back  the  same  day  with 
a  team  of  oxen,  which  he  used  altogether  in  place  of  horses,  and 
in  those  days  their  meat  was  wdld  game  and  their  neighbors  were 
Indians.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Bartels  were  both  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran church  at  Ridgeville.  Mr.  Bartels  was  full  of  ambition  and 
ready  to  assist  in  every  enterprise  that  could  be  brought  about  in 
those  days.  He  organized  one  of  the  first  schools  in  Wilton  town- 
ship, in  fact,  he  was  a  prime  mover  in  bringing  the  township  to 
the  front  as  near  as  could  be  attained  at  that  time.  He  was 
formerly  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  he 
voted  the  Republican  ticket.  They  raised  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living  in  this  county. 

Gustav  was  the  third  child  of  the  family ;  he  attended  the 
district  schools  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  and  lived  at 
home.  His  first  employment  away  from  home  was  as  a  farm  hand 
at  a  salary  of  $12  per  month,  and  after  working  for  a  short  tinu^ 
in  this  capacity,  he  took  a  position  to  work  in  the  pine  lumber 
camps  in  Warren  INlills,  Wis.,  but  after  a  short  time  he  changed 
again,  and  this  time  bought  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Ridge- 
ville in  1881.  Three  years  later,  on  September  6,  1883,  he  was 
married  in  the  town  of  Tomah,  AVis.,  to  ^Miss  Lizzie  [Martin,  a. 
daughter  of  Christ  and  ]\Iary  ]\Iartin,  early  settlers  of  ]\Ionroe 
county  and  natives  of  Germany. 

]\Irs.  Bartels  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living.     Her  father  died  in  1890  and  the  mother  still  lives 


BIOGRAPHY  599 

on  the  old  homestead  about  four  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Tomah, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bartels  have  had 
four  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  living,  viz :  Albert  C,  born 
October  13,  1891,  and  Cora  M.,  born  December  27,  1905.  Their 
home  farm  consists  of  150  acres  of  fine  land  in  sections  three, 
four  and  ten,  town  of  Ridgeville.  Avhere  they  have  lived  since 
their  marriage,  and  is  one  of  the  ideal  country  homes  in  the 
county.  They  have  made  many  lasting  and  valuable  improve- 
ments ;  in  1883,  they  built  their  first  home ;  in  1893,  built  a  base- 
ment barn,  and  in  1903  they  built  a  new  residence,  containing 
sixteen  rooms.  A  large  and  commodious  granary  was  built  in 
1887,  and  their  water  supply  comes  from  a  drive  well  205  feet 
in  depth,  besides  having  several  natural  springs  on  the  place. 
Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Bartels  are  both  devoted  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church  at  Ridgeville. 

Mr.  Bartels  is  considered  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers 
in  the  township,  thoroughly  up  to  date  in  his  methods,  and  is  al- 
ways ready  to  aid  in  furthering  the  interests  of  his  town  and 
county.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  served  in  various 
local  offices;  he  Avas  supervisor  for  some  time  and  has  been  treas- 
urer of  the  school  board  for  some  eighteen  years. 

Henry  W.  Battalia,  general  merchant  of  Tunnel  City,  Monroe 
county,  is  a  native  of  the  Badger  state,  having  been  born  in 
Jefferson  county,  April  26,  1858,  the  son  of  Christian  and  Julia 
(Schultz)  Battalia,  natives  of  Switzerland  and  Germany,  re- 
spectively. More  than  fifty  years  ago  they  came  to  Monroe 
county  and  settled  in  Clifton  township,  and  were  among  the  hon- 
ored pioneers  of  that  section,  and  there  lived  the  allotted  time; 
the  father  died  in  1900,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  and  the 
death  of  his  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  occurred  more  than 
thirty-five  years  ago.  Their  family  consisted  of  six  children, 
Henrj^  W.  being  the  oldest.  The  others  are  John,  of  Oakdale, 
this  county ;  Anna  married  J.  Bowser,  of  Marinette,  Wis. ;  Lizzie 
is  the  wife  of  C.  W.  Haase,  of  Clifton  township ;  Christian  lives 
in  New  Lisbon,  and  Amelia  married  William  Pascoe,  of  Ash- 
land, Wis. 

Henry  W.  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  began  the  carpenter 
trade  and  followed  that  occupation  continuously  for  eight  years. 
He  then  purchased  his  father's  farm  of  200  acres  in  section  four, 
Clifton  township,  and  for  seventeen  years  was  actively  engaged 
in  farming  operations.  In  1903  he  moved  to  Tunnel  City  and 
bought  the  store  of  C.  E.  Davenport  and  conducted  a  successful 


600  HISTORY  OF  :^rOXROE  COTXTY 

business  for  four  years;  in  li)()7,  in  coinpanx'  with  .Vndres  Brothers, 
lie  purchased  tlie  general  store  of  W.  .1.  Donakl.  and  for  two  years 
tile  l)usiness  Avas  condueted  under  tlir  fii-iii  name  of  Andres 
lirothers  &  Battalia.  Avhoi  this  iinii  was  dissolved,  and  AVilliam 
AVoodai'd  purchased  an  interest  with  .Mi-.  Battalia;  at  the  end  of 
one  year  Mr.  Battalia  purchased  Ihc  interest  of  his  partner  and 
became  sole  ownei-  and  lU'oprietor.  which  he  has  successfully 
carried  on  since  1!J1(),  and  has  now  one  of  the  leading  geni-ral 
stores  of  the  county.  AVhile  interested  in  farming,  our  subject 
often  worked  at  Ids  ti'adc  as  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  built  sev- 
eral of  llic  buildings  in  that  section,  anu)ng  them  being  the  St. 
Peter's  cliurcli  al  ('lil'toii,  which  was  constructed  in  1897,  and 
later  he  erected  two  residences  at  Tunnel  City  besides  his  i)resent 
residence,  yiv.  Battalia  besides  conducting  a  prosperous  business, 
is  the  owner  of  consitUu-able  other  property,  including  his  store 
building  and  others  in  the  village.  lie  is  interested  in  other  en- 
terprises, and  while  a  resident  of  Clifton,  was  a  director  and  for 
a  time  treasurer  of  the  Farmers'  ^Mutual  Insurance  Company.  He 
has  been  treasurer  of  Greenfield  township,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
I\Iodern  Brotherhood  of  Anu^rica  and  the  ^loderii  AVoodnum  of 
America. 

He  was  married  September  ID,  1885,  to  Aliss  Anna  Grassman. 
daughter  of  Rudol]di  and  Rosa  Grassnum,  of  Clifton  township. 
They  have  had  three  children  and  the  sad  misfortune  of  losing 
one — Oscar  K.,  Avho  was  drowned  at  IIonuM-.  ]\linn..  in  1010.  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three  years.  The  others.  Elsie  F  and  Freil  A., 
live  at  home  with  their  parents. 

John  Battalia''',  who  resides  on  his  fai'ui  in  Oakdale  township, 
was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  AVisconsin,  September  2(j,  1859, 
the  son  of  Christian  and  Julia  (Schultz)  Battalia,  natives  of 
Switzerland  and  Germany,  respectively.  The  father  came  to 
America  sonu'  time  in  the  early  fifties  with  his  mother  and  two 
sisters,  and  located  in  Jefferson  county,  where  he  resided  until  he 
removed  to  Clifton  townsliip  in  ]\Ionroe  county,  in  1862.  He 
homesteaded  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Clifton,  and  there  made  his 
home  until  his  death.  Dui'ing  the  Civil  AVai'  the  father  enlisted 
and  served  with  distinction  until  its  close. 

John  lived  at  hom(^  until  188(5  when,  in  ]\Iay  of  that  year,  he 
was  married  to  Aliss  Anu'lia  lleintz,  of  Oakdale.  She  Avas  edu- 
cated ill  the  district  and  high  schools  of  ]\Ionroe  county,  and  for 
five  years  previous  to  hei-  marriage  Avas  a  teacher.  Four  children 
liave  been  born  to  ^Ii".  and  Airs.  Battalia,  three  of  Avhom  are  living. 
Julia  Al.,  boi-n  ]\Iay  11,  1889;  Inez,  born  November  3,  1890,  Avas 


BIOGRAPHY  601 

educated  in  tlie  district  and  liij^h  schools  oi'  ]Monroe  county,  and 
in  the  Iowa  State  Normal  school  at  Des  Moines.  After  completing 
her  education  she  was  engaged  three  years  as  a  teacher.  She  now 
lives  at  home.  The  son,  Alfred,  was  born  April  14,  1892.  After 
the  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Battalia  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land 
in  the  town  of  Oakdale,  which  he  afterwards  sold  and  repurchased 
100  acres  in  section  fifteen,  and  later  added  eighty  acres  in  section 
nineteen  of  the  same  town,  where  he  now"  resides.  He  is  a  carpenter 
and  for  twenty-five  years  followed  his  trade,  during  which  time 
he  built  many  of  the  tine  large  barns  in  Clifton  and  Oakdale 
townships.  For  the  past  five  years  he  has  given  his  entire  time 
and  attention  to  his  farm,  and  has  been  successful  in  its  opera- 
tions. Besides  general  farming  he  does  an  extensive  dairy  busi- 
ness and  keeps  his  farm  well  stocked  with  a  good  grade  of  horses, 
cattle  and  hogs. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  has  been  supervisor  of  his  town  two 
years,  treasurer  one  term  and  for  twelve  years  a  member  of  the 
school   board. 

Walter  Baxter,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  AVar,  was  born  in  Scot- 
laud,  November  8,  1842.  His  father,  George  Baxter,  was  born  in 
Scotland,  August  5,  1817,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Jean  Duncan,  also  born  in  Scotland,  was  married  December 
21,  1841,  and  emigrated  to  America  in  1851,  when  AValter  was 
but  nine  years  of  age,  and  settled  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin, 
Waukesha  county.  In  1864  Air.  Walter  Baxter  came  and  located 
in  Monroe  county,  where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Clifton  and  Glendale  townships.  In  1865  he  enlisted  in 
company  A,  fiftieth  regiment,  Wisconsin  Volunteers  and  served 
about  one  and  one-half  years,  until  receiving  his  honorable  dis- 
charge June  12,  1866. 

Mr.  Baxter  is  one  of  the  substantial'  and  influential  citizens 
of  Monroe  county,  and  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  town  and  county,  and  for  sixteen  years  has  been  clerk 
of  his  town  and  village. 

On  October  6.  1867,  Air.  Baxter  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Alargaret  AlcQueen,  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  Mc- 
Queen, of  Glendale,  Wis.  Of  four  children  born  to  this  union, 
but  one,  Luella,  who  is  the  wife  of  H.  AV.  Smith,  of  Kendall,  is 
now  living. 

George  G.  Becker,  farmer  and  substantial  citizen  of  Tunnel 
City,  Alonroe  county,  AVis.,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  was  born 
in  Chicago,   December   29.   1867.     His  parents   were   Ignatz   and 


602  HISTORY  OF  .AEOXROE  COT'XTY 

?Jary  (]\Iarhoefer)  Becker,  who  emiirrated  from  Germany  early 
ill  life,  got  acquainted  in  Chicago  and  were  united  in  marriage 
their,  where  they  made  their  home  until  1895.  They  then  moved 
to  ]\Ionroe  county,  Wisconsin,  and  settled  in  Greenfield  town- 
.ship.  where  the\'  lived  until  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  years.  Ilis  widow,  mother  of  our  subject  survived  four 
months  when  she  passed  awav  at  the  aire  of  sixtv-four  vears. 
They  raised  a  family  of  nine  children,  our  subject  being  the  eldest. 
Of  the  others,  Henry  is  deceased,  Charles  and  Harry  are  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  in  Chicago,  Fred  is  a  member  of  the  police 
force  in  that  city,  Clara  is  deceased,  Ignatz  is  deceased,  Elizabeth 
Becker  (Hall)  resides  in  Greenfield  township,  Edward  also  re- 
sides in  Greenfield  township. 

George  G.  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Chi- 
cago, and  early  learned  the  brick  mason's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  his  removal  to  Greenfield  township,  in  1893.  He 
first  i)ur('liased  eiszhty  acres  of  land  in  section  thirty-four,  which 
he  sold  three  years  later  and  moved  onto  a  rented  farm  in 
LaGrange  township,  Avhich  he  carried  on  for  a  period  of  three 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  purchased  a  2-40-acre 
tract  in  section  ten  of  Greenfield  township,  which  he  farmed  and 
improved  by  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  substantial  build- 
ings, and  there  resided  until  1910,  when  he  moved  to  Tunnel 
City,  Avhere  he  has  since  lived.  Beginnino;  his  operations  in  ]\Ion- 
roe  county  with  a  cash  capital  of  $100,  he  has  won  success  and 
became  known  as  one  of  the  enterprising  and  well-to-do  citizens 
of  this  section ;  he  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  affairs  of 
the  county  and  any  movement  which  he  thinks  is  for  the  better- 
ment of  the  community,  receives  his  support;  he  is  now  serving 
his  third  term  as  chairman  of  the  town  board,  and  for  two  terms 
has  held  the  office  of  treasurer  of  the  town.  He  was  married 
]\Iarch  22,  1890.  to  ]\Iiss  ]Minnie  Krase,  daughter  of  Gustave  and 
Fredreka  Krase,  of  AVisconsin. 

Ernst  Behrens,  farmer.  Tomah  township,  was  born  in  (Jermany. 
Xoveiuber  ;},  18"):^.  He  is  the  son  of  Fred  and  Wehliminia  Beh- 
rens. also  natives  of  Germany.  They  came  to  America  in  1867. 
with  a  family  of  five  children,  two  brothers  of  the  subject  having 
preceded  them  the  year  before.  They  located  in  the  town  of 
AVilton.  ^lonroe  couiity.  Wis,,  where  Mr.  Behrens  bought  120 
acres  of  land,  only  eighteen  acres  being  improved,  in  section  four, 
town  of  Wiltdii.  where  he  lived  until  lie  died.  He  was  successful 
in  his  early  occupation  of  raising  large  and  profitable  grain  crops. 
and  thus  he  was  able  to  etjuip  the  farm  in  first  class  shape.     He 


BIOGRAPHY  60:^, 

was  an  earnest,  sincere  christian  gentleman,  and  a  well  respected 
citizen  of  his  community,  and  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed 
church,  to  which  he  gave  liberal  support., 

Ernst  is  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  two  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. He  received  a  good  education  in  his  native  country,  up  to 
his  sixteenth  year,  when  he  came  to  Monroe  county,  and  attended 
school  but  a  few  months  after  reaching  the  new  country.  He 
remained  on  the  homestead  farm  until  the  age  of  twenty-three, 
Avhen  he  acquired  100  acres  of  land  in  section  four,  Wilton  town- 
shi]).  which  he  sold  a  few  months  later,  and  was  employed  at 
farm  work  by  his  father-in-law  for  six  months,  when  he  returned 
to  the  neighborhood  of  his  first  purchase  and  bought  sixty  acres 
of  land  to  which  he  later  added  sixty  more,  and  here  made  his 
home  until  1894.  when  he  bought  eighty  acres  where  he  now  re- 
sides in  the  town  of  Tomah.  He  built  a  comfortable  house  the 
first  year,  a  barn  in  1902,  and  silo  in  1911.  His  farm  has  a  fine 
spring  which  furnishes  water  for  both  his  house  and  barn.  His 
farm  is  Avell  stocked  with  horses,  cattle,  hogs,  etc. ;  and  he  car- 
ries on  a  profitable  dairy  business,  and  Mr.  Behrens  ranks  among' 
the  successful  farmers  of  Monroe  county.  He  has  been  trustee 
of  the  Tomah  Lutheran  church  for  fifteen  years,  and  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Tomah  Creamery,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

October  1.  1876,  in  the  town  of  Ridgeville,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  May  Merten,  daughter  of  Chris  and  Maria  Merten.  Seven 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  six  of  whom  are  living : 
Caroline  L.,  now  JNIrs.  John  Sherman ;  Emma,  now  ]\Irs.  Herman 
Mathewes:  Ernst.  Louis.  Fred.  Lidia  and  Elmer,  deceased. 

George  Benson,  section  twenty-four,  Sparta  township,  a  native 
son  of  Monroe  county,  was  born  on  the  homestead  farm  where 
he  now  resides,  January  16,  1877.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Ernstine  (Linke)  Benson,  natives  of  Stoten,  Germany.  Charles 
Benson,  the  father  of  our  subject,  w^as  the  eldest  of  three  chil- 
dren, the  others,  Minnie,  the  former  wife  of  John  Winters,  is  de- 
ceased, and  Fred,  of  Eagle  River,  Wis.  Charles  was  born  in  1832, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years.  Imbued  w'ith  the  energy  and  vigor  of  his  young  man- 
hood, he  set  forth  to  make  his  way  in  the  then  new  country.  His 
first  stop  after  leaving  the  port  of  New"  York  was  in  Chicago,  and 
from  there  continued  his  course  w^estward  into  the  then  wilds 
of  Wisconsin,  of  which  Monroe  county  formed  a  part.  Locating 
first  on'  a  rented  farm  in  Bowler's  valley.  It  Avas  two  years  later 
that  he  purchased  100  acres  of  wild  land  covered  with  heavy 
timber,  to  which  he  later  added  sixty  acres  more,  which  embraces 


604  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

the  homestead  farm.  The  tirst  effort  toward  home  biiildins  was 
the  erection  of  a  lo^  shanty,  nearly  across  the  hisrhway  from 
where  the  present  house  occupied  by  our  subject  now  stands,  which 
his  father  built  over  forty-two  years  asro,  and  where  he  died  in 
1S90.  at  the  asre  of  fifty-eisht  years.  Ilis  widow,  mother  of 
George,  is  a  resident  of  Sparta.  She  is  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  three  children.  The  others  are  Fredricka  Schmidt,  of  Eau- 
claire.  and  ^linnie  Zimmerman,  deceased,  of  Chicago.  Oeorsre 
Benson  is  the  youngest  of  his  family,  the  others  are.  Charles  W. 
and  John  F..  of  Sparta,  Emma,  deceased,  who  was  formerly  the 
wife  of  Charles  Jones,  of  Newlyme  township,  Minnie,  wife  of 
Arthur  Jenkins,  of  Little  Falls  township.  Edith,  wife  of  David 
Jenkins,  of  Lafayette  township.  The  paternal  grandmother,  born 
in  1S12.  died  in  Sparta  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years. 

On  December  9,  1903.  ^Ir.  Benson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Maude  Rowe.  of  Burns  Valley.  LaCrosse  county.  Wis.  George 
attended  the  district  schools  of  his  native  township,  and  has  been 
in  possession  of  the  home  farm  since  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  ^lodern  AVoodmen  of  America,  and  is 
interested  in  th^  live  issues  of  the  day. 

Edward  Bergman,  a  popular  young  farmer  and  business  man 
of  Xorwalk,  with  property  interests  in  various  parts  of  ^lonroe 
county,  was  born  October  11.  1S73.  in  the  towii  of  Ridgeville.  this 
county,  to  William  and  Bertha  (Ilass"*  Bergman,  the  father  a 
native  of  Saxony.  Germany,  and  the  mother  a  native  of  Ohio. 
^Ir.  Bergman.  Sr..  came  to  America  in  1S52.  and  first  located 
in  the  state  of  Ohio,  where  he  was  married,  and  shortly  after- 
ward moved  to  the  town  of  Ridgeville  and  homesteaded  an  eighty 
acre  tract  of  wild  land  in  section  twenty-eight,  which  at  that 
time  was  unbroken  and  covered  with  timber  and  n^ameil  by  wild 
game  and  Indians.  To  this  he  eventually  added  another  forty 
acres,  makinsr  in  all  a  farm  of  120  acres,  and  immediately  set 
to  work  to  clear  and  improve  the  land  and  establish  the  family 
home,  battling,  as  it  were,  the  trials  and  hardships  of  pioneer 
life.  There  were  no  roads  of  any  kind  in  the  county  except  the 
Indian  trails  and  a  stage  road  from  La  Crosse  to  Sheboygan,  and 
white  settlers  were  scarce;  the  only  means  of  transportation 
being  either  on  foot  or  by  ox  team.  They  raised  a  family  of  ten 
children,  nine  of  whom  are  living.  Edward  is  the  seventh  child. 
^Ir.  Bergman.  Sr..  was  a  brilliant  and  well  educated  man.  was 
a  great  reader  and  kept  up  with  the  current  events  of  the  day, 
he  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  took  an  active  interest  in  all 


BIOGRAPHY  605 

public  matters,  and  Avas  a  prime  mover  iu  every  enterprise  that 
might  develop  his  town  and  county. 

Edward  lived  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age 
and  acquired  an  education  in  the  district  schools.  His  first  expe- 
rience on  his  own  resources  was  in  the  threshing  and  saw  mill 
business;  the  threshing  machine  he  operated  during  the  summer 
season  and  the  saw  mill  during  the  winter  months;  he  was  a 
faithful  worker,  economical  and  persevering,  and  made  a  suc- 
cess of  his  occupation.  On  October  11.  1897.  he  was  married  in 
the  town  of  Ridgeville.  to  Miss  Alvina  Generikow.  daughter  of 
Miuherd  and  Amil  Generikow:  she  was  the  fourth  child  of  a  fam- 
ily of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Berg- 
man have  one  child.  Otho  0..  born  October  20.  1909. 

After  their  marriage  they  moved  to  Xorwalk.  in  ^lonroe 
county,  where  ]Mr.  Bergman  purchased  a  livery  stable,  which  he 
operated  for  a  while,  then  disposed  of  this  and  returned  to  the 
threshing  and  saw  mill  business,  which  he  has  since  conducted 
along  with  other  lines  most  successfully.  In  1898  he  took  a  con- 
tract to  carry  the  mail  on  the  rural  delivery  route,  and  is  still 
holding  this  position  with  the  Government.  In  1899  he  erected 
a  modern  residence  in  the  village  of  Xorwalk.  containing  eleven 
rooms,  which  he  occupies  with  his  family.  ]\Ir.  Bergman  is  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

A.  W.  Bernett*,  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Tomah.  was  born  in 
Switzerland  in  1855.  and  after  the  death  of  his  father,  his  mother 
left  her  native  coimtry  and  came  to  America  with  her  family 
of  children  in  1872.  our  subject  being  one  of  that  number.  After 
a  residence  of  live  years  in  Bangor.  La  Crosse  county.  AVis..  ]\Ir. 
Bernett  was  employed  at  farm  Avork.  and  afterwards  engaged 
m  track  laying  for  the  Chicago.  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Rail- 
road, and  after  a  time  he  took  charge  of  a  section  as  foreman, 
which  position  he  held  for  several  years.  In  1885.  he  came  to 
Tomah  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  the  town  of  La- 
Grange,  which  he  now  owns  and  upon  which  he  has  made  exten- 
sive improvements,  having  in  the  year  1900.  erected  a  large  and 
commodious  barn.  Mr.  Bernett  has  since  that  time  resided  in 
Tomah.  where  he  has  been  employed  as  a  skilled  mechanic  in  the 
shops  of  the  Chicago.  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railroad,  where  he 
is  now  engaged  as  a  faithful  and  valued  Avorkman.  He  owns  a  fine 
and  substantial  residence,  and  is  a  progressive  citizen  and  is  inter- 
ested in  the  advancement  of  his  home  city  and  county.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World. 


606  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXROF  COrXTY 

;Mr  Bernett  was  married  at  Lafayette,  Wis.,  to  ^liss  Barl)ara 
Orplnvell,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  son,  George,  born 
in  1883.  He  received  liis  education  in  the  graded  and  high  school 
of  Tomah.  and  lias  been  game  warden  of  the  district  for  one 
year. 

Joseph  Betthauser,  who  lives  on  his  farm  of  115  acres  in  sec- 
tions tliirty-l\V().  Ihii'ty-one  and  ten,  Oakdale  township,  is  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  one  of  the  steady  office  holders  of  the  town. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  served  the  town  board  for 
years  in  the  capacity  of  supervisor,  assessor,  chairman  of  the 
board,  town  clerk  and  ti-easurer  and  for  twenty-four  years  has 
been  school  treasurer  and  a  hard  worker  in  the  school  interests. 
He  was  born  June  25,  1858.  in  Rockboro,  Dane  county,  AVis..  the 
son  of  Val  ;ind  ^largaret  (Snider)  Betthauser.  both  natives  of 
Germany.  They  came  to  America  in  1856  and  located  in  Dane 
coun-y.  where  they  lived  on  a  rented  farm  for  about  eight  years 
and  then  moved  to  Oakdale  township,  in  ]\Ionroe  county,  in  1861, 
and  bought  forty  acres  in  section  twenty-eight  and  homesteaded 
another  forty  acres  which  he  converted  into  a  highly  productive 
farm  and  beautiful  country  home.  They  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  the  county  and  ]Mi'.  Betthauser  now  lives  in  ease  and 
comfort  as  a  result  of  his  many  years  of  hard  work,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years,  and  tells  many  interesting  tales  of  pioneer 
life.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1881.  They  were  devoted  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church  and  raised  a  family  of  nine  children 
in  that  faith.  ^Ir.  Betthauser  helped  to  l)uild  the  first  Catholic 
church  in  Oakdale  in  1870,  and  in  1910  assisted  in  the  erection 
of  the  St.  ]\Iichael  Indian  Creek  church,  at  a  cost  of  $6,250. 
Rev.  Luuis  Wurst,  pastor;  Joseph  Betthauser,  Seb.  Richer  aiul 
L.  Shie.  building  committee. 

Joseph  is  the  oldest  of  the  family,  and  lived  at  home  on  the 
farm  nnlil  he  was  twenty-two:  he  attended  school  nj)  to  his  six- 
teenth year,  and  on  November  26.  1884.  he  was  married  in  ^laus- 
ton,  Juneau  ccninty.  to  ^liss  Anna  ]\Iary  Haschke,  daughter  of  Her- 
onimad  and  ]\Iary  TIaschke.  and  they  have  eight  children,  viz.: 
Frank.  Joseph.  John.  Kddie.  Otto.  Anna,  Mary  and  Louis.  ^Ir. 
Betthauser  bought  his  farm  shortly  after  his  marriage  in  1886.  and 
since  tliat  time  has  been  conlinually  improving  it,  so  that  it  is 
now  one  of  the  Ix'st  farms  in  Indian  Creek.  He  keeps  i1  well 
supplied  with  a  good  grade  of  stock,  and  uses  tlic  most  modern 
methods  in  conducting  it.  In  connection  with  his  general  farm- 
ing, he  carries  on  a  tine  dairy  business,  .uul  is  considered  one 
of  th.e  vahijiblc  cili/cns  (tf  the  townshi]).      lie  mnkes  n   specinlty 


BIOGRAPHY  607 

of  raising'  and  breeding  Durham  and  Holstein  cattle,  of  which 
he  has  a  fine  display. 

William  L.  Blake,  a  well  known  farmer  of  section  twelve, 
Greenfield  toAvnship,  was  born  in  Gamden,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y., 
September  3.  1848.  His  parents,  Frederick  and  Emily  (Sanford) 
Blake,  who  w^ere  natives  of  New  England,  came  to  Wisconsin 
when  William  was  but  nine  months  old,  and  located  in  Waukesha 
county,  but  soon  thereafter  moved  to  Walworth  county,  where 
they  remained  three  years,  then  came  back  to  Waukesha.  From 
there  they  returned  to  New  York,  but  again  came  back  and  set- 
tled in  Waukesha  county,  w^here  they  spent  the  balance  of  their 
lives.  William  L.  is  the  youngest  and  only  surviving  member  of 
a  family  of  three  children ;  of  the  others,  Mary  married  Jonas 
Stahl,  and  is  now  deceased,  and  Aurelia,  the  wife  of  Dr.  S.  S. 
Smith,  is  deceased.  The  grandparents  on  the  Sanford  side  were 
also  from  New  York  state.  They  had  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, ten^sons  and  two  daughters. 

William  L.  Blake,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  raised  on 
the  farm  and  attended  the  district  school.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out  for 
himself.  He  went  to  northern  Wisconsin  and  found  employment 
in  the  lumber  woods.  He  went  next  to  Iowa,  from  where  he  re- 
turned after  a  time  to  his  boyhood  state  of  Wisconsin,  and  located 
in  1876  on  his  present  farm  containing  seventy-seven  acres,  only 
seven  acres  being  cleared  at  the  time  of  purchase.  Since  that 
time  the  soil  has  been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
the  place  improved  with  a  good  class  of  buildings,  making  it  a 
beautiful  country  home.  He  has  always  been  interested  in  the 
affairs  of  his  community,  and  for  some  time  served  on  the  side 
board,  was  assessor  for  seven  years,  and  chairman  of  the  tow^n 
board  for  one  term.  ]\Ir.  Blake  is  a  lover  of  antiquities,  and  has 
in  his  possession  a  rare  collection  of  Indian  relics.  He  is  known 
as  one  of  the  well-to-do.  public  spirited,  and  influential  citizens 
of  jMonroe  county. 

On  February  25,  1875,  Mr.  Blake  was  married  to  JMiss  Lydia  E. 
Fulmer,  daughter  of  William  and  Lucretia  L.  (Martin)  Fulmer, 
natives  of  New  York  state,  w^ho  came  to  Oconomowoc,  AVis.,  Mrs. 
Blake's  native  place,  in  1847.  They  reared  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, Mrs.  Blake  being  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  The  others 
are  Wallace  AY.,  of  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D..  :\Iarian.  the  wife  of 
W.  Hatch,  of  ]\Iadison,  S.  D.,  William  H.  resides  in  Coleman, 
S.  D.,  Albert  Al..  who  died  in  1903,  and  Alfred  B.  Fulmer.  of  Dell 
Rapids,   S.   D.      The   children    of  Air.   ami   Airs.   Blake   are   For- 


608  lll:STORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

rest  L.,  Ethel  :M.,  deceased.  R<.1)ci1    0.,  Carl  F..   and  Frank  AV. 
Blake. 

Jesse  Blake,  grandfather  of  onr  sul).jeet.  Avas  horn  Decemher 
14,  1775,  in  Coiniectieut,  and  ]\Iarrilla  Loomis.  his  Avife.  Avas  horn 
May  20,  1775.  They  eanie  from  Litchfield,  Conn.,  to  the  tOAvn  of 
Camden,  Oneida  county.  N.  Y..  Avhere  they  spent  their  lives. 
Ephriam  Sanford,  tin-  maternal  grandfather,  waf^  born  August 
12,  1789,  and  his  Avife.  Temperance  Dunbar,  AA'as  born  August  13, 
1791. 

Albert  A.  Bliss,  a  progressive  and  prosperous  farmer  and  sub- 
stantial citizen  of  LaOrange  tOAvnship,  is  a  native  of  GeorgetOAvn, 
]\radison  county,  Ncav  Y'ork,  and  Avas  l)orn  December  18,  1857,  to 
Eliab  and  R]u)da  (Davenport)  Bliss,  also  natives  of  Ncav  York 
state,  and  Avho  Avere  descended  from  Phiglisli  and  German  an- 
cestry. Eliab  Bliss,  was  a  millwright  and  spent  most  of  his  active 
life  in  ]\Iadison  county,  conducting  the  GeorgetoAvn  mill.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  and  his  Avife,  mother  of  oiu'  sub- 
ject, died  at  the  age  of  eighty-tAvo  years.  Of  seven  children  born 
to  them,  five  are  noAV  living,  vi/. :  Albert  A,  Charles  of  NeAV 
York  state.  Sarah  Jane.  AvidoAV  of  George  Tripp,  (^f  Hamilton, 
N.  Y.,  Harriet  Bliss,  and  Celestine.  Those  deceased  ai-e  P^vert  and 
Betsey  Ann. 

Albert  A.  received  a  limited  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  assisted  his  father  in  mill  Avork  and  Avas  employed  on  the 
farm ;  when  yet  a  young  man  he  came  Avest  to  St.  Joseph,  ]Mich., 
and  later  moved  to  LaGrange  toAvnship,  Monroe  county.  Wiscon- 
sin, Avhere  he  made  his  home  Avith  his  uncle.  Burden  Davenport, 
and  Avas  variously  employed  at  farm  Avork  for  a  time  and  then 
spent  three  years  in  railroading  Avith  the  AVisconsin  Valley 
Railroad.  He  then  Avent  Avith  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and 
for  several  years  Avas  employed  in  the  engineering  and  train  de- 
partment of  that  road.  At  the  death  of  his  uncle,  Air.  Davenport, 
in  1896,  he  fell  heir  to  the  present  farm  Avhere  he  noAV  resides 
in  section  seventeen,  LaGrange  toAvnshiji.  and  to  Avhich  he  has 
devoted  much  time  and  energy  in  improving. 

Burden  DaA'enport,  uncle  of  our  subject.  Avas  a  native  of  Ncav 
York  state;  in  1855  in  company  Avith  Amos  Greenfield,  he  came 
to  AVisconsin  and  located  on  Ihc  faiiii  in  LaGrange  toAvnship, 
Alonroe  county,  where  he  built  a  log  house  where  he  lived  for 
some  years,  Avhen  he  erected  a  iu>av  frame  residence  AA'hieh  Avas 

his  home  until  his  death  Avhich  occurred  in  18 ,  at  the  age  of 

seventy-tAvo  years.     He  Avas  one  of  the  pioneers  of  his  toAvnship, 


BIOGRAPHY  609 

and  like  our  subject,  was  one  of  the  progressive  and  influential 
citizens  of  the  town. 

William  H.  Elyton,  one  of  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  War,  and  a 
prosperous  and  respected  citizen  of  Sparta,  was  born  on  October 
4,  1842,  at  Franklinville,  N.  Y.  Ilis  father,  Thomas  W.  Blyton, 
was  born  in  western  New  York  in  1814.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
mother  was  Elizabeth  McClure,  a  native  of  Cattaraugus  county, 
New  York.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  Thomas  Blyton,  a 
native  of  Ohio.  The  ancestors  of  the  Bly tons'  and  McClures' 
were  of  Irish  descent.  As  early  as  1844,  Thomas  W.  Blyton, 
father  of  our  subject,  went  to  Illinois,  but  after  a  short  sojourn, 
returned  to  New  York  and  resided  in  Cattaraugus  count}^  until 
1852,  when,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Bard,  of 
Sparta,  he  came  to  this  city,  then  but  a  small  village,  and  fol- 
lowed his  trade  as  carpenter  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Bard.  At  the 
end  of  two  years,  he  sent  for  his  family,  who  arrived  at  their 
new  western  home  in  October.  1854.  He  lived  here  uninterrup- 
tedly engaged  at  his  trade  until  1864.  On  September  13.  of  that 
year,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Federal  Army  in  Company 
C,  Nineteenth  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged.  Returning  home  with  health  much  im- 
paired from  exposure  and  fatigue,  incident  to  his  service  in  the 
defense  of  his  country  which  left  him  severely  afflicted  with 
asthma  on  account  of  which  he  decided  to  change  his  place  of  resi- 
dence. He  removed  to  Barron  county,  this  state.  He  died  at 
Sparta,  Wis.,  July  28,  1898. 

William  H.  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  five 
sons  and  four  daughters ;  the  next  in  order  of  birth  was  Charles 
W.  Blyton.  He  also  was  a  member  of  Company  C,  Nineteenth 
Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  but  on  account  of  disability, 
was  discharged  at  Suffolk,  Va.,  on  June  15,  1863.  He  returned 
to  his  home  in  Sparta,  wdiere  he  died  December  of  the  same  year. 
De  Forest  Blyton  is  a  resident  of  Austin.  Minn.  DeWilton.  lives 
in  Barron  county ;  Manley  died  in  childhood ;  Olive,  the  oldest 
daughter,  is  the  wife  of  A.  J.  Pierce,  of  Austin,  ]\Iinn. ;  Medora,  is 
the  wile  of  Samuel  Finley,  and  resides  at  Devil's  Lake,  N.  Dak.; 
Merissa,  is  the  wife  of  William  Pitts,  and  also  lives  at  Towner, 
N.  Dak.    ]\Iary  the  youngest,  died  in  childhood. 

]Mr.  Blyton  was  but  twelve  years  of  age  when  the  family  came 
to  AVisconsin — in  fact  they  arrived  in  Sparta  on  his  twelfth 
birthday.  In  1862,  when  little  more  than  twenty  years  of  age, 
he  also  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Nineteenth  Regiment,  Wisconsin 


610  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Volunteer  Infantry,  witli  liis  father  and  brother.  He  was  made 
Coniniissary  Scriieant  of  liis  reiriment  and  was  later  promoted  to 
Quartermast('r-S('r<reant.  and  two  years  later,  on  October  22,  1864. 
he  was  commissioned  First  Lieutenant  by  Secretary  Stanton,  in 
the  Second  Regiment  United  States  Infantry,  and  was  assigned 
to  duty  as  Quartermaster  of  Ihnt  regiment,  and  served  in  Vir- 
ginia iinlil  llie  close  of  the  war.  when  he.  with  his  regiment, 
accompanied  General  SiUly's  expedition  to  the  western  frontier. 
In  October,  186.").  he  was  appointed  Post  Quartermaster  at  Fort 
Randall,  in  what  was  then  Dakota  Territory,  at  the  same  time 
being  transferred  to  the  Fonrtli  United  States  Infantry,  serving  at 
Fort  Randall  until  June  2U,  1866.  when  he  was  nnistered  out  of 
the  service  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  The  Nineteenth  Regiment  was 
stationed  at  Norfolk,  Va..  from  ]\Iay  1.  1863.  to  October  of  the 
same  year.  AV'as  the  first  under  fire  at  Suffolk,  Va. ;  Avas  on 
duty  at  various  points  on  York  river,  after  which  it  returned  to 
Newj>crt  News,  where  it  remained  until  November.  It  then  went 
to  Newborn.  N.  C.  and  was  in  defense  of  that  place  mitil  1864. 
The  regiment  was  then  ordered  back  to  Y^'orktown,  and  assigned  to 
tlie  Third  Brigade.  First  J)ivision  of  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps, 
under  the  connnand  of  General  B.  F.  Butler,  and  took  part  in  the 
lY'tersburg  and  Richmond  campaign.  The  nineteenth  was  the 
lirst  infantry  regiment  to  get  into  the  city  of  Richmond  after  the 
liight  of  Jeff  Davis,  and  its  tiag  was  the  first  infantry  flag  that 
floated  from  tlu'  state  house.  ]\Ir  Blyton  lias  many  nai-row  escapes, 
bill  I'tM't'ivcd  no  wounds  in  Ihe  war  of  the  Rebellion,  but  during  a 
skirmish  willi  the  Indians  on  December  7,  1865.  he  was  severely 
wounded  by  being  shot  in  the  left  arm  which  was  permanently 
disabled,  i-esultinsi-  in  liis  discharge  for  disability.  Upon  leaving 
the  army.  ]Mr.  Blyton  returned  to  Sparta  where  he  was  engaged 
for  two  years  in  merchandising.  In  1869  he  entered  the  Insurance 
field,  which  business  has  ever  since  been  his  occupation.  On  Jan- 
uary 16.  1864.  whih'  at  home  on  a  furlough.  .Mr.  Blyton  was  mar- 
ried to  .Aliss  Haiiiet  E.  Washburn,  daughter  of  William  and 
Harriet  Washhuni.  who  settled  in  Sparta  in  18.").").  wliei'e  ?*Ii". 
AVasliburn  died  in  1S()2;  liis  wife,  mother  of  ^Irs.  Blyton.  surviving 
until  1869.  Besides  ^Irs.  Blyton.  the  members  of  the  family  are, 
Josephine,  wife  of  S.  C.  ]\Iiles,  of  Prairie  Farm.  Barron  county. 
AVis. ;  Clara  N..  who  is  the  wife  of  B.  L.  Spring,  and  Andrew  C, 
both  of  whom  reside  in  ^Milwaukee. 

To  ]\Ir.  and  ]Mrs.  Blyton  one  son  was  born.  Edgar  E.,  born 
^larcli  12.  1869.  j\Irs.  Blyton  died  in  1881  and  he  again  mar- 
ried, Sarah  E.  Burroughs.  June  16,  1883. 


BIOGRAPHY  611 

j\Ir.  Blyton  has  for  many  years  been  one  of  Sparta's  most 
enterprising  and  progressive  citizens.  He  has  filled  various  offi- 
cial positions  with  credit  and  ability.  lie  has  been  city  clerk 
constantly  since  1870;  was  supervisor  in  1884,  representing  the 
second  ward  of  the  city,  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature  in 
1883  to  1885  and  again  in  1889,  holding  the  office  for  three  terms. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
John  W.  Lynn  Post  No.  30,  G.  A.  E.,  and  has  held  all  the  posi- 
tions of  the  Post. 

James  A.  Bolton,  (uie  of  the  progressive  and  wide-awake  native 
sons  of  INIonroe  county,  resides  on  his  farm  of  105  acres  in  section 
sixteen.  La  Grange  township,  was  born  in  Wilton  township,  De- 
cember 29.  1867,  the  son  of  Edwin  L.,  and  Roseline  (Cady)  Bol- 
ton, natives  of  Vermont.  The  original  Bolton  ancestors  came 
from  England;  the  grandfather  of  (Uir  subject,  John  G.  Bolton, 
a  woolen  manufacturer,  settled  in  New  York  state  when  Edwin 
L.  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  They  later  came  west  to  Wisconsin, 
and  located  in  Dane  county,  near  ]\Iadison,  and  in  the  late  fifties,, 
moved  to  IMonroe  county  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Wilton. 
Edwin  L..  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  school  teacher,  which  oecu- 
paticui  he  followed  in  Monroe  county  for  tAventy-one  years,  and 
occupied  a  prominent  place  in  educational  circles  as  well  as  the 
general  aii'airs  of  his  town.  In  1873  he  located  on  a  farm  in  sec- 
tion seventeen.  La  Grange  township,  where  he  died  in  1886,  at  the 
age  of  forty-nine  years.  During  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany E,  Seventeenth  W^isconsin  Regiment,  and  served  nine  months 
as  clerk  and  adjutant.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  resided 
at  Tomah  until  September  23.  1912.  wdien  she  died.  They  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  eight  of  Avhoin  are  now  living.  (See 
sketch  of  W.  E.  Bolton.) 

James  A.  Bolton  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  home  farm,  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his  neighborhood;  he 
had  nearly  reached  his  majoritj^  when  he  started  out  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  was  employed  at  farm  work  for 
six  years,  and  in  1894  leased  the  Henry  Mallory  farm  which  he 
conducted  for  ten  years  in  connection  with  his  own  farm  pur- 
chased the  same  year,  which  he  has  improved  with  a  substantial 
residence,  new  ])arn,  sheds  and  other  outbuildings.  Here  he  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  dairying,  using  modern  methods  in 
his  operations,  and  his  equipment  is  of  the  latest  and  up  to  date. 
As  a  man,  Mr.  Bolton  stands  high  in  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  the  community  and  he  is  justly  counted  as  one  of  its  fore- 
most citizens.    He  has  devoted  his  time  to  home  matters,  and  be- 


612  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

lieves  in  tlio  welfare  and  progress  of  his  eomminiity.  ]\[r.  Bol- 
ton and  his  cstimahle  wife,  who  Avas  ]\Iiss  Lillian  Stowell.  of 
Big-  Sj)rin,us,  Adams  county.  AVis.,  and  the  daughter  of  Ceylon 
and  I\lary  Stowell.  of  New  York,  were  married  November  24,  1S98. 

Westley  E.  Bolton  resides  in  section  seventeen  La  Grange  town- 
ship, and  is  one  of  the  leading'  cili/ens  of  the  town.  lie  was  born 
in  Wilton  township.  ]\Ionroe  county,  Wisconsin,  October  1,  1863. 
His  parents,  Edwin  L..  and  Roseline  (Cady)  Bolton,  Avere  natives 
of  England  and  Vermont,  respectively.  The  father  came  west  to 
Wisconsin  in  the  early  fifties,  locating  in  Dane  county,  where  he 
remained  four  years,  when  with  his  father,  John  G.  Bolton,  he 
came  to  Wilton  township,  .Monroe  county,  and  iu  1873,  when  our 
.■subject  was  ten  years  of  age,  moved  to  La  Grange  township  and 
settled  on  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  resides,  a  small  amount 
of  which  was  cleared  at  that  time.  The  father  died  in  1886,  at 
the  age  of  forty-nine  years.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject, 
made  her  home  in  Tomali  until  her  death,  September  23,  1912. 
John  G.  Bolton,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  who  was  born  at 
Leeds,  England,  died  in  1884,  aged  about  seventy  years.  Har- 
riet Lathem  Bolton,  his  wife,  died  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  Wesley  E.  was  Reverend 
Cady,  a  Methodist  clergyman.  He  died  in  Greenfield  township, 
and  was  survived  for  some  years  1)y  his  wife. 

AVestley  E..  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  one  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  seven  sons  and  four  daughters ;  of  the  others. 
Frederick  E.,  is  professor  of  psychology  in  the  State  T7niversity 
of  Iowa,  James  A.,  of  LaGrange  township,  whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume:  Herbert  F,..  has  chair  in  history  of 
Berkeley,  (^al. ;  Laura,  wife  of  Dr.  A.  R.  Bell,  of  Tomah :  Dr. 
Ernest  LeRoy,  of  Chilton,  Wis. ;  Grace  is  a  teacher  in  the  Tomah 
high  school;  Edwinnie,  wife  of  Roy  Naphus,  resides  in  lowaj 
Edmund  and  John  W.  and  Hattie  M.  are  deceased.  Our  subject 
was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the 
district  schools.  He  assisted  his  father  with  the  farm  work  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen,  when  he  started  out  in  life  for 
himself.  He  was  employed  four  years  by  S.  H.  Griswold  in  the 
lime  business  in  the  town  of  Wilton,  and  then  rented  a  farm  in 
AVilton  tovrnshijx  which  he  carried  on  initil  1897,  then  jiurchased 
the  home  farm  of  14.3  acres  to  which  he  has  since  added  the 
Henry  IMallory  farm  of  eighty  acres,  making  in  all  225  acres 
which  is  well  iin])roved.  His  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings 
are  of  modern  construction  and  well  kept  up.  aiul  the  beautiful 
country  home  of  Mr.  Bolton  is  indicative  of  the  ambition  of  its 


BIOGRAPHY  613 

owner,  lie  is  .letive  in  the  affairs  of  his  township  and  for  the 
past  seven  years  has  heen  diaii-nian  of  tlie  town  board.  lie  has 
filled  the  office  of  treasurer  for  one  year,  was  assessor  for  the 
years  1004  and  1905.  and  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  side 
board.  lie  is  at  present  and  has  been  for  the  last  five  years,  sec- 
retary of  the  Farmers  ^Mutual  Fire  Insurance  company  of  Tomah. 

He  was  married  at  Wilton  in  1884  to  ]\Iiss  Willella  Hancock, 
daughter  of  William  and  Ellen  (Gooder)  Hancock,  natives  of 
Enii'land,  and  who  settled  in  Wisconsin  many  years  ago.  jMr. 
and  ]Mrs.  Bolton  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz. :  Char- 
lotte ]\I..  Edwin  E..  Raymond  L..  a  student  at  Lawrence  univer- 
sity, and  Russell  B.  Bolton. 

William  H.  Boomer,  proprietor  of  the  Spring  Brook  farm,  con- 
sisting of  110  acres  in  section  22.  Adrian  township,  is  the  son  of 
Charles  C.  and  Avilla  (Holmes)  Boomer,  of  Tomah,  and  was  born 
on  the  old  homestead  August  11,  1869.  The  father  came  to  Adrian 
township  in  1865  and  purchased  the  land,  which  at  that  time  was 
little  less  than  a  wilderness;  the  parents  were  both  natives  of 
^Michigan,  and  in  1866  they  moved  to  the  farm  in  Adrian  and 
immediately  set  to  work  to  improve  the  land  and  establish  the 
family  home;  they  erected  a  substantial  residence  and  outbuild- 
ings, cleared  the  land  and  soon  brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation and  productiveness. 

Charles  C.  Boomer,  father  of  our  subject,  for  many  years  a 
prominent  and  intiuential  citizen  of  Adrian  township,  is  a  native 
of  Saline.  !]Mich..  where  he  was  born  in  1834.  His  parents,  Caleb 
and  ]Mahalia  (Barton)  Boomer,  who  were  natives  of  New  York 
state,  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Michigan,  where  Charles 
Boomer  was  reared.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  ]\Ir.  Boomer 
enlisted  on  August  14,  1862.  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  for  three 
years  at  ^Manchester,  in  Company  B.  Seventeenth  Regiment.  !Michi- 
gan  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  mustered  into  the  service  on 
August  26  of  that  year,  and  after  faithfully  serving  his  country 
until  June  3,  1865.  he  was  mustered  out  at  the  Delaney  house  in 
Washington.  D.  C.  Among  the  many  batttles  in  which  he  par- 
ticipated was  the  batttle  of  South  ^Mountain,  ^Maryland ;  Antietam ; 
Fredericksburg;  siege  of  Vicksburg:  Jackson,  ]\Iiss. :  Wilderness; 
Spottsylvania  ;  Petersburg,  Va..  and  many  others  to  the  mimber  of 
thirty  in  all.  After  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  his  regiment 
embai'ked  at  City  Point  for  Alexandria,  Va..  and  participated  in 
the  grand  reviev.'  at  Washington.  IMr.  Boomer  is  a  well-preserved 
man  for  one  of  his  years,  and  lives  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  long 
and  busy  life,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 


(114  III8T0KY  OF  .MOXKOK  ("OrXTY 

William  II.  received  his  education  in  tlic  coimnon  schools,  assist- 
ing in  the  farm  work  durinj;  his  boyliood.  He  remained  on  the 
home  farm  witli  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  ajre  of  twenty-six. 
wlien  he  purchased  his  ])resent  farm,  which  he  has  since  conducted 
with  ureat  success.  Tliis  fai'm.  as  well  as  its  proprietor,  is  famous 
for  the  production  oi"  the  celeln  alcd  jii-ize-winniui:  Brown  Swiss 
cattle,  which  are  said  to  hv  amoiiu  llie  very  hfst  of  milk  producers 
in  the  country,  yielding:  as  high  as  if^Kll  pci-  head  in  milk  and  cream 
])er  year. 

^Ir.  Roomer  occupies  a  pi-omincnt  place  among  llie  progressive 
and  inlluential  farmers  of  the  county,  and  takes  a  lively  interest 
in  all  jiublic  matters  pertaining  to  the  Avelfare  of  his  comnnniity. 

On  .June  1'),  189i).  Mr.  Booniei-  Avas  married  to  ^liss  Estella 
Relief  Nelson,  daughter  of  J.  ('.  Nelson,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Tomah. 

George  Bradley,  who  has  heen  a  resident  of  ]\Ionroe  county 
since  1804.  is  a  native  of  Lincolnshire.  England,  where  he  was  born 
June  26.  184."}.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he  became  i)age  for  John 
Prankish  and  was  four  yeai's  in  that  service;  he  received  12  cents 
per  day.  his  duties  being  to  carry  mail  to  and  from  the  postofifice. 
He  was  then  employed  at  farming,  at  about  $25  per  year,  until  one 
year  before  leaving  his  native  country,  when  he  worked  in  the  city 
of  Lincolnshire,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  when  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  he  came  to  America,  purchasing  a  passage  ticket  from 
Lincolnshire  dii'ect  to  Fond  i\n  Lac.  Wis.,  wliere  he  ari'ived  with 
just  $1.")()  in  his  po(d<et.  He  immediately  set  out  for  employment 
and  was  engaged  by  a  farmer  to  woi-k  foi-  $14  and  boai'd  for  one 
mouth,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  ai-ranged  to  continue  in  tiie 
same  employment  for  one  year  for  $200  and  board,  which  sum  he 
saved,  thus  obtaining  his  first  start  in  the  new  country.  Four 
years  later  he  left  Fond  du  Lac  and  went  to  Waupuii.  thence  to 
Portage  and  to  Oakdale,  ]\Ionroe  comity,  and  came  to  Sjiarta  town- 
ship in  1882  and  leased  the  John  IMotfat  farm,  whei-e  he  i-esided  for 
seven  and  a  half  years,  and  then  went  to  the  Johii  Teasdale  farm, 
where  he  remained  for  one  and  one-half  real's,  thence  to  the  John 
Youngman  farm,  now  the  county  farm,  which  he  conducted  for 
t'oiir  yeai's.  Ib^  then  i'emo\ed  to  iieai-  the  line  of  the  city  of  Sjiarta, 
whei'e  he  contiiuied  to  farm  on  a  ten-acre  tract,  and  also  took  care 
of  till'  West  Ceinetery  for  a  jteriod  of  eight  years,  since  wlii<'h  time 
he  has  resided  in  section   10.  Sparta  township. 

He  was  first  married  to  .Miss  .lane  Hatch,  of  Berkshire,  Kng- 
land.  who  died  December  8.  li)02.  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years, 
he   children    of   this    marria-jc    are    Lizzie.    ]\Iarv    Jane,    Louisa, 


fp 


BIOGKAPIIY  615 

Georgia  and  John.  His  second  marriage  occurred  January  16, 
1004.  to  Mrs.  R.  II.  Rogers.  In  religious  matters  he  affiliates  with 
the  ^1.  E.  church.  He  is  a  man  of  genial  temperament  nnd  one 
who  enjoys  his  liome. 

Darwin  L.  Brainard  Ix'longs  to  that  class  of  sturdy  men  who, 
coming  to  AVisconsin  in  an  early  day,  have  witnessed  its  develop- 
ment from  a  state  of  complete  wilderness  to  a  populous  community 
of  fertile  farms  and  have  taken  a  part  in  the  wonderful  trans- 
formation that  has  heen  wrought.  He  is  a  native  of  Canada  and 
was  born  November  17.  1813,  to  Francis  and  Harriet  (Duclous) 
Rrainard.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Anthony  and  IMary  Duclous, 
of  Vermont,  and  after  marriage  removed  to  Canada,  where  they 
resided  until  1816,  when  they  returned  to  A^ermont.  There  they 
lived  until  1853,  when  they  removed  to  AVisconsin  with  their  fam- 
ily and  settled  in  ]\Ionroe  county,  then  a  wilderness  inhabited  by 
wild  bea.sts  and  Indians,  and  endured  all  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions incident  to  the  development  of  a  wilderness  into  thriving 
farms.  Here  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  father 
living  to  the  age  of  eighty  years  and  the  mother  to  the  age  of 
ninety  years. 

Darwin  L.  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
home  town  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Monroe  county  fifty-eight 
years.  He  is  one  of  the  solid,  substantial  men  of  his  township,  one 
of  integrity  and  high  standing  in  his  community,  both  as  a  business 
man  and  good  citizen.  He  was  married  January  12.  1867,  to  IMiss 
JMartha  ]McQueen,  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  AIcQueen,  of 
Glendale.  To  them  have  been  born  three  children,  viz .-  Ida  J.,  who 
is  now  Airs  AA^illiam  C.  Keller,  resides  at  Alason  City,  Iowa ;  Bernice 
E.,  now  j\Irs.  Otis  E.  Sherman,  resides  at  Aspen,  Col.,  and  Jimmie 
L..  who  lives  at  Fargo,  N.  D.  In  politics  Air.  Brainard  adheres  to 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  takes  a  commendable 
interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  good  of  his  town  and 
county. 

D.  L.  Brainard  enlisted  August  14,  1862,  at  Sparta,  under 
Alilton  Alontgomery  in  Company  D,  Twenty-fifth  Regiment,  Vol- 
unteers of  AVisconsin,  and  served  to  the  end  of  the  war  and  was 
identified  with  his  regiment  in  all  of  its  marches  and  battles,  being 
nuistered  out  of  the  United  States  service  at  AVashington,  June  7, 
1865,  by  reason  of  the  end  of  the  war. 

Fred  A.  Brandt,  postmaster  of  Sparta,  was  born  at  Alelvina,  in 
Alonroe  county,  on  November  14,  1868,  the  son  of  Charles  F.  and 
Aurelia  (AVilson)  Brandt,  natives  of  Germany  and  Pennsylvania, 
respectively.    His  parents  came  to  AViseonsin  before  their  marriage 


616  HISTORY  OF  .AIONROK  COUNTY 

and  WH'i'L'  aiiioiiL;  ihc  i-aily  pioiu'crs  ol'  the  stale;  tlu'  J'athcr  clietl  in 
1895,  and  tlu'  niollnr  now  ivsides  in  ]Marenoo,  Ohio.  They  had  a 
family  of  nine  children,  the  eighth  child  being  Fred  A.,  onr  sub- 
ject.   Six  others  arc  living. 

.Mr.  l^i'andl  .s])en1  his  N'oiilli  on  lln-  lidincslcad  fai-iii.  attending 
the  district  schools  of  .Melvina  and  l;ilcr  the  public  schools  of 
Sparta,  and  after  ably  fitting  liiniseif  for  teaching  he  followed 
that  vocation  for  sevei-al  years,  teaching  in  various  localities  in 
IMonroe  county.  In  1887  lie  became  a  inemlici-  of  the  Sparta  post- 
office  force,  first  serving  in  the  capacity  of  clerk,  antl  was  later 
promoted  to  the  office  of  assistant  postmaster.  These  positions  he 
lield  for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  and  immediately  following  the 
death  of  Toslmaster  Dr.  D.  C.  Beebe,  ]Mr.  Brandt  was  appointed 
by  President  Roosevelt  to  (ill  the  vacancy,  on  August  1,  lf)()8.  He 
Avas  i-eai)poiii1ed  for  tlu'  four-year  term  on  December  14.  1908, 
without  opposition,  his  substantial  efficiency  so  befitting  him  for 
the  duties  of  that  position. 

In  1910  the  Sparta  military  branch  ol'iice  was  established,  willi 
i\Ir.  Brandt  as  its  superintendent,  and  on  July  27,  1911,  the  Postal 
Savings  Bank  of  Sparta  was  established  under  his  direction,  and 
during  his  administration,  in  Avhich  he  has  so  faithfully  performed 
liis  duties,  the  people  of  Sparta  have  enjoyed  a  most  conservative 
and  Avell-managed  postal  service.  The  United  States  postofifice 
inspector  expressed  himself  to  our  subject  "That  the  sales  of  sav- 
ing cards  and  stamps  is  largei-  than  many  larger  offices  in  the 
state."  Since  the  baiilv  has  been  established  individual  deposits 
were  made  to  the  amount  of  .i;2,()00,  and  the  deposits  have  been 
gradually  increasing  all  the  time  and  there  has  been  no  year  but 
what  the  postal  savings  have  increased  over  the  preceding  year. 

Mr.  Brandt  is  a  man  of  excellent  (|ualifications  both  in  business 
matters  and  sociall.w  lie  has  been  a  mend^er  of  the  ]\lasonic  order 
three  years  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  for  the  past 
eighteen  years,  and  has  t^vice  represented  the  Grand  Lodge  at  the 
encampment  both  at  Suju-rior  and  at  Janesville,  AVis.  He  is  also 
a  mendier  of  the  IModcrn  Woodmen  of  America. 

On  December  25,  1895,  ]Mr.  Brandt  Avas  married  to  ^liss  Jennie 
Angle,  daughter  of  Oscai-  Angle,  of  Spai'ta.  Their  children  are  F. 
Percey.  Olenn  F..  Leland  ('.  and  AVendell  AY.  Brandt. 

Barthol  Brandon.  Prominent  among  the  farmers  of  AVells 
township  is  he  A\hose  name  heads  this  sketch.  Boi'n  at  llessan, 
Genii.iiiy.  October  9,  1856,  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1881,  and  after  spending  niiu'  months  in  the  city  of  Chicago  he 
came  to  Monroe  count  v.  AVisconsin.  and  for  two  xcai's  worked  at 


BIOGRAPHY  617 

farming'  in  the  Lyons  valley.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1883,  he 
married  IMrs.  ]\Iartha  IMatilda  Uavis,  widow  of  Theron  Davis,  .who 
Avas  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  AVar.  In  1862  he  enlistetd  in  Company 
F,  Twenty-fifth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  served  until  1863,  when 
he  died  at  jMemphis,  Tenn.  Mrs.  Brandon's  father  came  to  America 
when  she  was  eight  years  of  age  and  spent  some  time  working  in 
the  coal  mines  in  Pennsylvania.  He  afterward  came  West  to  Wis- 
consin and  located  in  the  town  of  Wells,  where  he  homesteaded 
and  purchased  280  acres  of  land.  He  was  the  father  of  ten 
children,  three  of  whom — Martha  Matilda,  second  in  order  of 
l)irth,  Louise  and  Adam — are  now  (1912)  living.  The  father  was  a 
thrifty  and  prosperous  farmer,  well  thought  of  in  the  sections 
where  he  lived,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  320 
acres  of  land.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  while 
his  Avife  was  a  Presbyterian. 

i\Ir.  and  ]Mrs.. Brandon  have  a  large  farm,  highly  cultivated  and 
well  improved,  with  a  good  class  of  buildings,  and  in  his  farming 
operations  he  uses  up-to-date  methods  and  is  generally  successful. 
In  political  opinion  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  faith  he 
and  ]Mrs.  Brandon  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

William  J.  Brennan,  banker  and  prominent  citizen  of  Tomah, 
is  a  native  son  of  ^Monroe  county  and  was  born  October  12,  1876. 
His  parents,  Edward  and  Mary  (Gillispie)  Brennan.  were  natives 
of  Ireland.  The  father  emigrated  to  America  in  1819.  and  in 
1860,  at  Beloit.  Wis.,  lie  married  ]Mary  (lillispie.  Eleven  children 
were  born  to  them,  ten  of  whom  are  now  living,  William  being  the 
seventh  in  order  of  birth.  His  father,  a  strict  and  devoted  member 
of  the  Catholic  church,  died  in  Monroe  county  in  1909 ;  the  widow 
and  mother  of  our  subject  still  survives  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years.  In  his  lifetime  he  followed  farming  and  was  an  expert 
gardener  and  a  lifelong  Democrat. 

]\Ir.  Brennan  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  receiving  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  county  and  at  the  Tomah 
high  school,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1899. 
After  his  graduation  he  followed  educational  work,  teaching  school 
in  winter  and  helping  on  the  home  farm  in  summer.  He  remained 
on  the  farm  until  the  death  of  his  father.  In  1905  he  became  man- 
ager of  the  Farmers'  Cooperative  Butter  Association,  and  con- 
tmued  the  management  of  the  association,  which  was  organized  in 
1892,  until  1911.  when  he  resigned.  In  1910  they  produced  690.000 
pounds  of  butter.  After  supplying  the  local  trade  the  balance  of 
the  produce  was  shipped  to  Philadelphia,  Pa.  In  1911  ]\Ir.  Bren- 
nan entered  the  Farmers'  and  ]Merchants'  Bank  at  Tomah  and 


618  IIISTOKY  OF  .^lOXROE  COUNTY 

aci-cpU'tl  tlu'  posilioii  of  fasiru'r.  The  other  (itficci's  nf  ihc  hank  are 
Thomas  Anclerson.  president,  and  Hudtiljih  Andres,  vice-president. 
This  is  one  of  the  strong'est  hnsincss  institutions  in  the  county;  its 
capital  is  $25.00(i  jind  surplus  .tlO.OOO. 

."\Ir.  r>r(ini;iii  is  a  consislcnt  ineniber  of  the  Catholic  church  and 
a  member  of  llic  ('atholic  Order  of  Foresters.  Politically  lie  is  a 
Democrat.  He  was  nuirried  on  -linie  -'id.  1!i()!).  at  Toinali.  to  ?kliss 
Katlii-yn  Coslello. 

J.  E.  Brcadwell,  secretai-y  of  tlie  11.  \j.  Stevens  Company, 
architectui'al  eii.uineers.  with  headcpiarters  in  Chicago,  has  in  his 
career  demonstrated  the  vahu-  in  the  husiness  world  today  of  well- 
directed  industry  and  eiu'i-,u\-.  for  althonoh  still  ?i  youni;  man.  ,Mi'. 
Broadwell  has  W(M-k('d  his  way  to  a  position  of  responsil)ility  and 
trust.  His  ancestors  were  of  En<iiish-Frencli  desi-eiit.  His  parents, 
Horace  and  Ann  Fdiza  (Perry)  Broadwell.  were  natives  of  Platts- 
burg,  N.  Y.,  but  came  to  AVisconsin  in  1858  and  settled  at  ^Madison, 
where  J.  P].  was  born  on  June  9,  1865.  At  the  tender  age  of  one 
year  he  came  with  his  ])arents  to  Tomah.  ^lonroe  county,  and  there 
grew  to  manhood,  receiving'  his  education  in  the  graded  and  hicrh' 
schools  of  Tomah.  After  graduating  fi'(un  the  last  named  institu- 
tion he  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  for  seven 
years  successfully  conducted  his  farm,  located  three  miles  from 
Tomah.  IMr.  Broadwell  next  engaged  in  the  insurance  business, 
starting  at  first  as  local  agent  and  gradually  worked  his  way  to  the 
position  of  field  sujierintendent  of  Wisconsin  and  ^Miiuiesota  for 
the  Fidelity  IMutual  Life  Association  of  Philadeljihia.  having 
charge  of  their  interests  in  the  various  de|)artments.  He  later 
became  associated  with  the  Equitable  Life  Insurance  Company  and 
was  made  field  manager  for  the  state  of  Wisconsin  and  northern 
]Michigan.  Among  the  life  insurance  men  of  the  state  h(>  held  an 
enviable  position  by  reason  equally  of  his  high  personal  standing 
and  business  qualilicat  i(»ns.  He  followed  the  insurance  business 
for  fifteen  years  piior  to  hecominu  intei-i*sted  as  secretary  of  the 
H.  L.  .Stevens  Com])any.  with  branch  offices  in  vai-ious  cities  of  the 
Thiited  States.  So  extensive  has  the  Inisiuess  of  tlu'  company 
become  in  erect inti'  reinforced  concrete  buildings  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada  that  it  re(|uires  several  bi-anch  offices,  and  I\Ir. 
Broadwell  has  headtiuartei-s  at  Minneapolis.  wt)rking  the  terri- 
tory from  ]\Iilwaukee.  AVis..  to  AViiHiijieg.  Canada. 

The  father  of  Horace  aiul  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Will- 
iam Broadwell.  Cyrus  Pei'i-\-,  inatei-nal  grandfather  of  subject, 
was  a  relative  of  the  faiiKuis  Commodore  I'erry. 

Mr.  Broadwell  is  jn-omiiieiit   in  fi'atei'ual  oi'ders — a  member  of 


BIOGRAPHY  619 

Valley  Lodge,  No.  60,  A.  F.  &  A.  :\r. :  Sparta  Chapter,  No.  19,  K. 
A.  M.:  Sparta  Comiiiandery.  No.  16.  Knight  Templars;  a  Modern 
Woodman  of  America.  AVoodmen  of  the  AYorld  and  the  Eastern 
Star.     lie  is  also  a  trnstee  of  the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  church. 

On  November  11.  1886,  ^Ir.  Broadwell  was  united  in  marriagw 
with  ]Miss  Sarah  E.  Lovell.  of  Sparta,  daughter  of  the  late  Carr 
and  Eutli  (Wyman)  Lovell.  Peter  Wyman.  maternal  grandfather 
of  ]\Irs.  Broadwell,  was  a  native  of  IMaine  and  built  the  first  saw- 
mill  at  Wilsonville. 

Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Broadwell  have  one  daughter — Jessie  Elberta 
Broadwell. 

Hans  Bronscn  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and  worthy  citizen  of 
Leon  township,  ]\Ionroe  county,  Wisconsin,  and  settled  there  after 
his  marriage.  His  birth  occurred  ^lay  16,  1867,  in  the  toAvn  of 
Portland,  this  county,  and  he  is  the  eighth  child  of  a  family  of  ten 
children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living,  born  to  H.  and  Anna 
(Stigen)  Bronson.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Norway  and 
left  their  native  land  in  1853  for  America  with  a  family  of  four 
children,  two  of  whom  died  on  the  ocean  voyage  and  were  buried 
at  sea.  Upon  arriving  in  this  country  they  came  to  Wisconsin 
and  homesteaded  120  acres  of  land  in  Portland  township.  Monroe 
county,  to  Avhich  he  afterward  added  forty  acres,  and  there  made 
their  home  and  reared  their  family.  Te  father  was  born  Jan- 
uary 15,  1818.  and  died  March  16.  1910.  ]Mrs.  Bronson  was  born 
March  1.  1823,  and  passed  away  in  1909,  loved  and  respected  by  all 
who  knew  her.  In  his  long  and  active  life  he  labored  under  the 
difficulty  of  being  crippled ;  still  he  overcame  many  obstacles  and 
succeeded  in  the  end.  He  was  an  honorable  and  highly  respected 
citizen,  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  in  politics  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Hans  Bronson  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm,  attend- 
ing the  district  school  and  assisting  in  the  farm  work,  remaining 
there  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-four,  when  on  December 
31,  1891,  at  Westby,  AVis..  he  was  married  to  ]Miss  Dora  Swenson, 
daughter  of  jNIagnus  Swenson.  Unto  this  union  has  been  born  one 
daughter — Edna,  born  December  4,  1892.  After  his  marriage  ]\Ir. 
Bronson  ])urchased  151  acres  of  land  in  section  26,  Leon  township, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in  general  farming,  stock 
raising  and  dairying.  He  has  made  numy  needed  improvements; 
in  19C0  he  built  a  modern  residence,  in  1903  the  barn  and  in  1908 
the  silo.  His  artesian  well,  285  feet  deep,  furnishes  an  abundant 
supply  of  pure  water,  which  under  hydraulic  pressure  is  carried 
by  a  system  of  pipes  150  feet  to  the  house,  160  feet  from  the  house 


020  HISTORY  OF  .MOXROP:  COUNTY 

to  the  creaint'i'x-  lank  and  •")()  feet  to  the  street  waterin"-  trough. 
INIr.  Bronson  uses  uiodern  inetliods  in  all  his  farmino-  operations, 
and  his  well-improved  and  eultivated  farm  is  one  of  the  ideal  coun- 
ti-y  lutnu's  of  tlu'  county,  in  jKililies  he  is  known  as  a  propressive 
Republiean,  jind  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  tlie  Lutheran 
church. 

George  Brooks,  a  ])r()niinent  citi/en  and  farmer  of  Wells  towu- 
shi]).  Avas  born  in  JMorrow  county.  Ohio,  September  27.  1851,  son 
of  James  and  ]\Iaria  (Hull)  Brooks,  natives  of  the  Keystone  state. 
They  moved  to  AVisconsin  with  their  family  of  five  children — three 
boys  and  two  girls — in  1854  and  settled  in  Monroe  county. 
Although  James'  school  advantages  were  limited  and  he  was  prac- 
tically a  self-educated  man.  the  natural  thrift  ami  enterprising 
energies  with  which  he  was  endowed  won  for  him  success  and  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  his  community,  lie  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  for  some  twenty  years,  Avas  a  strong  t('ni])crancc  advocate 
and  was  affiliated  with  the  Prohibition  party,  and  was  identified 
■\\-ith  the  ]\Ieth()dist  clergy.  He  was  born  in  1818  and  jiassed  away 
on  ]Marcli  17,  18!)5.  His  Avife.  mother  of  our  subject,  died  in  1858. 
and  he  was  married  for  a  second  time  to  ^Margaret  Juliet  ^lorgan, 
by  Avhom  he  had  seven  children. 

George  attended  the  district  scliools  until  he  was  sixteen  and 
assisted  with  tlie  farm  work  at  Imnie.  He  remained  on  the  liome- 
stead  until  he  was  twenty-one  aiul  then  for  two  years  lived  with 
his  brother.  After  his  ninrriage  he  lived  on  the  old  homestead  for 
a  time  and  then  ]un*chased  a  farm  of  185  acres  in  the  town  of 
"Wells.  Avhere  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  most  successful  and  enterprising  farmei's  of  that  town.  He 
has  always  taken  an  intei-est  in  the  affairs  of  liis  town  and  has 
held  many  minor  offices;  he  has  been  treasurei-  of  the  town  for  four 
years:  was  also  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  eighteen  years, 
assessor  and  overseer  of  highways,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

I\Ii-.  Brooks  was  nuirried  November  29.  1874,  at  Si)arta.  to  ]\liss 
]\Iartlia  Krotzman.  daughter  of  John  and  Frederica  Ki'Dtznian.  To 
this  union  were  born  three  sons,  viz:  I'liillip  Iv.  born  March  0. 
1876.  died  ]March  0.  1905,  leaving  a  wif(»  and  two  sons;  James 
Ernest,  born  ^larch  21.  188:?.  ])hysieian  aiul  surgeon  of  Chicago, 
and  (;e()i-n(.  Iv.  honi  .June  15,  1892.  now  manager  of  his  father's 
farm. 

Arthur  F.  Brownell,  of  section  8.  Portlaiul  townshij).  ^Monroe 
county,  was  horn  at  Sheldon.  .Miiui..  Xovenilter  21.  1888.  son  of 
Arthur  S.  and  Phoebe  (.McKee)  Brownell.  natives  of  Michigan  and 
^Minnesota,  respectively.     When  Arllnic  was  fourteen  years  of  age 


BIOGRAPHY  621 

in  1897  his  parents  moved  to  Portland  township  and  located  on  the 
farm  where  our  subject  now  resides.  The  mother,  who  was  a 
charming  lady  of  many  womanly  virtues,  passed  away  in  1899  at 
the  early  age  of  forty-one  years.  The  father,  who  is  still  living, 
resides  on  a  farm  in  IMontana.  Besides  Arthur  there  is  one  brother, 
Philip  Brownell,  living  in  Montana,  and  one  sister,  Miss  Cora 
Brownell.  who  lives  in  Portland  township.  Arthur  was  raised  on 
the  farm  and  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  his  neighbor- 
hood, and  since  moving  to  the  present  farm  has  resided  there  and 
since  the  death  of  his  mother  in  1899  has  had  full  charge  of  the 
place.  He  belongs  to  the  younger  class  of  farmers  of  his  towm- 
ship  and  is  thoroughly  practical  and  up-to-date  with  his  farming 
operations. 

On  June  29,  1904,  Mr.  Brownell  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth jM.  Shultz,  daughter  of  Gotlieb  and  INIinnie  (Preng)  Shultz, 
formerly  of  Portland  township,  but  now  residents  in  the  town  of 
Sparta.  To  j\Ir.  and  ^Nlrs.  Brownell  have  been  born  five  children; 
they  are  Arthur  G.,  born  ]May  9,  1905 ;  Ernest  W.,  born  June  1, 
1907 ;  Mabel  E.,  born  April  27,  1909 ;  David  L.,  born  October  10, 
1910,  and  Harry  T.,  born  August  5,  1912. 

John  B.  Brunner,  of  Ridge ville  township,  Monroe  county,  is 
one  of  the  representative  farmers  and  substantial  citizens  of  this 
section.  He  was  born  in  Hegenheim,  France,  April  9,  1837.  His 
parents  were  John  Brunner  and  Anna  Rieder,  natives  of  France. 
In  1852  Mr.  Brunner  with  a  cousin  emigrated  to  America  and 
first  located  in  Washington  county,  Wisconsin,  and  for  two  years 
worked  as  a  laobrer.  He  then  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  at 
Black  River  Falls  and  for  six  years  worked  in  a  lumber  camp  in 
that  locality.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1862,  he  came  to  Monroe 
county  and  f)nrchased  146  acres  in  section  thirty,  town  of  Ridge- 
ville,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  His  farm  is  well  improved 
by  cultivation  and  substantial  buildings,  both  residence  and  barns. 
On  his  place  are  two  living  springs,  one  hard  and  the  other  soft 
water,  which  furnish  an  abundance  of  pure  running  water  for 
stock  and  drinking  purposes. 

In  August.  1864,  Mr.  Brunner  was  drafted  into  service  and  was 
assigned  to  Company  H,  Third  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  served 
until  June  9,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  saw 
much  active  service ;  was  engaged  in  several  severe  skirmishes 
and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  Decatur, 
Ala.,  after  which  his  regiment  was  transferred  to  North  Carolina 
and  placed  under  the  command  of  General  Slocum,  and  took  part 
in  the  engagement  of  Goldury  and  Raleigh,  N.  C.    After  receiv- 


622  IIISTOKV  OF  .MOXKOE  COUNTY 

illy  his  (liscliai-yc  .Mi'.  Ri-uiiiier  roturnod  hoiiic  and  in  1870  lioiiie- 
stcaded  forty  acres  of  land  adjoininu-  his  rami.  .Mr.  liriinncr  lias 
all  his  life  hi't-ii  an  adixt',  hard  working  luaii.  and  in  atldition  to 
liis  general  fai-iiiing  he  has  carried  on  a  profitable  dairy  bnsiness, 
keeping  a  tine  lierd  of  milch  cows,  lie  is  now  on  the  shady  side 
oi'  life  and  mkiUcs  iiis  lioiiic  with  one  of  his  children  on  the  old 
homestead,  practically  retired  fi-om   labor. 

In  1861  Mr.  P>nnnii'r  was  married  to  IMiss  Elizabeth  Wolf, 
dniightei-  of  -lacob  Wolf,  of  Hlaek  Hiver  Falls.  Of  livi-  childi-en 
born  to  them  fonr  are  now  liviiiL;'.  viz:  Lizzie,  boi-ii  August  8. 
lS(i7;  John,  boi'ii  ()c1ober  21).  1870;  Louisa,  born  Octol)er  15, 
1872,  and  Fred,  horn  Octobi'r  (i.  1874.  ^Irs.  P>runner.  who  was 
a  kind  and  indnluent  wife  and  mother,  jiassed  away  in  1905,  leav- 
ing besides  liei'  faniilx'  a  host  of  friends  to  mourn  her  loss. 

Adelbert  H.  Burdick,  who  lives  <ui  his  farm  of  120  acres, 
located  in  one  of  the  charming  spots  in  La  (grange  township,  in 
section  28.  is  a  native  of  Hartf(n'd.  Wis.,  and  was  born  August 
11.  1862.  son  of  Shadrach  .\.  and  .Mary  Elizabeth  (Hart) 
Burdick,  natives  of  New  York  state.  When  a  small  boy  the 
father  came  to  Wisconsin  Avitli  his  ])arents.  Avho  located  on  a 
farm  near  Hai'tford.  and  when  our  subject  was  five  years  of  age 
they  removed  to  Jacksonville,  ]\Ionroe  county,  and  in  the  si)ring 
of  1868  to  the  farm  whei-e  Adell)ert  now  resides,  and  which  at 
that  tiim^  contained  but  sixty-li\-e  aei-es.  only  ten  of  which  were 
cleared,  and  a  small  house  12xl(),  whieli  still  stands  on  the  place. 
He  afterward  built  a  moclern  residence  to  Avhich  additions  have 
since  been  made,  and  a  large  and  Avell-coustructed  barn,  out- 
buildings and  other  imjjrovements  make  this  one  of  the  ideal 
homes  in  La  Orange  townshii>.  The  father  died  February  19. 
19(]9,  aged  seventy-two  years.  l']zra  Burdick.  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  came  to  Wisconsin  with  an  ox  team  and  was  one  of  the 
early  residents  of  Hartford  and  among  the  first  settlers  of  that 
section. 

Adelbert  II.  is  the  eldest  son  of  a  family  of  four  children;  of 
the  others  RosAvell  U.  resides  at  Tomah.  Alpha  is  deceased,  and 
X'oiniie  is  the  \\ife  of  AV.  0.  JStotera.  of  Montana.  Mr.  l^urdick 
received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  and  in  the  Tomah 
High  School,  and  when  a  youiiL;'  man  went  to  South  Dakota, 
where  hi'  preempted  a  <piarter  secti()n  of  laiul  ami  iluring  the 
six  years  he  was  there,  in  addition  to  looking  after  his  farm,  he 
assisted  in  the  survey  of  the  country  around  Devil's  Lake  and 
across  the  river  I'rom  Sitting  i^ull.  lie  returned  to  the  home 
farm  in  1889,  which  he  rented  fm-  live  years,  then  moved  to  the 


BIOGRAPHY  623 

vity  (if  'I'oniah  <iiid  for  eiulit  years  wms  eng'ao'cd  in  llic  mercantile 
business.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  farm  life  on 
what  is  known  as  the  Folly  farm,  and  hero  built  the  first  silo 
Xortli  of  Toniah.  and  the  third  in  ]Monroe  county,  lie  moved  to 
his  present  farm  in  IDIO  and  has  since  built  an  addition  to  the 
barn  and  a  silo,  King-  system  of  ventilation,  and  a  system  of 
water  works  which  furnishes  his  house  with  hot  and  cold  water, 
lie  built  a  creamery  room  and  made  many  other  improvements. 
Mr.  Burdiek  is  engaoed  in  general  farming  and  dairying  and 
keeps  a  tin(^  herd  of  Guernsey  cattle,  of  which  breed  he  owned 
and  raised  the  first  in  ^lonroe  county  and  has  a  hei'd  of  fourteen 
full-bloods. 

lie  was  married  ]\larch  3.  1886,  to  ^liss  Nina  B.  Baldwin, 
daughter  of  Alfred  F.  and  ]\Iaria  N.  (Tracy)  Baldwin,  natives 
of  Ohio.  They  came  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  near  Sparta  in  the 
sixties,  and  were  later  residents  of  La  Grange  township.  The 
father  died  jMarcli  4.  1912,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
Mrs.  Baldwin,  mother  of  Mrs.  Burdiek,  survives.  ]\Irs.  Burdiek 
has  one  sister,  Lucelle,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Dunlapp,  of 
Tomah.  In  religious  faith  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burdiek  are  members 
of  the  Bap>tist  church,  and  !Mr.  Burdiek  is  a  member  of  the  Mod- 
ern AVoodmen  of  America. 

Dennis  Burke''',  of  Wells  townshi}),  who  is  engaged  in  farming 
and  lireeding  blooded  stock,  was  born  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1855.  son  of  Demiis  and  Bridget  (Ileely)  Burke,  both 
natives  of  Ireland.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1840  and 
after  a  time  went  to  New  Hampshire,  where  he  spent  one  year, 
then  moved  to  Ohio  and  was  employed  as  a  laborer  for  five  years. 
In  1857.  when  our  subject  was  less  than  two  years  of  age,  the 
family  came  to  ]Monroe  county.  Wisconsin,  and  located  on  a  tract 
of  wild  land  in  AVells  township,  which  the  father  purchased  from 
a  ]\Ir.  Faucett.  Here  he  established  the  family  home  and  by  hard 
work  and  perseverance  cleared  the  land  and  brought  it  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivati(m.  By  working  on  the  farm  and  in  the  mills 
he  accunndated  sufficient  means  to  ])urchase  more  land,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  oAvned  2()()  acres  in  Wells  township.  He 
was  boi'u  in  1817  and  lived  for  eighty  years,  his  death  hav- 
ing occurred  in  1897.  The  mother,  who  was  born  in  1816,  lived 
to  the  ripe  age  of  ninety-three  yeai's  and  died  in  1909.  The  father 
was  twice  married;  by  his  first  marriage  he  had  two  children. 
He  married  for  his  second  wife  ■Miss  Bridget  Heely,  by  whom 
he  had  two  children.  They  experienced  the  hardships  of  pioneer 
days  and  lived  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  many  years  of  toil. 


624  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

He  Avas  an  lioiinrable.  ii]»ii.i;hl  man  and  held  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  all  who  knew  hini.  He  and  his  devoted  wife  were 
niembers  of  the  Catholic  chnrcli. 

Our  snbject  attended  llic  cnininon  schools  and  remained  on 
the  homestead  farm  with  his  ]>arents.  He  purchased  forty  acres 
from  his  fathei".  whicli  lie  carried  on  on  his  own  account,  and  at 
the  death  of  his  pai-ents  he  acquired  the  balance  of  the  home- 
stead and  is  now  the  owner  of  200  acres  of  highly  cultivated  land, 
■svell  improved  with  a  good  class  of  buildings.  He  is  successfully 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying  and  breeds  and  deals 
in  Percherpn  horses,  Holstein  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs.  He 
is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  .Mcl\iiia  Creamery  Company 
and  a  stockholder  in  the  Sparta  Fair  Association.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  for  three  years  and  is  now 
school  clerk  for  the  town  of  Wells. 

]\Ir.  Burke  was  married  February  10,  1880,  at  Tomah.  AYis.,  to 
]Miss  Helen  Sullivan,  daughter  of  Deiuiis  Sullivan.  They  have 
a  family  of  ten  children,  vi/. :  Daniel  1'..  horn  January  21.  1881; 
Dennis  J.,  born  February  21,  1882;  Mary  E.,  born  :\Iay  15,  1884; 
Delia  A.,  born  April  1,  1885;  ^Margaret,  born  May  17,  1886; 
Timothy  H..  born  January  24.  1887;  John  J.,  born  February  12, 
1890;  Florence,  horn  March  29.  1891;  Cornelius,  boi-n  February 
22,  1892,  and  William  L..  l)orii  :\lay  10,  1893.  In  religious  faith 
]Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Burke  are  membeis  of  the  St.  Mary's  Catholic 
church. 

Lee  Canfield,  president  of  the  Sparta  Iron  Works.  There  are 
men  of  sncli  hroad  minds,  wide  information  and  wonderful  tact 
that  hy  husbanding  their  forces  and  planning  their  various  enter- 
prises with  somethinu'  like  military  precision  they  are  enabled  to 
accomplish  sph'udid  rc^sults  in  ditferent  walks  of  life.  Gifted 
Avith  natural  al)iHly.  j\Ir.  Canfield  lias  devoted  his  talent  to  the 
iron  business,  in  which  lie  has  gained  a  prominent  place.  He  is  a 
product  of  Sparta,  Wis.,  born  June  15.  1873,  and  the  son  of 
Edward  and  Abigail  (Goodwin)  Canfield,  natives  of  Connecticut. 
In  the  late  forties  they  came  to  jMonroe  county  and  first  located 
at  Anuelo.  where  the  father  farmed  and  latei-  run  a  grist  mill, 
and  still  hilcr  coiulucted  a  store.  He  became  one  of  the  most 
prominent  .nid  influential  men  of  the  county  and  did  much  for  its 
advancement,  and  was  at  one  lime  a  direct(n-  in  the  Bank  of 
Sparta.  He  was  hoi-n  in  1822  aiul  died  at  Sparta  in  1903.  Mrs. 
Canfield  \\;is  born  in  1S31  and  died  in  1!)09.  aged  seventy-eight 
years. 

The  subject  of  tliis  sketch  bears  the  name  of  his  grandfather, 


BIOGRAPHY  625 

Lee  Canfield,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  a  promi- 
nent iron  manufacturer  in  New  England,  and  it  was  he  who  built 
the  first  ear  wheels  for  the  Housatonic  railway.  Mr.  Canfield 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Sparta  and  early 
became  interested  in  the  iron  business.  In  1872  the  Sparta  Iron 
Works  was  originated  by  L.  M.  Newbury  and  conducted  by  him 
for  a  number  of  years,  when  in  1894  a  stock  company  was 
formed  and  the  business  incorporated.  The  ownership  and  man- 
agement was  taken  over  by  the  Canfield  brothers  and  others  in 
1897 ;  the  corporation  now  has  a  cash  capital  of  $-40,000.  They 
manufacture  well-drilling  machinery,  which  is  sold  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Canada  and  points  in  South  America.  This 
is  the  largest  manufacturing  institution  in  Sparta,  and  the  pres- 
ent officers  are :  Lee  Canfield,  president ;  George  D.  Dunn,  vice- 
president  ;  Robert  Canfield,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

In  September,  1894,  Mr.  Canfield  was  married  to  Miss  Sadie, 
daughter  of  John  L.  ]\Iather,  of  Sparta.  They  have  two  children 
—Josephine  and  John  Canfield. 

Fraternally  ]Mr.  Canfield  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  order. 

Robert  Canfield  was  born  at  Sparta,  May  22,  1875,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Beloit  College.  He  became  a 
member  of  the  Sparta  Iron  Works  in  1896,  and  is  its  present  sec- 
retary and  treasurer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
order  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  June,  1899,  he 
married  jNIiss  IMary  Elizabeth  Lee,  daughter  of  W.  F.  Lee,  of 
Sparta.  Their  children  are  Lee  Goodwin,  Robert  Raymond  and 
William  Frederick  Canfield. 

Andrew  J.  Carnahan,  retired,  is  descended  from  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry  and  was  born  in  IMereer  county,  Pennsylvania,  January 
7,  1842,  the  sixth  child  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  twelve 
children ;  those  besides  our  subject  who  are  now  living  are :  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Charles  Madison,  of  Newell.  S.  D. ;  Nancy,  widow  of 
DeLos  Henry,  of  Fingle,  N.  D. ;  James  M.,  who  makes  his'%ome 
in  California:  Joseph  H.,  of  Black  River  Falls,  Wis.,  and  William, 
who  lives  at  Wittenberg,  Wis.  Those  deceased  are :  Archibald, 
Adam  IL,  Maggie,  formerly  the  wife  of  Charles  Trumley;  Jane, 
former  wife  of  Adam  Ringer,  and  two  who  died  in  infaucj^ 
James  and  Rosanah  (McCormick)  Carnahan,  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject, who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  came  to  Wisconsin  in 
1856  and  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Little  Falls  town- 
ship, ]\Ionroe  county,  where  he  spent  the  balance  of  his  life.  He 
was  one  of  the  sturdy  and  well  to  do  citizens  of  the  county  and 


fi26  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

a  kind  and  obliging  neighbor.  In  politics  he  was  known  as  a  war 
Democrat.  He  was  the  son  of  Andrew  Carnahau,  also  a  native 
of  the  Keystone  state.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years 
and  died  in  1876.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  survived 
until  1881.  when  she  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 
Our  subject's  maternal  grandfather  was  Archibald  MeCormick, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  an  influential  citizen  of  Sandy  Lake. 

Andrew  J.  Carnahan  was  reared  on  the  family  homestead, 
receiving  a  common  school  education.  After  leaving  home  his 
first  undertaking  on  his  own  account  was  at  luml)ering  in  the 
woods  of  AVisconsin.  where  he  remained  two  years  i)rior  to  his 
enlistment  on  August  2(j,  1862,  as  private  in  Company  (J.  Tentli 
Regiment,  AVisconsin  Volunteer  Infantr}'.  He  was  mustered  into 
the  service  August  28  and  served  with  his  regiment  until  1864, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  Company  C.  Twenty-first  Regiment, 
Wisconsin  Volunteers,  and  served  thuslv  until  the  close  of  the 
war  in  1865.  He  saAv  much  service  and  was  in  many  of  the  san- 
guine engagements  of  the  Avar,  among  them  being  the  battles  of 
Stone  River.  Chickamauga,  ^Missionary  Ridge,  and  was  Avith 
Sherman  in  his  campaign  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta  and  nortli 
through  the  Carolinas.  After  being  mustered  out  of  the  service 
he  returned  to  AVisconsin  and  again  became  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing on  the  Black  river.  Morrison  creek,  and  for  four  years  on  the 
Embarrass  river.  He  had  three  brothers  who  also  took  an  active 
part  in  the  Civil  War.  Adam  served  in  Company  C.  Thirty-sixth 
Wisconsin  Volunteers,  and  Avas  Avounded  at  Cold  Harbor; 
Archibald  served  in  Company  G.  Tenth  Regiment,  and  Avas 
Avounded  at  Perryville,  Ky..  and  James  served  in  the  Third  AVis- 
consin Cavalry.  In  1876  ]Mr.  Carnahan  located  in  section  29, 
Little  Falls  tOAvnship.  and  engaged  in  farming.  Avhieh  he  success- 
fully followed  until  18!)2.  Avhen  he  moved  into  Sparta.  Avhere  he 
has  since  made  his  home.  He  is  an  active  A\'orker  in  the  Repub- 
lican ])arty  and  has  been  called  upon  to  fill  many  otlficial  positions. 
He  was  assessor  of  Little  Falls  toAvnshij)  two  years,  served  as 
member  of  the  lioard  of  supervisors  for  many  years,  ami  for  six 
years  Avas  chairman  of  the  board.  As  deputy  sheriff  he  served 
for  tAvo  years  under  D.  AI.  Fuliner  and  tAvo  years  luuler  Henry 
Coomes.  In  the  fall  of  189!)  he  Avas  elected  sheriff  o\'  the  county 
and  filled  the  offiee  during  the  years  1900  and  1901  and  lias  served 
as  alderman  from  the  second  Avard  for  six  years. 

Air.  Cai-nahan  Avas  first  married  in  1869  to  Aliss  Frances  Dun- 
ham, of  AVest  Salem.  AVis..  Avho  died  in  1873.  He  Avas  mai-ried  for 
the  second  time  on  April  1.  1S7().  to  Aliss  Axa  AVilson.  daughter 


BIOGRAPHY  627 

of  Charles  and  Adeline  (Bartlett)  Wilson,  natives  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, of  French  and  German  origin.  They  came  to  Monroe 
county  in  1856  and  located  in  Little  Falls  township,  where  they 
were  considered  among  the  best  class  of  pioneer  settlers.  Mrs. 
Wilson  died  in  1886  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years,  and  he  is  still 
living  and  active  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carna- 
han  have  one  son,  Charles  C,  who  is  cashier  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Fingle.  N.  D.  Those  deceased  are  Irving,  who  died  in 
1893  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  and  Estella  May,  who  was  the 
wife  of  George  Hewitt,  of  Sparta.  Her  age  was  twenty-six.  She 
died  April  7,  1903.  She  left  one  daughter,  Estella  Berneice 
Hewitt.  Mr.  Carnahan  is  a  member  of  John  W.  Lynn  Post,  G. 
A.  R.,  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Anton  Chapiewsky,  ^\■ho  lives  on  his  farm  of  217  acres  in 
section  17.  Portland  township,  where  he  was  born  October  9, 
1875.  is  one  of  the  prosperous  and  wideawake  farmers  of  Monroe 
county.  He  is  the  son  of  Albert  and  Mary  (Mashak)  Chapiew- 
sky. natives  of  Poland,  who  came  to  the  LTnited  States  over  fifty 
years  ago  and  settled  in  Portland  township,  jMonroe  county,  on 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  our  subject,  which  at  that  time  was  all 
wild,  timbered  land.  This  he  cleared,  erected  buildings  and 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  raising  of  standard-bred  stock. 

Bartle  Mashak,  maternal  grandfather  of  Anton,  came  to  the 
United  States  many  years  ago  and  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  La  Crosse  county,  where  he  spent  his  life.  Joseph  Chapiew- 
sky, paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  also  came  to  La  Crosse 
county  in  an  early  day  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  there. 

Our  subject  is  the  fourth  child  of  a  family  of  nine  children; 
the  others  are  John.  Josephine,  wife  of  Louis  Peplinsky.  both 
residents  of  Portland  township ;  Frank,  of  Cashton ;  Katherine, 
wife  of  August  ^Michel,  of  Portland  township ;  ]Mary,  wife  of 
Joseph  AVunsch;  Albert;  Louis  and  Clara,  wife  of  Otto  Kumm. 
all  reside  in  La  Crosse  county. 

Anton  Chapiewsky  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town,  was  reared  on  the  farm,  where  he  assisted  his  father  until 
he  was  thirty-one  years  old,  when  he  leased  the  farm  in  1906  and 
commenced  operations  on  his  own  account.  He  was  successful 
and  in  1910  purchased  the  homestead  where  he  is  now  engaged  in 
up-to-date  farming  and  stock  raising.  His  residence,  barns  and 
other  outbuildings  are  well  constructed  and  commodious,  and 
with  his  other  improvements  he  has  a  model  farm  home. 

On  September  13,  1905,  he  was  married  to  Miss  IMinnie  Kumm, 


G28  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

danjjhter  of  Carl  Kuinm,  of  La  Crosse  connly.     'J'hoy  liave  one 
child,  Esther  A.,  born  June  2,  1009. 

In  religious  belief  ]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Chapiewsky  are  members  of 
St.  Peter's  Catholic  chnrch  of  ^Middle  Ridgre. 

David  D.  Cheney.  While  not  one  of  the  earliest  residents  of 
the  city  of  Sparta,  David  D.  Cheney  came  here  early  enough  to 
be  unseparably  connected  with  the  growth  and  development  in 
all  lines  of  industry  which  marked  the  period  from  the  Civil  AYar 
on.  ]\Ir.  Cheney  was  born  in  Scioto  valley,  Ohio,  .January  19. 
1822;  his  father  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire  and  the  family 
one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state,  his  mother  being  a  native  of  Yer- 
mont.  The  family  moved  to  Scioto  valley.  Ohio,  and  from  there 
returned  to  western  New  York,  from  which  they  later  moved  to 
Girard.  Erie  county.  Pa.,  in  1835;  subsequently  the  father  and 
David  D.  started  west  in  a  one-horse  wagon,  arriving  in  Frank- 
lin, ]\Iilwaukee  county.  AVis.,  April  1,  1837,  Avhich  was  the  earliest 
of  the  pioneer  days  in  Wisconsin.  At  this  time  David  D.  was 
fifteen  j'ears  of  age.  and  as  no  schools  had  as  yet  been  established 
in  this  state  his  father  determined  to  send  him  back  to  New  York 
to  get  an  education.  lie  supplied  David  with  $10  and  the  latter 
started  his  return  tri]);  upon  arriving  in  Chicago,  from  wliich 
place  he  intended  to  take  a  steamer  to  Buffalo,  he  found  that, 
owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  season,  no  boats  were  running;  he 
had  but  two  alternatives,  to  continue  on  foot  or  to  return  to  his 
father  in  AYisconsin ;  he  chose  the  former  and  went  to  Adrian. 
]\Iich.,  Avhere  he  had  an  uncle:  his  entire  capital  when  he  left 
home  being  only  $10,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  work  his  way, 
which  he  did,  as  it  was  the  season  of  husking  corn  and  he  found 
})len1y  to  do  on  the  route  and  in  that  way  paid  his  expenses. 
xVrriving  at  Adrian  he  went  by  i-ail  to  Toledo,  where  he  engaged 
to  work  his  passage  on  the  steamer  George  Washington,  but 
owing  to  an  unfavorable  wind  they  could  not  make,  the  landing 
until  they  reached  Dunkirk;  from  the  latter  place  he  continued 
to  Girard.  Pa.,  on  foot.  lie  attended  school  the  following  winter. 
The  entire  Cheney  family  eventually  located  in  Waukesha 
county,  where  the  father  made  a  homestead  and  where  he  lived 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  August.  1869.  at  an  age  of 
nearly  ninety  years. 

The  fatiuM-  was  a  ''Free  WilT"  Paptist  and  one  of  the  pioneer 
ministers  foi*  over  seventy  years,  yet  received  no  salary  for  his 
services.  There  were  ten  children  in  the  family,  of  whom  six 
sons  jind  two  dauirhters  ai'i-ived  to  mature  years. 

i);ivi(l  1).  ('heu('\    was  married   to  Aliss  Alartha   Kvan.  of  Alil- 


BIOGRAPHY  629 

Avaukee,  February  22,  1842.  In  1847  he  went  to  Milwaukee  and 
from  there  to  the  town  of  Chester,  Dodge  county,  from  which 
phice  he  removed  to  St.  Marie,  Marquette  county,  thence  to 
Stevens  Point  and  hiter  on  to  Fox  Lake,  in  Dodge  county  in  1853. 
The  foHowing  year  he  removed  to  Black  River  Falls,  returning 
three  years  later  to  Fox  Lake;  later  in  1850  he  traced  his  way 
back  to  Black  River  Falls  and  three  years  afterward  located  at 
Sparta  :  his  wife  died  on  March  16,  1869,  and  two  years  after- 
ward, January  1,  1871,  lie  was  married  to  Mrs.  George  Darringer. 
He  had  four  children  by  his  first  marriage — Emily,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Marvin  H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years;  Lydia 
Ann,  wife  of  N.  J.  Kemp,  now  of  ^Minneapolis,  Minu.,  and  David 
W.,  of  Sparta. 

]Mr.  Cheney  was  one  of  the  most  successful  business  men  in 
the  City  of  Sparta,  at  various  times  engaging  in  different  enter- 
prises, at  one  time  being  employed  in  the  mercantile  business  and 
also  as  a  grain  dealer  and  lumber  merchant.  Later  he  became 
interested  in  banking.  He  built  two  large  warehouses  and  a 
number  of  dwellings  and  was  one  of  the  most  enterprising  citi- 
zens in  the  city.  In  earlier  days  ]Mr.  Cheney  voted  with  the 
Abolitionists  and  subsequently  liecame  a  Republican,  but  as 
issues  changed  he  voted  for  the  party  whose  principals  seemed  to 
him  right.  He  was  opposed  to  the  saloon  in  all  its  forms.  He 
held  various  official  positions  in  the  gift  of  the  people  and  in 
1870  was  elected  to  the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Wisconsin  on 
the  Republican  ticket.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the  county 
board  for  several  terms  and  also  as  president  of  the  village  and 
village  treasurer  before  Sparta  became  a  city,  besides  serving  on 
the  school  board. 

David  D.  Cheney  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  highly 
respected  citizens  of  Sparta,  and  socially  was  one  of  the  most 
genial  and  companionable  of  men,  firm  in  his  convictions  and 
positive  in  his  character,  yet  he  was  a  man  of  broad  and  tender 
sympathies,  ever  extending  aid  to  the  needy  and  encouraging 
deserving  enterprises,  he  was  generous  yet  unostentatious.  A 
man  of  sterling  character,  right  principles,  clear  headed  and 
progressive,  he  was  a  man  among  that  great  body  of  men  who 
have  done  so  much  to  make  the  state  of  Wisconsin  what  it  is. 

He  died  at  Biloxi,  Miss.,  where  he  was  spending  the  winter 
with  his  family  on  February  16,  1904,  from  paralysis. 

Milliam  Christopherson,  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Monroe 
county,  was  born  in  Norway,  October  1,  1845,  a  son  of  Gilbert 
and   Carolina    Christopherson,    natives    of    Norway.      They    emi- 


630  HISTORY  OF  .MOXROE  COUNTY 

g:rated  to  Amerioa  Avith  a  family  of  four  cliildren  and  settled  in 
the  Cannon  valle\'.  .Monroe  county.  Wisconsin,  where  the  father 
worked  as  a  farm  laborer  for  some  time  and  in  1872  homesteaded 
120  acres  of  land  in  Pleasant  valley,  where  he  esta])lished  the 
family  home  and  si  ill  resides.  The  mother.  ;i  devoted  wife  and 
an  indiiliiciit  mother,  died  in  1911.  honored  and  respected  by  her 
wide  circle  of  iViends. 

^Milliam  Christopherson  is  the  second  child  in  a  family  of 
eleven  children  ])orn  1o  his  i)arents;  he  attended  the  district 
school  up  to  his  fourteenth  year  and  assisted  in  the  farm  work. 
He  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-three,  wlien 
he  and  his  brother  ]*eter  purchased  240  acres.  Three  years  later 
they  divided  this  farm,  subject  taking  eighty  acres  for  his  por- 
tion in  l^leasant  valley,  where  he  antl  his  family  reside.  In  1910 
he  purchased  forty-six  acres  additional.  He  carries  on  general 
farming,  stock  raising  and  dairying,  and  keeps  his  farm  well 
stocked  with  a  good  grade  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  He  is  an 
enterprising,  energetic  and  progressive  man,  and  takes  pride  in 
keeping  his  farm  up-to-date  and  well  supplied  with  modern  labor- 
saving  devices. 

He  Avas  married  jNIay  6.  1890.  to  ]\liss  Sophia  Oleson.  by  whom 
he  has  had  six  children,  viz:  Inga,  a  student  in  Sparta  High 
School,  Glenn,  liable.  Arthur,  Clarence  and  Everett.  ]\Ir. 
Christopherson  with  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran church  and  he  affiliates  with  the  Repul)lican  party. 

John  Clements*,  a  progressive  farmer  of  Portland  township,  is 
a  son  of  -John  P.  and  Rosenia  (Hise)  Clements.  Avho  Avere  natives 
of  France  and  Holland,  respectively.  His  father  came  to  America 
Avith  his  parents  Avhen  he  Avas  nine  years  old  and  settled  at  that 
time  near  Mihvaukee,  AVis.  The  mother  came  to  the  United 
States  Avith  her  parents  Avhen  she  Avas  thirteen  years  of  age,  and 
they  also  settled  near  Mihvaukee.  When  a  boy  the  father.  John 
P.,  Avas  employed  at  farm  worlv  and  later  came  to  La  Crosse 
county,  Avhere  his  brother  Nicholas  Avas  located.  He  afterAvard 
Avent  to  Rock  county.  Wisconsin,  making  the  trij)  on  foot:  there 
he  secured  em])loyment  and  saved  sufficient  means  for  a  start  in 
life,  and  returning  to  La  Crosse  county,  purchased  a  farm,  Avhich 
he  afterAvard  sold,  and  purchased  another,  Avhich  he  ]iartly 
cleared,  and  again  sold  out  and  moved  for  a  time  to  ChijipcAva 
Falls,  Wis..  Avhere  he  was  engaged  in  toting  on  the  Thornapple 
river  for  several  Avinters.  Some  time  in  the  sixties  he  moved  to 
Portland  tOAvnship  and  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  section 
8,  noAv  OAvned  and  occupied  by  our  subject.    At  the  time  he  pur- 


BIOGRAPHY  631 

chased  this  tract  there  was  but  fifteen  acres  under  cultivation. 
He  erected  nearly  all  the  buildings  now  standing,  including  a 
solid  stone  house ;  only  two  others  of  a  similar  kind  were  built  in 
this  township.  He  cleared  ninety  acres,  and  here  with  his  wife, 
whom  he  married  near  INIilwaukee,  made  their  home  and  reared 
their  family  and  followed  the  busy  life  of  farming  until  the  death 
of  the  father,  which  occurred  December  26,  1910,  in  his  seventy- 
third  year.  The  death  of  the  mother  occurred  in  1903  at  the 
age  of  sixty-fonr  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  town  board 
and  the  school  board  for  several  years,  was  a  successful  farmer,  a 
liberal  and  broad-minded  citizen.  Eight  children  were  born  to 
them,  viz :  Henry,  who  lives  in  the  town  of  Leon ;  Mary  is  the 
widow^  of  John  Gother,  of  Jefferson  township ;  Kate,  formerly  the 
wife  of  John  Algray,  of  Leon,  is  deceased;  Rosa,  wife  of  eTohn 
Taylor,  of  Ladysmith,  Wis.;  our  subject;  Peter,  of  Cashton; 
Louisa,  and  Anna,  w^ho  is  a  teacher,  are  residents  of  Portland 
township. 

John  Clements  attended  the  district  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood and  was  reared  on  the  home  farm.  He  began  farming  on 
his  own  account  with  his  brother,  Peter,  and  together  they  ran 
a  threshing  machine  and  lumber-saw  for  ten  years.  Disposing  of 
his  interests  to  his  brother,  John  took  up  the  management  of  the 
home  farm  in  1907  and  has  since  cleared  ten  more  acres  and  is 
conducting  successful  farming  operations. 

In  November,  1905,  Mr.  Clements  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Kate  Smenk,  daughter  of  Albert  Smenk.  of  Monroe 
county.  They  have  a  family  of  four  children,  viz:  Sylvester  A., 
Rosenia  M.,  Clarence  P.  and  Clement  F.  With  their  family  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clements  attend  St.  Peter's  Catholic  church  of  Middle 
Ridge. 

Ben  Cole,  the  genial  and  popular  proprietor  of  the  Park 
hotel,  of  Sparta,  is  a  native  son  of  Wisconsin.  He  was  born  in 
Vernon  county  on  June  3,  1861,  to  Benjamin  and  Elsie  (Wyman) 
Cole,  both  natives  of  New  York  state,  where  they  were  married 
in  1858,  and  the  same  year  came  to  Wisconsin  and  located  on  a 
farm  near  Baraboo.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he 
was  among  the  first  to  offer  his  services  in  defense  of  his  country 
and  in  1861  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  F,  Sixteenth  Regi- 
ment, Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  after  serving  with  dis- 
tinction the  term  of  his  enlistment  he  re-enlisted  and  participated 
in  many  important  engagements,  receiving  wounds  at  Pittsburg 
Landing  and  in  other  battles,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died 
on  his  way  home.     He  was  a  brave  soldier,  a  loyal  citizen  and 


632  IKSTOKV  OF  :^I().\1{()K  ("OINTY 

enjoyed  the  irii'iulsliip  jiiid  esteem  of  liis  coinmunity.  The 
maternal  grandfathci-  of  oiir  siil).ject,  Ezra  Wynuui,  "was  a  native 
(iT  the  empire  state  niid  came  to  AVisconsiii  in  ;iii  early  day,  locat- 
inu  ill  Sauk  eonnty,  where  lie  follDMcd  Ihe  trade  of  a  shoemaker, 
lie  was  a  ])rominent  citi/.eii.  and  willi  his  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Emily  Seymour.  dan<jli1er  ol'  a  prominent  New  York 
family,  was  highly  esteemed  hy  ;i  wide  circle  of  friends. 

Ben  ("ole  is  the  second  chihl  jiikI  only  surviving  member  of  a 
family  of  three  children.  (»f  llic  others  Rosa  and  Edgar  AV.  are 
both  deceased,  the  latter  meeting  his  death  in  a  railroad  accident 
October  1.  1888.  in  liis  1  wenty-seeond  year.  Oui-  subject  received 
his  edui-alion  in  Ihe  eoinmon  schools  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
l)egan.  railroading,  which  occupatitni  he  follow(»d  for  ten  years, 
lie  then  engaged  in  the  pump  business,  selling  his  wares  through- 
out the  counties  of  Adams.  Washara  and  Portage,  meeting  with 
nnivei'sal  success.  His  next  venture  was  at  farming  in  Lincoln 
township.  .Monroe  county,  and  remained  thus  engaged  for  two 
years  and  then  became  i)i'0])rietor  of  the  Hotel  Warren  at  AVar- 
ren.  Continuing  there  for  three  years,  he  sold  his  interests  and 
moved  to  Black  River  Falls.  Avhei-e  lie  tool<  diarge  of  the  IMer- 
cha Ills'  hotel  and  remained  for  the  next  three  years.  He  then 
returned  to  Spaila  and  in  the  fall  of  lillO  became  the  iiroprietor 
of  the  ITolel  Sparta,  comhu'ting  the  last  named  hotel  until  Decem- 
ber, 1!)11.  when  he  o])ened  the  boxball  alley  on  North  AVater 
street.  Disposing  of  this  enterprise  in  1912.  he  again  embarked 
in  the  hotel  business,  this  time  as  proprietor  of  the  Park  hotel  at 
Sparta.  jNIarch  20,  1912.  Mr.  Cole  is  a  thorough  hotel  man  and 
popular  with  the  traveling  public. 

On  April  22,  1885.  INIr.  Cole  was  iiniled  in  mai-riage  with  Miss 
Emma  J.  Townsend.  daughter  of  Louis  and  Helen  (Benton) 
ToAvnsend,  of  I'nion  Ceiilei-.  AVis.  They  have  six  children,  viz: 
Archie  ]-5..  Ruby    I..    Eh\iii    H..   Lulu,   (ileun   and  Lester. 

]\Ir.  Cole  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  fraternal  nmtters — was 
])resident  of  the  local  lodge  of  C.  AI.  H.  A.  at  A'alley  Junction, 
leading  ot^ieer  in  tlu>  local  lodge  Al.  \V.  of  A.  and  A\Mierable 
Council.  AVhile  a  resident  of  T^nion  Center  and  while  at  AVarren 
he  was  local  ])resident  of  tlu^  AI.  B.  A.  and  also  a  leading  officer 
in  the  Ik^avers.  He  was  local  lu-esideiil  of  the  Eternal  Reserve 
Association  at  Ashland  while  he  was  a  resident  of  Black  River 
Falls. 

Edward  C.  Cole'"',  who  resides  on  his  farm  in  sections  28  and 
83,  Adrian  township,  is  the  son  of  Charles  Cooper  and  Celista 
(Sawyer)  Cole  natives  of  Ohio,  and  New  llamiishire,  respectively. 


BIOGKAPIIY  633 

('liarles  Cooper  Cole  was  born  July  9,  1829,  and  died  September 
20,  1876.  He  was  the  son  of  David  Cole,  a  native  of  the  Mohawk 
valley  in  New  York  state,  who  came  to  AViseonsin  and  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  in  Adrian  township,  Aloiiroe  county,  for  whom 
( 'Ole's  valley  was  named.  He  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
well-to-do  citizens  of  Adrian  township,  and  took  an  active  inter- 
est in.  the  local  affairs  of  the  town.  lie  built  what  was  known 
as  the  Yankee  tavern,  Avhich  he  ran  for  several  years,  and  was 
an  experienced  and  well-known  eye  specialist.  lie  was  an  exten- 
sive laud  owner,  and  sold  five  forties  of  land  to  the  county  for 
the  ]\Ionroe  county  poor  farm,  wliich  was  located  in  Adrian  town- 
ship prior  to  its  removal  to  the  town  of  Sparta.  lie  was  honora- 
ble and  npright  in  all  his  dealings  and  held  an  enviable  position 
in  his  community,  and  was  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him.  After  a  residence  in  this  county  for  many  years,  he  in 
later  life  removed  to  Eau  Claire  county,  where  he  died.  Charles 
Cole,  father  of  our  subject,  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1866,  locating 
in  Adrian  township  on  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  resides, 
and  was  married  in  18(i7  to  ]\Iiss  Olistia  Sawyer.  They  were 
among  the  prominent  settlers  of  the  town,  and  died  honored  and 
respected  by  the  whole  community. 

Edward  C.  Cole  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
September  18,  1869.  He  had  one  brother,  Elmer,  who  is  now 
deceased.  His  education  was  received  in  the  district  school  of 
the  neighborhood,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  he  removed 
with  his  mother  to  the  city  of  Tomah,  and  when  a  young  man 
was  employed  in  the  Central  hardware  store  for  a  period  of  ten 
years,  and  afterward  became  a  member  of  the  drug  lirm  of 
Banks  &  Cole.  In  1893  he  went  to  San  Antonio,  Texas,  and 
remained  there  until  1898,  when  he  went  to  Chicago,  111.,  and 
spent  two  years.  In  1903  he  returned  to  IMonroe  county  and  the 
homestead  farm,  consisting  of  six  forties  in  Adrian  township, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in  general  farming.  He  is 
considered  one  of  the  progressive,  up-to-date  farmers  of  the 
town,  and  besides  his  farming  operations  he  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
township  board. 

On  June  15,  1901,  INIr.  Cole  was  married  at  Chicago  to  Miss 
Sarah  McGavin,  daughter  of  James  and  ]\Iary  (Farley)  McGavin, 
natives  of  Scotland  and  Ireland,  respectively.  jMrs.  Cole  has  one 
brother.  ex-Congressman  McGavin,  who  is  noAV  a  resident  of  Los 
Angeles,  Cal. 


634  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

John  J.  Collins,  (JlcntlaK',  .Monroe  county.  Wis.,  was  boni  in 
t!ic  city  of  lioslon.  ^lass..  Oct.  10.  ISoo.  His  parents.  ]Michael 
and  Catherine  (Dwyer)  Collins,  were;  Ixdli  natives  of  Ireland 
and  came  to  the  I'liited  States  in  184")  witli  their  family  of  two 
childi'cn.  He  was  first  cinplox cd  as  a  teamster  and  after  a  few 
years  spent  in  the  East  came  to  Wisconsin  and  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  ^Milwaukee  and  St.  I'anl  i-ailroad  as  traveling  frei^rht 
agent  until  1860.  Tn  that  Near  he  came  to  ^Monroe  county  and 
purchased  1*20  acres  of  land  in  seclidn  1.  (Jlendale  township,  and 
there  spent  the  balance  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1880. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  .settlers  of  Glendale  and  experienced  the 
hardships  of  the  pioneer  days.  He  cleared  and  subdued  his  wild 
land  and  l)routiht  it  to  a  i^ood  state  of  cultivation,  lie  was  a  hard 
working  man  and  was  highly  respected  in  his  community.  He 
Avas  a  devoted  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  contributed 
liberally  to  its  support,  and  in  his  lifetime  helped  to  organize  and 
build  up  two  or  three  churches.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is 
still  (1912)  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  100  years.  They  had  a 
family  of  seven  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  living — John  J. 
and  William.  One  son,  James,  served  three  years  in  the  Civil 
War  in  the  Tenth  Wisconsin  Regiment. 

John  J.  attended  the  district  school  until  he  Avas  eighteen  and 
after  the  death  of  his  father  lived  on  the  farm  Avith  his  mother 
and  sister,  AA^hich  he  acquired  by  inheritance  and  has  never  left 
the  home  place.  Since  acquiring  the  farm  ]Mr.  Collins  has  added 
many  A'aluable  improA'ements.  He  built  a  large  brick  residence 
in  1902  and  a  barn  in  1896.  He  keeps  his  place  Avell  stocked  Avitli 
horses  and  cattle  and  carries  on  general  farming.  For  many 
years  he  gave  his  special  attention  to  the  raising  of  sheep,  but  of 
late  years  has  turned  his  attention  to  dairying  and  raising  Hol- 
stein  cattle.  Mr.  Collins  has  for  fourteen  years  in  connection 
Avith  his  fanning  interest  been  engaged  in  the  buying  and  sellinir 
of  cattle.  He  is  a  good  judge  of  stock,  has  been  successful  in  that 
line  of  business,  and  is  one  of  the  public  spirited  and  influential 
men  of  his  toAvn.  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  all  public  matters. 
He  organized  and  Avas  president  of  the  first  creamery  in  Clendnle 
toAvnship.  run  as  the  Coopei'ative  Creamery  Company.  Avhiclj 
Avound  up  its  aft'airs  in  1910.  lie  has  since  helped  to  organize  the 
Olendale  Cooperative  Coini>any  and  is  its  president.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat  and  an  admirer  of  Senator  LaFollette. 

He  was  married  February  14.  1881.  at  Union  Center.  Wis.,  to 
jNIiss  ^lary  Gallagher,  daughter  of  EdAvard  and  Kathern  Gallagher, 


BIOGRAPHY  635 

of  Gleiidalo,  wlio  were  also  natives  of  Ireland.  To  ]Mr.  and  ^Mrs. 
Collins  have  been  born  five  children — ]\Iichael,  Edward,  John, 
Mary  Pearl  and  Charles. 

Henry  Coome*,  ex-sheriff  of  ^Monroe  eonnty.  is  a  native  of 
New  York  state :  he  was  born  in  Cayuga  eonnty  on  February  8, 
1842.  His  parents  Avere  Robert  and  ]\Iariali  (Harris)  Coome,  who 
came  from  England  to  America  in  an  early  day  and  located  in 
the  above  named  eonnty.  He  had  learned  the  carpenter  and 
builder's  trade  from  his  father  in  England,  and  after  coming  to 
the  Ignited  States  followed  that  occupation  in  New  York  for 
about  fiftepn  years.  In  1856  they  came  West  to  AVisconsin  and 
settled  in  Sauk  county,  where  he  continued  his  operation  as  a 
carpenter  until  he  secured  a  farm  of  wild  land,  which  he  subdued 
and  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation;  here  he  made  his 
home  engaged  in  general  farming  nntil  1867.  Purchasing  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  in  Monroe  county,  he  moved  hither  and  for  the 
next  twenty-live  years  this  was  tlie  family  home.  Disposing  of 
this  farm,  the  father  moved  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  where  he  died  in 
1903;  his  widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  survived  him  five  years 
and  passed  away  in  1908.  Both  were  Christian  people  and  de- 
voted members  of  the  INIethodist  church,  and  were  among  its 
most  generous  and  faithful  supporters.  Mr.  Coome  was  a  man  of 
genial  nature,  loyal  to  his  friends,  liberal  with  his  money,  com- 
panionable, a  lover  of  good  comradeship  and  generous  to  a  fault. 
In  politics  he  was  a  "Whig  and  strong  anti-slavery  man. 

Mr.  Henry  Coome  received  his  early  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Sauk  county,  which  he  supplemented  witli  a  course 
at  the  Baraboo  high  school.  He  remained  at  home  assisting  with 
the  farm  work  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  when  on 
April  1,  1864,  he  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Eliza  Watson  at  Baraboo, 
and  they  had  on^  daughter.  Lotta,  who  is  now  deceased.  In 
1867  ]\lr.  Coome  came  to  ]Monroe  county  and  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising ;  he  later  made  a  specialty  of  buying 
stock  for  the  market,  and  was  at  one  time  one  of  the  largest 
shippers  from  this  county  to  the  Chicago  markets.  He  con- 
tinued in  this  line  of  business  nntil  1886.  and  then  turned  his 
exclusive  attention  to  farming,  which  he  followed  until  1897. 
He  is  indeed  a  man  of  ambition  and  energy,  and  worthy  of 
mention  in  the  history  of  Monroe  county ;  he  is  interested  in 
all  public  improvements,  ever  ready  to  do  all  in  his  power  for 
the  good  of  the  community,  and  while  not  a  politician,  he  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  1897  was   its   candidate   for  sheriff',   being   elected   over 


636  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

his  opponent  l)y  ;i  haiidsomo  majority.  Assuming'  the  (.luties 
of  that  office  lie  moved  witli  his  family  to  Spai'ta  where  they 
remained  during  his  service  in  office,  and  u])on  the  expiration 
of  this  tei-m  he  returned  to  Tomah  and  retiretl  from  active 
business. 

JMr.  Coome  is  a  man  of  thoronuli  business  qualifications,  gen- 
ei'ons,  kind-hearted  and  ])0|)ular  in  llie  circles  in  which  he  moves; 
he  is  an  active  member  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge,  has 
filled  all  the  chairs  of  the  oi-dei-  and  is  now  nuister  of  the  ex- 
chequer; is  also  promiiuMit  in  the  uniform  rank  of  the  order 
and  has  attended  its  convocations  at  various  ])oints  of  the  United 
States.  Shortly  after  assuming  the  duties  of  sheriff  of  the 
county,  he  experienced  the  sad  misfortune  in  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Coonie  which  occurred  in  1898.  He  was  married  for  the  second 
time  to   ]\Irs.   Ada  Hall,   daughter  of  James   Sweet. 

Fred  H.  Crossette,  one  of  the  enterprising,  wide-awake  and 
progressive  ])nsiness  men  of  Tomah.  is  a  native  son  of  Wisconsin. 
He  was  born  at  Ridgeville,  ]Monroe  county,  December  11.  1859, 
the  son  of  Z.  H.  and  Jane  (Davis)  Crossette.  The  ancestors 
on  the  maternal  side  were  natives  of  Vermont.  The  father  of 
Fred  H.  came  west  to  Wisconsin  in  1855  and  settled  in  Walworth 
county,  remaining  there  three  years.  In  1858  he  moved  to  Monroe 
county  with  his  family  and  purchased  150  acres  of  wild  land 
and  immediately  set  to  work  clearing  and  improving  his  farm. 
AVhen  the  Civil  War  commenced,  he  M'as  drafted  and  served 
in  the  twenty  fifth  regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged 
and  returned  home.  He  Avas  a  successful  farmer,  a  good  citizen 
and  brave  soldier,  and  enjoyed  the  contidence  and  esteem  of 
all  Avho  knew  him.  lie  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  JNIethodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  for  many  years  a  stew^Trd  in  that  church. 
His  death  occurred  in  187!).  The  mother  of  our  subject  raised 
a  family  of  seven  chihlrcn.  foui'  of  whom  ;ire  now  living.  She 
Avas  a  model  housewife,  and  hei-  womaidy  graces  aiul  domestic 
virtues  made  her  a  worthy  helpmeet  to  her  husband.  She  was 
a  charming  lady,  a  good  wife  and  mother  and  was  highly  esteemed 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends.     She  died  in  1898. 

Fred  II.  Crossette  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and  at- 
tended the  district  schools  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age, 
and  finished  his  education  in  the  high  school  at  Tomah.  At 
the  age  of  twenty,  he  entered  the  general  store  of  R.  B.  Dunlap, 
at  Kendall,  where  he  was  employed  as  clerk  for  nine  months. 
He   was   next   employed    at    eai-jienler   work    which    he    followed 


BIOGRAPHY  637 

■with  some  degree  of  success  for  a  time  and  then  went  to  Barron 
county  and  embarked  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business. 
He  later  returned  to  Tomah.  and  with  three  brothers,  put  $300 
into  a  portable  saw  mill,  which  furnished  them  with  employment 
during  the  winter  months.  From  this  small  beginning,  the 
business  grew,  and  other  kinds  of  woodworking  machinery  were 
added  and  they  soon  had  established  a  fine  plant  for  saAvins:. 
planing  and  manufacturing  sash,  doors,  blinds  and  store  fixtures. 
This  model  plant  equipped  with  modern,  up-to-date  machinery, 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in   1901  with  a  loss  of  $12,000. 

After  prospecting  through  the  county  for  a  location  better 
suited  for  their  business,  they  finally  decided  to  rebuild  on  the 
same  spot  formerly  occupied  by  them.  ]Mr.  Crossette  organized 
a  stock  company  with  a  capital  of  $25,000,  which  was  incorporated 
in  1901;  new  buildings  were  erected  and  equipped  and  ])usiness 
resumed,  which  has  since  met  with  increased  prosperity.  To 
the  line  of  sash,  doors,  blinds  and  fixtures,  they  have  recently 
added  the  manufacture  of  silos,  also  dealers  in  building  material. 
This  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  complete  manufacturing 
plants  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Crossette  is  widely  known  for  his  sterling  qualities,  both 
as  a  business  man  and  in  a  social  way.  and  is  respected  by  his 
friends  and  asociates  as  a  true  example  of  American  manhood, 
energetic,  thrifty  and  upright.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  and  in  political  faith,  is  a  Republican.  In  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  betterment  of  his  cit}"  and  county,  he  gives 
his    hearty   support. 

William  L.  Daly*  is  one  of  the  live  wires  of  Greenfield  town- 
ship, where  he  resides  on  section  sixteen,  engaged  in  farming.  He 
was  _  born  at  Tomah,  AVis..  on  November  14,  1862,  the  son 
of  John  and  Catherine  (Haley)  Daly,  both  natives  of  Ireland, 
who,  after  their  marriage,  came  to  America,  and  in  1856  to 
Tomah;  they  removed  after  a  time  to  Tunnel  City,  where  the 
father  was  employed  on  the  original  tunnel  of  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  Railway.  In  1867,  he  settled  on  eighty  acres 
of  school  land,  called  at  that  time  on  account  of  its  condition, 
"Grub  Land,"  and  there  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death 
in  1893  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  His  wife,  mother  of  our 
subject,  passed  away  the  same  year  at  the  age  of  seventy-tw^o. 

William  L.  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  of  the  others, 
Timothy  is  deceased;  Martin;  Mary,  deceased,  was  the  wife 
of  James  Barney ;  John,  deceased ;  AYilliam  L.  and  Jerry,  who  is 
in  the  employ  of  the   Chicago  &   Northwestern  Railroad. 


638  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXROE  COI'XTY 

AVilliam  attended  the  district  seliool  and  was  raised  on  the 
home  farm  Avhere  he  has  always  lived  with  the  exception  of  about 
seven  years  he  was  employed  on  tlic  railroad  and  minino-  eon- 
tract  work  in  northern  AVisconsin.  lie  returned  in  1894  and 
permanently  located  <>n  tlie  homestead  farm  as  owner  and  pro- 
prietor, and  in  1901.  he  built  a  modern  residence  and  barn.  Be- 
sides general  farminj":,  Air.  Daly  deals  extensively  in  urade  Dur- 
ham and  Ilolstein  cattle,  and  is  a  recognized  authority  in  those 
lines,  having  been  generally  successful  in  every  branch  he  has 
undertaken.  lie  is  thoroughly  up  Avith  the  times,  jiublic  spirited 
and  generous  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
progressive  citi/.ens  of  his  community.  He  Avas  married  on  April 
14,  1895,  to  Aliss  Alargaret  O'Brien,  daughter  of  AVilliam  and 
Catherine  (Sullivan)  O'Brien,  of  Toniah  township.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  Air.  and  Airs.  Daly,  vi/:  Alarcus  J.,  John  AA"., 
Bernadine  K..  Florence  Al.  and  Helen  F. 

Elijah  Davenpcrt,  who  has  l)een  conspicuous  for  numy  years 
in  the  farming  community  of  Greenfield  township,  is  among  the 
few  pioneers  now  living  in  Alonroe  county.  His  birthplace  was 
Dorchester,  AIa.ss.,  four  miles  from  the  state  house  at  Boston, 
the  date  being  November  3rd,  1830.  His  parents.  Elijah  L.. 
and  Alarta  0.  (Sweat)  Davenport,  were  natives  of  Alassachusetts 
and  Alaine  respectively.  He  was  a  currier  by  occupation,  and 
they  spent  their  married  life  at  Dorchester,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-,  and  she  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  They 
reared  a  family  of  four  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
eldest.  Of  the  others.  Abbie  Al..  deceased;  Augusta  is  the  Avife 
of  Edward  Crocker,  of  AVinthrop,  Alass.,  and  Clarence,  Avho 
resides  at  the  old  home  in  Boston. 

Elijah  received  his  education  in  th(>  common  schools,  and 
early  assisted  his  fathei-  as  a  curiMci-:  he  later  leai'iied  the  trade 
of  cabinet  maker  and  also  followetl  tlie  trade  of  carpentei-  and 
joiner,  and  for  twenty  years  Avas  engaged  in  the  construction 
of  raihvay  bridges  foi-  tlic  Omaha  raihvay.  Avhich  is  noAv  a  part 
of  the  .XortliAvesfern  systt^n.  Air.  Davciipoi-i  ]>r;u-tically  built 
the  village  of  Humbird.  AVis.,  after  he  became  idciititied  with 
Alonroe  county,  and  embarked  in  the  cabinet  and  fui-niliirc  luisi- 
ness  in  Sparta,  Alonroe  county,  in  IS;")?;  the  folloAving  year  he 
moved  to  (ireenfi(^l(l  toAvnship.  wheiv  he  endui-ed  the  priA'ations 
and  hardships  of  lhos(»  pioneer  days,  cleared  tlu^  land  and  en- 
gaged in  hop-raising,  and  afterAvard  took  up  the  Avork  for  the 
railroad  as  above  mentioned.  In  1892.  he  returned  to  his  fai'm 
of  240  acres  in  Ihc  town  ol'  ( ii-cciilicld.  which  has  since  Ix'cn  his 


BIOGRAPHY  689 

home.  An  interesting  volume  could  be  made  of  liis  experiences 
and  escapades  with  the  Indians  in  the  early  days,  when  there 
was  less  than  half  a  dozen  white  families  in  his  locality,  the 
Indians  at  that  time  being  bent  upon  plundering  their  property, 
and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  ]Mr.  Davenport  could  induce  them 
to  stay  away. 

Mr.  Davenport  comes  of  a  family  remarkable  for  its  longevity, 
and  thus  inherited  his  share  of  mental  and  physical  vigor  neces- 
sary to  the  successful  farmer.  He  carries  on  general  farming 
and  enjoys  one  of  the  most  beautiful  farm  homes  in  the  county. 
He  has  been  a  JMason  since  1878;  and  is  a  member  of  Tomali 
Lodge,  No.  132.  He  was  married  on  June  19,  1862,  to  Miss 
Emiline  Sawyer,  daughter  of  David  M.  and  Julia  (Adams)  Saw- 
yer, both  natives  of  Maine  and  the  first  settlers  in  Tarr  valley — 
she  being  the  first  white  woman  to  realize  the  hardships  of  the 
pioneer  in  this  town.  The  father  came  to  Greenfield  with  Mr. 
J.  M.  Tarr  and  they  entered  the  first  land  in  the  town  together — 
Mr.  Sawyer  being  the  first  to  make  the  entry  and  his  name  was 
given  to  the  valley  which  was  afterwards,  however,  changed 
to  Tarr  valley,  which  name  it  still  retains.  Mr.  Sawyer,  father 
of  ]Mrs.  Davenport,  was  born  P>bruary  20,  1807,  and  died  April 
24,  1864;  his  wife,  mother  of  Mrs.  Davenport,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 2.  1816,  and  died  December  12,  1911.  ]Mrs.  Davenport 
was  born  in  1842  and  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  three  children; 
the  others  are  ]Martha,  wife  of  AV.  S.  Wyman,  a  carpenter  by 
occupation,  who  resides  in  South  Dakota,  and  Agnes,  now  INIrs. 
J.  M.  Ferguson,  of  Hastings,  Neb.  Mrs.  Davenport  came  to 
Wisconsin  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  and  recalls  distinctly 
many  incidents  of  privations  during  the  pioneer  days  and  espe- 
cially of  the  Indian  trouble  in  Minnesota  when  it  Avas  necessary 
for  the  family  to  take  protective  measures  each  night  against 
molestation.  ]\Irs.  Davenport  taught  the  first  school  in  Greenfield 
tow^nship  in  a  log  schoolhouse  which  was  raised  July  4,  1857, 
and  built  by  David  Sawyer,  J.  ]\I.  Tarr,  John  Rich,  Joseph  Conch 
and  others.  She  also  taught  the  first  school  in  Tunnel  City.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davenport  are  Clarence  E.,  of  Encino, 
N.  M. ;  Marta  A.,  deceased,  and  Agnes  J.,  now  Mrs.  G.  W.  Bond. 
Mr.  Bond  is  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  Boise  City, 
Idaho.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Davenport  have  traveled  extensively 
throughout  the  United  States,  having  visited  nearly  all  the  points 
of  interest,  and  recently  celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  Both 
Mr.   and   ]\Irs.   Davenport  bear  the   weight   of   their   years   most 


640  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

gracefully  and  their  liospitality  extends  to  a  large  circle  of 
friends  and   acquaintances. 

Hal  J.  Davis,  one  of  the  i)runiinent  luert'luints  of  Sparta,  is 
pre-eminently  a  self-made  man.  Beginning  life  with  no  capital 
other  than  his  native  abilities,  he  has  by  perseverence,  industrj' 
and  the  force  of  a  strong  personality,  attained  to  a  place  among 
the  intiuential  and  substantial  ciliznis  of  his  community.  A 
native  son  of  AVisconsin,  he  Avas  born  at  Beaver  Dam  in  1868, 
his  parents  being  Chester  P.  and  Caroline  Davis.  lie  received 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  home  town  and  came  to 
Sparta  in  1882  when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  and  first 
entered  the  employ  of  Rufus  Dodge,  as  salesman  in  the  then 
leading  mercantile  establishment  in  Sparta.  lie  early  displayed 
such  exceptional  business  ability,  he  was  told  l)y  his  emploj^er 
that  if  he  Avonld  save  his  earnings,  he  might  some  day  become 
a  partner  in  the  business.  Young  Davis  accepted  the  oppor- 
tunity, and  in  1898  became  junior  member  of  the  firm.  ]\Ir. 
Dodge,  senior  member  of  the  firm,  was  born  in  jNIonroe  county, 
New  York,  in  1840.  lie  carried  the  musket  throngh  the  Civil 
AVar  with  tlie  Sixteenth  New  York  Volunteers  during  the  regi- 
ment's term  of  service.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  ]\Ir.  Dodge 
came  to  "Wisconsin,  settling  at  Columbns,  wliere  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business.  In  1872,  Gilbert  T.,  Harvey  K.,  and 
Rufus  S.  Dodge  established  the  Sparta  store,  which  Avas  con- 
ducted nnder  the  name  of  Dodge  Brothers  and  the  pei'sonal 
management  of  Harvey  K.,  until  1877,  when  Rufus  Dodge  came 
to  Sparta  and  took  personal  charge  of  the  business.  In  1879. 
Gilbert  T.  Dodge  retired,  and  the  same  year  his  l)rother.  Harvey 
K.,  died,  and  from  that  time  until  1898,  Rufus  S.  was  the  sole 
proprietor,  and  J\Ir.  Davis  purchased  an  interest.  In  1908,  ]\Ir. 
Dodge  died,  leaving  Mr.  Davis  in  full  charge,  which  he  has 
since  continued,  occupying  the  most  spacious  block  in  the  city 
with  a  handsome  department  store.  In  the  spring  of  1900  the 
old  Jackson  building  was  removed  and  in  its  stead  the  present 
structure  was  erected  on  what  is  known  as  the  old  Jackson 
corner,  purchased  by  the  Dodges  in  1872.  and  here  the  business 
has  since  flourished  witli  ])eriodical  additions.  In  1893  the  Tyler 
store  on  AVatei-  street  was  i)urc'hased.  and  in  1897  a  large  addition 
to  botli   stoi'cs  was   erected   in   tlu>  rear. 

Capt.  Martin  Warner  Davis,  rrtircd.  one  of  the  i)ublic 
spirited  and  su])stantial  citizens  of  Sparta,  is  descended  from 
old  and  jiromincnt  New  Knglaiul  families.  He  was  born  at 
Newark.    Caledonia    coniitx.    \'t..    -laniiarv    24.    1836.    the    son    of 


BIOGRAPHY  ■  641 

Eleazer  and  Diana  (Stoddard)  Davis,  natives  of  Chesterfield, 
N.  H.,  and  who  when  young,  removed  to  Vermont,  where,  like 
his  father  before  him,  engaged  in  farming.  During  the  gold 
excitement  in  1849,  he  went  to  California  via  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  and  there  spent  three  successful  j^ears.  His  Vermont 
farming  interests  were  carried  on  on  a  large  scale,  he  having 
at  one  time  as  many  as  100  acres  devoted  to  the  raising  of  tim- 
othy, from  which  he  on  one  occasion,  obtained  600  bushels  of 
seed.  In  political  faith  he  was  a  Whig,  and  was  elected  to 
the  Vermont  legislature  and  served  with  distinction  through  the 
sessions  of  1815-6.  He  was  generous,  kind-hearted  and  a  man 
of  unblemished  character.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-one 
years,  his  death  occurring  in  1898.  Eleazer  and  his  brother, 
Jonathan  Davis,  were  the  sous  of  Osborn  Davis,  who  spent  his 
active  life  in  northern  Vermont,  and  was  known  as  a  stalwart 
figure  among  men,  and  in  those  early  days  would  often  shoulder 
three  bushels  of  wheat  and  by  the  aid  of  snow  shoes,  carry  it 
for  a  mile.  He  died  sometime  during  the  40 's.  This  particular 
branch  of  the  Davis  family  has  been  definitely  traced  as  far 
back  at  1702. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Alpheus  Stod- 
dard, also  from  Chesterfield,  and  extensively  engaged  in  farming 
in  northern  Vermont,  and  owned  in  his  own  right  500  acres 
of  land.  His  wife,  the  maternal  grandmother  of  Captain  Davis, 
was  Charlotte  Farnsworth.  Avho  also  was  a  native  of  Vermont. 
The  early  ancestors  of  this  branch  of  the  Stoddard  family  were 
David,  born  October  23,  1754,  and  who  was  the  great  grand- 
father of  Mr.  Davis;  Sarah,  the  great  grandmother,  was  born 
February  20,  1757.  Thej'  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  viz: 
Lucy,  born  October  26,  1775 ;  David,  born  June  24,  1777 ;  Jesse, 
born  June  30,  1779 ;  Lydia,  born  March  24,  1782 ;  Arad,  born 
February  15.  1784;  Charles,  born  March  16,  1786;  Alpheus,  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  born  January  11,  1788;  Luther,  born 
February  6.  1790;  Sally,  bom  March  19,  1792;  Eleazer,  born 
May  18.'  1794,   and  Abel,   born   September  28,   1796. 

Captain  Davis  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Vermont,  and  re- 
ceived his  elementary  education  in  a  log  schoolhouse,  after  which 
he  attended  a  select  school  for  a  short  time,  and  this  was  supple- 
mented by  a  course  at  the  Orleans  Liberal  Institute,  which  he 
attended  during  the  year  1852-3.  He  taught  school  during  the 
winters  of  1855-6-8-9,  and  worked  on  the  farm  during  the 
summer  months.  He  continued  farm  work  until  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  AVar,   and  being  imbued  with  patriotism  and 


642  HISTORY  OF  :\rOXROE  COUNTY 

love  for  the  I'liiun.  he  enlisted  Jis  a  ])i'ivatt'  in  coiupauy  D,  sixth 
Vermont  Volnntccr  Infantry.  OctolxT  '2.  ISHl.  and  was  mustered 
int<»    llic   service   at    .Mon* pelief.    \'1..    ()('1()l)ei'   15.    of   that   year, 
as  second  sergeant,  was  proindted  tn  onlei-iy  ser<reant  in  January, 
18()2.  and  to  second  lieutenant  .Ma\'  1.  ISlii'.  and  to  tii'st  lieutenant 
December  1,   18(i2.     On  Februai-y   'A.   ]S();}.   foi-   meritorious  con- 
duct, he  was  commissioned  captain,  eoiitinninu'  as  such  until  the 
exi)iration   of   Ids   term   of   sei'vice.      <'aptain   Davis   participated 
in    more   than    two    score    of   the    most    sanguinary    engagements 
of  the  war,  and   became  conspicuous  for  his  gallant  and  heroic 
conduct.     ])ui'iii.u  llie  bat  lie  of  Lee's  Mills,  near  Yorktown,  April 
16.  1862.  Avhile  his  conn-ades  wei-e  falliiiL;'  right   and  left  around 
him.  lie  was  wounded  and  carried  from  the  tield.  being  fortunate 
to   escape  Avitli    his   life.     He  still    cari'ies  the   bullet   in   his  left 
side.    At  the  end  of  sixty  days  he  was  able  to  return  to  his  regi- 
ment,   and    almost    immediately    l)ecame    engaged    in    the    seven 
days'  battle  before  Riclimond.  change  of  base  being  to  Harrison's 
Landing  on  the  James  river;   lu'  was  honorably  discharged  and 
mustered  out  October  28.  1864.     A  more  complete  record  along 
these  lines  has  been  eonti'ibiittHl  by  .Mr.  Davis,  and  will  ])e  found 
among  the   reminiscences   of  this   volume.     After  his   discharge 
from  the  service,  he  returned  to  his   home   in   Vei-niont.   and  in 
1867.  came  to  Wisconsin,  first  settling  at  AVest  Salem.  La  Crosse 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.     In  1879.  he  removed  to 
Sparta,    locating    on    West    ]\Iontgom(M-y    street,    where    he    was 
engaged  in  the  milk  busint'ss  until  1888.     For  the  next  two  years 
he  turned   his   attention    to   the   ci-eamery  business   and   in   1890, 
removed    to    Harvey.    111.,    and    took    an    active    part    in    the 
upbuilding  of  that  town.     He  next  removed  to  .Morenci.  Lenewee 
county,  ]\Iich..  and  engaged  in  farming  until  1895;  he  then  went 
to    Chicago.     111.,     and     i-esided     for    two    years,    and    returned 
to  ]\Iichigan,  settling  this  time  at   Lamoid.  where  for  eight  years 
he  was  interested    in   hoi-t  iculture.     J\eturning  again  to  Harvey. 
111.,   he    i-emained    two    years    and    in    the    fall    of    1908,    came 
back  to  Sparta,  wliei-e  he  still  resides.     At  the  time  of  locating 
the   state   school    for   dependeid    childrt'n    at   Sparta,    ^Ir.    Davis 
owned  the  farm  nj^on  which  the  buildings  are  now  located  and 
which  he  sold  to  the  state. 

]\Ir.  Davis  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  mai'i'iage  occurred 
on  Api'il  10,  1858,  to  INIiss  Persis  Aim  Stewart,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Carlisle  and  Emily  Hrigham,  of  Brownington,  \\.\ 
she  died  in  Spai-ta.  .luiu'  ^'^.  1880,  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years, 
]ea\ing  besides  hei'  Inisband.  the  folbnviug  eliildren  :  Edward  W.. 


BIOGRAPHY  643 

of  Brookings,  S.  D. ;  Fred  E.,  of  Chicago ;  Laura  B., 
wife  of  Rev.  S.  B.  Andriis.  AVaterville,  ]Minn.;  Jennie  S., 
wife  of  Harry  B.  Parker.  Detroit,  Mich. ;  Mabel  P..  wife 
of  Charles  Williams,  of  West  Derby,  Vt.;  Carl  E..  Fargo.  X.  D. ; 
Persis  S..  the  wife  of  Dr.  HoAvard  Rogers,  of  Framiugham,  Mass., 
and  Jolm  T.  Davis,  of  Chicago. 

]Mr.  Davis  has  seventeen  grandchildren  and  two  great  grand- 
children. His  second  marriage,  which  occurred  on  June  22, 
1884.  was  with  I\Iiss  ]Maria  S.  Houghton,  who  was  born  in  1845, 
daughter  of  Solomon  and  Catherine  (Albee)  Houghton,  the 
former  of  St.  Johnsbury.  Yt..  born  ]\Iay  28.  1813,  and  the 
latter.  Catherine  Albee.  born  April  30.  1814.  They  lived  after 
their  marriage  at  Augusta.  ]\Ie.,  until  July  4,  1855,  when 
they  came  to  AYisconsin  and  settled  near  Reedsburg.  Sauk  county, 
on  a  farm  in  AVinfield  township,  where  they  lived  until  their 
decease,  his  death  occurring  April  3,  1896,  and  hers  December 
13,  1892.  They  were  married  at  AVindsor,  ]\Iaine.  October  2, 
1837.  From  1834  to  1837  he  was  a  pattern  maker  for  the  Fair- 
banks Scale  Company  from  whom  he  won  honors  for  his  superior 
workmanship.  His  health  becoming  impaired,  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1850,  and  remained  there  for  about  eighteen  months, 
returning  at  the  end  of  that  time  much  benefited.  The  Houghton 
family  trace  their  ancestry  down  the  line  to  the  historic  Garfield 
family.  ]Mrs.  Davis  is  the  third  child  of  a  family  of  four  children, 
those  besides  her  being.  Cornelia,  who  married  Vandan  B.  Clark, 
of  Kearney..  Xeb..  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  his  death 
occurred  in  1892  and  hers  in  1902.  Jolm  died  Xovember  1, 
1877,  and  Frank  T.  lives  on  the  old  homestead  near  Reedsburg, 
Wis..   Avhere  he  has  resided  for  the  past  fifty-eight  years. 

Captain  Davis  is  a  man  who  stands  high  in  his  community, 
having  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  know  him.  He  is 
a  member  of  Lynn  Post,  Xo.  30.  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  of  which  ]\Ir.  Davis  became  a  member  over 
fifty  years  ago  in  Yermont.  During  the  past  three  years,  he 
has  been  patriotic  instructor   in   the   schools   of   Sparta. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  give  this  tribute  to  a  man  whose  life  has 
been  filled  with  action.  He  is  too  energetic  a  man  to  be  satisfied 
with  inactivity,  so  there  has  been  more  or  less  doing  'round 
about  him  in  various  lines  during  his  whole  lifetime. 

William  E.  Davis,  a  representative  and  influential  citizen  and 
land  owner  of  Sparta,  is  a  native  of  the  Granite  state,  and  was 
born  December  8,  1864.  and  is  the  only  surviving  son  of  a  family 


644  HISTORY  OF  3I0XR0E  COUNTY 

of  three  children  born  to  Hiram  and  Amelia  (Chandler)  Davis, 
natives  of  Hanover,  Grafton  county,  N.  H.  The  names  of  the 
other  children  are  Helen  M.,  who  also  lives  in  the  town  of  Sparta, 
and  Harriet  Anna,  who  is  deceased.  Late  in  the  sixties,  Hiram  S. 
Davis,  with  his  family,  came  to  Wisconsin,  and  purchased 
eijfrhty  acres  of  land  near  the  now  city  of  Sparta,  to  which  he 
soon  added  two  other  eighty's  which  he  cultivated  and  im- 
proved, making  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  ]\Ionroe  county,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death.  ]\Ir.  Davis  subseciuently  sold  the 
north  eighty,  making  changes  by  purchases  and  re-purchases 
until  the  farm  now  contains  164  acres. 

He  was  born  June  9,  1824.  and  died  in  Ai)ril,  1910.  The 
mother  passed  away  in  1870  at  the  age  of  forty-three.  David  L. 
Davis,  paternal  grandfather,  and  Jeremiah  Chandler,  maternal 
grandfather,  were  both  natives  of  the  Granite  state,  where  they 
spent  their  lives.  The  paternal  great  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject was  Bezaliel  Davis,  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
the  powderhorn  carried  by  his  distinguished  ancestor  is  still 
in  the  possession  of  the  family.  The  great  great  grandfather. 
Benjamin  Davis,  married  Phoebe  Doan,  a  native  of  Cape  Cod. 
Bezaliel  Davis  married  Mary  Wright,  their  marriage  occurring 
September  12,  1776.  David  L.  Davis  married  Anna  Smith,  a 
native  of  Grafton  county,  New  Hampshire,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Smith.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  Democrat  in  his  politics 
and  a  Universalist  in  his  religious  faith.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order.  He  lived  out  the  alloted  three  score  and 
ten  years,  but  his  wife  survived  until  her  eighty-seventh  year; 
they  both  died  in  Grafton  county.  New  Hampshire.  They  reared 
seven  children,  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  six  of  whom  grew  to 
maturity.  Their  names  were  Anna  H.,  who  married  Joseph 
Tenny,  a  native  of  Grafton  county,  and  a  son  of  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  ]\Ir.  Tenny  died  April  24.  1892,  aged  eighty-eight  years: 
Mrs.  Tenny  survived  nntil  1896.  Harriet  Newell  was  the  wife  of 
Moses  Morse,  and  died  in  ]\Iouroe  county  about  1874;  John  S. 
was  a  resident  of  Angelo,  Monroe  county,  when  his  death  oc- 
curred. Rodolphus  B..  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years; 
James  C,  who  moved  to  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1846 ;  David  L.. 
who  lived  and  died  in  his  native  state,  and  Hiram  S.,  who  was 
the  youngest  of  the  family. 

Hiram  S.  Davis,  our  subject's  father,  was  a  man  of  strong 
convictions  on  questions  of  right  and  wrong,  and  never  lacked 
in  courage  to  express  his  sentiments,  and  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics. 


HIKAM    S.    DAVTS 


BIOGRAPHY  645 

\Villi;iiii  Iv  Davis  rcct'ivcMl  his  education  in  tlie  district  and 
hi^li  schools  of  Sparta,  and  has  always  lived  on  the  family  home- 
stead, which  is  still  conducted  as  the  Davis  estate.  In  December, 
1903.  Mr.  Davis  was  married  to  Miss  Margaretta  Lewis,  daughter 
of  Charles  and  Eliza  3.1aria  (Bush)  Lewis.  Charles  G.  Lewis, 
a  native  of  Vermont,  a  descendant  from  an  old  and  prominent 
New  England  family,  came  to  Wisconsin  many  years  ago  and 
settled  in  Dane  connty,  where  he  remained  until  1879,  thence 
removed  to  monroe  county.  Mrs.  Lewis  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  L. 
and  Margaretta  Bradley,  natives  of  Maryland.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bradley  later  settled  in  New  Jersey,  and  in  the  forties  came 
to  AVisconsin  and  thence  to  the  state  of  Washington,  where  they 
died.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  have  been  born  four  children, 
viz:    Edgerton    L..    Phillip    C,    Karen    F.    and    Ruth   Davis. 

C'harles  G.  Lewis  was  born  December  18,  1823,  at  Cornwall, 
Vermont.  His  father,  Martin  Lewis,  was  also  born  in  the  same 
l)la('(\  hut  his  mother  was  born  in  Tolland,  Conn.  ]Martin 
Lewis  came  to  Wisconsin  with  his  family  in  the  spring  of  1846, 
traveling  by  way  of  the  lake  to  Milwaukee,  and  from  there  to 
]Madison  by  team,  near  which  city  he  lived  on  a  farm  until  the 
fall  of  1880,  when  he  moved  to  Sparta  with  his  son.  Charles 
(his  wife  having  died  at  the  home  near  Madison.)  Mr.  Lewis 
lived  with  his  son  on  a  farm  between  Angelo  and  Sparta,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-six  years.  Martin  Lewis  had  three 
children,  Charles  G. ;  Harriet  T.  died  some  years  ago,  and 
Henry  M..  an  attorney  at  IMadison,  and  at  the  present  time  referee 
in  bankruptcy.  The  family  of  Charles  G.  Lewis  consisted  of 
]Margaretta  B.,  Harriet,  Carl  H.,  and  Silas  M.,  all  born  at  Sun 
Prairie,  near  Madison.  Charles  G.  taught  school  for  a  time  at 
Sun  Prairie,  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  education 
for  Dane  county,  until  the  territory  became  a  state,  Avas  chair- 
inan  of  the  town  board  for  five  terms,  and  in  1878  was  elected 
to  the   general  assembly  for  one  term. 

Alvin  Day*,  of  Tomah,  JMonroe  county.  Wis.,  Avas  born  in  this 
county.  February  25,  1866,  a  son  of  Calvin  and  Alary  (Davis) 
Day.  Alvin  attended  the  district  school  up  to  his  sixteenth 
year,  and  at  an  early  age  started  out  in  life  to  earn  a  livelihood. 
He  was  at  hrst  employed  on  a  farm,  following  which  he  spent 
three  years  in  Nebraska,  where  he  worked  on  a  ranch.  Re- 
turning to  Alonroe  county,  he  worked  for  six  years  on  a  cran- 
berry marsh  owned  by  the  Appleton.  Trayberry  Companj^  and 
at  end  of  which  time  he  beuan  in  a  small  way  to  develop  a 
eranberrv    nmrsh    on    a    small    fortv    acre    tract    Avhich    he    had 


646  HISTORY  OF  :M0XR0E  COUNTY 

acquired  in  section  twenty-six,  LaGrange  township.  Within  a  short 
time  he  added  another  thirty  acre  tract  in  the  same  section,  again 
adding  by  purchase  365  acres  in  sections  twenty-six,  twenty-seven 
and  twenty-eight,  all  located  in  LaGrange  township.  He,  in  the 
meantinu'.  disi)osed  of  part  of  the  land  not  suitable  for  develop- 
ment, retaining  240  acres,  a  large  part  of  Avhicli  has  been  put  under 
cultivation,  and  a  crop  of  1000  barrels  of  cranberries  being  the 
output  of  1911.  which  was  sold  in  the  eastern  market.  ]\Ir.  Day 
devotes  his  entire  attention  to  cranberry  culture,  which  together 
with  a  large  force,  is  employed  at  tlie  industry,  tlie  largest  of  its 
l\ind  in  ^Monroe  county. 

]\lr.  Day  has  been  a  resident  of  Tomah  since  liJlO.  Prior  to 
that  time  he  had  resided  in  LaGrange  township.  He  is  a  public 
spirited  citizen  and  is  interested  in  the  welfare  of  Monroe  county; 
besides  he  is  experienced  in  his  i)articular  line  of  business. 
He  has  been  clerk  of  the  school  board  in  the  town  of  LaGrange 
for  twenty  years  and  is  a  member  of  the  AVoodmen  of  the  AVorld. 

j\L".  Day  was  first  married  to  ]Miss  Bertha  Balding,  who 
died  in  1803.  In  1898,  he  married  ]\Iiss  Catherine  Desburg.  who 
died  in  1911.  To  this  union  were  born  a  family  of  six  sons, 
viz:  Arthur  C.  born  December  21,  1899;  Harold  E..  born  Febru- 
ary 27,  1903:  Alva  L..  born  November  2.  1904:  Paul  H..  born 
February  27.  1906;  Ray  A.,  born  Jaiuiary  25,  1908,  and  Harry  C, 
born  November  9.  1909.  INIr.  Day  was  again  married  June 
6.  1912.  in  the  city  of  ^lilwaukee.  to  ]\Iiss  Alice  Uischuer.  daughter 
of  William  IHschuer.  of  LaGrange  township.  ]Mrs.  Day  is  the 
second  child  of  a  family  of  six  and  received  her  education  in 
the   pul)lic   schools   of  ]\Ionroe   county. 

Calvin  Day.  a  representative  and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Wellington  townshij).  was  l)orn  in  Pennsylvania.  August  14, 
1829,  a  son  of  Elias  and  Charity  (Eator)  Day.  When  our  subject 
was  two  years  of  age.  his  parents  moved  to  Athens  county,  Ohio; 
after  a  residence  there  of  twenty-one  years,  the  family  moved  to 
Wapello  county.  Iowa,  where  the  father  engaged  in  farming  and 
made  his  hom(>  ntitil  his  death  in  1887.  The  mother  ]iassed 
away  when  Cahin  was  twelve  years  old.  They  reared  a  family 
of  nine  children.  After  the  death  of  his  wife.  Elias  Day  was 
married  for  the  second  time  to  Jane  Dudley  in  Athens  county, 
Ohio,  and  by  this  union  two  children  were  born.  Tlu^  early  ances- 
tors on  the  iiateriuil  side  of  Calvin  Day  came  from  Wales,  while 
his  mother  was  Peinisylvania  Dutch.  Ilis  grandfather  on  the 
maternal  side  was  a  soldiei-  in  the  War  of  1812.  and  his  great 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 


BIOGRAPHY  647 

"When  a  mere  lad.  Calviu  received  liis  early  education  in  the 
cooper  shop  of  his  father  from  a  private  instructor,  and  when 
he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  bought  his  time  from 
his  father  with  his  share  of  his  mother's  estate,  so  that  he  was 
free  to  carve  out  an  independent  livelihood  for  himself.  He 
began  his  career  as  a  laborer,  which  occupation  he  followed 
until  he  bought  from  his  father  fifty  acres  of  land  in  Athens 
county,  Ohio,  for  which  he  paid  his  father  $200.  A  man  of  thrift, 
steady  and  economical  habits,  Mr.  Day  from  the  beginning  pros- 
pered, and  is  noAv  the  owner  of  139  acres  of  land  in  Wellington 
township  and  123  in  Forest  township,  on  which  he  has  made 
valuable  and  lasting  improvements.  He  has  built  a  fine  resi- 
dence, barn  and  outbuildings,  and  keeps  his  place  well  stocked 
with  good  horses  and  cattle,  and  in  his  farming  operations, 
employs  the  most  up-to-date  methods.  Mr.  Day  is  a  man  of 
liberal  education,  self  acquired,  and  is  well  posted  on  all  current 
subjects.  In  political  sentiment  he  is  independent,  but  a  strong 
believer    in    Socialism. 

IMr.  Day  has  been  four  times  married ;  first  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
and  by  his  first  wife  had  one  child,  Elenor.  He  married  again 
in  1856  and  by  that  marriage  had  one  son,  John.  In  1857,  he 
married  for  the  third  time  and  seven  children  were  born,  viz : 
Helen,  Jane,  Frank,  Sarah,  Calvin,  Alvin  and  Samuel.  On  Sep- 
tember 30,  1883,  in  the  town  of  Wellington,  he  was  married  for 
the  fourth  time,  this  wife  being  Mrs.  Adda  L.  LaRouge,  and  by 
this  union  four  children  were  born,  viz:  INIary,  born  March  3, 
1885;  Lewis,  born  February  8,  1887;  Archie  and  Arthur,  twins, 
born  June  20,  1891.  Mrs.  Day  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children. 
Her  parents  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Monroe  county  and 
the  father  at  the  time  of  his  death,  w^hich  occurred  INIay  20,  1885, 
was  the  owner  of  160  acres  of  land.  His  wife,  mother  of  Mrs. 
Day.  passed  away  September  25,  1885. 

Erie  DeWitt  is  the  son  of  Richard  and  Sally  Ann  (Thomp- 
son) DeAVitt,  who  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1856  with  a  family  of 
five  children,  and  located  in  Wells  township,  Monroe  county, 
where  the  father  purchased  360  acres  of  land  in  section  nineteen 
and  twenty-nine,  and  it  was  here  our  subject  was  born  on  August 
25,  1858,  and  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now — 1912 — living.  The  others  are,  Ora  Richard,  of 
Sparta,  Eugenia,  Wells  township.  Sally  Ann,  wife  of  Eugene  Austin, 
of  Leon,  Jaiie,  wife  of  Alortimer  Arnold,  of  Sparta.  Laura,  widow 
of  George  V.  Riggs.  of  Wells  township.  The  father  was  born  in 
Vermont  in  1812,  and  the  mother  in  New  York  state  in  1823. 


048  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

lie  was  an  honored  and  profrressive  citizen  of  Wells  township, 
where  he  spent  his  life,  his  death  havincr  occurred  in  1901.  His 
wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  a  charmins:  lad}'  of  many  domes- 
tie  virtues,  devoted  to  her  home  and  family,  and  held  in  high 
esteem  by  all  who  knew  her;  she  passed  away  in  lf)()8.  mourned 
by  lici-  devoted  family  and  a  larsre  circle  of  friends.  In  religious 
faith,  botii  ^li'.  and  Mrs.  DeWitt  wd-e  Spiritualists. 

Erie  DeWitt  was  reared  on  Ihc  lidnic  farm  and  received  his 
education  in  the  district  schools,  assisting  in  carrying  on  the 
farm  work  until  1889.  when  he  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  ]Mary  Glass 
in  ]\IcIIcnry  county,  Illinois.  He  then  purchased  195  acres  of  choice 
land  in  Wells  township  Avhich  is  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation 
and  well  improved  Avith  a  modern  house  and  barn  and  other 
outbuildings,  all  of  wliicli  are  supplied  witli  pure  water  from  a 
flownng  well  275  feet  deep.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising  and  is  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  this  town- 
ship. He  is  a  Repul)lican  in  politics  and  active  in  the  councils  of 
his  party,  and  has  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  various  minor 
town  offices. 

]Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  DeAVitt  have  an  interesting  family  of  four 
(laughters  and  two  sons,  viz:  ]\Iay.  born  April  25,  1890;  Ernest, 
born  March  18,  1894:  Richard,  born  May  7,  1895;  Grace,  born 
December  2,  1896;  Eliza,  born  August  28,  1900,  and  Laura,  born 
November  7.  1901. 

Gecrge  E.  Dinger  is  a  ])rominent  farmer  of  Leon  township. 
Monroe  county,  where  he  Avas  born  January  24,  1867.  son  of 
George  and  Radical  Dinger,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  first 
to  La  Crosse  county.  Wisconsin:  to  Leon  township  in  1866,  and 
Avere  among  the  representative  citizens  of  that  town.  He  AA'as  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  lived  on  his  farm  of  .S()5  acres  until  1892, 
Avhen  he  retired  from  active  labor  and  moved  to  Sparta,  Avhere 
he  died  in  1907. 

George  E.,  our  subject.  Avas  reared  on  the  farm  and  his  ex- 
l)erience  Avas  the  same  as  most  farmer  boys.  He  attended  tb.e 
district  school  in  Avintei-  and  assi.sted  Avith  the  farm  Avork  during 
the  summer.  When  his  father  moved  to  the  city  of  Sparta, 
he  purchased  the  old  homestead  of  305  acres  and  has  since  made 
many  A-aluable  aiul  lasting  improvements.  During  the  year  of 
1912.  he  l)uilt  a  new  residence  of  si.xteen  rooms,  containing  all 
modern  conveniences,  hot  and  cold  Avater,  etc.  Mr.  Dinger  is 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  for  some  time  has  made  a 
specialty  of  dairying.  He  built  a  large  separator  aiul  milk  house 
Avhich  is  supplied  \\  itli  pure  miming  Avater  from  an  artesian  aa'cH 


BIOGRAPHY  649 

265  feet  deep.  He  is  one  of  the  solid  men  of  his  town  and  a 
generous   public    spirited    gentleman. 

On  Jnne  9,  1892,  he  was  married  to  Aliss  p]mina  Croft,  daughter 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  Croft.  The  father  was  born  in  England 
and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  when  a  boy,  who  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Leon  valley.  The  father  died  in 
1910,  leaving  besides  his  widow,  who  now  lives  in  Oregon,  at 
the  age  of  seventy  years,  one  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Dinger,  and 
one  son.  who  resides  in  California.  To  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Dinger  have 
been  born  six  children — five  of  whom  are  now — 1912 — living, 
viz :  Russell,  born  March  30,  1893 ;  Floyd,  born  February  2,  1896 ; 
Georgia,  born  January  17,  1898;  Florence,  born  April  10,  1900, 
and  AVilliam,  born  June  5.  1908.  ]Mrs.  Dinger  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Sparta  high  school,  and  taught  several  years  in  Cannon 
valley  and  Pleasant  valley,  in  Leon  township,  and  afterwards  at 
Summit. 

Archie  Lee  Doane.  Among  the  progressive  farmers  of 
Lafayette  township  is  Archie  Lee  Doane,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 6,  1859,  son  of  Timothy  A.  and  Sarah  Maria  (Rhodes)  Doane, 
natives  of  New  York  state  and  Connecticut,  respectively.  AVhcn 
Archie  was  two  years  of  age.  in  1861,  his  parents  moved  to 
IMonroe  county  and  settled  in  Bush  prairie  on  the  farm  where 
Peter  Allendorf  lived  during  his  lifetime.  The  father  died  in 
1866  and  the  mother  is  still  living  (1912)  at  the  age  of  eight-eight 
years.  They  raised  a  family  of  five  children,  viz :  Orceins,  de- 
ceased; Charles  A.;  Archie  L. ;  Lillian  J.,  wife  of  Andrew  Ilutson, 
of  Big  Creek,  and  Ernest  T. 

Archie  L.  received  a  common  school  education  in  the  local 
district  schools  and  helped  in  the  farm  work  during  his  boy- 
hood. When  twelve  years  of  age,  he  left  the  home  farm  and 
came  with  his  mother  who.  after  the  death  of  the  father,  married 
in  1872  for  her  second  husband,  William  P.  Williams,  and  moved 
to  the  farm  in  section  seven,  Lafayette  township,  where  our 
subject  has  since  resided.  After  the  death  of  'Sir.  Williams  in 
1878,  Archie  in  connection  with  his  two  brothers,  managed  the 
farm  for  twenty  years,  and  in  190-4  our  subject  purchased  the 
whole  place  and  has  since  carried  it  on  alone.  The  farm  con- 
taining 2-40  acre^.  is  well  improved,  with  a  comfortable  residence 
and  outbuildings,  besides  a  commodious  barn  erected  by  Mr. 
Doane  in  1908.  He  has  cleared  sixty  acres  since  he  purchased 
the  farm  and  one  fall  he  grubbed  some  600  stumps  and  has 
made  many  other  improvements  on  this  magnificent  farm  which 
was  noted   in  the   early  days  for  the   wheat   raising   quality   of 


650  TIISTOKY  OF  :\I()XROE  COUNTY 

the  soil.  ^Ir.  Doaiie  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  Durham  and  Ked  Pole  cattle  being  his  favorites.  In 
addition  to  this,  he,  during  the  threshing  seasons  from  1905 
to  1908,  ran  a  thresher  through  the  Welsh  and  Beaver  Creek 
valleys.  Prominent  in  the  affairs  of  his  township,  he  has  been 
supervisor  two  terms  and  overseer  of  the  highways. 

On  ^lay  12,  1890,  ^Ir.  Doane  married  ]\Iiss  Emma  Herring, 
daughter  of  Peter  and  ]\Iary  (Smith)  Herring,  natives  of  Ger- 
many. To  this  union  have  been  born  five  children,  viz :  Fern, 
Ralph.  Fay.   Joy   and  Irene   Doane. 

Charles  A.  Doane,  a  well  known  citizen  of  ]\Ionroe  county, 
and  one  of  her  large  class  of  prosperous  and  substantial  farmers, 
was  born  in  Genesee  county,  Xew^  York,  October  27.  1855,  the 
second  child  of  a  family  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter  born 
to  Timothy  A.  and  Sarah  (Rhodes)  Doane.  natives  of  New  York 
state  and  Connecticut,  respectively.  Of  the  other  children, 
Orceins  is  deceased;  Archie  resides  on  section  seven.  Lafa.yette 
township;  Lillian  is  the  Avife  of  Andrew  Hutson.  of  Big  Creek 
valley,  and  Ernest  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Lafayette  township. 
The  parents  with  their  family  came  to  jNIonroe  county.  AYis- 
consin,  in  1861,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  section  twenty,  Lafayette 
township,  where  the  father  died  in  1865.  aged  forty-five  years. 
The  mother,  a  charming  lady,  still  survives  (1912)  at  the  age  of 
eighty-eight  years,  and  makes  her  home  with  the  snli.ier-t  of 
this  sketch. 

Charles  A.  was  reared  ou  the  farm,  having  the  common 
experience  of  the  ordinary  farmer  boy,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  district  schools.  lie  lived  on  the  home  farm  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-four,  in  1879,  then  purchased  his 
present  farm  in  section  thirty-two,  tow^n  of  Lafayette,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  has  made  many  improvements,  added  new 
buildings  and  the  land  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  which 
produces  each  year   an   abundant  harvest. 

On  June  6,  1888,  Mr.  Doane  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Anna  Wilson,  daughter  of  Charles  Wilson,  of  Little  Falls  town- 
ship. Three  children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  viz:  Clarence 
L.,  resides  in  Montana;  Lucile  J.,  and  Sadie  M.  reside  at  home. 
Mr.  Doane  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town 
and  county  and  his  integrity  has  been  recognized  by  his  fellow 
citizens  in  many  ways,  by  placing  him  in  the  office  of  town 
treasurer,  treasurer  of  the  school  di.stricl  and  cliaii-inan  of  the 
town  lioard. 


BIOGEAPIIY  651 

Ernest  T.  Doane,  who  has  passed  his  whole  life  as  a  farmer 
in  Lafaj'ette  township,  Monroe  county,  where  he  was  born 
November  7,  1864,  is  the  son  of  Timothy  A.  and  Sarah  (Rhodes) 
Doane.  natives  of  New  York  state  and  Connecticut,  respectively, 
and  is  the  youngest  son  of  a  family  of  five  children.  (See  sketch 
of  Charles  A.  Doane  of  this  volume.)  The  parents  came  to  ]Monroe 
county  in  1851  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Lafayette  tow^nship, 
where  the  father  died  in  1865  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years. 
The  mother  is  still  (1912)  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  and 
makes  her  home  with  her  son,  Charles  A.  Doane.  Ernest  was 
raised  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  and  later 
the  high  school  of  Sparta.  Afterward  he  became  associated 
Avith  his  brothers.  Archie  L.  and  Charles  A.,  in  farming  opera- 
tions, wdiich  arrangement  continued  until  1896,  wdien  our  subject 
purchased  his  present  farm  of  120  acres  in  section  twenty-eight, 
Lafayette  township,  from  AV.  H.  White.  The  same  year  he 
erected  a  new  residence  and  otherwise  improved  the  place.  Dur- 
ing the  years  1897.  1898  and  1900  he  added  outbuildings  and  in 
1892  built  a  large  and  commodious  barn  28  x  72  feet,  and  in 
1911  erected  a  modern  silo.  A  flowing  well  supplies  the  barn  and 
stock  with  running  water.  He  engages  in  general  farming  and 
dairying  and  his  farm  is  well  stocked  with  a  good  grade  of 
horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  Mv.  Doane  has  been  recognized  in  his 
town  and  county  as  a  man  of  marked  ability  and  worth;  he 
has  been  township  clerk  for  six  years;  chairman  of  the  town 
board  three  years  and  clerk  of  the  school  district.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Sparta  Creamery  Association,  and  a  director  in  the 
Farmer's  Mutual   Insurance   Association. 

On  September  9,  1896.  ]Mr.  Doane  w^as  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  Belle  Remington,  daughter  of  John  and  Martha. 
(Harris)  Remington,  now  residents  of  Sparta.  Mrs.  Doane  is 
one  of  a  family  of  three  children.  The  others  are  Ida,  now  Mrs. 
Frank  Gantka,  of  Little  Falls  township,  and  IMinnie,  deceased. 
Mr.  and  IMrs.  Ernest  Doane  have  a  family  of  two  children : 
Gertrude  Leah,  born  November  10,  1900,  and  Wilmer  Ernest,  born 
October  8.  1905. 

Theodore  Donskey,*  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Ridgeville 
township,  was  born  in  Germany  on  October  29.  1869,  and  came 
to  America  with  his  parents,  John  and  Josephine  (Grathenerk) 
Donskey,  the  following  year.  The  family  first  located  in  Chicago, 
111.,  and  shortly  afterward  moved  to  the  town  of  Wells,  in  Monroe 
county,  where,  in  1872,  they  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  and 
lived  there  until  thev  retired  from  active  farm  life.     Thev  raised 


652  IIISTOKY  OF  ,M()XH()E  ("Ol'XTY 

a  family  of  six  boys  and  five  uirls.  all  of  whom  are  now — 1912 — 
living,  Theodore  being  the  eldest  of  the  family.  The  parents 
were  thrifty  and  persevering,  and  it  was  not  long  after  they 
purchased  the  fai'm.  before  their  faithful  efforts  were  justly 
crowned  with  success.  They  brought  the  land  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  made  it  one  of  the  ideal  country  homes.  They 
were  both  devoted  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  were 
highly  respected  in  their  community.  The  mother  passed  away 
in  1900,  the  father  still  survives  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  and 
holds  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  many  friends  and 
acquaintances. 

Theodore  Donskey  was  married  in  Chicago,  111.,  in  18S7,  to 
]Miss  Frances  0.  I^arker.  They  have  had  two  children,  viz: 
:\Iartha,  born  January  12,  1896.  and  Rosa,  born  July  28,  1898. 
After  their  marriage,  ]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Donskey  lived  in  Summit 
Ridge,  in  Ridgeville  township,  where  they  worked  a  rented  farm 
for  about  twelve  years,  then  bought  a  farm  of  330  acres  in  the 
town  of  Ridgeville.  which  they  afterward  sold,  and  purchased 
another  tract  of  209  acres  in  sections  nine  and  four,  which  has 
since  been  their  homestead  and  is  one  of  the  ideal  farm  homes 
of  Monroe  county.  Mr.  Donskey  is  a  man  of  excellent  judgment 
and  thoroughly  up  to  date  witli  liis  farming  methods  as  Avell 
as  in  matters  involving  public  interest,  and  consequently  he  has 
made  his  chosen  occupation  a  grand  success.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  his  political  views,  and  has  held  the  office  of  town  treasurer 
for  two  years,  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  general  progress 
and  Avelfare  of  his  town  and  county.  He  is  public  spirited  and 
enterprising  and  is  a  valuable  citizen   in   his  community. 

Orville  J.  Dorwin,  a  former  ni(Mnl)er  of  the  Sparta  Sash  & 
Door  Company,  Avho  has  arisen  from  a  poor  but  ambitious  farmer 
boy  to  the  position  of  one  of  the  leading  manufacturers  and 
substantial  business  men  of  Sparta,  was  born  in  Angelo  town- 
ship. ]Monroe  county,  AVisconsiu,  July  28.  1866,  the  son  of  Sam- 
uel N.  and  Lucy  (Rollins)  Dorwin,  both  natives  of  Vermont, 
who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Monroe  county.  Raised 
on  the  home  farm  with  the  success  of  the  business  largely  de- 
pendent upon  liiiii.  -Ml'.  Dorwin 's  educational  advajitages  were 
somcAvhat  limited;  he  attended  llie  district  schools  ;iiid  his  apti- 
tude for  practical  knowledge,  overcame  (he  obstacles  which  con- 
fronted him  in  tlu^  way  of  education,  and  placed  him  on  the 
plane  with  others  whose  advantages  were  far  greater.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-four,  he  left  the  farm  ami  spent  two  years  at  the 
carpenter  trade  with   E.  T.  TTanehelt.  and  in  the  spring  of  1892, 


BIOGRAPHY  653 

he  located  in  Sparta  and  commenced  contracting  and  building, 
which  he  followed  for  a  period  of  six  years,  during  which  time 
he  erected  some  of  the  most  substantial  dwellings  and  other 
buildings  in  the  city.  In  1898  he  engaged  in  the  sash  and  door 
business  with  Frank  Freeman,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  Dorwin 
&  Freeman.  JMr.  Freeman  later  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Dorwin, 
and  later  he  sold  a  half  interest  to  W.  H.  Stelting  and  the  firm 
name  changed  to  Dorwin  &  Stelting,  which  continued  for  two 
years,  Mr.  Stelting  selling  his  interest  to  M.  R.  Ebert,  when  Mr. 
Dorwin  became  sole  owner  of  the  business,  and  carried  it  on 
successfully  until  1908 ;  at  this  time  he  associated  with  the  Naset 
Brothers,  inider  which  arrangement  the  business  has  since  con- 
tinued as  the  Sparta  Sash  &  Door  Company,  one  of  the  chief 
industries  of  the  city,  its  output  being  distributed  throughout 
the  entire  state.  The  finishings  for  two  buildings  for  the  state 
school,  two  ward  schools,  and  several  store  houses  for  the  gov- 
ernment range,  as  well  as  numerous  other  buildings  have  come 
from  this  factory,  the  business  having  increased  from  a  small 
beginning  to  over  $40,000  in  1910.  Mr.  Dorwin  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  above  firm  on  November,  1911,  and  now  has 
lumber   interests   at  Ft.   Meyer.   Fla. 

Mr.  Dorwin  is  a  man  who  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  both  in  a  business  way 
and  socially.  Unassuming  in  manner,  he  has  a  cpiiet  conscious- 
ness of  his  own,  strength  of  character  and  latent  force  thus  has 
carried  him  past  all  difficulties  which  he  has  encountered  during 
his  lifetime.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  jMasonic  fraternity 
at  Sparta. 

On  October  18,  1892,  Mr.  Dorwin  was  married  at  Baraboo, 
to  Miss  Amelia  Seltz,  daughter  of  August  Seltz,   of  Sparta. 

Sidney  N.  Dorwin,  for  fifteen  years  local  manager  of  the 
Brittingham  &  Hixon  Lumber  Company,  of  Sparta,  came  from 
Fairfax,  Franklin  county,  Vermont,  where  he  was  born  on  Augsut 
22,  1859,  to  Samuel  N.  and  Lucy  (Rollins)  Dorwin,  natives  of 
that  state,  where  they  lived  until  1860,  then  moved  to  Wisconsin 
and  located  at  Angelo,  in  Monroe  county,  where  the  father  con- 
ducted a  shoe  store  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War. 
He  enlisted  in  company  D  twenty-fifth  regiment  Wisconsin  Volun- 
teer Infantry  for  three  years'  service  in  which  he  experienced 
many  hardships.  In  one  of  the  battles  in  which  he  was  engaged, 
he  received  a  severe  wound  from  the  effects  of  which  he  lost  one 
of  his  legs ;  as  soon  as  his  condition  would  permit,  he  received 
his  discharge  from  the  service  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Angelo 


654  IIISTOKY  OF  .MONROE  COI'XTY 

and  I'osumcd  his  shoe  business,  lie  was  one  of  ^Monroe  county's 
most  hiyhly  i-es])eet»'(l  eiti/ens.  ;iii(l  altliongh  being  at  the  dis- 
advantaiie  of  having  but  one  limb,  lie  was  active  and  progressive 
and  took  a  deep  interest  in  all  pnbJic  matters.  He  died  in  1907 
at   the   age   of   sevenly-Hve   years. 

liVmaii  Dorwin.  palt-rnal  iii'aiHll'athcr  of  Sidney  X..  was  also 
a  native  of  Vermont.  wIumc  Ik-  lived  and  raised  a  family  of  four 
children.  Samuel  X.  being  the  oldest.  He  was  a  tanner  by  trade, 
and  upon  his  arrival  in  ^loni'oe  coimty  in  the  late  fifties,  he 
])uilt  and  operated  for  several  years  the  first  tannery  at  Sparta. 
He  later  traded  this  ]iroper1y  for  a  farm  in  Spai"ta  township, 
which  he  made  his  homestead  and  lived  there  until  his  death  at 
the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  His  wife,  grandmother  of  our  sub- 
ject, died  whei.  Sanuiel  X.  was  but  twelve  years  of  age.  The 
second  marriage  of  Lyman  DorA\iii  was  with  ^liss  Cheida  Hoyt. 
of  Vermoiil.     To  this  union  one  daughter,  Agnes,  was  liorn ;  she 

married    Frank    Kendall,    of    Sparta,    both    are    deceased.      

Rollins,  maternal  grandfathei-  of  our  subject,  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  and  a  native  of  ]\Iilton  Falls,  Vt.  Lucy  Rollins, 
maternal  grandmother  of  ]Mr.  Doi-win.  was  the  oldest  of  a  family 
of  ten  children.  She  died  at  St.  Albans,  ^'t..  the  ]ilace 
of  her  birth,  in  1909,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  Both  the  Dorwin 
and  Rollins  families  were  descended  from  English  ancestry. 

Sidney  X.  Dorwin  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  attended  the 
district  schools  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  Avhen 
he  became  imbued  with  the  advice  of  the  late  Horace  Greeley 
to  go  West,  he  went  to  Dakota,  where  he  secured  a  claim,  but 
not  finding  the  situation  to  his  liking,  he  returned  to  "Wisconsin, 
and  engaged  for  two  years  in  farming.  The  luml)er  Imsiness 
licing  at  this  time  at  its  height,  he  went  to  Cumberland.  Wis., 
and  Avas  employed  for  three  years  by  the  Beaver  Lake  Lumber 
Company.  He  then  worked  in  the  mill  and  woods  until  1886, 
when  he  came  to  Sparta  and  entered  the  employ  of  O.  L.  Irwin 
in  1886.  \\'\\h  whom  lie  remained  until  1896.  Mi-.  Irwiu  was  then 
conducting  the  lumbei-  business  which  has  since  consolidated 
with  othei-  plants  and  is  now  under  the  ownership  of  Brittingham 
&  Hixon,  with  ]\lr.  Dorwin  as  its  manager  until  September.  1911, 
having  been  with  the  last  named  comi)any  since  1896.  Since  that 
time  lias  been  engaged  as  hnnber  salesman  in  southern  Wisconsin. 

31  r.  Dorwin  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  of  the  I\Iodern  Woodmen  of  America.  On  September  20, 
1882.   he   was   married   to   ]Miss   Xettie   J.    llarvev.   only   child   of 


BIOGRAPHY  655 

]\lieali  A.  and  Delia  (Chamberlain)  Harvey,  natives  of  New 
Hami)shire  and  early  settlers  of  Angelo,  Monroe  county,  Wis- 
consin. ]Mr.  ITarvey  is  a  mechanic  liy  trade,  and  is  a  highly 
respected  citizen.  His  wife,  mother  of  ]\Irs.  Dorwin.  died  in 
1898  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 

To  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Dorwin  have  been  born  four  children,  viz: 
Harvey  C.  born  February  25,  1885 ;  Ernest  J.,  born  June  28, 
1888;  Harold  M..  born  January  16,  1891,  and  died  June  3,  1911; 
Delia  Lucy,   born  February   3,   1907. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  an  article  of  the  Sparta 
paper  on  the  death  of  Harold  M.  Dorwin : 

"Harold  M.  Dorwin  departed  this  vale  of  tears  and  took  leave 

of  his  beloved  parents,  brothers  and  sister  early  Saturday  night, 

June  3rd.     The  immediate   cause   of  his  death  was  tuberculosis 

which  developed  into  an  acute  form  in  February  of  this  year. 

Harold  had  been  in  poor  health  at  time  of  his  graduation  from  the 

high    school,    and   never   really   recovered    completely   from   his 

troubles   at   that   time.     His   parents   and   friends   besought   him 

to  rest,  but  he  was  ambitious  and  anxious  to  get  on  in  the  world, 

and   could   not   be   persuaded  to    give   up   his   employment   until 

this  })ast  winter,  when  he  was  beyond  help.     The  work  of  this 

young  man  in  the   Monroe   county   bank,   has   been   such    as   to 

attract   favorable    comment    from   his    employers,    other   bankers 

and   from   business   men   who   have    observed   it.      There    was    a 

seriousness   of   i^urpose   and   sincerity   of  interest    that   foretold 

promotion  and  advancement  in  his  chosen  profession  and  in  the 

world  of  business.    His  young  friends  and  school  associates  knew 

an  entirely  different  side  of  him  from  the  business  side,  and  feel 

their  loss  keenly.     His  even  temperament  had  a  soothing  effect 

upon  his  companions  of  less  fortunate  disposition,  and  he  was  a 

source  of  comfort  to  them.    Up  to  the  time  of  his  serious  attack, 

he  was  organist  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  while  this  work 

and  his  work  on  the  piano,  he  did  because  of  his  great  love  for 

it.   he    gave   evidence    of  much   talent   and   musical    ability    and 

his  efforts  on  the  piano  as  well  as  on  the  large  organ  were  little 

less   than    wonderful.      The    funeral   was    held    at    the    residence 

of  his  parents  on  south  K  street,  Tuesday  P.  M.,  and  was  largely 

attended." 

Albert  E.  Drowatzky,*  who  resides  on  his  farm  of  280  acres 
in  section  tifteen,  Adrian  township,  was  born  on  the  farm  ad- 
joining his  on  June  26,  1877.  His  parents,  Frederick  and  Bertha 
(Holtz)  Drowatzky,  who  reside  on  section  ten,  this  township, 
are  natives  of  Prussia.     The  father  was  born  November  6,  1839, 


656  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

and  is  the  son  of  .Joliii  and  .Mary  (Jess)  Drowatzky.  also  natives 
of  Prussia,  antl  who  came  witli  their  son  to  ]\Ionroe  county  in 
1856  and  settled  in  Adrian  township  where  our  subject's  father 
now  resides.  His  l)rothers,  Charles  and  Bernard,  uncles  of  our 
subject,  had  preceded  him  in  isr)4.  and  the  three  brothers  took  up 
six  forties  of  government  land  and  for  many  years  resided  in  the 
same  neipldiorhood.  The  farm  where  Albert  E.  now  resides  being 
that  of  Charles,  wlio  died  there.  Bernard,  the  other  brother, 
now"  resides  in  Tonudi.  The  grandparents  of  our  subject  died  on 
the  homestead  farm  and  were  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Jackson- 
ville. The  first  buildings  on  the  homestead  farm  where  Fred- 
erick D.  now  resides,  were  a  log  house  and  stables  which  were 
later  sujiplanted  by  a  modern  house  built  in  1876  from  stone 
taken  from  the  farm,  and  other  up-to-date  buildings  followed 
as  the  times  demanded.  Tlie  journey  to  this  new  home  was  made 
overland  from  IMadison  w  itli  a  team  of  oxen  and  the  hardships 
experienced  were  many,  and  they  had  some  difficulty  in  reaching 
the  home,  which  was  then  only  a  wilderness.  The  grandfather 
had  the  misfortune  of  a  broken  limb  and  remained  at  ]\Iadison 
for  some  time  before  being  able  to  join  the  rest  of  the  family. 
The  land  was  cleared  by  members  of  the  family,  who  used  three 
yoke  of  oxen  in  tilling  the  soil,  which  was  transformed  from 
the  wild  state  to  one  of  protliictiveness.  and  at  this  time,  ]\Ir. 
Drowatzky 's  is   one   of  the   fine   farms   of  Monroe   county. 

In  the  early  days  of  their  residence  in  this  county,  the  Indians 
were  numerous  and  sometimes  troublesome,  often  stealing  their 
stock  and  otherwise  annoying  the  newcomers.  One  year  the 
smallpox  scourge  raged  among  them  and  they  died  so  fast  that 
their  bodies  laid  piled  up  in  one  place  on  the  farm  until  they 
could  be  given  the  Indian  burial.  Mr.  Drowatzky.  Sr..  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  sturdy  pioneer  of  Adrian  township,  and  a  man 
of  strict  integrity  and  sterling  worth,  a  standard  citizen  who 
enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect   of  the  entire  conununity. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Albert  E.  Drowatzky.  is  the  third 
child  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  eight  children;  of  the  others, 
Rudolph,  resides  in  ^Montana  ;  William  II.  in  8an  Antonio,  Texas: 
Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  R.  ]\1.  Jones,  of  Bangor.  La  Crosse 
county;  Louis  resides  at  Tuniud  City,  this  county:  Arthur  lives 
on  the  homestead  farm;  Emil  resides  in  Oakdale  township  and 
jNIartha  is  in  :Montana.  On  December  19,  1902,  :\Ir.  Drowatzky 
purchased  his  present  farm  from  tiie  heirs  of  his  uncle,  and  has 
since  there  resided  engaged  in  general  farming.  At  the  time 
of   his   ])urchase,    the    fai-m    was   considered    little    more    than   a 


BIOGRAPHY  657 

pasture,  which  Mr.  Drowatzky  has  transferred  into  a  productive 
and  desirable  farm.  The  same  year  he  settled  on  this  place, 
he  built  a  barn,  and  in  1903  erected  a  residence  and  in  1906 
built  a  large  and  commodious  barn ;  the  farm  is  now  under  a 
good  state  of  cultivation,  and  contains  the  finest  spring  of  pure 
Avater  in  that  locality. 

During  his  whole  lifetime,  Mr.  Drowatzky  has  been  a  resident 
of  his  native  town  with  the  exception  of  four  years  when  he 
was  variously  employed  in  ]\Iinnesota,  southern  Wisconsin  and 
for  one  year  was  employed  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Eailroad  in  building  and  contracting.  On  December  23, 
1903.  he  was  married  to  INliss  Augusta  Miscli,  daughter  of  August 
and  Reka  (Trapp)  Misch,  residents  of  Grant  township,  Monroe 
county.  The  parents  emigrated  from  Germany  to  this  country 
when  jNlrs.  Drowatzky  was  three  years  of  age.  They  have  two 
children,  viz :  Leo  Ray,  and  Elmer  Raymond  Drowatzky.  Re- 
ligiously iMr.  and  Mrs.  Drowatzky  affiliate  with  the  German 
Lutheran   church  of  Tomah. 

Ben  A.  Drawver,  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  Sheldon 
township,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wells,  Monroe  county,  on 
February  13,  1875,  and  is  the  son  of  Paul  and  Anna  Drawver, 
both  natives  of  Germany;  the  father  came  to  America  in  1873 
and  located  first  in  Dane  county  where  he  worked  a  few  months 
as  a  farm  laborer.  The  same  year,  1873,  he  came  to  Monroe 
county  and  settled  in  the  tOAvn  of  Sheldon  and  for  a  time  worked 
at  carpentering  and  milling.  He  homesteaded  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  section  thirty-five,  town  of  Wells,  and  lived  there  until 
1909,  when  he  moved  with  his  family  to  the  village  of  Norwalk, 
where  he  has  since  been  generally  successful  in  all  his  under- 
takings and  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  married  in  1874  and  reared  a  family  of  nine  children. 

Ben  A.  Drawver  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  lived  at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age.  Thrown  upon  his  own  resources  in  early  life,  he 
began  his  career  at  various  employment  and  small  wages.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  went  to  North  Dakota  where  he  spent  five 
years  at  the  threshing  machine  business,  and  by  his  economy 
and  perseverance  he  succeeded  in  saving  enough  whereby  he 
purchased  a  farm  in  his  own  right  near  Oil  City  in  Sheldon  town- 
ship, and  is  now  one  of  the  representative  and  popular  citizens 
of  the  town.  Besides  his  farming  operations,  Mr.  Drawver  has 
for  the  past  twenty-one  j^ears  been  engaged  in  the  threshing 
machine   and  saw  mill   business,   and   has   held   various   political 


658  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

offices  in  his  town.  He  is  a  Republican  in  polities  and  active  in 
the  councils  of  his  party.  He  served  one  year  as  supervisor  and 
for  seven  years  was  clerk  of  the  school  hoard ;  he  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  town  hoard  in  1912. 

On  November  2,  1904,  he  was  married  in  Sheldon  to  Miss 
Grace  Curtis,  daughter  of  Jed  and  P^tta  Curtis.  They  have 
three  children,  viz :  Wayne,  born  August  7,  1908 ;  Wendell,  born 
August  4.  1906,  and  Orlaiid.  hnni  April  5.  1910. 

Charles  Ducklow,  deceased.  To  the  young  men  of  our  land 
the  life  of  tli<'  subject  of  this  sketch  is  an  enduring  example 
of  the  cai'dinal  virtues  of  industry,  uprightness  and  frugality, 
of  si  riot   temperance  and  unwearied  perseverance. 

]\Ir.  Ducklow  was  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  Ai)ril  3.  1853, 
in  the  town  of  Ashippun.  Dodge  county.  His  parents  were  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  (Nicholson)  Ducklow,  natives  of  Cork,  Ireland, 
and  who  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Dodge  county 
in  the  early  forties.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
Charles  being  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth.  Five  brothers  and 
three   sisters   still   survive. 

Charles  Ducklow  passed  his  boyhood  in  Dodge  county  and 
his  early  experiences  w^ere  those  of  the  average  poor  boy  of  that 
region.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  place,  and  in  1874  began  the  trade  of  carpenter 
and  joiner,  and  followed  this  occupation  in  his  home  town,  and 
also  bought  cattle  in  Calumet  and  Pierce  counties.  In  1879,  he 
removed  to  Pierce  county.  AYisconsin.  where  he  continued  at 
cattle  buying,  until  1883,  whence  he  moved  to  ^lodena,  Buffalo 
county,  and  w^as  postmaster  under  both  the  Garfield  and  Harrison 
administrations,  and  also  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  carrying 
on  a  successful  business  here  until  the  spring  of  1890.  He  then 
moved  to  Wilton,  ]\Ionroe  county,  and  resumed  his  mercantile 
trade  in  that  place.  In  1893  he  added  a  lumber  yard  to  his  other 
line  of  business,  which  he  enlarged  from  time  to  time  as  in- 
creasing trade  demanded.  In  1897  he  disposed  of  his  mercantile 
establishment  and  from  that  time  on  devoted  his  entire  attention 
to  his  lumber  interests,  which  grew  to  such  large  proportions, 
that  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  November  26,  1911,  his  Avas  among 
the  largest  enterprises  of  its  kind  in  ]Monroe  county.  He  Avas  n 
man  of  excellent  ability,  keen  foresight,  and  success  crowned 
his  efforts.  In  all  his  affairs.  ]Mr.  Ducklow  was  characterized  by 
his  ])romptiU'ss.  good  judgment  and  conservation,  and  admired 
by  all  Avho  Avere  brought  into  contact  Avitli  him  for  his  honorable 
and  inherent  methods,  and  his  passing  aAvay  was  mourned  as  that 


.' .-...,  I.,l' 


""  ^'^lUll^ 


.  h\m\ 


■  ...Ipiif''' 


fj^z/ij    oQx^'^xL^zc- 


BIOGRAPHY  659 

of  a  j^ood  man.  a  nset'ul  citizen  and  a  loyal  friend.  He  took 
a  commendable  interest  in  jiublic  atfairs,  and  for  several  years 
worked  in  Repnl)lican   campaigns. 

]Mr.  Ducklow  was  reared  an  Episcopalian,  l)ut  contributed 
liberally  to  the  support  of  other  churches.  He  was  prominent 
in  ]Masonic  circles,  a  member  of  Wilton  Lodge,  No.  203,  Sparta 
Lodse.  No.  19,  R.  A.  M.,  Sparta  Commandery,  No.  16,  "Wisconsin 
Consistory,  Scottish  Rite,  and  Tripola  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  Mil- 
waukee. He  Avas  also  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star,  and  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  The  burial  was  made  at  Woodlawn  ceme- 
tery,  Sparta,   November   80,    1911.   under   Masonic   auspices. 

On  November  20,  1882,  Mr.  Ducklow  was  united  in  marriage 
to  ]\Iiss  Eva  I.  Shaw,  daughter  of  John  and  Jerusha  A.  (Wheeler) 
Shaw,  residents  of  Rock  Elm.  Pierce  county.  Mrs.  Ducklow  is 
a  iiative  of  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  where  her  parents  resided 
for  many  years.  Her  father  died  in  1904;  he  was  born  in  1840. 
Her  mother  is  still   living. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ducklow  were  born  four  children,  viz: 
William  T.,  born  October  22,  1883;  Elmer  E.,  born  March  25, 
1889;  Charles  E..  born  IMarch  15,  1891,  and  Lynn  S.  Ducklow, 
born   February    21,    1902. 

Since  the  death  of  his  father.  William  T.  has  been  the  active 
manager  of  the  lumber  business  formerly  conducted  by  his  father. 
He  is  an  enterprising  young  business  man  and  gives  promise  of 
becoming  one  of  Monroe  county's  most  influential  citizens,  fol- 
lowing in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  in  many  ways.  He  is  also 
active  in  ]\Iasonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  the  same  bodies 
as  was  his  father,  with  the  exception  of  the  Eastern  Star. 

]Mrs.  Ducklow  is  a  most  estimable  lady  whose  superior  quali- 
ties of  mind  and  heart  attract  to  her  the  admiration  of  all  who 
come  within  the  range  of  her  influence,  and  presides  with  grace 
and  dignity  over  her  beautiful  home  at  Wilton. 

George  D.  Dunn  was  l)oni  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  September 
18,  1838.  being  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Rachel  (Satterlee)  Dunn, 
natives  of  Bath  and  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  respectively. 

Thomas  Dunn  was  born  in  1799  and  married  Rachel  Satterlee 
in  1829;  he  was  reared  in  the  mercantile  business  wdiich  he  carried 
on  when  he  came  to  manhood  and  also  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business;  his  early  business  career  was  at  Eimira.  N.  Y.  He 
came  to  Sparta,  Wis.,  in  1862,  where  he  died  in  1871. 

Rachel  Satterlee,  the  mother  of  George  D.,  was  born  in  1809 
and  died  in  1885;  she  was  the  daughter  of  Elias  and  Elizabeth 
(Smith)    Satterlee;   their   earlier   life   was   spent   at   Elmira   and 


660  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

tlu'v  were  ainoii^-  the  pitmeei's  of  that  i)lat'e;  Elias  Satterlee,  h(?r 
father.  Avas  a  physician  by  profession  and  at  the  time  of  the 
Wyoniino;  valley  Indian  niassaere  his  father's  family  were 
residents  of  the  town  of  Wyoming.  I'a..  and  when  the 
Indian  ontbreak  occnrred.  they  retnrned  to  Connecticut  -.  about 
the  year  1804  Elias  Satterlee  moved  to  Elmira.  N.  Y.  lie 
"was  in  the  military  service  for  a  time  as  a  surgeon  in  the  war 
of  1812.  and  participated  in  the  Battle  of  Lundy's  Lane,  Canada. 
After  his  return  to  Elmira  he  was  accidentally  killed  by  the  dis- 
charge of  a  gun;  his  death  occurred  when  Rachel,  the  mother  of 
George  D..  was  six  years  of  age.  The  family  consisted  of  five 
children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters;  they  were  of  English 
descent. 

Mr.  Dunn's  ancestry  were  of  Scotch  descent  and  were  among 
the  earlier  settlers  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania;  William  Dunn, 
jiateriuil  grandfather  of  George  D.,  settled  at  Hath,  N.  Y., 
wher  he  remained  until  1804.  then  removed  to  Elmira.  N.  Y., 
when  the  father  of  George  D.  Avas  five  years  of  age.  Charles 
Dunn,  the  brother  of  Thomas,  was  the  first  white  child  born 
at  Bath,  N.  Y. ;  the  other  members  of  the  family  were  Thomas 
Dunn  and  Judge  James  Dunn  and  William  Dunn,  and  two  sisters, 
Susan  and  Elsie.  They  each  raised  large  families  w^hose  descend- 
ants are  to  be  found  in  the  different  parts  of  the  United  States. 

George  D.  Dunn  was  the  only  son  in  a  family  of  five  children, 
and  besides  himself  there  is  only  surviving  a  sister,  Fanny  S., 
widow  of  S.  N.  Dickinson,  now^  living  at  Sparta,  Wis.  George  D. 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Elmira.  N.  Y.,  and  began 
his  business  career  as  clerk  for  the  firm  of  Thompson  Dunn  at 
Elmira,  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  In  1856,  he  came  West  and  located 
in  Lodi,  AVis..  where  his  uncle.  Rev.  John  Lewis,  was  then  located. 
A  few  months  later  he  went  to  Janesville,  and  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Chapman  Brothers  as  clerk.  After  a  time  he  was  placed 
in  charge  of  a  branch  store,  of  this  firm  at  Albany,  Wis.,  which 
he  managed  for  about  two  years  in  that  place.  In  June,  1861, 
the  store  was  removed  to  Sparta,  and  ]Mr.  Dunn  continued  in 
charge  of  the  same. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  })urchased  this  branch  store 
and  has  been  since  continuously  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness at  Sparta.  His  first  store  was  located  in  a  wooden  building 
where  the  Stringham  building  now  stands.  In  1869,  he  erected 
the  present  store  building  which  he  has  occupied  ever  since.  !Mr. 
Dunn  has  been  continuously  engaged  in  business  for  himself 
and  has  made  a  remarkable  record,  being  the  only  merchant  in 


BIOGRAPHY  661 

the  state  of  Wisconsin  who  has  continued  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness without  any  change  of  firm  name  for  over  fifty  years. 

AYhen  Mr.  Dunn  came  to  Sparta  in  1861,  it  was  but  a  small 
village  of  about  six  or  eight  hundred  people,  and  his  competitors 
were,  S.  D.  Jackson  and  Co.,  0.  D.  Randall,  brother  of  ex- 
Governor  Randall,  and  G.  W.  Root.  At  present  0.  D.  Randall 
is  the  only  one  of  the  above  merchants  who  is  living  besides 
Mr.  Dunn. 

Mv.  Dunn  was  one  of  the  original  organizers  and  stock- 
holders of  the  IMonroe  county  bank,  which  was  inaugurated  in 
1894.  At  that  time  he  was  elected  president  of  the  board  of 
directors  and  has  continuously  held  that  office  since  that  time. 
Under  his  presidency  the  bank  has  built  up  a  handsome  business 
and  is  02ie  of  the  solid  financial  institutions  of  this  part  of  the 
state. 

During  his  long  career  in  business  Mr.  Dunn  has  accumulated 
a  comfortable  fortune  and  his  liberality  in  aiding  in  different 
enterprises  has  been  one  of  the  characteristics  of  his  life ;  many  a 
struggling  church  has  received  a  generous  contribution  from  Mr. 
Dunn  to  aid  it  in  building  a  building  or  for  some  other  worthy 
purpose,  all  given  unostentatiously  and  with  a  desire  to  do  good; 
he  was  one  of  the  principal  instigators  of  the  company  w^hich 
originally  built  the  armory  now  owned  by  the  Aibonito  Guard 
Association  and  he  has  been  equally  and  at  all  times  interested 
in  public  enterprises  which  were  for  the  benefit  of  the  city 
and  surrounding  country  and  has  been  free  to  give  to  objects 
which  he  thought  were  worthy  and  of  benefit  to  the  community 
at  large. 

Truly  a  remarkable  record  is  that  of  Mr.  Dunn  in  the  mer- 
cantile business;  his  name  is  synonymous  with  square  dealing, 
honesty  and  uprightness  and  when  the  last  chapter  of  his  life 
is  brought  to  a  close  it  may  be  truly  said  that  the  career  of 
George  D.  Dunn,  while  modest  in  its  way,  was  that  of  a  typical 
American  boy  coming  from  good  old  pioneer  stock,  who  steadily 
climbed  the  ladder  of  success  depending  entirely  upon  his  own 
native  gifts  and  perseverance. 

Among  the  relatives  of  jMr.  Dunn  wiio  helped  to  make  history 
in  the  different  parts  of  the  country  was  an  uncle  by  the  name  of 
Dr.  Benedict  Satterlee,  who  gave  up  his  duties  in  the  East  and 
went  as  a  medical  missionary  among  the  Pawnee  Indians  and  was 
stationed  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  in  1833,  at  a  time  when 
that  M-as  indeed  a  part  of  the  far  West  and  almost  out  of  the 
reach  of  civilization.    He  left  Elmira  with  his  bride  in  that  year, 


662  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

she  dyinti'  <ui  the  way.  Ahoiit  1836  he  was  found  dead,  supposed 
to  have  been  killed  by  the  Indians,  but  years  afterward  an  old 
trapper  made  a  death-bed  confession  that  he  killed  him  for  his 
gun.  ]Mr.  Dunn  has  in  his  possession  letters  written  by  Dr.  Sat- 
terlee  during  the  period  of  1833  to  1836  which  were  sent  across 
the  country  before  the  time  lli.if  the  i)()stage  stamps  came  into 
use.  These  letters  contain  aeeounts  of  the  adventures  of  Dr.  Sat- 
terlee  in  that  count ly  jiiid  ;irc  truly  something  very  interesting. 

L.  M.  Earle,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Cashton,  was  born  Novem- 
ber (i,  1873,  in  Tomah.  AVis.,  the  son  of  Watson  and  Emma 
(Turner)  Earl,  both  of  old  New  England  ancestry,  the  father  a 
native  of  New  York  state  and  the  mother  a  native  of  Vermont. 

After  obtaining  a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood Mr.  Earle  early  entered  upon  a  business  career,  being 
a  young  man,  courageous  and  of  good  habits,  and  feeling  himself 
thoroughly  competent  to  rely  upon  his  OAvn  resources.  His  first 
employment  was  as  clerk  for  the  banking  house  of  I\I.  A.  Thayer 
&  Co.,  at  Tomah,  where  he  remained  for  about  one  year,  and 
from  there  he  went  to  Hillsboro,  N.  D.,  and  took  a  position  Avith 
the  National  Bank  of  Hillsboro  and  worked  for  one  year.  He 
then  returned  to  AVisconsin  and  from  1893  to  1909  he  worked  as 
bookkeeper  in  tlu;  Bank  of  Tojuah,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
in  his  i)resent  position,  the  officers  of  the  bank  being  AVatsou 
Earle,  president;  L.  W.  Earle,  vice-president,  and  L.  M.  Earle, 
cashier. 

Mr.  Earle  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  for  man\'  years  has 
been  a  faithful  Avorker  for  his  party. 

On  January  1,  1901.  ]Mr.  Earle  married  Aliss  Anna  Campbell, 
of  Cashton.  and  they  have  one  cliild — Anna  R..  born  October  2. 
3909. 

M.  H.  Easly,*  a  i)rogressive  and  ])rominent  business  uum  of 
Tomah,  was  born  at  Cincinnati,  Oliio,  August  12,  1865.  to  Alicliael 
and  Bridget  (AFcBrearty)  Easly,  both  natives  of  Ireland.  Coming 
to  America  in  1848,  the  father  located  at  CiiuMunati.  where  he 
engaged  in  business  as  a  tanner  and  bought  and  dealt  in  all  kinds 
of  hides.  Avhich  in  those  early  days  was  a  profitable  business.  It 
was  here  that  he  married,  made  his  home  and  raised  his  family 
until  1868.  Avhen  he  went  to  Alissouri  and  engaged  in  farniintr 
in  Jefferson  county,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1903.  He 
Avas  thrifty  and  progressive  and  universally  successful  in  bis 
undertakings,  a  man  of  influence  in  his  connnunity  and  enjoyed 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  Avho  kncAV  him. 

Raised  on  his  father's  farm.  Mr.  Easly  obtained  his  education 


BIOGRAPHY  663 

in  the  district  schools  of  his  township.  After  completing  his 
studies  he  followed  the  vocation  of  teaching  school  for  a  time, 
then  went  to  Texas  and  secured  employment  with  a  bridge  crew 
working  on  the  Ateheson,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad.  He  came 
to  AVisconsin  in  1886  and  spent  some  time  in  a  sawmill  in  Jackson 
county ;  he  also  spent  some  time  in  the  logging  business  in  the 
woods  on  the  Yellow  river  in  Wood  county.  After  visiting  other 
points  he  went  to  Grant  county  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  the 
spring  of  189-4  he  came  to  Tomah  and  secured  employment  with 
the  Crossette  Manufacturing  Company,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  the  destruction  of  their  plant  by  fire  in  1901.  August  1, 
1902.  he  w^as  made  game  warden,  which  office  he  held  until  1908, 
when  he  organized  the  Tomah  Manufacturing  Company. 

A  Eepublican  in  political  views,  he  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  his  party.  In  1910  he  was  elected  mayor  of  the 
city  of  Tomah,  and  dispatched  the  business  of  this  office  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  the  citizens  and  with  honor  to  himself.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention  in  1902  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  local  and  state  politics. 

Mr.  Easly  is  a  man  of  fine  social  qualities,  generous,  kind 
hearted  and  genial,  and  popular  in  the  social  circles  of  Tomah. 
He  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  a  member  of  the 
Blue  Lodge,  No.  172.  His  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one.  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son  at  Tomah.  Her 
fine  mental  endowments  and  high  ideals  in  life  make  her  a  favorite 
among  her  wide  circle  of  friends. 

Edgar  H.  Eddy.  To  attempt  to  write  a  reliable  history  of 
Monroe  county  and  not  give  prominent  mention  to  the  name  of 
Edgar  H.  Eddy  would  be  something  altogether  impossible,  for  as 
almost  a  continuous  resident  of  the  county  for  so  long  a  period 
he  has  very  properly  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  part  of  it.  He  was 
born  in  Vermont,  December  16,  1824,  the  son  of  Royal  and  Sally 
(Joy)  Eddy,  natives  of  Vermont  and  Massachusetts,  respectively. 
They  married  in  Vermont,  where  they  spent  several  years  in 
Chittenden  county,  removing  to  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York, 
in  1854.  Royal  Eddy,  father  of  Edgar,  w^as  a  son  of  Samuel 
Eddy,  who  lived  first  in  Bennington  county,  Vermont,  and  who 
later  went  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  encountering  many  hardships 
incident  to  pioneer  life,  and  there  lived  and  died.  Sally  Joy, 
mother  of  our  subject,  was  the  daughter  of  David  Joy,  a  descend- 
ant of  an  old  and  prominent  family  of  ]\Iassachusetts.  Edgar  H. 
Eddy  left  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  in  the  spring  of  1854 
for  the  state  of  Wisconsin.    He  Avent  first  by  team  to  Ogdensburg, 


664  IIISTOin'  OF  MOXKOK  CorXTY 

X.  v..  llii'iicc   rroiii  llicrt*  l)y  walcr  lo  L('\vistt>ii.  niul  fi'oni  there 
he  aj;aiii  li\i\ clcil  on  to  KufT';il(»  by  tcciiii.  where  he  took  passage 
by  boat  for  Monroe,  ^lieh.     .\niviii.i:  at  the  hist  named  place,  he 
traveled   by  rail   1i>   Chicago,   and    Muain    went   forth   ])y   way  of 
Lake  ]\Iichigan  to  ^Milwaukee.     On  his  arrival  tliere  he  secured  a 
team  and  starterl  overhmd  foi-  .Monroe  county,  arriving  at  Sparta 
on  June  20,  1854.  aiul  first   stopped  witli  Andrews  Lyman,  who 
ran  the  old  Globi;  hotel,  wiiieh  stood  where  the  Sparta  Library 
now  stands.    A  few  days  later  he  proceeded  to  Beaver  Creek,  in 
Sparla  township,  and  located  on  section  8  on  wliat  is  now  known 
as  the  Shattuck  farm  and  near  tiie  now  famous  Castle  Rock,  the 
top  of  whicii  at    that   time  was  covered    Avith    red    cedar    trees. 
There  was  but  one  house  then  between  Sparta  and  his  claim.    lie 
fir.st  built  a  small  shack  for  a  house  and  began  life  in  the  then 
new  country.     That  same  season.   hoAvever.   he   erected   a   frame 
liouse  and  began  clearing  the  timber  and  making  other  improve- 
ments.    Royal  Eddy,  his  fathei".  had  preceded  him  one  year  to 
this  locality  in  1858  and  preempted  a  half  section  of  government 
land.     On  the  arrival  of  ]Mr.   Eddy  he   and   liis   l)rother  George 
entered  a   (inarter  section  of  wild  land   in   1854.     At  the  end  of 
the  first  year  they  had  cleared  eight  acres.    At  that  time  the  hills 
and   forests   were   abundant   with    wild    game,    whicli    furnished 
plenty  of  subsistence:  at  the  end  of  the  second  year  ]\Ir.  Eddy 
sold  his  interest  to  his  brother  and  ])roceeded  to  the  lumber  woods 
near  AVitterville,  Wis.,  where  he  was  employed  for  three  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  ]Monroe  count}'  and  located 
on  a  rented  farm  in  Bis  creek,  known  as  the  Harr  farm;  after 
spending  two  years  on  tliat  ])lace  he  moved  to  Sparta  and  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil   War  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Third 
"Wisconsin  Cavalr\.  and  was  nnistered  into  the  service  in  Decem- 
ber. 1862.  and  served  on  the  frontier  west  of  the  ^Mississippi  and 
for  tAvo  .vears  Avas  among  the  HusliAvhackers    of    ^Missouri    and 
Kansas.     He  Avas  honorably  disclnirged  at  the  close  of  the  Avar 
and  mustered   out   in   Eel)ruary,   1865,   and   returned   to   ]\Ionroe 
coiuity  and  homesteaded  a  (|uarter  section  of  land  in  sections  20 
and  21  of  Sparta  toAvnship.  Avhere  he  cleared  five  acres  and  estab- 
lished the  family  home,     lie  continued  to  clear  and  improve  the 
land   until   he   had   fifty  acres   nndei-   cultivation   and   there  con- 
tinued to  nud<('  his  home  until  .\pi-il  1,  1907,  Avhen  lie  retired  from 
active  labor,  and  has  since  made  his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Walter  IIoAvartl. 

On  June  20.  1849,  ]\lr.  Eddy  Avas  united  in  marriage  Avith  ^liss 
Catherine  Tucker,   dauuliter  of  Josepli   and   Catliei'ine    (Church) 


EDGAR  H.  EDDY 


BIOGRAPHY  665 

TiU'ker.  To  this  union  was  born  six  rhildnMi — Ella,  who  married 
Charles  Aniidon.  is  tleeeased;  Royal  lives  in  Hand  county,  S.  D. ; 
Sarah  is  the  ^vi(lo^^•  of  Joseph  AYillard  and  resides  at  Salem, 
Ore.;  Ed^ar  N..  of  Sparta  township;  ({eortie  is  deceased,  and 
j\Iiniiie,  Avife  of  Walter  Howard,  of  Big  Creek.  Mrs.  Eddy,  who 
died  Auiiust  16,  1890,  at  the  a^e  of  fifty-six  year.s,  was  a  worthy 
helpmeet  of  her  husband  and  shared  the  trials  and  hardships 
incident  to  pioneer  life,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  her  wide 
circle  of  friends.  Mr.  Eddy  is  a  man  of  quiet,  unassnming  man- 
ners, of  strong  physique,  possessed  of  those  sterling  traits  which 
win  respect  of  the  entire  community.  He  is  regarded  as  a  man  of 
great  worth,  and  has  always  been  a  cordial  supporter  of  the 
various  enteri)rises  of  his  town  and  county,  and  Avhile  he  has 
nearly  reached  the  four-score-and-ten  mark,  he  is  mentally  strong 
and  vigorous  and  delights  in  relating  the  incidents  connected 
with  his  early  life  in  INlonroe  connty.  Pie  is  broad  and  liberal  in 
his  views  and  is  well  posted  on  the  topics  of  the  day,  and  delights 
in  the  membership  of  the  John  W.  Linn  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Sparta. 

Since  the  foregoing  Avas  written  ]\Ir.  Eddie  died,  on  September 
1-},  1912. 

Samuel  D.  Edwards,  owner  and  proprietor  of  Sparta's  mod- 
ern and  ui>-to-date  bus  line,  was  born  at  Cambria,  Wis.,  March 
20,  1858,  the  son  of  R.  D.  and  Jane  Edwards,  who  left  Wales, 
their  native  country,  in  the  early  fifties  for  America.  After  arriv- 
ing in.  this  country  they  came  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  first  near 
Cambria,  where  the.y  engaged  in  farming  for  several  years,  when 
Mr.  Edwards  took  up  the  jorofession  of  school  instructor,  teach- 
ing schools  in  the  vicinity  of  Cambria,  Bangor,  Portland  and  New 
Cambria.  In  1877  he  came  to  Sparta  and  was  for  a  time 
employed  in  the  Letson  furniture  store,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Rockland,  Wis.,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Northwestern 
Railway  Company  as  depot  agent,  remaining  in  this  position  for 
several  years.  After  leaving  this  position  they  moved  to  Har- 
vard. Ill,  where  they  l)otli  died — ]Mrs.  Edwards  in  1891.  at  the 
age  of  seventy  years,  and  ]\lr.  Edwards  in  1893  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years. 

Samuel  D.  Edwards  is  the  second  of  a  family  of  three  children ; 
the  others  are  Jane,  wife  of  A.  C.  Astrup.  and  resides  at  Madison, 
Wis.,  and  Benjamin,  who  is  agent  for  the  Northwestern  railway 
at  A\'ales,  Wis.  ]Mr.  Edwards  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  learned  the  carpenters' 
trade,  which  he  followed  together  with  other  lines  of  employment 
until   he   began   operating   a   bus   line   at   Sparta,    September   13, 


666  IILSTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

18!)4.  On  ()i't()l)er  1,  ^S^.)r),  lie  purcluiscd  the  Ihildi  P>iis  Line  and 
consolidated  tliis  and  other  lines  with  his  own.  and  on  November 
6,  1905.  he  added  the  Hotel  line,  and  in  1910  he  built  a  concrete 
and  brick  barn,  oOxlOO  feet,  modern  in  every  detail  and  stocked 
w  ilh  twenty  horses  and  seven  buses.  Tlic  equipment  and  service 
which  jNIi-.  Edw;ir(ls  has  placed  ;i1  the  disposal  of  the  public  is  the 
best  to  be  found  in  any  town  in  western  AVisconsin. 

On  May  7.  1893.  ^Ir.  Edwnids  was  united  in  uuirriage  with 
]\Iiss  Nancy  I.  Nicholson,  dauijhtei'  of  .lolm  and  Nancy  (Douglas) 
Nicholson,  of  Rockland.  Wis..  wIkm'c  botli  died.  The  Nicholson 
family  were  of  English  descent.  The  early  ancestors  in  this  coun- 
try were  residents  of  New  York.  .Mrs.  Ethvards  is  one  of  a  family 
of  six  children;  the  others  are  .John,  who  lives  ;it  Watertown, 
S.  D. ;  George,  deceased :  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Daniel  Traverse. 
resides  at  Rockland.  Wis.:  Thomas,  of  Watertown,  S.  D..  and 
Oharles,  deceased. 

They  have  one  daughter,  Mollie,  who  is  the  wife  of  George 
Siedel.  druggist   of  Sparta. 

Louis  Errickson,  a  progressive  farmer  and  representative 
citizen  of  Portland  township,  was  born  August  6.  1841.  in  Nor- 
way. When  he  Avas  ten  years  old  his  parents,  Andrew  and 
Nickoline  (Larson)  Errickson,  came  to  this  country  from  their 
native  land  with  a  family  of  five  children.  One  child  died  during 
the  voyage  and  Avas  buried  at  sea.  They  settled  in  Racine  county. 
Wisconsin,  where  the  father  Avas  employed  four  years  in  a 
fanning  mill  factory.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  they  moved 
to  Monroe  county,  and  for  a  tinu^  the  father  followed  mechanical 
Avork  in  Portland  toAvnship.  He  then  purchased  forty  acres  of 
land  in  section  twenty-five,  and  connnenced  the  life  of  a  farmer, 
living  there  until  1858,  Avhen  he  moA'ed  to  another  forty-acre 
tract  he  had  prcA'iously  acquired,  and  there  made  his  home  dur- 
ing the  remainder  ol'  his  lifetime.  He  Avas  progressive  and 
industrious,  and  from  time  to  time  added  to  his  original  ]uiiThasc 
until  at  his  death,  Avhich  occurred  in  1899.  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three,  he  OAvned  180  acres  of  land  in  Portland  toAvnship.  He  Avas 
a  successful  farmer  and  turned  his  attention  to  raising  grain  for 
market.  The  death  of  his  Avife.  mother  of  our  subject,  occurred 
in  1875.  They  Avere  members  ol"  the  Lutheran  church,  ami  in 
public  affairs  he  took  an  acti\('  and  prominent  part.  He  Avas 
chairman  of  the  tOAvn  board  and  treasurer  for  several  terms, 
ahvays  interested  in  the  affairs  of  the  Republican  party.  They 
had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  three  of  Avhom  are  noAv  (1912) 
living. 


BIOGRAPHY  667 

Louis  Errickson  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  also  in  America,  which  he  attended  until 
he  was  fifteen  years  old.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  AVar,  in  Company  E,  Fifteenth  Regiment, 
Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry.  After  serving  six  months  with 
this  regiment  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  In 
1863  he  again  enlisted,  this  time  in  Company  F,  First  AVisconsin 
Cavalry,  and  participated  in  many  lively  battles,  among  them 
being  the  battle  of  Resaca,  Dallas,  Calhoun,  Big  Shanty  moun- 
tain, Kenesaw  mountain  in  front  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  Jonesboro 
and  many  other  engagements  and  skirmishes,  and  after  two  years 
of  honorable  service  he  was  discharged  in  1865  and  returned  to 
his  home  in  AVisconsin,  and  until  1880  was  employed  on  the  farm. 
He  then  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  section  thirty-six,  town 
of  Portland,  near  the  village  of  Cashton,  on  which  he  has  made 
many  improvements  and  since  resided.  In  1898  he  built  his 
modern  residence  and  substantial  outbuildings ;  in  1912  he 
erected  a  large  and  commodious  barn,  36x80  feet,  with  16-foot 
posts  and  basement  8  feet  high,  sheeted  with  oak,  covered  with 
galvanized  iron,  accommodating  thirty  head  of  cattle  and  six 
horses,  and  he  will  soon  build  a  large  silo  in  connection.  This  is 
the  finest  barn  in  the  township.  His  farm  is  well  supplied  with 
modern  machinery  and  labor-saving  devices,  and  well  stocked 
with  a  good  grade  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  Mr.  Errickson 
uses  the  most  up-to-date  methods  in  his  farming  operations  and  is 
also  engaged  in  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  dairy  business.  He 
is  one  of  the  well-to-do  and  public  spirited  men  of  his  town  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs.  He  has  been  treasurer 
of  his  town  and  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  any  movements 
pertaining  to  the  betterment  of  his  community. 

On  January  7,  1880,  he  was  married  in  the  town  of  Portland 
to  Miss  Helen  Hansen  Sveum,  daughter  of  Hansen  Sveum,  a 
native  of  Norway,  and  early  settler  of  Vernon  county  AVisconsin. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  IMrs.  Errickson,  viz. : 
Laura,  born  October  6,  1880,  is  now  Mrs.  John  Benrud,  of  Vernon 
county;  Amanda,  born  January  27.  1884,  married  Melvin  AA^ang, 
of  Cashton,  and  has  two  children.  Henry,  born  October  20,  1887, 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  the  Cashton 
High  Scliool,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in  the  class 
of  1906,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  at  St.  Olf  College  at 
Northfield,  Minn.,  and  graduated  from  the  agricultural  depart- 
ment of  the  AA^isconsin  State  Universitv  in  1912.     Mr.  and  Mrs. 


668  HISTORY  OF  MONRO?]  COUNTY 

Krricksoii  have  one  adopted  child,  Fryda.  In  icliji:ioiis  matters 
they  are  iiiemhers  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Martin  Erriekson.  oldest  l)rother  of  Louis.  Avas  a  ineuiher  of 
Company  11,  Fifteenlli  Wisconsin  Lifantry.  liavin<i,-  enlisted  in 
186L  and  served  until  tiie  close  of  ti;e  war.  He  was  with  his 
regiment  in  the  battles  of  Island  No.  10,  Union  City,  ]Murfrees- 
l)oro,  and  was  taken  prisoner  at  Chiekamauga  and  confined  in 
Libby  prison,  and  was  one  of  the  110  who  tunneled  out  and  nuide 
their  esea])e.  lie  was  recaptured  and  sent  to  Belle  Island,  and 
finally  transferred  to  Andersoiiville,  and  was  there  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  After  his  return  to  Monroe  county  he  engaged  in 
business  at  Sparta  with  W.  XL  Blyton,  and  while  in  partnership 
with  iiim  built  a  brick  block,  where  he  continued  in  business 
until  his  death  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  tAventy-nine  years,  the 
primary  cause  of  which  was  a  wound  received  at  Murfreesboro. 

Martin  Erickson.  In  1866  there  came  from  Norway,  their 
native  land,  Jolui  and  Karn  0.  (Larsdater)  Erickson.  with  a 
family  of  five  children,  who,  after  their  arrival  in  America  came 
to  Monroe  county,  AVisconsin,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Portland 
and  homesteaded  160  acres  of  land  in  section  four,  and  there 
established  a  family  home  and  lived  until  1906,  when  the  father 
sold  the  farm  and  moved  to  Leon,  where  he  now  resides  in  retire- 
ment, enjoying  the  Avell-earned  fruits  of  his  years  of  toil. 

On  the  homestead  farm  in  Portland  Martin  Erickson  was 
born  November  2,  1869.  He  attended  the  district  schools  during 
his  boyhood  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  lie  reached  his 
majority,  and  then  leased  the  farm  from  his  father,  and  for  a 
short  time  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account.  In  1893  he 
purchased  ninety  acres  of  unimproved  land  in  s(H'tion  twenty-two, 
Leon  township;  here  lie  erected  a  small  house,  where  he  lived 
until  1903.  then  built  a  modern  ten-room  lumse,  and  in  1909  a 
conniiodious  barn  3()xr)()  fei^t.  Avhich,  with  other  buildings  and 
substantial  impro\'enients.  makes  one  of  the  ni)-to-date  country 
Iiomi's  of  the  township.  In  his  fanning  ojx'rations  he  uses  the 
most  modern  methods  and  is  a  successful  breeder  of  Guernsey 
cattle,  and  has  raised  leaf  toliacco  for  several  years.  In  connec- 
tion with  this  he  carries  on  an  extensive  dairy  business  from  his 
herd  of  fifteen  milch  cows  which  pi-oduces  a  hnndsomi'  revenue 
each  year. 

On  November  18,  1890,  in  the  town  of  Portland,  ]\Ir.  Erickson 
was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Mary  Anderson,  daughter  of  Gullic  Ander- 
son. They  had  a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom  five  are  now 
(1912)  living,  viz.:    Evangeline,  born  April  4,  1894;  Gilmer,  born 


■I 


BIOGRAPHY  6G9 

April  5,  1896 ;  Otis,  born  September  14,  1898 ;  Louise,  born 
February  14,  1901,  and  Walter,  born  December  17,  1903.  In 
religious  affiliations  I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Erickson  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  strong  progressive 
Republican. 

Albert  E.  Evenson,*  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Portland,  February  23,  1872.  He  is  a  son  of  Martin 
and  Maria  (Ericson)  Evenson,  natives  of  Norway.  It  was  in  the 
early  fifties  that  jMartin  Evenson,  father  of  our  subject,  came  to 
America  and  first  settled  in  Wabasha  county,  Minnesota,  where 
his  wife  died.  After  two  years  he  came  to  the  town  of  Portland 
and  homesteaded  160  acres.  He  afterwards  disposed  of  this  land 
and  purchased  a  farm  of  John  W.  Jones  in  the  Fish  Creek  valley, 
which  he  later  sold,  moving  to  Leon,  where  he  now  resides.  His 
birtli  occurred  in  NorAvay,  where  also  his  wife,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  born.  Mr.  Evenson,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
twice  married,  and  to  the  first  union  ten  children  were  born,  seven 
of  whom  are  living,  and  to  the  second  marriage  tAVO  children  Avere 
born. 

Albert  E.  attended  the  common  school  until  his  seventeenth 
year,  and  at  an  early  age  began  as  a  farm  laborer  at  twenty-five 
cents  per  day.  He  soon  after  received  employment  as  section 
hand  on  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  railway  for  a  period 
of  fifteen  months,  when  his  wages  were  increased.  In  1895  he 
located  on  the  farm  of  his  grandfather,  Andrew  Evenson,  where 
he  resided  for  two  years,  when  he  removed  to  Leon,  where  he  was 
employed  on  the  farm  of  W.  II.  Davis  for  eight  years,  then 
removed  to  the  Fred  Swartzlow  farm  near  Leon,  and  there  resided 
for  three  years,  thence  to  wliat  is  known  as  the  Aylesworth  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  1908,  when  he  purchased  the  farm  of 
forty  acres  formerly  owned  by  Mr.  Aylesworth,  where  he  now 
resides,  and  to  which  he  has  added  valuable  improvements,  tilling 
the  soil  to  the  best  advantage,  rebuilt  the  residence,  built  a  silo 
and  made  several  other  additions. 

Our  subject  is  a  Progressive  Republican  and  a  great  admirer 
of  Senator  LaFollette.  He  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  fraternal  matters  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  has  held  the  office  of  tax 
supervisor  for  three  years  and  has  been  chairman  of  the  town  of 
Leon  for  seven  years.  On  December  11,  1895,  he  was  married  at 
Cashton  to  IMiss  Mary  Ann  Gilbertson.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  viz.:  Herbert  W.,  born  December  1,  1896,  and 
Lela  J.,  born  April  13,  1906. 


670  IIIST()RV  OF  MOXROP:  COUNTY 

Leo  B.  Evenson,  a  jMtpular  i-lothit-r  of  Sparta,  is  a  prodiu-t  of 
IMiniu'Sota,  and  was  liorn  at  Lanesboro,  Fillmore  foiinty,  April  7, 
]881.  tho  son  of  Ennl  and  ]Mary  (Vieth)  Evenson,  natives  of  AVis- 
eonsin  and  I\Iinnes(>ta,  respectively.  The  father  died  in  IMay, 
1887.  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years,  leaving  the  mother  and  two 
children.  Leo  B.  and  his  sister  Alildrcd.  wife  of  AV.  W.  Card,  all 
residents  of  Sparta. 

Supplementing  liis  ]iublic  school  education  with  a  course  at 
the  Lawrence  T'niversity,  Appleton,  AVis.,  Air.  Evenson  began  his 
career  as  a  (dothing  merchant  in  tiie  employ  of  Dodge  &  Davis, 
in  1901,  contiiniing  in  this  position  for  two  and  a  half  years.  He 
then  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  Inisiness  with  George  Grossman, 
under  the  name  of  Leo  Evenson  Clothing  Company,  Avhich  later 
merged  into  the  Pickwick  Clothes  Slioj).  the  Sparta  establishment 
being  one  of  a  cliain  of  stores  operating  in  tlie  various  towns 
around  Sparta,  the  holding  company  being  known  as  the  Gross- 
man AVardrol)c  Company.  Ti'.c  Sparta  store  Avas  the  first  one 
organizetl  in  lilO!),  and  is  one  of  the  chain  of  stores.  The  Tomali 
store  is  under  the  charge  of  AY.  AY.  Card,  and  the  store  at  Elroy 
is  operated  by  Louis  Larson,  all  (tf  Avhich  are  operated  by  the 
holding  company  under  the  name  of  the  Pickwick  Clothes  Shops. 
The  company  is  comjiosed  of  tlic  following  named  gentlemen : 
George  Grossman,  president,  treasurer  and  general  manager: 
Leo  B.  Evenson,  vice-president  and  assistant  general  manager: 
"NY.  AY.  Card,  secretary.  The  directors  are :  Dr.  AY.  T.  Sarles, 
C.  Al.  Alasters,  AYilliam  AIcBride,  Dr.  Carl  B(>ebe.  Harry  Alastcrs. 
George  Grossman  and  Leo  B.  Evenson. 

Air.  Evenson  is  one  of  the  wide-awake  and  progri'ssive  cloth- 
ing men  of  this  section,  and  his  broad  experience  in  the  line  has 
fitted  him  for  the  position  he  now  occupies.  lie  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Alodern  AYoodmen  of  America, 
and  is  active  in  the  social  circles  of  Sparta. 

On  February  12,  1905.  he  was  married  to  Aliss  Julia  Cholvin. 
daughter  of  Samuel  Cholvin.  a  resident  of  AYilton,  Alonroe  county. 
Air.  and  Airs.  Evenson  linvc  tliree  children,  viz.:  Elizabeth. 
A'irgiiiia  and  Eleanor. 

W.  J.  Ferries,  a  native  son  of  Alonroe  county,  was  horn  on  the 
ridge  in  Wilton  township,  on  -Inly  9,  1862,  the  son  of  AY.  11.  and 
Alargaret  (Ilarland)  Ferries,  both  natives  of  AYales.  In  the  early 
fifties  tile  fatluM-  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  and  AV.  J. 
Ferries,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  homesteaded  a  (juarter  sec- 
tion of  land  on  the  ridge,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
AVilton  township.     His  brother,  Avho  came  with  him  to  America, 


BIOGRAPHY  671 

also  took  a  homestead  of  160  acres.  The  great-grandfather  was 
a  farmer  and  hotel  keeper  and  established  the  first  hotel  in  Ridge- 
ville.  where  the  tourist  and  newcomer  were  treated  to  his  hos- 
pitality. His  son,  father  of  our  subject,  who  was  his  chief  aid, 
managed  the  farm  while  he  attended  to  the  hotel  business  and 
was  generally  successful  in  his  undertakings  and  was  well  known 
over  the  county  as  a  kind-hearted,  generous  and  public  spirited 
man.  highly  respected  by  the  entire  community  where  he  lived. 
In  the  cultivation  of  his  wild  land  he  used  nine  yoke  of  oxen  to 
turn  the  sod.  He  lived  on  his  farm  for  many  years  and  finally 
sold  the  land  and  moved  to  Tomah.  where  he  died  in  1882.  He 
had  a  family  of  three  children,  one  of  whom  still  1 1912)  survives, 
two  sons  deceased,  and  one  daughter.  Elizabeth,  now  living  at 
Norwalk,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

W.  H..  father  of  our  subject,  was  twice  married,  first  to  Mar- 
garet Harland  in  1853.  by  whom  seven  children  were  born,  five 
sons  and  two  daughters,  five  of  whom  are  now  living.  Mrs. 
Ferries  died  in  1881,  and  two  years  later  he  married  for  his 
second  wife  IMrs.  Catherine  Pratt,  who  died  in  1904.  The  father 
operated  a  threshing  machine  for  about  twenty-five  years,  and 
became  well  known  all  over  the  county  as  a  high-minded  and 
upright  man.  He  acquired  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Wilton  town- 
ship and  was  also  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking 
business  in  the  village  of  AVilton  until  1898.  where  he  resided  and 
died  in  1905.  He  was  a  staunch  Democrat  and  was  always  active 
in  the  aft'airs  of  his  party.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the  town 
board  for  six  years  and  was  for  many  years  a  director  of  the 
schools.  He  was  a  thirty-second  degree  ^lason  and  was  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most  popular  and  Avell-kno^ATi  men  of  the  county. 

"W.  J.  Ferries,  our  subject,  had  the  advantages  of  the  district 
schools  up  to  his  eighteenth  year,  and  remained  on  the  home  farm. 
On  September  7.  1890.  he  was  married  to  ^liss  Gusta  Popp. 
daughter  of  Herman  and  Carrie  Popp.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  them.  viz. :  Lillian  ^l..  who  graduated  from  high  school 
in  1910  and  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Wisconsin  Business  Uni- 
versity at  LaCrosse,  1911.  was  born  May  4.  1891;  Vilas,  who  is 
also  a  high  school  graduate,  was  1iorn  July  4.  1892.  and  Vern. 
born  Xi^vember  23.  1895. 

August  Fetkenheuer,*  a  prosperous  farmer  who  lives  on  sec- 
tion twenty-four.  Adrian  township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Marie 
(Ratke)  Fetkenheuer.  who  spent  their  lives  in  Germany,  where 
our  subject  was  born  August  23.  1856.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town  from  the  age  of  six  to  foui-teen  years. 


672  HISTORY  OP  :moxroe  county 

and  was  variously  employed  in  the  city  of  Staten  until  1887,  when 
he  emigrated  to  the  United  States.  Arriving  in  this  country  he 
first  settled  at  Baltimore,  and  after  a  time  came  to  Wisconsin  and 
to  Ilillsboro,  Vernon  county,  where  he  remained  but  three  months, 
when  he  went  to  the  city  of  Tomah,  and  for  ten  years  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Goodyear  Lumber  Company.  In  1897  he  purchased 
his  present  farm  of  160  acres,  ten  of  which  he  cleared,  l)uilt  two 
barns,  granary  and  a  comfortable  residence.  He  has  improved 
the  land  by  cultivation  and  has  made  a  most  creditable  showing 
for  the  years  spent  on  the  farm,  using  in  his  operations  the  most 
improved  methods.  Besides  general  farming,  ]Mr.  Fetkenheuer 
has  always  been  a  successful  raiser  of  fine  stock,  and  at  this  time 
his  favorites  are  the  Holstein  breed  of  cattle. 

He  Avas  married  in  November.  1880,  to  ]\Iiss  Louisa  Fick.  also 
a  native  of  Staten,  Germany.  The  children  ])orn  to  this  union  are 
"William,  who  resides  at  Two  Rivers,  AVis.,  is  a  veteran  of  the 
Spanish-American  war,  having  served  in  the  hospital  cori)s  of 
the  Third  AViseonsin  Regiment ;  Frank  is  deceased ;  Paul  A.  lives 
on  the  homestead  farm;  Emma  married  Louis  Herwig,  of  Wono- 
woc.  Wis.;  Edith  is  deceased;  Anna,  wife  of  Henry  E.  Zcllmar, 
Adrian  township;  Amanda,  at  home;  Arthur,  deceased,  and  Otto 
A.,  at  home. 

Besides  being  intensely  interested  in  the  affairs  of  his  town 
Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Fetkenheuer  are  members  of  the  German  Tjutheran 
chureli  of  Tomah. 

Herman  M.  Flock,  one  of  the  wealthy  farmers  of  Ridgeville 
township,  ]Monroe  county,  is  the  son  of  ]\Iatt  and  Elizabeth  (Lang) 
Flock,  l)oth  natives  of  Germany.  Herman  was  born  August  27, 
1868,  in  Ridgeville,  this  eount.y.  Matt  Flock  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  in  1857  and  located  in  Monroe  county,  where  they 
homesteaded  160  acres  of  land  and  were  among  the  first  settlers 
of  that  locality.  Here  they  lived  for  many  years  and  the  father 
died  on  August  15,  1880,  and  tlie  mother  on  January  29th,  about 
eight  years  later.  They  had  a  family  of  six  children  and  were 
considered  one  of  the  leading  pioneer  families.  INIatt,  with  the 
others,  received  a  good  common  school  education  and  Avorked  at 
farming  all  his  life.  He  is  now  a  prosperous  general  farnun-  and 
lives  in  Norwalk.  He  was  married  at  Watertown,  Wis.,  in  1867, 
and  they  had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  are  now. 
1912,  living. 

Herman  is  the  oldest  of  the  family,  and  like  his  father,  has 
always  followed  the  oci-upation  of  farming.  He  was  married  in 
Sparta  on  Mny  7,  1895,  to  .Miss  Barbara  Sclimitz.  and  tlu\v  have 


BIOGRAPHY  673 

had  a  family  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Matt,  William,  Alios,  Freddie,  Elizabeth,  Joseph  and  Elnora. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Flock  rented  a  farm  for  one  year,  and  in 
1901  he  purchased  160  acres  in  section  thirty-one,  in  the  town  of 
Ridgeville.  His  residence  was  built  in  1886  and  in  1902  he  erected 
a  new  barn,  which  adds  greatly  to  the  prosperous  appearance  of 
his  farm.  He  keeps  the  best  grade  of  stock  and  uses  the  most 
up-to-date  methods  in  conducting  it.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  has  been  supervisor  for  some  time,  and  served  also  as  chair- 
man of  the  town  board  of  Eidgeville  for  four  years. 

Mr.  Flock  is  a  good  general  farmer  and  well  liked  by  his 
neighbors. 

Charles  L.  Flume,  who  resides  in  section  thirty-two,  Lafayette 
township,  is  pre-eminently  a  self-made  man.  Starting  out  in 
life  with  nothing  but  his  native  ability,  he  has  risen  from  obscur- 
ity to  a  place  of  prominence  among  the  enterprising  and 
influential  citizens  of  Monroe  county,  and  is  widely  known  as 
the  successful  owner  and  proprietor  of  "Clover  Dale  Farm," 
which  is  unexcelled,  if  equalled,  by  any  other  farm  in  the  county, 
A  native  of  La  Crosse  county,  "Wisconsin,  he  was  born  May  6, 
1859,  the  son  of  Carl  and  Kate  (Schladger)  Flume,  natives  of 
Germany,  who  came  to  the  United  States,  he  in  1848,  and  she  in 
1856.  "When  he  first  arrived  in  America  he  was  engaged  for  a 
time  in  the  copper  mines  on  the  Eagle  river,  but  later  settled  in 
La  Crosse  county,  and  where  his  wife  also  settled,  and  where  they 
were  married.  They  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  that  locality 
and  among  the  best  class  of  pioneers.  He  lived  to  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years,  and  died  in  1893.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, survived  until  1903,  when  she  passed  aAvay  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight  years.  They  raised  a  family  of  six  children,  Charles 
L.  being  the  eldest.  The  others  are :  Kate,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  Kiel,  of  La  Crosse  county;  Josephine,  wife  of  Peter  Haas, 
lives  in  La  Crosse  county ;  Minnie,  resides  in  Indianapolis ; 
William,  also  of  La  Crosse  county,  and  ]\Iary,  of  Minneapolis. 

Charles  L.  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm,  attending  the 
common  schools  and  assisting  in  the  farm  work  until  he  became 
of  age.  He  then  went  to  Spink  county,  Dakota,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year.  Returning  to  La  Crosse  county,  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  he  was  employed  at  farm  work  for  the  next  seven 
years.  Thrifty  and  economical,  he  saved  his  earnings  until  he 
had  accumulated  $1,200,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  purchased 
his  first  farm  of  220  acres,  in  Greenfield  township,  La  Crosse 
county,  where  he  made  his  home  until  1900,  when  he  removed  to 


G74  lUSTOKV  OF  .MUXHOK  COIXTY 

the  ]Morse  farm,  w  liicli  lir  had  |)urchasecl  the  same  year  and  which 
contained  620  acres,  and  has  been  known  Foi-  many  years  as  thi' 
"Clover  Dah'  Farm.""  lie  has  since  sohl  to  the  United  States 
goverinnent  280  acres,  wliicli  forms  a  part  of  the  government 
range  in  ^lonroe  i-onnty.  1I<'  is  thorongldy  systematic  and  np-to- 
(hitc  ill  his  operations  and  liis  farm,  wliich  is  highly  cnltivatcd 
and  handsomely  im])roved  and  cquippici,  and  well  stocked  with 
horses  and  registered  Dnrham  cattle,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the 
Icatliiig  hi'eeders  in  tiic  coiihIn'.  Jle  carries  on  general  farming 
and  (hiirying,  and  in  addilioii  lo  his  blooded  Dnrham  cattle  he 
raises  J'oland  China  hogs.  Mr.  Flnme  is  a  hard  working  man 
Avhd  has  made  his  way  in  the  world  by  persevering  and  persistent 
effort,  and  by  his  straightforward,  manly  life  maintains  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

On  Jannary  17,  1888,  Mr.  Finnic  was  nnitcd  in  marriage  with 
Miss  ]\[aggie  Kiel,  danghter  of  Fred  Kiel,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
La  Crosse  connty,  and  a  native  of  Bavaria.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Flnme  have  been  boi-n  five  children.  J.  F.  carries  on  160  acres  of 
the  home  farm  Avhich  he  rents  from  his  father;  (leorgia  E.  resides 
at  La  Crosse ;  Viola,  Forrest  and  AVilliam  L.  reside  at  home. 

In  politics  the  subject  is  a  Democrat.  AVhile  he  has  been 
offered  ])n])lic  office  at  the  hands  of  his  parly  he  has  never 
accepted. 

Nelson  J.  Forrest,  of  section  6.  La  Grange  townshij).  ^Monroe 
c(ninty,  Wisconsin,  was  born  here  on  -Jannary  4,  1868,  the  yonng- 
est  of  a  family  of  fonr  children  born  to  Thomas  N.  and  Martha 
(Edgerton)  Forrest.  Of  the  others,  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  .1.  AV. 
Taft,  of  Hood  River,  Ore.;  Harriet  is  Ihe  wife  of  Jacob  Vander- 
vort,  of  La  Grange  toAvnshii),  and  Charles  \V.,  wlio  resides  at 
Grand  Rapids,  ]\Iinn.  The  fath.er.  who  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
came  to  AVhitewater.  AVis..  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
He  later  went  to  AValworth  connty,  thence  to  ]Monroe  connty  in 
1855,  and  settled  on  the  fai'in  of  1"):^  acres  Avhere  onr  snli.iect  now 
resides.  He  was  niari'icd  Xovcmlx'i-  (i.  1859,  to  ^Martha  Edgerton, 
a  native  of  Connecticnt,  and  danghter  of  Charles  and  ]\Iary 
Edgerton.  who  came  west  to  AVisconsin  in  an  early  day  and  first 
located  in  .Jefferson  county.  From  there  tlicy  came  to  ^Monroe 
county  in  1856,  and  sjient  the  balance  of  their  lives  experiencing 
the  hardships  and  |)ri\ations  incident  to  pioneer  life  in  La  Grange 
township. 

Thomas  N.  Forrest  was  one  of  IMonroe  county's  most  influen- 
tial citizens,  straightforward  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings, 
and  a  man  with  manv  warm  friends.    He  had  one  brother.  AVilliam 


J 


BIOGRAPHY  675 

Forrest,  who  came  to  "Wisconsin  from  Scotland,  and  settled  at 
Whitewater,  Wis.,  where  he  spent  the  balance  of  his  life.  His 
widow,  whose  maiden  name  was  Huldah  Rawson,  still  survives. 
]\Irs.  Forrest,  mother  of  our  subject,  is  a  charming  lady,  and  one 
of  three  survivors  of  a  family  of  twelve  children;  the  others  are 
Frank  Edgerton,  of  La  Grange  township,  and  Caroline,  widow  of 
William  Sayre.  He  was  a  native  of  New  York  state  and  in  about 
1879  came  to  Monroe  county,  locating  in  section  tive.  La  Grange 
township,  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  consisting  mostly  of  unim- 
proved land,  and  for  a  time  lived  near  the  present  homestead. 
He  started  to  improve  his  land  and  first  built  a  log  house,  which 
was  replaced  with  a  jnodern  one,  where  his  widow  and  son, 
Clarence  M.  Sayre,  now  reside.  Mrs.  Sayre  was  born  in  1831 
and  at  the  age  of  more  than  four  score  years  is  well  preserved 
and  enjoys  good  health.  Mr.  Sayre,  after  a  long  and  busy  life, 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 

Nelson  J.  Forrest  was  reared  on  tlie  home  farm  and  received 
his  education  in  the  district  schools  and  early  devoted  his  time 
and  attention  to  farming  and  the  management  of  the  homestead 
Avhere  he  has  spent  his  entire  life.  He  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing, dairying  and  stock  raising,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  Duroc- 
Jersey  hogs.  The  farm  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
the  place  is  Avell  improved  with  a  good  barn  erected  in  1903  and 
a  modern  residence  erected  in  1909,  witli  outbuildings  to  corre- 
spond, lie  takes  an  active  interest  in  local  matters;  has  been 
treasurer  of  the  town,  supervisor  two  terms,  and  is  now  serving 
his  third  term  as  assessor.  He  is  president  of  the  Farmers'  Co- 
operative Elevator  Company  and  is  a  well-to-do  and  progressive 
man  of  aifairs.  He  was  married  February  17,  1892,  to  Miss  Julia 
]\Iininger,  a  native  of  Waukesha,  AVis.,  and  a  resident  of 
La  Grange  township.  They  have  an  interesting  family  of  six 
children,  viz. :  Guy  N.,  Gladys  J.,  valedictorian  of  the  1912  class 
of  the  Tomah  high  school ;  Raymond  T.  and  Leroy  C,  twins ; 
Ruth  E.,  and  Chester  W.  Forrest. 

Fred  M.  Foster,  the  popular  and  enterprising  photographer 
of  Sparta,  a  lifelong  resident  of  that  city,  was  bom  June  25,  1862, 
the  son  of  Hiram  and  Julia  A.  (Harvey)  Foster,  natives  of  Cat- 
taraugus county.  New  York,  and  wdio  early  came  to  Sparta,  where 
he  built  th(>  Globe  Hotel,  the  first  frame  building  erected  in 
Sparta  and  whieli  stood  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
Carnegie  librarj'.  He  later  engaged  in  farming  in  Sparta  town- 
ship, which  he  continued  for  several  years,  where  he  died  in  1889 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years.    His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject. 


676  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

died  ill  1899.  He  has  always  taken  a  commendable  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  his  town  and  county  and  served  as  treasurer  of  his 
township.  He  is  one  of  Sparta's  most  prominently  and  highly 
respected  citizens.  His  father,  Ezekiel  Foster,  was  a  native  of 
Maine  and  followed  his  son  to  ^Monroe  county,  where  he  died. 

Our  subject,  Fred  ]\I.,  was  the  fourth  child  of  a  family  of  four 
sons.  Tlie  others  are :  Theodore,  who  resides  at  Santa  Clara, 
Cal.;  Orlando  lives  in  AVasliingtun,  and  Edgar  M.  resides  in 
Sparta.  Fred  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  attending  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  assisting  in  the  farm  work.  When  starting  out 
in  life  for  liimsclf.  His  first  employment  was  that  as  clerk  in 
the  Winship  Hotel  at  Sparta,  and  later  he  became  clerk  at  the 
Jewell  Hotel,  at  Winona,  ]\Iinn.,  remaining  there  until  he  became 
engaged  in  the  photograph  business  with  Richardson  Brothers,  of 
Sparta,  this  arrangement  continuing  until  the  fall  of  1894,  when 
he  purchased  the  studio  at  No.  101  South  AVater  street,  whidi  lie 
has  continued  with  unabating  success. 

]\Ir.  Foster  is  a  man  of  decided  artistic  tastes  and  has  made 
a  thorough  study  of  photography  in  all  its  phases  and  branches, 
and  is  recognized  as  a  most  skillful  expert  and  operator  in  his 
class  of  art.  His  studio  is  a  perfect  model  in  all  its  appointments, 
equipped  as  it  is  with  every  facility  and  appliance  for  turning  out 
the  highest  class  of  work,  producing  portraits  on  platinum,  in 
water  colors,  sepia,  etc.,  with  every  variety  and  style  of  finish  and 
mounting. 

Mr.  Foster  is  a  member  of  the  Northwestern  and  the  National 
Photographers'  Associations,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pjiihias.  He  was  appointed  captain  and  commissary  of  the 
Third  Regiment,  AYisconsin  National  Guard,  April  7,  1912.  He 
was  married  April  19,  1887,  to  Miss  Georgie  A.  AVise,  daughter 
of  G.  A.  "Wise,  of  Michigan.  They  have  one  child,  Gerald  L. 
Foster. 

Mrs.  Louise  B.  Fox,  Avidow  of  the  late  Benjamin  F.  Fox.  Avas 
born  in  Sussex  county.  New  Jersey,  April  28,  1834.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  Ncav  Jersey  and  the  father  by  trade  Avas  a  cooper 
and  also  folloAved  farming.  He  Avas  born  in  1800  and  died  in 
1884.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Fox  Avas  born  in  1811  and  died  in 
1867.  They  moved  from  Ncav  Jersey  to  Milan,  O.,  AA'here  they 
lived  for  a  short  time,  then  moved  to  Huron  county,  that  state, 
and  lived  for  sixteen  years.  They  had  a  family  of  scA'en  children, 
three  of  whom  are  noAV  (1912)  living,  viz.:  ]\rrs.  Fox,  Avhose 
maiden  name  Avas  Louise  Be  Dell :  p]dAvin  Be  Dell,  born  June  24. 
1836,  and  Jonathan  N.  Be  Dell,  born  February  22,  1851,  makes  his 


BIOGKAPIIY  G77 

home  with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Fox,  and  looks  after  her  business  inter- 
ests. He  was  formerly  a  resident  of  Oakland,  Cal.,  a  man  of  fine 
education  and  experienced  in  school  teaching. 

Mrs.  Fox  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  cliureh,  a  devoted 
Christian  worker,  and  all  charitable  subjects  receive  her  support. 

Benjamin  F.  Fox,  deceased,  was  born  April  1],  1821,  at  Milan, 
Erie  county,  Ohio.  In  1851  he  came  west  to  Wisconsin  and 
located  in  tlie  Leon  valley,  Monroe  county,  and  purchased  120 
acres  of  school  land  one  and  one-half  miles  from  the  A'illage  of 
Leon.  He  was  married  March  18,  1858,  to  Miss  Louise  Be  Dell 
at  Norwalk,  0.  One  son,  George  Collins  Fox,  was  born  to  them 
in  ]\Ionroe  county,  December  16,  1858,  and  died  in  1878.  Starting 
out  in  life  with  little  else  than  his  native  ability,  Mr.  Fox  by 
thrift,  perseverance,  hard  w^ork  and  good  management  succeeded 
in  accomplishing  the  greater  part  of  his  undertakings,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors  in  com- 
fortable circumstances.  He  improved  his  farm  and  soon  after  his 
marriage  built  a  modest  residence,  which  was  later  replaced  with 
a  large  and  commodious  residence,  where  they  lived  until  1905, 
and  then  purchased  the  comfortable  home  in  the  village  of  Leon, 
where  he  passed  away  in  1909,  and  where  his  widow  now  (1912) 
resides.  He  was  a  successful  general  farmer  and  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  representative  men  of  Monroe  county,  and  owaied 
at  the  time  of  his  death  200  acres  of  land  in  Leon  valley.  He  w^as 
a  typical  American,  self-educated,  a  great  student  and  much 
interested  in  all  matters  of  public  importance ;  a  man  of  sound 
judgment.  Avhose  influence  was  felt  by  his  neighbors  and  friends. 
He  was  strictly  temperate  in  all  things,  never  used  tobacco  in  any 
form,  and  was  an  active  member  of  the  Congregational  church, 
to  which  he  contributed  liberally.  He  was  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  and  all  worthy  charitable  objects  found  in  him  a 
liberal  supporter.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  was  active  in  the 
affairs  of  his  party  and  held  nearly  all  of  the  minor  offices  of  his 
town. 

Benson  S.  Fox,  of  Leon,  is  the  son  of  George  ^Y.  and  Candice 
(Lee)  Fox,  and  was  born  at  New  Hartford,  Minn.,  February  4, 
1861,  and  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  three  children,  all  sons,  wlio 
are  now  living.  The  father  came  from  Ohio  in  an  early  day  and 
settled  at  New  Hartford,  Minn.,  wdiere  he  was  married  in  1863, 
and  in  1873  removed  to  the  town  of  Leon  in  Monroe  county.  By 
hard  work,  thrift  and  economy  he  acquired  280  acres  of  land  and 
there  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  August  30,  1911.  His 
widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  still  survives  at  the  age  of  sixty- 


678  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

eight  years.  He  was  a  man  of  imicli  foree  and  highly  respected 
by  the  citizens  of  his  eoinnninity.  He  was  moral  and  upright  and 
gained  many  friends  by  his  honest  dealings,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  respected  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Leon.  lie  served 
as  a  member  of  the  town  board,  was  school  director  for  many 
years,  and  assessor  for  two  years.  The  paternal  ancestors  of  onr 
subject  came  over  with  AVilliam  Penn  and  settled  in  ]Massachu- 
setts.  Peter  Clow,  the  grandfather  of  the  subject's  mother,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Grandfather  Lee  lived  in  Canada 
during  the  French  and  Indian  Avar,  and  because  he  refused  to  take 
up  arms  against  the  United  States  he  was  forced  to  leave  Canada 
and  removed  to  New  York,  the  English  government  confiseating 
all  his  property.  After  the  war  lie  returned  to  Canada  but  failed 
in  his  efforts  to  regain  his  property.  He  emigrated  to  ^Minnesota 
when  the  mother  of  our  subject  was  thirteen  years  old,  going 
overland  with  ox  team  from  Rockford.  111.,  where  the  family  had 
lived  a  short  time.  He  Avas  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Ncav  York, 
in  1820,  and  died  in  1904.  The  grandmother  Avas  born  in  1822 
and  died  in  1872.  He  enlisted  in  1862  during  the  Civil  War  in 
Company  D,  Seventh  Regiment,  ]Minnesota  Volunteers,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  Avar. 

Benson  S.  attended  the  public  schools  until  his  seventeentli 
year  and  remained  at  home  until  he  l)ecame  of  age.  He  Avas 
married  December  4.  1884.  to  ]\Iiss  Aurella  Smith  at  Sparta,  the 
daughter  of  Alcander  and  Catherine  Smith.  To  this  union  Avere 
born  three  children,  of  Avhom  tAVO  are  noAV  living,  viz.:  Herbert  L., 
born  September  25,  1885.  and  B.  Earl,  born  June  24,  1895.  Mrs. 
Fox  died  January  17,  1912.  The  farm,  Avhich  Avas  homesteaded 
and  OAvned  by  Mr.  Smith,  father  of  Mrs.  Fox,  Avas  purchased  by 
Mr.  Fox  and  he  there  made  his  home  for  tAveuty-fiA'e  years,  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  farming,  and  Avhere  he  made  many  of  the 
A'aluable  improA-ements.  ]\Ir.  Fox  for  many  years  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  toAvn.  and  has  held  many  local 
offices.  For  tAventy  years  he  Avas  school  director,  has  been  super- 
visor and  assessor,  and  for  nine  years  treasurer  of  the  toAvn.  and 
is  the  present  incumlient.  An  extract  from  the  La  Crosse  Trib- 
une says  of  him:  '"Ben  Fox,  treasure!-  of  the  toAvn  of  Leon,  has 
made  his  annual  settlement  Avith  County  Treasurer  Babcock.  and 
again  presents  a  book  clean  of  all  delin^iuents,  not  a  dollar  being 
returned  on  either  real  estate  or  personal  propeity.  His  total 
roll  amounted  to  >1<10,060.79.  This  is  the  tenth  year  that  :Mr.  Fox 
has  served  as  the  treasurer  of  the  toAvn  of  Leon,  and  for  the  past 
six  vears  he  has  collected  nil  tlie  taxes  on  the  roll." 


BIOGRAPHY  679 

In  polities  Mr.  Fox  is  a  La  Follette  Republican,  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  has  served  two 
years  as  justice  of  the  peace.  On  February  28,  1909,  he  moved 
into  the  village  of  Leon,  where  he  owns  considerable  property 
besides  his  commodious  residence  Avhere  he  now  resides. 

Capt.  Frank  Lyon  French,  who  has  attained  to  a  prominent 
position  among  the  military  men  of  the  country,  is  a  product  of 
Monroe  county,  AVisconsin,  and  was  born  October  29,  1862,  the  son 
of  Jacob  Jewell  and  Elizabeth  C.  (Lyon)  French,  natives  of  East 
Jeffery,  N.  H.,  and  Benton  Center,  N.  Y.,  respectively.  In  1860 
Jacob  J.  French  removed  from  his  native  state  to  Wisconsin  and 
settled  in  La  Fayette  township,  JMonroe  county.  Here  he  re- 
mained until  1866,  when  he  moved  into  the  city  of  Sparta  and 
embarked  in  the  grocery  business,  and  in  1868  he  engaged  in  hop 
and  stock  raising,  and  still  later  was  engaged  with  the  firm  of 
French  &  King  from  1870  to  1886,  who  were  extensive  dealers  in 
hops  and  live  stock.  During  the  administration  of  President 
Cleveland,  Mr.  French  was,  in  1886,  appointed  postmaster  of 
Sparta,  and  continued  to  dispatch  the  duties  of  this  office  for  five 
years.  His  next  business  venture  was  in  the  fruit  business,  which 
continued  to  be  his  occupation  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
February  7,  1903,  in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  he  having  been  born 
August  21,  1818.  He  took  an  active  part  in  all  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  betterment  of  his  city  and  county,  was  prominent  in 
business  and  social  life,  and  was  at  one  time  president  of  the 
village  board,  city  treasurer  and  promoter  of  Sparta's  North 
park.  In  1872  he  held  the  honor  of  being  the  champion  rifle  shot 
of  the  LTnited  States,  and  was  an  active  member  of  the  original 
Masonic  lodge  in  Sparta. 

Elizabeth  C.  Lyon  French,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  born 
July  14,  1845,  and  died  April  28,  1902.  She  was  the  youngest  of 
a  family  of  six  children,  one  of  whom,  James  R.  Lyon,  of  Kendall, 
a  pioneer  of  JMonroe  covmty,  is  still  living.  Those  deceased  besides 
Mrs.  French  are :  John  C,  Myran  F.  and  Harriet  C,  wife  of  Rev. 
J.  R.  Jaques. 

Samuel  C.  Lyon,  maternal  grandfather  of  Frank  L.,  was  born 
in  the  state  of  New  York  in  July,  1800.  and  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  the  town  of  Glendale,  Monroe  county,  AA^isconsin.  He 
died  November  5,  1873.  His  wife,  Lois  Elizabeth  Kendall  Lyon, 
maternal  grandmother  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  August,  1802, 
and  died  May  4,  1873.  She  married  Samuel  C.  Lyon,  at  Benton 
Center,  N.  Y.,  in  1824. 

Jacob  Jewell  French,  father  of  Frank  Lyon  French,  was  a  son 


680  niSTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

of  Thomas  Freiu-h,  Jr.,  of  East  Jeft'cry,  N.  H.  His  fatlun-,  Thomas 
French,  was  a  native  of  Dunstable,  N.  11.  The  mother  of  Thomas 
French,  Jr.,  Avas  Hannah  Cnmmings,  and  the  mother  of  Jacob 
Jewell  French  was  Sophia  Jewell,  of  ]\Iarlborough,  ]\Iass.,  and 
she  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Jewell,  of  England,  and  her  mother, 
Polly  Smitli,  came  originally  from  Ireland. 

Frank  Lyon  French  Avas  married  Septeiid3er  25,  1897,  to  ]\Iiss 
]Mabel  Laura  Masters,  daughter  of  Bissill  ]\I.  and  Helen  (Cross) 
^Masters,  of  Sparta.  The  father  of  ]\Irs.  French,  Bissill  ]\1.  blas- 
ters, was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  1838,  came  west  in  1865, 
was  on  the  coast  during  the  San  Francisco  earthquake  in  1908, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Sparta.  ]\Ir.  ^Masters  Avas  a  son  of  John 
I\Iasters,  Avho  was  born  April  4,  1805,  and  died  in  his  one  hun- 
dredth year.  He  traces  his  ancestors  ])ack  to  the  Huguenots  of 
France  in  1562.  His  wife  was  Laura  Bissill,  born  October  28, 
1807.  ]\Irs.  Helen  (Cross)  ^Masters,  the  mother  of  ]Mrs.  French, 
Avas  born  .March  16,  1847,  and  died  April  15,  1888.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  French  Avas  AndrcAA'  Cross,  a  natiA'e  of  Ncav 
York  state,  Avho  came  to  Sparta  and  Avho  Avas  at  one  time  sheriff 
of  his  natiA'e  county.  He  Avas  born  in  October,  1804.  and  died 
February  11,  1878.  His  Avife  AA'as  Mary  Moak,  of  Ncav  York,  born 
August  11,  1810.  Other  members  of  this  family  Avere  Katherine, 
born  December  21,  1818;  Emonzo.  liorn  ]March  31,  1824;  John, 
born  ^lay  13,  1836 ;  Alexander,  born  December  14,  1839 ;  Virgene, 
born  December  16,  1843,  and  Germane,  born  Septembei-  24.  1849. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  French  are  Helen  Elizabeth,  born 
December  27,  1898;  Virgene,  born  July  31,  1902;  Katiiryn  Belle, 
born  September  9,  1903.  Mrs.  French  Avas  graduated  from  the 
Sparta  high  school  Avith  the  class  of  1891. 

Captain  French  AA'as  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Sparta, 
and  on  October  13,  1879,  began  to  learn  telegraphy  at  Viroqua, 
AYis.,  and  followed  that  A'ocation  until  NoA'ember  5,  1880.  Avhen 
he  entered  the  emplo}-  of  the  Chicago,  Mihvaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Raihvay  C()nii)any  as  telegrapher  at  the  Sparta  station,  continu- 
ing here  until  ]\Iay  11,  1881,  avIkmi  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
NorthAvestern  Raihvay  Company  in  the  train  dispatcher's  office  in 
November,  1882,  at  Huron,  S.  D.,  and  in  December  of  the  same 
year  Avas  transferred  to  Pierre,  S.  D..  in  charge  of  the  AYestern 
Union,  Chicago  &  NorthAvestern,  ;iiul  the  government  telegraph 
lines,  continuing  here  until  July  8,  1883,  Avhen  he  made  a  trip  to 
the  Black  Hills,  thence  to  northAvestern  "\Yyoming  and  the  ]\ron- 
tana  buffalo  range,  Avhere  he  remained  until  December  15,  1883, 


BIOGRAPHY  G81 

when  he  returned  to  Sparta,  but  soon  after  went  to  Glendale  and 
took  charge  of  a  store  of  general  merchandise  for  J.  R.  Lj^on, 
remaining  here  until  October,  1886.  He  was  then  appointed 
assistant  postmaster  of  Sparta,  under  his  father,  in  November  of 
that  year,  continuing  in  that  capacity  until  December,  1891, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  l)ook  and  stationery  business  in  Sparta, 
whicli  he  followed  for  seven  years,  or  until  April  28,  1898,  when 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States  in  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can war  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  L,  Third  Regiment,  Wis- 
consin National  Guard  Volunteers,  and  was  made  captain 
September  13,  1898.  He  served  with  his  regiment  through  the 
Porto  Rican  campaign  until  January  11,  1899,  when  he  was  mus- 
tered out  with  his  regiment.  He  was  appointed  captain  of  the 
Thirty-fourth  United  States  Volunteers,  July  5,  1899,  by  President 
McKinley,  and  entered  upon  his  two  years'  service  in  the  Philip- 
pines. He  was  promoted  to  battalion  commander  August  11, 
1900,  and  discharged  with  his  regiment  April  17,  1901,  when  he 
returned  to  Sparta,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  fruit  business 
until  September  1,  1904,  he  was  appointed  njail  agent  for  the 
rural  route  service.  He  has  been  commander  of  the  American 
post  of  Spanish-American  war  veterans,  and  a  member  of  Valley 
Lodge  No.  16.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  since  1891. 

Captain  French  was  a  member  of  the  local  militia  company 
from  August  31,  1887,  to  May  11,  1898.  During  that  time  he  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant,  his  duties  consisting  of 
general  instructions  in  shooting.  He  was  a  member  of  the  state 
rifle  team  for  several  years  and  attended  several  interstate  shoots. 
He  also  won  the  General  King  revolver  for  best  revolver  shot. 
The  military  record  of  Captain  French,  Avhich  follows,  is  one  that 
he  may  .justly  be  proud  of : 

Recommended  by  Maj.  J.  A.  Penn,  Thirty-fourth  Infantry,  U. 
S.  v.,  for  commission  as  major  by  brevet  for  gallant  and  meri- 
torious services  in  action  at  Tangnadan  mountain,  December  4, 
1899,  and  in  pursuit  of  General  Tinios'  forces,  December  5  to  11, 
1899.  Actions  at  Bandi,  December  8 ;  Banna  Canon,  December  9 ; 
also  recommended  he  be  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel  by 
brevet  for  especially  hazardous  and  meritorious  services  in  the 
rescue  of  Lieutenant  Gilmore,  U.  S.  navy,  and  twenty-five  Ameri- 
can prisoners,  etc.,  December,  1899.  Approved  by  Lieut. -Col. 
Robert  L.  Howze  and  Gen.  S.  B.  M.  Young. 

Expeditions:  General  Lawton's  northern  expedition,  October, 
November  and  December,   1899 ;  advance  on  Aliaga,  November 


682  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROE  COUNTY 

9  to  1].  1899;  Colonel  Ilowze's  expedition  from  Aliaga,  Luzon,  via 
Victoria  and  Rosales  to  Bautista,  November  13  to  20,  1899;  Gen- 
eral McArtlmr's  advance,  Bautista  to  Dagupan,  November  21  to 
24,  1899;  General  Young's  expedition  up  west  coast  of  Luzon, 
November  25  to  December  11;  pursuit  of  General  Tinio,  December 
5  to  n,  1899;  Gilmore  relief  expedition,  December  14,  1899,  to 
January  '.i,  1900.  Assisted  in  rescues:  I'idigan  Abra,  December  6, 
1899,  300  Spanish  soldiers;  Banquet,  Al)ra,  December  6,  1899, 
1,100  Spanish  soldiers;  La  Pax,  Abra,  December  8,  1899,  three 
Americans;  Dingras,  I.  N.,  December  10,  1899;  General  Pena,  450 
Spanish  officers  and  450  Spanish  soldiers;  Salsona,  I.  N.,  Decem- 
ber 10,  1899,  100  Chinese;  Gaset,  upper  Abulug  river,  December 
16,  1899,  three  Americans;  Lannae,  upper  Abulug  river,  Decem- 
ber 18,  1809.  Lieutenant  Gilmore,  V.  S.  Navy,  and  nineteen  Amer- 
icans. Participated  in  captures:  Dunlas,  Abra,  December  8,  1899, 
great  qiumtity  of  arms  and  war  material :  Banquet.  Abra.  Decem- 
ber 6,  1899,  insurgent  arsenal. 

Battles:     Tagnadin  mountain,  December  4,  1899. 

Engagements :  Bandi,  Abra,  December  8,  1899 ;  Banna,  Ca- 
non, December  9,  1899;  Gaset,  upper  Abulug  river,  December  16, 
1899;  Marradong,  I.  N.,  February  14,  1900;  Bulbulhila.  L  N., 
April  9,  1900;  Ester,  I.  N.,  April  16,  1900;  Laoag,  L  N.,  April  17, 
1900. 

Skirmishes :  La  Pax,  Abra,  December  7.  1899 ;  Caramine,  near 
Banna,  December  9,  1899;  Salsona.  I.  N.,  December  10,  1899; 
IManintin,  I.  N.,  December  11,  1899;  Cabagoin  Grande.  December 
22,  1899;  Caban  Garang,  I.  N.,  January  14,  1901. 

December  7,  1899,  defeated  insurgent  forces  at  La  Pax.  Abra, 
killing  General  Quesada,  insurgent  paymaster,  and  captured  his 
money  and  payrolls. 

Just  prior  to  his  leaving  the  Orient  for  America,  his  command 
presented  him  with  a  handsome  diamond  ring. 

Upon  his  return  to  AVisconsin  from  the  Philippines  he  was  pre- 
sented with  a  beautiful  solid  gold  medal  by  the  state  of  "Wiscon- 
sin. This  medal  was  designed  by  Gov.  J.  O.  Davidson  and  Gen. 
C.  R.  Boardman.  Engraved  on  one  side  were  tiie  words:  "AVis- 
consin — Distinguished  Alilitary  Service,"  and  on  the  reverse, 
"Presented  to  Capt.  Frank  L.  French.  Sparta.  Wis.,  late  of  the 
Thirty-fourth  T'.  S.  Y.,  by  act  of  tli.>  Legislature,  1901."  His 
Sparta  friends  presented  him  Avitli  a  handsome  gold-mounted 
sword  and  scabbard,  with  a  sole-leatln^r  trunk  case  for  same. 
Captain  French  was  tendered  a  commission  in  the  regular  army 
1)y  President  j\IcKinley,  but  decided  to  remain  a  citizen  of  Sparta. 


BIOGRAPHY  683 

Joseph  Gasper,  a  successful  fanner  who  resides  in  section 
seven,  l^orthmd  township,  was  born  in  LaPorte  county,  Indiana, 
November  9,  1858.  His  parents,  AVilliani  and  Lena  (Green) 
Gasper,  were  natives  of  Germany,  and  after  their  marriage,  came 
to  Illinois  and  located  in  Chicago  in  1848.  which  at  that  time 
was  a  small  village.  He  first  found  employment  in  a  brickyard, 
and  after  three  years,  moved  to  LaPorte  county,  Indiana,  where 
he  carried  on  farming  for  twelve  years.  In  1865  the  family 
moved  to  La  Crosse  county,  Wisconsin,  and  settled  on  120  acres 
of  wild  land  in  Washington  township  which  the  father  imme- 
diately set  to  Avork  to  clear  and  soon  he  erected  a  log  house  and 
some  outbuildings  which  sufficed  until  the  dawn  of  better  days, 
and  here  they  experienced  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life  and 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days.  He  died  at  Tunnel  City, 
]\Ionroe  county,  in  1886  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  and 
Mrs.  Gasper  passed  aAvay  in  AVashington  township.  La  Crosse 
county,  in  1882  at  the  age  of  sixty-three.  They  had  a  family  of 
thirteen  children,  viz:  Peter,  deceased;  John  resides  in  ]\Iichi- 
gan  City,  Ind. ;  j\Iary,  now  ]Mrs.  John  Keef er,  lives  at  ^Michigan 
City;  Kate  and  Mary  are  deceased;  Nicholas  lives  in  INIichigan 
City;  Emma  is  deceased;  Anna,  wife  of  S.  Strittmatter, 
of  La  Crosse  county;  William,  of  Adrian  toAvnship ;  John,  who 
was  a  twin  brother  of  our  subject,  is  deceased,  as  is  also  Eliza- 
])eth ;  John  Henry  is  road  master  for  the  Chicago,  IMilwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  Railroad   Company,  resides  at  Chillicothc  Mo. 

In  1882  Mr.  Joseph  Gasper  was  united  in  marriage  with  ]Miss 
Clara  Brecht,  daughter  and  fourth  child  in  a  family  of  five 
children  born  to  John  and  Katherine  Brecht.  early  settlers  of 
La  Crosse  county.  The  others  are  Katherine,  wife  of  Amil  Moser, 
of  Cripple  Creek,  Colo. ;  Anna,  wife  of  August  Hunt,  deceased ; 
Margaret,  wife  of  C.  F.  Brown,  resides  at  Desota,  Wis., 
and  John  of  La  Crosse.  To  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Casper  have  been 
born  six  children,  viz:  Laura,  wife  of  Frank  Zebell.  of  Portland 
township ;  Louisa,  married  Henry  AA^hitehead,  and  resides  at 
Bangor,  La  Crosse  county;  John,  Frank  J.,  AVilliam  and  Kath- 
erine reside  at  home. 

Mr.  Gasper  received  his  education  in  the  district  school  and 
remained  on  the  home  farm  until  twenty-four  years  of  age 
when  he  started  farming  for  himself  on  a  rented  farm.  Seven 
years  later  he  purchased  160  acres  of  land  in  AVashington  town- 
ship. La  Crosse  county  and  after  four  years,  in  1892,  he  disposed 
of  his  interests  in  La  Crosse  county  and  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  160  acres,  120  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 


684  HISTORY  OF  :\I0XROE  COUNTY 

ration.  AVhen  ]\Ir.  Gasper  first  moved  to  his  present  farm,  there 
were  no  biiiklings  but  an  old  log  house;  he  has  since  erected  a 
commodious  dwelling,  substantial  barns,  machinery  shed,  wind- 
mill and  made  other  improvements,  l^esides  general  farming 
and  dairying,  he  is  engaged  in  raising  ITolstein-Fresian  cattle 
and  Poland-China  hogs,  and  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  men 
of  the  community.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  ^Iv.  Gasper  started 
to  run  a  threshing  machine  which  he  followed  eaeh  season  for 
seventeen  years.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
his  townshij),  has  been  supervisor  for  three  years,  chairman  of 
the  board  one  year,  and  treasurer  for  twelve  years  of  school 
district  number  five  and  is  now  serving  as  clerk  of  school  dis- 
trict number  five  of  Portland  toAvnship. 

Emil  Gerke,*  Avho  noAv  resides  on  section  nineteen.  Sparta 
township,  is  one  of  the  M'ide-awake  and  enterprising  young 
farmers  of  Monroe  county,  was  born  in  La  Crosse  county,  AVis- 
consin,  ]\Iay  81,  1882,  the  son  of  Fred  and  Dorothy  iC'lements) 
Gerke.  The  father,  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  the  United  States 
when  fifteen  years  of  age,  located  in  La  Crosse  county,  AVisconsin, 
where  he  married,  and  there  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  one  of  the  representative  citi- 
zens of  La  Crosse  county,  a  kind  father  and  husband,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  Avliich  occurred  Jime  24,  191L  ;it  the  age 
of  sixty  years,  held  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  wide  circle 
of  friends.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Gerke  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
as  follows:  Frank  lives  at  La  Crosse,  Con  Peter  is  on  the  home 
farm,  Louisa  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Smaltz,  of  Bangor,  AVis. ; 
Christina  is  the  Avife  of  Frank  Kirschner.  of  La  Crosse  county; 
Emma  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Stark  and  resides  in  Sparta 
township;  Sophia  and  Maggie  reside  at  home  with  their  mother. 

Emil  Gerke  attended  the  distri<'t  schools  at  La  Crosse  county, 
and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  fift(^en  years  of 
age.  During  the  next  seven  years  he  was  variously  employed 
at  farm  work,  his  last  employer  being  AYilliam  Cassel,  Avho  died 
on  June  1,  1904,  and  in  1905,  Mr.  Gerke  purchased  the  farm, 
which  he  has  since  successfully  carried  on,  and  has  made  ex- 
tensive improvements.  He  has  l)uilt  a  barn,  36  by  96  feet, 
erected  a  silo.  wiiKlinill.  and  made  oilier  improvemciils.  Tin- 
land  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  from  whii  li  he  reaps 
an  abundant  harvest  each  year. 

On  July  24,  1906,  Mr.  Gerke  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Lena  Leek, 
daughter  of  Fred  and  Amelia  (Patz)  Leek,  of  Sparta  township. 
]\Irs.  Gerke  died  in  Xovendier.  1911.  leaving  besides  lici-  worthy 


BIOGRAPHY  685 

husband,  two  children  named  Clara  Amelia  and  Dorothy  Hulda. 
In  religions  faith  Mr.  Gerke  is  a  member  of  St.  Patrick's  Catholic 
chnrch  of  Sparta. 

Henry  F.  Gerke,  one  of  the  influential  and  successful  farmers 
of  Ridgeville  toAvnship,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  Septem- 
ber 12.  1846,  the  son  of  H 0.  and  Sophia   (Klingo)   Gerke. 

Mr.  Gerke  emigrated  to  America  in  1866  and  located  first  in  Mil- 
waukee, where  he  worked  out  at  odd  jobs,  and  made  his  home 
with  his  uncle,  Gus  Kling.  He  remained  there  three  years,  then 
came  to  Tomah  and  remained  one  year  with  a  sister,  then  Avent  to 
Olmstead  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  remained  for  a  time, 
then  in  1871  returned  to  Monroe  county  and  purchased  160 
acres  of  land  in  section  tw^o,  Ridgeville  township ;  he  later 
sold  eighty  acres  of  land  to  his  brother,  but  since  has  acquired 
by  purchase,  additional  acres  until  he  now  owns  320  acres  in 
sections  two  and  three. 

Being  thrown  on  his  own  resources  at  an  early  age,  Mr.  Gerke 
started  out  in  life  with  nothing  but  his  native  ability,  and  has  by 
hard  work,  thrift  and  economy  worked  his  way  to  a  commanding 
position  of  influence  in  his  town.  When  he  purchased  the  home- 
stead, where  he  now  resides,  the  land  Avas  raw  and  in  a  wild  state ; 
he  erected  a  modest  house  in  M^hich  he  lived  for  fifteen  years,  and 
set  diligently  to  work  to  clear  and  improve  his  land.  He  worked 
hard  and  overcame  many  obstacles,  and  in  the  end  gained  success. 
In  1909  he  built  a  large  and  commodious  residence,  and  with  his 
large  lawn  and  handsome  shade  trees,  all  set  out  with  his  own 
hands,  his  well  built  barn  and  outbuildings,  makes  his  one  of  the 
ideal  country  homes  in  Ridgeville  township.  Mr.  Gerke  takes 
pride  in  making  his  farm  one  of  the  best  in  the  county,  and  keeps 
it  well  stocked  Avith  Percheron  horses  and  Durham  cattle.  He 
uses  the  latest  up-to-date  methods  in  his  farming  operations,  and 
his  place  is  well  supplied  Avith  modern  labor-saving  devices.  Mr. 
Gerke  is  one  of  the  solid  men  of  his  town  and  is  well  known  as  one 
of  the  public  spirited  and  successful  citizens.  He  is  active  in  all 
matters  of  interest  in  his  community,  and  secretary  of  the  German 
Mutual  Insurance  Company,  Avhieh  Avas  organized  in  1876,  and 
incorporated  in  1895.  Its  total  assets  are  $8,990.37,  and  in  every 
way  on  a  sound  foundation.  AVinand  Mullenburg  is  its  president. 
In  politics  Mr.  Gerke  is  independent,  Avhile  in  religious  matters  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Gerke  Avas  married  at  OconomoAVOc,  Wis.,  in  October,  1871, 
to  Miss  Dorothy  Winzenburg,  whose  parents  also  came  from  Ger- 
many.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gerke  have  a  family  of  eight  children,  as 


686  ITISTORY  OF  :\I().\R()E  COIXTY 

follows:    lIiMiry  W.,  Leiiii,  Ku(U)li)h.  Ih'i-iiu'iiia.  Fred,  Mary,  Ferdi- 
nand and  .lulius. 

William  H.  Gerke,  a  successful  German  farjiicr  of  Wilton 
township,  ami  owner  of  al)out  4H0  acres  of  fine  farm 
land,  is  tile  son  of  Henry  and  Soi)liia  (Clin<i)  (ierke,  natives 
of  Germany,  where  the  mother  died,  and  AVilliam  was  born  on 
June  5,  1S')().  He  came  to  America  with  his  father  in  1869  and 
iirst  located  in  Tomah,  but  after  a  short  time  moved  to  the  town 
of  Adrian  and  later  to  Ridoeville.  Avhere  the  father  died  in  1873. 
William  worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  attended  school  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  old.  11(>  was  a  steady  and  economical  young-  man, 
and  through  his  faithful  etfoi-ts,  lie  managed  to  accunndate  sav- 
iugs  sufficient  to  purchase  a  lOd  acre  fai'm  in  Wilton 
township  in  1877,  to  which  he  added  from  time  to  time,  including 
a  half  section,  wliich  he  pui'chased  in  North  Dakota,  until  he 
now  owns  about  460  acres.  lie  has  made  many  lasting 
and  valuable  improvements  on  his  farm  in  way  of  cul- 
tivation and  ])uildings.  In  188:j  he  erected  a  new  modern  resi- 
dence and  the  following  year  a  commodious  barn  aiul  other  out- 
buildings to  correspond.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  dairying  and 
raises  the  best  grade  of  stock  of  all  kinds.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
])olitics.  was  treasui'er  of  the  town  of  Wilton  for  two  years, 
ehainnan  of  the  board  for  four  years,  school  treasurer  for  twenty- 
three  years  and  a  mend)er  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

On  March  15,  1877,  he  Avas  married  in  Wilton  to  ]\Iiss  Caroline 
Behrens.  daughter  of  Fred  and  ]Mina  Behi-ens.  both  natives  oi 
Germany,  who  came  to  America  in  18G7  and  located  in  Wilton  on 
a  farm  of  140  acres  in  section  five,  where  they  lived 
until  1897;  the  mother  died  two  years  previous.  ^Mrs.  Gerke  is 
one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  two  of  wliom  are  living.  Her 
])eo])le  Avere  mend)ei's  of  tlie  Lutheran  church. 

All',  and  Mrs.  Gerke  have  liad  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
eleven  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Fred,  born  June  10,  1877;  Gusta. 
born  April  26.  1880;  Lizzie.  l)orn  October  18,  1882:  Willie.  l)orn 
Novendx'i-  18.  1883:  Gari-io.  liorn  Xovend)er  18.  188o;  Julius,  born 
August  8.  1887:  riara.  boi-n  .\ugust  9.  1889:  Albert,  born  October 
12.  1891:  Ida.  born  Alay  17.  1893:  dohnny,  born  April  18,  1896, 
and  Flla.  horn  February  24.  1900. 

Arthur  N.  Getnian"-,  a  |)rogressi\-e  farmer  of  st'ction  nine, 
LaGrange  township,  is  a  native  of  Alonroe  county,  antl  was  born 
on  the  farm  where  he  resides  on  August  23,  1868,  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Fidelia  (Vandervort)  Getman,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Wisconsin,    having    been    born    in    AVaukesha    c<iunty.   this   state. 


BIOGRAPHY  687 

They  came  to  JMoiiroe  county  in  1866  and  settled  on  the  farm 
where  our  subject  now  resides.  The  farm  at  this  time  being 
mostly  wild  land,  the  father  started  to  improve  the  place  and 
establish  the  family  home.  He  erected  a  small  frame  house, 
16  X  20,  which  for  a  few  years  was  used  as  a  dwelling,  which  was 
afterwards  remodeled  and  changed  to  a  convenient  and  sub- 
stantial residence.  He  cleared  the  timber  and  made  other  improve- 
ments as  conditions  and  circumstances  ati'orded,  following  his 
trade  of  shoemaker  in  the_  meantime.  He  was  possessed  of  that 
thrift  and  progressive  spirit  common  to  his  German-Scotch  ances- 
try, and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  January  6, 
1884,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years,  had  his  land  under  a  good 
state  of  cultivation  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  many 
friends.  His  widow  still  survives  and  is  now  the  wife  of  M.  L. 
Johnson,  of  LaGrange  townshij).  By  a  previous  marriage  to 
Al  Featherly.  she  had  one  son,  Albert  Featherly,  who  now  resides 
at  Seattle.  AVash.  In  the  Getman  family  there  are  five  children, 
viz. :  Arthur  X..  Harry  lives  in  IMichigan,  Frank  resides  at  Tomah, 
Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Pete  Richerson,  of  Ohio,  and  Lester,  w^ho 
lives  at  Evanston,  111. 

Arthur  X.  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm,  attending 
the  district  school.  He  early  found  employmeJit  with  the  Good- 
year Lumber  Company  and  was  thus  employed  by  them  and 
others  for  about  seven  years.  In  1888  he  purchased  the  homestead 
farm  and  has  since  continued  to  make  that  his  home.  He  has 
cleared  ten  more  acres,  erected  all  the  present  buildings  and 
otherwise  made  many  lasting  improvements.  jNIr.  Getman  is  one 
of  the  hustling  men  of  ]\Ionroe  county  and  is  wide  awake  to  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  betterment  of  his  town  and  county.  He 
has  been  school  treasurer  of  his  district  for  seven  years ;  has  been 
overseer  of  highways  and  is  now  serving  as  township  treasurer. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  ^Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

On  January  27.  ]891,  Mr.  Getman  was  married  to  Aliss  Hattie 
Steele,  of  Valley  Junction,  Wis.  Their  children  are  Deeda,  wife 
of  Harry  Sueat,  of  Grant  township :  Katie,  Jennie,  Wallace, 
Edgar  and  Ruth  Getman. 

George  Gilbertson''',  one  of  the  wide  awake  native  sons  of 
]\lonroe  county,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Leon,  October  24,  1870, 
and  is  the  son  of  Ole  G.  and  Rebecca  (Peterson)  Gilbertson,  both 
natives  of  Xorway.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1865,  and 
located  in  the  Leon  valley,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer 
for  three  years.  He  then  bought  a  homestead  right  to 
160    acres     of     land,     title    to    which     he     obtained     from     the 


688  HISTORY  OF  IMOXROE  COUNTY 

Government.  There  he  made  his  home  for  forty-two  years.  In  his 
family  were  nine  ehildren,  eiglit  of  wliom  are  now  living,  viz.: 
George,  Mary,  Anton,  Oscar,  Milton,  Emma,  Otto  and  Albert.  He 
received  a  good  common  school  education  in  his  native  country, 
was  a  great  reader  and  kept  himself  well  jjosted  on  all  current 
events.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  a  leader  in  the  aifairs 
of  the  parly.  ;ind  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in  the  Leon  valley, 
and  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Hon.  John  R.  Jones,  and  tiie 
two  were  considered  stalwarts.  He  w.as  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican county  convention  and  for  many  years  chairman  of  the 
township  comniiti CO.  and  was  a  delegate  to  many  conventions. 
He  held  the  office  of  assessor  of  the  town  of  Leon  for  twent}''  years, 
and  in  religious  matters  lie  was  affiliated  with  the  Lutheran 
church,  as  is  his  widow.  Born  February  9,  1843,  he  died  October 
11,  1911.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject.  Avas  born  Deeonibcr  11. 
1846.  and  still  survives. 

George,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  t)n  the  farm  and 
attended  the  district  schools  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age. 
He  then  found  employment  on  the  farm  for  $15  per  month,  and 
so  Avell  did  he  attend  to  the  duties  assigned  him.  his  salary  was 
soon  raised  to  $18  and  finally  he  received  $25  per  mouth. 
Being  economical  and  saving  he  soon  accumulated  cpiite  a  sum  of 
money  which  he  placed  in  a  bank  at  Sparta.  During  financial 
difficulties  the  bank  failed  ami  his  earnings  were  lost,  which  neces- 
sitated his  commencing  anew,  and  by  hard  Avork  and  economy  he 
soon  overcame  his  misfortune.  He  started  farming  on  his  own 
account  and  for  thirteen  years  worked  a  rented  farm,  at  the  end 
of  that  time,  in  1911,  he  purchased  200  acres  in  the  town 
of  Leon,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  i)rogressive  and  successful 
general  fariner  and  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  a  good  grade  of 
cattle  and  hogs,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  Avell-to-do  farmers 
of  his  section.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  afl'airs  of  the  party,  while  in  fraternal  matters  he 
is  a  mcmlier  of  the  IModern  Woodmen  of  Anioi-ica  and  \hc  Bi-other- 
hood  of  American  Yeoman. 

He  was  married  in  Leon  to  ]\Iiss  Ella  Olson,  daughter  of 
Peter  Olson.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  ^Ir.  and  ^Irs. 
Gilbcrtson,  viz. :  Herman,  born  September  22.  1899;  Chester,  born 
January  24,  1901.  and  Roy.  l)orn  August  2.  1904. 

John  H.  Gilliland,  who  resides  on  his  farm  of  213  acres 
in  the  town  of  Leon,  where  he  was  born  August  18, 
1857,  is  a  son  of  A.  II.  and  Sarah  (Sherlock)  Gilliland.  both 
natives  of  Ti-eland.     The  father  cnmo  to  America  when  a  young 


BIOGRAPHY  689 

man  and  first  located  in  the  state  of  New  York,  where  he  was 
employed  at  farm  work  for  several  years,  five  years  of  the  time 
being  spent  in  the  employ  of  one  man.  Beginning  life  as  a  poor 
boy  he  worked  his  way  to  independent  circumstances.  He  left  the 
state  of  New  York  for  the  West,  going  first  to  Iowa,  but  not 
finding  that  state  satisfactory  to  his  idea,  he  set  out  for  Wisconsin. 
Taking  boat  at  Dubuque  he  came  up  the  river  to  La  Crosse,  and 
overland  from  the  latter  place  to  the  Leon  valley,  arriving  at  his 
destination  about  1850;  being  impressed  with  the  then  new  coun- 
try, he  purchased  800  acres  of  land  and  set  to  work  to 
improve  its  condition  and  establish  a  home.  To  his  original  "pur- 
chase he  added  from  time  to  time  until  he  had  acquired 
720  acres,  disposing  of  a  part  of  the  land,  he  owned 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1885,  600 
acres.  He  was  quarried  at  about  the  time  he  came  west  and  had 
a  family  of  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz. : 
Mary  A.,  who  is  the  widow  of  Dr.  W.  B.  ]\Iorley,  resides  at  Shell 
Lake,  Wis.,  and  John  H.,  our  subject.  On  arriving  in  the  Leon 
valley  he  built  a  small  shanty  on  the  river,  where  his  family  lived, 
until  circumstances  permitted  of  the  erection  of  a  comfortable 
residence  close  to  the  village,  "where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  breeder  of  cattle,  hogs 
and  sheep,  and  during  his  lifetime  took  an  active  interest  in 
politics,  being  an  active  Avorker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic 
party.  His  educational  advantages  were  limited,  but  by  constant 
reading,  became  self-educated  and  was  well  posted  on  all  live  sub- 
jects of  the  day.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was  a 
lady  of  many  womanly  virtues,  died  in  September,  1883,  loved 
and  respected  by  her  large  circle  of  friends. 

John  II.  attended  the  district  school  until  he  was  twenty  years 
old,  and  spent  one  winter  in  the  public  schools  of  Sparta.  He 
remained  with  his  parents  until  their  decease,  and  then  remained 
on  the  homestead  farm  for  a  time,  and  on  August  23,  1887,  was 
married  at  Sparta  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Lennon.  Mr.  Gilli- 
land's  farm  of  213  acres,  lies  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
from  the  village  of  Leon,  and  is  one  of  the  good  farms  of 
this  valley.  He  is  one  of  the  successful  and  progressive  general 
farmers  of  that  town,  and  his  modern  residence,  erected  in  1890, 
and  substantial  barn,  built  in  1895,  together  with  other  improve- 
ments, makes  his  one  of  the  splendid  country  homes  of  the  valley. 
In  politics  a  Democrat ;  he  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  his  party  and 
has  held  several  local  offices.  He  has  been  town  clerk,  and  for 
several  years  school  treasurer. 


GOO  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  (OT'XTY 

To  ]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Gillilantl  have  been  born  three  children,  viz.: 
Carl  Glenn,  a  graduate  of  Annapolis  Naval  Academy,  now  ensign 
on  the  battleshij)  Arkansas-.  John  Forrest,  at  lioiiic.  and  ^Margaret 
E.  Oilliland. 

Mrs.  Lizzie  Gilliland,  wife  of  Albert  E.  Gilliland.  deceased,  and 
a  dauglilcr  of  Jlcurx  \'an  Etten,  of  ^lonroe  county,  was  born 
J)eceni])ei"  12.  1868,  in  the  town  of  Leon.  She  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  county,  and  was  married  in  181KJ  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years  to  Albert  E.  Gilliland.  To  them  were 
born  four  children,  three  of  wlnnii  ni'c  now  (1012)  living,  viz.: 
Roy  A.,  born  February  19.  1894:  Alexander,  born  August  4,  1901, 
and  Hazel,  born  January  11,  1907. 

All)ert  E.  Gilliland  was  a  son  of  A.  H.  and  Sarah  (Sherlock) 
Gilliland,  natives  of  Ireland.  He  was  born  September  18,  1860,  in 
Leon.  Wis.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  La  Crosse  lousiness  College.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  remained  Avith  his  parents  during  their  lifetime.  His 
mother  died  in  1883  and  the  death  of  his  father  occurred  October 
29,  1885. 

Ml".  Gilliland  was  one  of  the  solid,  enterprising  and  successful 
general  farmers  of  Leon,  and  took  pride  in  breeding  and  raising 
good  horses,  and  his  farm  of  HOO  acres.  140  acres  of 
which  was  under  a  good  state  <if  cultivation  and  improved 
Avith  a  substantial  residence  and  outbuildings.  He  stood 
high  in  his  community  and  en.ioyed  the  confidence  of  all  who 
knew  him.  He  Avas  an  honorable,  upright  citizen,  fond  of  his 
home  and  family,  and  his  death.  Avhich  occurred  August  1.  IIHI, 
was  mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 

Rev.  John  George  Glaeser,  jiastor  of  the  St.  Paul's  Lutheran 
church  of  Tomah.  one  of  the  finest  churches  of  this  denomina- 
tion in  Monroe  count.w  was  boi-n  at  Platteville.  Wis..  November 
24,  1865,  the  son  of  John  and  Hai-bara  (Gilbert)  Glaeser. 
both  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  emigrated  to  the  T'nitcd 
States  in  1852  and  first  located  at  Pottsville.  Pa..  Avhere 
he  lived  tAvo  years,  Avorking  the  Avhilc  in  the  coal  mines  at  that 
place,  removing  thence  to  Platteville.  Wis..  Avhere  he  acquired 
sixty  acres  of  land  Aviiich  he  tilled  and  Avhere  the  family 
lived  for  fifty  years.  Li  1907  he  i-etired  fidiii  active  labor,  and 
with  the  mother  now  lives  in  Platteville.  he  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
live  and  she  at  the  age  of  sixty-seA'en  years. 

Rev.  Glaeser 's  early  education  Avas  received  in  the  parochial 
schools:  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  entered  the  NorthAvestern  I'ni- 
versitv    at     WatertoAvn.     Wis.,    a     Lutlieran     institutiiui.    Avhere 


BIOGRAPHY  691 

he  acquired  a  four  year  classical  course,  which  was  supplemented 
by  a  course  of  two  and  one-half  years  at  the  Lutheran  seminary 
at  MilAvaukee.  lie  was  ordained  and  became  pastor  of  the 
Lutheran  church  at  Paris,  Kenosha  county,  Wis.,  December 
26,  1887;  in  1889  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  church  at  Town  of 
Berlin.  ]Marathon  county,  AVis.,  and  remained  in  charge  of 
that  church  for  ten  and  one-half  years.  January  11,  1900,  he 
accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Tomah,  and 
has  since  been  its  popular  and  efficient  pastor.  This  church  is 
a  beautiful  edifice  with  a  seating  capacity  of  six  hundred  and 
fifty.  Liider  the  present  pastorate,  the  church,  parochial  school 
and  Young  People's  Society  are  all  in  a  most  tlourishing 
condition. 

Rev.  Glaeser  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
of  the  Lutheran  Wisconsin  Synod ;  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
the  Northwestern  College  of  Watertown,  AVis.,  and  Visitator  of 
the  Southwest  Conference.  On  June  27.  1889,  he  Avas  united 
in  marriage  with  j\Iiss  Frances  Schultz,  of  Milwaukee.  They 
have  an  interesting  family  of  five  children,  viz :  Frances  is  a 
teacher  in  the  schools  at  Racine.  AVis. :  Alartin  is  attending 
the  college  at  AVatertown ;  Beata  is  employed  by  Burrows  & 
Son  in  Tomah;  Gilbert  and  Angelica  are  at  home  and  are  in 
attendance  at  school. 

William  C.  Gould,  prominent  among  the  farmers  of  Greenfield 
township,  resides  in  section  twenty-four,  where  he  is  successfully 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  His  birth  occurred 
near  AVatertown.  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y..  May  12.  1861.  the  son 
of  Charles  and  Frances  (AIcQuillian)  Gould,  who  were  also 
natives  of  New  A''()rk  state,  and  who  came  to  AVisconsin  in  1867 
with  their  family,  and  took  up  and  homesteaded  80  acres  of  wild 
land  in  section  two.  (jreenfield  t(nvnship.  which  was  afterwards 
sold  to  Nehemiah  Oakley,  and  the  family  moved  to  another  farm 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  township  where  they  resided  for 
eighteen  years,  when  the  father  moved  to  the  village  of  Norwalk, 
and  for  nine  years  conducted  the  Norwalk  hotel.  He  died  there 
in  1899  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years;  his  widow,  mother  of  our 
subject,  passed  away  in  September,  1911,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years.  Daniel  Gould,  a  brother  of  Charles,  came  to  Alonroe 
county,  and  for  a  time  kept  a  hotel  at  Tunnel  City.  A  sister, 
Lucinda,  and  aunt  of  our  subject,  is  the  wife  of  Orland  AYoodard, 
of  Dodgeville.  AVis. 

AVilliam  C.  Gould  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children, 
all   of   whom    are   living   except    Charles   who    is    deceased ;   the 


G92  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

others  arc  Ella,  who  inarried  Ira  Seibohl,  of  Tunnel  Cit}';  Adel- 
bert,  of  Norwalk ;  INIattie  is  the  Avifc  of  Theodore  Lotterman,  of 
Crandon.  Wis.;  Francis  is  tlic  wife  of  Vent  Wallace,  and 
lives  in  Onlario.  Wis.;  llnrbert  and  Horace  reside  in  Sparta,  and 
Celia  is  the  wife  of  Adolph  Ilolderman.  of  Xoi-wallv. 

]\Ir.  Gould  received  his  education  in  the  inil)lic  schools  and 
remained  on  the  farm  until  he  was  sixteen,  when  he  began  for 
himself  and  was  variously  employed  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  twenty-eight  years,  when  he  rented  a  farm  in  Greenfield 
township  and  successfully  conductctl  the  same  for  some  thirteen 
years.  In  1!)()4  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres,  Avhich 
is  fitted  out  with  all  modern  farming  equipments  and  presents  an 
up-to-date  appearance.  He  has  remodeled  his  residence  and 
built  a  large  and  eonnnodious  barn  in  1  !>()!'  and  has  since  added 
other  improvements.  ]Mr.  Gould  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  town  and  county;  for  the  past  five  years  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  side  board;  has  been  clerk  of  the  school 
district  two  years,  and  in  social  circles  he  is  a  mem})er  of  the 
INIodern  AVoodmeu  of  America  and  the  ]\Iystic  AVorkers.  On 
IMay  25,  1891,  he  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Mary  ]Mcj\Iullen,  daughter 
of  Joseph  Mci\Iullen,  of  New  York  State,  who  about  fifty  years 
ago  came  to  Tunned  City,  but  later  moved  to  Dodgeville,  AVis. 

Edward  C.  Graham,  is  a  native  son  of  AVisconsin,  and  ranks 
among  tlie  Avide  awai\e  and  progressive  farmers  of  LaGrange 
township.  He  was  born  in  Tomah  township.  A})ril  11.  1868.  to 
INIichael  and  Sarah  (Nash)  Graham,  natives  of  New  York  state 
and  Ireland,  resjiectively.  ^Michael  (irahani.  who  settled  in 
LaGrange  township  in  the  early  fifties,  and  his  brother,  in  com- 
pany with  their  father,  Thomas  Graham,  came  to  AVisconsin, 
Avhere  ]\Iichael  died  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years,  in  1S79.  His 
widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  still  (1912)  survives.  They  reared 
a  family  of  four  cliildi-eii:  Ella  married  Al.  I'.  Finuerty.  and 
resides  at  Tomali :  Edward  (\.  our  subject;  AVilliam.  who  lives  on 
the  homestead,  and  May,  the  Avife  of  Fitz  Chapman,  of  Chicago. 

Receiving  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his  home 
town.  Ah".  (Ji-aham  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  which,  since 
his  death,  our  subject  has  conducted.  He  lives  now  in  tiie  enjoy- 
ment of  his  model  counli'v  home;  with  his  modern  residence, 
erected  in  1!>(!9.  and  his  coniMiodioiis  barn,  buill  in  1899.  with 
other  improvements  in  keepini:  with  these,  liave  been  made.  He 
carries  on  general  farming,  dairying  and  stock  raising,  making 
a  si)ecialty  of  Durham  and  Ilolstein  cattle,  lie  takes  an  active 
interest   in  the  affairs  of  his  township,  has  served  as  treasurer  of 


BIOGRAPHY  693 

his  toA\ni,  and  was  treasurer  of  the  school  district  for  twenty 
years. 

lie  was  married  in  October,  ISIM,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Brennen, 
dautihter  of  Edward  and  Mary  (Gillespie)  Brennen,  of  Adrian 
township.  To  JMr.  and  Mrs.  Graham  have  been  born  four  children, 
viz. :  Marie  Grace,  Irene  Katheryn,  Mildred  Ellen  and  Michael 
Francis.  I\Irs.  Graham  was  a  resident  of  Adrian  township  for 
many  years,  where  lier  father,  Edward  Brennen,  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1909.  and  where  her  mother  now  resides. 

Albert  Gril?'',  the  wealthy  and  prominent  young  farmer  who 
occnpies  and  owns  the  family  homestead  of  200  acres  in  sections 
ten,  eleven  and  fifteen  in  Ridoeville  township,  where  he  was  born 
on  December  16.  1868,  is  the  son  of  August  and  Wilhelmina  (Sum- 
merfield)  Grill,  both  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in 
1858  and  first  located  in  New  York  state.  Later  they  moved  to 
Monroe  county.  Wisconsin,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Ridgeville, 
where  they  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  ten,  and 
another  eighty  acres  in  section  eleven,  where  they  made  their  home 
for  about  twenty  years,  and  on  November  22,  1911,  they  moved 
to  Norwalk  and  retired  from  active  farm  life.  Mr.  Grill  has 
always  been  a  hard  working  man,  began  life  in  the  midst  of  "hard 
times.''  worked  for  small  wages  and  endured  the  hardships  of 
pioneer  days,  and  in  all  respects  has  lived  a  truly  strenuous  life. 
In  later  years,  however,  he  achieved  a  fair  measure  of  success  as  a 
farmer  and  is  liighly  respected  for  his  honesty  and  integrity.  He 
and  Mrs.  Grill  now  live  in  comparative  ease  and  are  really  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  their  early  efforts. 

Their  son,  Albert,  attended  the  district  schools  while  he  was 
small,  being  only  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  was  forced  to  aban- 
don his  chances  for  an  education  on  account  of  his  home  duties,  as 
he  Avas  the  mainstay  of  his  parents,  and  as  the  result  of  his  econ- 
omy and  perseverance  and  of  his  steady  and  gentlemanly  habits, 
he  came  into  possession  of  the  homestead  in  his  own  right  and 
since  then  he  has  made  many  valuable  and  lasting  improvements 
on  the  farm  in  way  of  bringing  the  land  up  and  rebuilding  the 
residence,  barns,  etc.,  until  now  he  has  one  of  the  ideal  country 
homes  of  the  township.  His  water  supply  comes  from  a  drive  well, 
160  feet  in  depth,  with  Avindmill  power;  he  is  thoroughly  up-to- 
date  in  his  farming  methods  and  is  considered  a  successful  general 
farmer.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  held  several  local 
offices;  was  assessor  for  two  years  and  a  member  of  the  school 
board  for  about  thirty  years. 

^Ir.  Grill  has  been  married  twice.    His  first  marriage  was  with 


694  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Miss  Bertha  Peth.  and  thev  liad  a  family  of  seven  children,  onlv 
three  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  viz.:  Louis  W.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1892;  George,  born  November  20,  1897,  and  Elma,  born 
January  10,  18—.     Mrs.  Grill  died  in  190:^. 

The  second  Mrs.  Grill  was  ]\Iiss  ]Mary  Kortbein,  daughter  of 
AV.  F.  and  A.  Kortbein,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1904.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

]\Ir.  and  ^Irs.  (irill  have  one  flauLditcr.  \'(']uria.  Ixtrn  June  14, 
1905. 

Fred  Gross,  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Gross  &  Schaller.  drug- 
gists, is  a  native  son  of  Wisconsin.  He  was  born  in  Armena  town- 
ship, AVood  county,  on  February  18,  1864.  to  A.  L.  and  Louisa 
(Polansky)  Gross.  Avho  emigrated  from  Germany  to  Wood 
county,  Wisconsin,  in  the  early  fifties.  l)efore  their  marriage. 
A.  L.  Gross,  father  of  our  subject.  Avho  was  a  baker  by  trade,  and 
his  brother.  Jacob  Gross,  Avere  the  only  members  of  a  large  family 
who  braved  the  trials  and  hardships  of  an  ocean  voyage  in  those 
early  days  to  become  pioneers  of  Wisconsin.  They  were  both 
I)rogressive  and  thrifty  and  were  numbered  among  the  most  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  Wood  county.  The  father  died  in  1907  at  the 
age  of  sixty-nine  years.  Mrs.  Gross,  mother  of  Fred  and  daughter 
of  Herman  Polansky,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Wood  county,  is  still 
(1912)  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven. 

]\Ir.  Fred  Gross  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
county  and  early  entered  as  clerk  the  employ  of  Garrison  & 
AVhittlesey,  druggists  and  general  merchandise,  of  Grand  Rapids. 
Wis.,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  had  full  charge  of  the  drug 
department.  Following  this  employment.  ]Mr.  Gross  went  to 
Dakota  and  jNIontana.  but  soon  again  returned  to  Wisconsin,  and 
on  October  1,  1884,  located  at  Sparta,  and  at  first  was  located  in 
the  store  of  AVilliam  Potter  Palmer  for  a  period  of  four  years, 
when  he  became  a  partner  of  Ali".  Palmer  and  the  firm  was 
Palmer  &  Gross,  also  continuing  until  April,  1895,  when  Air.  Paul 
Sehaller  purchased  the  interest  of  ]\Ir.  Palmer  and  the  firm  became 
Gross  k  Sehaller.  The  building  occupied  by  them  was  bought  in 
April,  1896.  at  which  time  the  store  was  enlarged  and  many 
improvements  made,  and  now  ranks  as  one  of  the  model  stores 
in  AVisconsin  and  the  business  a  thriving  success. 

In  public  affairs  Mr.  Gross  is  no  less  active  and  influential  than 
as  a  business  man,  in  advancing  the  interests  of  Sparta.  Believing 
it  to  be  the  duty  of  every  citizen  to  contribute  to  the  extent  of 
his  ability  to  the  good  government  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives,  and  also  that  good  municipal  government  is  a  matter  of 


BIOGRAPHY  695 

the  greatest  importance  in  any  city,  he  took  from  his  business  the 
time  necessary  to  serve  as  mayor  of  his  city  two  years,  supervisor 
of  his  ward  for  several  terms  and  is  now  president  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  Monroe  County  Insane  Asyhnn,  is  ex-officio 
superintendent  of  the  poor  and  a  director  in  the  Bank  of  Sparta. 
He  is  now  a  director  of  the  Monroe  County  Telephone  Company 
and  was  its  first  secretary.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 
the  LaCrosse  Club. 

On  June  24,  1903,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Wanetta  Baldwin, 
daughter  of  R.  S.  Baldwin,  of  Sparta. 

John  L.  Guthrie,  who  resides  on  his  farm  in  section  three, 
Oakdale  township,  is  the  son  of  William  and  Susan  (Wright) 
Guthrie  and  was  born  in  Genesee  Valey.  N.  Y..  September  2, 
1837.  His  parents  were  born  in  New  York  state,  the  father  on 
July  18,  1803,  and  died  on  October  15,  1853.  Susan  Wright, 
mother  of  ]Mr.  Guthrie,  was  born  in  Hebron,  N.  Y.,  February  7, 
1808,  and  was  married  to  William  Guthrie  at  Salem,  N.  Y.,  July 
11.  1831.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  of  whom  l)ut  one,  our  subject,  survives.  She  lived  to  a 
ripe  old  age  and  died  June  8,  1896.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three, 
in  1860,  John  L.  came  AVest  from  New  York  and  located  at  Fox 
Lake,  Wis.  Diu'ing  the  same  year  he  came  to  Oakdale  township, 
Monroe  county,  and  for  a  time  engaged  in  getting  out  railroad 
ties  and  wood.  He  later  purchased  from  the  railroad  company 
160  acres  of  land  in  section  three,  where  he  now  resides.  He  was 
married  at  Tomah,  April  27,  3863,  to  Miss  Caroline  Leffingwell, 
daughter  of  Hiram  and  Julia  Leffingwell,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased.  Mrs.  Guthrie  was  born  in  Steuben  county.  New  York, 
and  is  the  fifth  child  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven 
children.  To  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Guthrie  have  been  born  six  children  : 
Julia  S..  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Snider,  of  Oakdale ;  William  L., 
married  Florence  Logan,  of  Oakdale.  now  deceased,  and  has  three 
children ;  Emma,  at  home ;  Cora  is  the  wife  of  Elmer  Hill,  of 
Tomah,  and  has  five  children ;  Bertha  is  now  Mrs.  W.  Wallace, 
of  Oakdale,  and  Arthur  J.,  who  resides  at  home.  AVhen  Mr. 
Guthrie  first  located  on  his  present  farm  it  was  a  dismal  looking 
swamp,  which,  by  hard  work  and  persistent  effort,  he  has 
reclaimed  and  converted  into  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Oakdale 
township.  He  has  built  a  fine  residence  and  large  and  commodious 
sanitary  barn  and  other  outbuildings  and  keeps  his  place  well 
stocked  with  a  good  grade  of  horses,  pure  bred  Jersey  cattle  and 
hogs,  and  besides  his  general  farming,  he  makes  a  specialty  of 


ti96  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

dairyiiit;'.  Altliouuh  on  the  slijuly  sido  of  lifo.  ]\Ir.  Gutlirie  takes 
^I'cat  ])ride  in  koepintr  liis  fai'iii  in  a  lirst-class  and  np-to-date  con- 
dition. One  of  the  very  lirsl  settlers  in  Oakdale  township,  Mr. 
(inlhi'ie  pas.sed  thronyh  all  the  nps  and  downs  of  pioneer  life,  and 
is  now  reaj)in^  the  Tniils  of  his  privations  ami  the  many  years 
of  toil. 

A  Kepuhlic.iii  ill  polities,  ]\Ir.  (iiithric  lias  jilways  taken  an 
active  intei'est  in  the  (Miniieils  of  his  ]»arty.  and  has  been  called 
npon  to  till  many  offices  of  trust.  He  was  ehairnian  of  the  town 
board  and  a  member  of  the  side  hoard  for  thirteen  years,  clerk  of 
his  school  district  for  twenty-nim'  years  and  was  one  of  the  or^ran- 
izers  of  the  Oakdale  ( "o-operative  Butter  Association.  His  son, 
Arthui'.  has  tilled  the  office  of  treasurer.  Since  its  organization, 
Angnst,  1862.  ]Mr.  Outhrie  enlisted  in  Coiiip;ni\-  G,  Berdons  First 
United  States  Shaip  Shooters,  from  Uodge  county,  AVisconsin ;  he 
was  engaoed  in  the  second  battle  of  Bnll  Rnn,  Sonth  ]\Ionntain. 
Antietam  and  Blackmail's  Ford.  He  was  discharged  on  account  of 
disaliility  in  Febi-uary.  1868.  He  is  a  mendier  of  the  Kilpatrick 
Post  Xo.  2i).  G.  A.  K..  of  Camp  Douglas. 

William  N.  Guy,  whose  l)ii-th  occurred  in  Canada.  ]\Iay  27, 
1853,  is  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  three  of  whom  are  now 
living,  born  of  the  marriage  of  Thomas  and  Anna  (Spear)  Guy. 
natives  of  P^ngland  and  Canada,  respectively;  the  Guys  being  of 
French  extraction.  Besides  William  .\..  the  others  living  are 
Orlean  Jaiues.  of  Kansas  City,  ]Mo..  and  Norman  Wesley  <;uy.  of 
Sparta.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Guy  married  in  Canada  February  27. 
1843.  and  came  to  llliiKtis  in  an  early  day;  thence  to  ]\Ionroc 
county,  Wisconsin,  when  AVilliam  was  Init  a  mere  boy.  They  first 
located  and  spent  some  time  in  the  then  village  of  Sparta,  and 
subserpiently  removed  to  a  farm  in  S])arta  township  and  engaged 
in  fai-ming.  Thomas  (Juy.  the  father,  wlio  w;is  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  ]Monro(>  county,  and  a  substantial  and  representative  citizen, 
was  boi-n  in  1822,  and  died  in  .May,  1873,  aged  fifty-one  years. 
Anna  Spear  Guy,  inother  of  our  subject,  was  born  May  5,  1825, 
and  died  in  June.  1892.  aged  sixty-seven  years. 

AVilliam  X.  Guy  atti'iidcd  the  disti'ict  schools  of  his  neighbor- 
hood, was  i-eai-ed  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  renuiined  for 
twenty-one  years,  when  he  located  in  section  five.  Sparta  town- 
ship. He  was  married  January  1.  1876.  to  Aliss  Isabella  Nicol. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Alexaiuler  and  Aiuia  (Denwoody)  Nicol, 
who  came  to  Sparta  township.  ]Monroe  county,  among  the  first 
pioneers.  He  was  the  son  of  Robert  and  IMary  (Pringle)  Nicol. 
and  was  born  in  Roxbury  county,  Scotland,  in  1827.    His  parents 


BIOGRAPHY  697 

were  also  natives  of  Scotland,  where  they  spent  their  entire  lives, 
and  raised  a  family  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters;  the  father 
was  by  trade  a  shoemaker,  and  in  religions  faith  Avas  a  Presby- 
tertan.  Alexander  Nieol  left  the  land  of  his  nativity  in  1852,  and 
upon  his  arrival  in  this  country  settled  first  in  Westchester  county. 
New  York,  but  afterwards  came  west  to  Wisconsin  and  located  in 
Eock  county,  and  worked  at  his  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner. 
In  1857  he  came  to  Monroe  county,  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land,  and  ever  after  made  this  county  his  home.  Mr.  Nicol  was 
married  in  Scotland  to  Miss  Ann  Denwoody,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Ann  (Stevenson)  Denwoody.  There  were  four  sons  and  two 
daughters  born  to  this  marriage,  namely,  Alexander,  Robert, 
John,  who  lives  in  Sparta ;  James  resides  in  California ;  Isabella, 
now  the  wife  of  William  X.  Guy.  and  one  daughter  who  died  in 
infancy  named  Jennette  JNIay.  Mr.  Nicol  was  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Sparta  township,  and 
after  a  residence  of  fifty-three  years  in  ]Monroe  county,  died  in 
1910  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  It  was  he  who  erected  the 
original  building  that  stood  on  the  lot  noAv  occupied  by  the  Dodge 
&  Davis  store.  The  mother  of  IMrs.  Guy  Avas  born  February  14, 
1827,  and  died  ]\Iarch  9,  1910,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

Mrs.  Guy  Avas  born  at  Janesville.  Rock  county.  Wis.,  and  Avhen 
three  years  of  age  mo\'ed  Avith  her  parents  to  INIonroe  county.  At 
that  time  there  Avere  but  three  or  four  families  in  the  toAvnship. 
AA'hich  Avas  then  a  dense  Avilclerness,  inhabited  by  Avild  beasts  and 
Indians.  INIr.  and  Mrs.  Guy  are  the  parents  of  five  children : 
Anna  L.  is  the  Avife  of  John  Herring,  Agnes  is  the  Avife  of  Carl 
Pierce,  and  Charles  N.  and  Harry  AV.,  all  of  Avhom  live  in  Sparta 
toAvnsliip.  and  Russell  lives  at  home.  j\Ir.  Guy  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Sparta,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  the  ^Maccabees,  Beavers  and  the  Order  of  Good  Templars. 

Charles  N.  Guy  Avas  born  in  the  toAvn  of  Sparta,  March  4,  1881. 
He  attended  the  district  schools  and  remained  on  the  home  farm 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  tAventy-tAvo  years,  AA'hen  he  remoA^ed  to 
the  Teasdale  farm.  AA'here  he  remained  for  tAvo  years.  He  next 
went  to  the  Putnam  farm,  Avhich  he  conducted  for  five  years,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1912  purchased  his  present  farm  of  120  acres  from 
Joseph  Heasty. 

On  April  21.  1903,  ]Mr.  Guy  Avas  married  to  ]\Iiss  Elizabeth 
McGarvey,  daughter  of  James  and  ]\Iary  (Ryan)  IMcGarvey,  of 
Wilton,  Wis.  To  this  union  have  been  born  four  children.  James 
William,  born  July  26,  190-1;  Isabella,  born  April  10,  1906;  Thomas, 
born  October  25,  1908.  and  Nelson  Arthur,  born  June  19,  1911. 


698  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Harry  W.  Guy  was  born  in  Sparta  township,  February  20, 
1890.  lie  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
remained  on  the  liome  farm  until  1911,  when  he  removed  to  the 
Lawson  farm,  which  he  now  carries  on  in  conjunction  with  the 
work  on  the  home  place.  He  was  married  October  4,  1911,  to 
Miss  Lila  Bur^r.  of  Sparta.  He  is  a  member  of  the  ]\Iodern  Wood- 
men of  America,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  IMethodist 
Episcopal  church. 

Walter  Roy  Guy*  belongs  to  the  younger  class  of  successful 
farmers  of  Sparta  township,  and  was  bom  iti  ]\Ionroe  county 
April  26,  1886,  and  is  the  son  of  Wesley  and  Ella  (Aylesworth) 
Guy,  natives  of  Wisconsin.  Walter  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  his  experience  was  the  same  as  that  of  most  farmer 
boys.  He  attended  the  district  school  of  his  home  town,  and 
assisted  with  llic  fanu  work  until  1906,  when  he  Avent  lo  I. a 
Crosse  and  became  manager  of  the  Raiiid  ^Milling  Company, 
remaining  in  that  position  foi*  three  years,  when  he  came  to 
Sparta  and  purchased  what  is  known  as  the  Sam  Biddeson  farm, 
containing  120  acres  in  section  twenty-seven,  Sparta  townshiji, 
where  he  now  resides  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising.  He  is  thoroughly  up  to  date  in  his  fanning  m<4hods. 
and  keeps  his  farm  well  supplied  with  modern  labor  saving 
devices.  Since  purchasing  his  present  farm  he  has  enlarged  his 
residence,  built  two  new  silos  and  made  many  other  improve- 
ments, including  a  flowing  well  which  furnishes  an  abundance 
of  pure  running  water  for  house  and  stock. 

Mr.  Guy  was  married  September  4,  1909.  to  ]\Iiss  SopiiiM. 
daughter  of  Frank  and  Amelia  Riser,  of  La  Crosse  county.  Mr. 
Guy  takes  an  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  county,  and  in  social 
matters  is  a  member  of  the  iModern  Woodmen  of  Anun*ica. 

William  Henry  Hanchett  is  a  native  son  of  ^Monroe  county 
and  has  always  lived  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He  was 
born  in  1867  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children  born  to 
George  E.  and  Elizal)eth  (Oakley)  Hanchett.  Of  tiie  others, 
Azaline  is  deceased,  Helen  married  Christian  Dahl  and  lives 
at  Bismark,  N.  D. ;  John  O. ;  Ruth  ^I.,  now  ^Irs.  Edward 
Schmidt,  of  Crandon.  AVis. ;  George  E.,  of  Pierce  county,  North 
Dakota,  and  Hernum  E.,  of  IMadeline  Island,  in  Lake  Superior. 

George  E.  Hanchett  has  been  a  resident  of  IMonroe  county 
since  1856.  He  was  born  in  Litchfield  county.  Connecticut, 
January  22,  1828,  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Chloe  (Brown)  Hanchett, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Connecticut.  The  first  Hanchett  came 
to    this    country    on    the    coaling    ship    ''Marion    John"    from 


GEORGE   E.    IIANCHETT 


BIOGRAPHY  699 

Plymouth,  England,  to  Massachusetts  in  1630  and  was  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry.  Thomas  Hanchett  was  a  Puritan  of  Norman 
French  descent,  and  was  probably  the  ancestor  of  all  the  Han- 
chetts  in  this  country.  The  father  of  George  E.  died  in  1840, 
leaving  a  widow,  four  sons  and  four  daughters ;  the  mother  lived 
to  be  seventy  years  of  age ;  her  death  occurred  in  Dodge  county, 
Wisconsin.  One  of  the  sons  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  Civil  War, 
member  of  a  Wisconsin  regiment.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years, 
George  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  and  in  1854  he  joined  the 
train  of  western  emigrants  coming  to  Wisconsin,  and  two  years 
later  settled  on  a  farm  in  Monroe  county  which  has  since  been 
his  home.  He  erected  comfortable  dwellings  and  other  neces- 
sary buildings  and  his  specialty  has  been  fruits  and  berry 
culture,  and  of  this  industry  he  and  his  son,  William  Henry, 
have  made  a  marked  success.  The  father  began  the  fruit  culture 
in  1886  and  has  had  as  high  as  sixty  acres  devoted  to  this  line 
at  one  time,  and  holds  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most 
successful  fruit  growers  of  the  state.  They  have  made  a  study 
of  the  soil  and  climate  and  the  varieties  best  adapted  to  these, 
and  hence  their  success.  Mr.  George  Hanchett  was  married  on 
November  6,  1862  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Oakley,  daughter  of  John 
and  Eliza  Oakley,  prominent  settlers  of  the  county.  Mrs.  Han- 
chett was  born  in  C'olumbia  county.  New  York,  and  died  in 
Monroe  county  April  6,  1902.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven 
children.  Mr.  George  Hanchett  has  represented  the  people  of 
his  township  as  clerk,  assessor,  treasurer  and  chairman  of  the 
board,  and  supports  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
taking  active  interest  in  all  their  movements.  He  is  loyal  to 
home  enterprises,  honorable  and  upright  in  all  his  dealings, 
and  worthy  of  the  confidence  bestowed  upon  him  by  his  fellow 
citizens. 

William  H.  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools 
of  his  neighborhood  and  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm, 
which  originally  contained  forty  acres  and  to  which  has  sub- 
sequently been  added  220  acres,  making  a  total  of  260  acres 
known  as  one  of  the  most  productive  fruit  farms  in  Wisconsin. 
The  father  began  the  raising  of  small  fruits  in  1886,  and  since 
reaching  his  majority,  our  subject  has  worked  the  farm  in  con- 
nection with  his  father,  making  fruit  raising  a  specialty.  The 
farm  is  highly  cultivated  and  improved  with  a  fine  array  of 
buildings,  and  besides  general  farming,  they  carry  on  a  fine 
dairy  business,  the  farm  being  at  all  times  stocked  with  the  best 
horses  and  Guernsey  cattle.    Mr.  Hanchett,  Jr.,  is  a  man  of  high 


700  UISTUUY  UF  .MONKOK  (  OIXTY 

standing  in  the  connnuiiity,  and  his  upright  demeanor  and  cliar- 
acter  coiinnand  the  eonfidence  and  respeet  of  all  "svho  know  liini. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Sparta  Fruit  Growers' 
Assoeiation.  and  for  s('^•el•al  years  lias  been  its  ])resident.  sui-- 
eeeding  ]\lr.  L.  S.  Fishci-.  Tie  has  been  township  clerk,  eluiiruian 
of  the  town  board  and  is  n  iHeiid)er  of  the  state  board  of  public 
affairs,  and  in  1912  declined  Die  nomination  to  the  general 
assenihly.  lie  is  a  nicndx'i'  of  the  class  of  1898,  stale  agricultural 
college,  also  of  llic  .Modern  Woodmen  Assoeiation,  the  l^eavers, 
and  the  Angelo  Union  einnch. 

On  Se]itember  l(i.  1  !>()!».  ^Ir.  llanchett  was  married  to  Miss 
Bessie  L.  Anderson,  daughter  of  Nels  and  Christina  (AViiliams) 
Anderson,  who  came  from  Norway  in  IS")!)  nnd  located  at  Deer- 
field,  in   Dane   county. 

Michael  M.  Haney,  county  superintt-ndent  ol'  scliools  of  .Mon- 
roe county,  AVisconsin,  is  an  earnest  and  enthusiastic  educational 
M'orker  who  has  established  for  himself  a  reputation  that  has 
popularized  him  with  the  patrons  of  the  schools  over  Avhich 
he  has  jurisdiction. 

^Ir.  Haney  was  born  August  15,  1867,  at  AVinona.  ]Minn.,  son 
of  John  and  Julia  (^McDonald)  Ilaney.  natives  of  County  Galway, 
Ireland. 

Late  in  the  50 \s  they  came  to  the  I/nited  States  and  settled 
at  AVinona,  ]Minn.,  where  the  father  was  employed  in  railroading. 

In  1870  they  moved  to  the  town  of  Sheldon,  Alonroe  county. 
"Wisconsin,  and  settled  on  a  farm.  Here  they  lived  and  died, 
he  in  the  fall  of  1903  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years,  and 
she  in  1905  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 

They  raised  a  family  of  seven  children,  five  boys  and  two 
girls,  six  of  whom  are  now  living. 

Mr.  Haney 's  parents  were  ])Oor  and  were  unable  to  give  him 
the  educational  advantages  that  he  desiriMl.  He.  however, 
made  the  most  of  those  otfered  him.  After  finishing  the  conunon 
school  he  wallx'ed  four  miles  to  attend  the  village  school  and 
began  to  teach  on  a  tliii'd  grade  certificate.  He  continued  to 
teach  and  go  to  school  during  vacation  until  he  secured  a  state 
certificate.-  He  assumed  charge  ol'  liis  first  school  in  Hie  town- 
ship of  Sheldon,  in  the  district  where  he  first  attended  school. 
This  was  followed  l)y  teaching  in  tlu^  district  schools  at  Oil 
City,  Lyon's  Valley  and  Leon,  and  later  in  the  villages  of  Glen- 
dale,  Kendall  and  Norwalk  in  ]\lonroe  county.  Onlai-io  in  Vernon 
county,  where  he  once  attended  school,  and  I^oaz  in  Richland 
county. 


BIOGKAPHY  701 

His  long  aud  varied  experience  in  teaching  fitted  liiiu  for  the 
office  of  superintendent,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  the  spring 
of  1905.  By  the  choice  of  the  people  he  has  since  been  returned 
to  the  same  office  three  successive  terms.  Some  of  the  stronger 
features  of  the  work  during  his  terms  of  office  have  been  closer 
supervision,  the  introduction  of  the  graded  system,  and  freearm 
movement  in  penmanship  and  emphasis  on  the  "Three  R's. " 

Mr.  Haney  was  united  in  marriage  August  15.  1895,  to  Miss 
Lenora  Moore,  daughter  of  A.  D.  and  Janette  (Jones)  Moore, 
of  Glendale,  "Wis. 

They  have  three  children,  Gladys  J.,  Merwyn  A.,  and  AYinona 
J.  Haney. 

Sever  Hansen",  a  prosperous  and  loyal  citizen  of  section 
twelve,  Sparta  township,  iMonroe  county,  Avas  born  in  Koljing, 
Denmark,  February  12,  1849.  the  only  son  born  to  Hans  and 
Jacobine  Hansen,  who  lived  and  died  in  Denmark.  The  father 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Danish  army  and  was  killed  in  battle 
during  the  war  witli  Germany  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years. 
After  the  death  of  his  mother,  which  occurred  three  years  later 
when  she  was  only  twenty-five  years  old,  Sever  went  to  live 
with  his  uncle,  John  Hansen,  where  he  remained  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  then  began  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world  by  working  on  a  farm  for  two  years,  after 
Avhich  he  Avent  to  sea  and  Avas  a  sailor  for  about  tAVO  years; 
farming,  however,  Avas  the  occupation  Avhicli  appealed  most 
favorably  to  him,  and  he  returned  to  Denmark  and  folloAved 
that  line  for  some  nine  years.  In  1876  he  emigrated  to  America 
and  arriA'ed  in  Sparta,  Wis.,  on  April  1,  of  that  year;  he  hired 
out  to  Benjamin  ]\Iorse,  Avitli  whom  he  remained  tAvo  years,  and 
in  1879  Avas  employed  by  the  Chicago,  Mihvaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad  Company  at  construction  work  on  the  Viroqua  branch 
of  that  road.  After  the  completion  of  this  he  Avas  employed 
at  the  same  Avork  in  Iowa.  Missouri  and  Canada,  and  later  re- 
turned to  Sparta  and  again  took  a  position  Avith  the  Mihvaukee 
road  and  Avhile  thus  employed,  in  1882,  he  purchased  his  present 
farm,  containing  at  that  time  sixty  acres,  to  AAdiich  he  later 
added  another  forty  acres  and  took  up  his  residence  there  for 
two  years.  He  again  returned  to  the  employ  of  the  road  for  a 
short  time,  before  taking  up  his  permanent  residence  on  the 
farm  in  1886,  and  since  then  he  has  made  many  improvements 
in  erecting  buildings  and  clearing  the  timber  land.  He  noAV 
has  a  good  residence,  barn,  granery,  machine  shed,  etc.,  and 
has  brought  the  land  to  a   higii  state  of  cultivation,  making  it 


702  HISTORY  OK  MOXROK  COUNTY 

0710  of  the  model  farm  homes  in  that  s(M'tion  of  the  eounty,  and 
.Mr.  Hansen  is  considered  one  oT  the  most  sueeessful  general 
farmers   and    stoek    raisers. 

On  Januai'V  8,  1888,  j\Ir.  Hansen  was  man-ied  1o  ]Miss  Helen 
Hansen,  a  nati\'e  of  Norway.  They  have  six  ehildren,  viz: 
Ilciii-y  T.  lives  in  S|)arta  townshi]).  ("arl  K.  is  a  gi'aduatc  of  tlie 
Agririiltiiral  Dcpartiiiciit  of  the  Stale  rnivci'sily  of  Wisconsin, 
and  now  in  the  employ  of  the  experimental  department  of  that 
inslitntion;  Ennua  A.,  Norman  J.,  Fred  A.,  and  Viola  M..  all 
reside  at  home.  ^Ir.  Hansen  is  Icnown  as  an  enerjrelic  and  en- 
terprising citi/en,  and  in  I'cligious  association  he  and  his  family 
are  members  of  tln^  Sj)arta  Noi'Avegian  Lutheran  church. 

Calvin  L.  Hanshaw,  on<'  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  Port- 
land township,  was  horn  near  Moiiinoiit  li.  Wan-en  count  \\  111., 
and  is  the  youngest  and  only  living  son  of  a  family  of 
four  childr(>n  born  to  Janu^s  and  Susannah  (Osborne)  Hanshaw. 
The  others  are  Elizabeth,  noAV  Mrs.  AVilliam  AVhistler.  of  Iowa  : 
.Maggie  and  AVilliam,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  pai-ents 
of  All'.  Hanshaw,  who  were  natives  of  Indiana,  moved  to  Ohio 
after  their  marriage,  and  thence  to  Illinois,  Avhere  our  subject 
was  born,  and  there  the  father  died  in  18()7.  His  widow,  mother 
of  our  sub.ieet,  survived  until  1904,  when  she  passed  aAvay  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two  years. 

(.'alvin  >vas  reared  on  tln^  home  farm  in  Illinois,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  1872.  Avhen  he  eame  to  Wisconsin  and 
located  on  his  ])resent  farm  of  155  acres  in  section  se\('nteeii. 
Portland  township.  Here  Air.  Hanshaw  lived  for  many  years  in 
a  log  house  of  the  early  day  pattern  which  was  rejilaced  in  1900 
Avith  a  beautiful  and  commodious  frame  residence,  and  with  his 
modern  barn  and  other  outbuildings  and  the  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation to  which  he  has  brought  his  land,  he  has  one  of  the  best 
farm  honu^s  in  the  count  \.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising  and  with  his  thorough  methods  of  operating,  he 
has  nuule  a  grand  success.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  l\)rtland"s 
best  citizens,  ever  ready  to  aid  in  any  enterprise  for  the  benetit 
of  his  town  and  county. 

On  February  (i,  l!)(tl.  .Mi-.  Hanshaw  was  married  to  Aliss 
.Matie  -lones,  daughtei-  of  -lohii  X.  and  Laura  .\nn  \Vheldon'i 
Jones,  of  La  ("rosse  comity.  There  were  nine  childi'cn  in  the 
family;  besides  Airs.  Hanshaw:  Herbert,  of  Newton  Center. 
AVis. ;  AVilliam.  (»f  Bangoi":  Delia,  deceased:  Xewton  lives  at 
Sioux  Falls,  S.  D.:  Jesse,  of  I^angor,  Wis.:  Xellie.  of  Winnipeg. 
Canada:   Jeiniie.   of   Sparta,   and   one   who   died    in    infam-.w 


a 

w 

Q 

l-H 

w 

K 


BIOGRAPHY  703 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanshaw  have  been  born  two  children,  viz : 
Elvira  May,  l)orn  June  9,  1902,  and  Orville  Calvin,  born  March 
3,  1905. 

Orlando  H.  Hastings,  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  l)orn  at 
Charlestown,  Orleans  county,  Vermont.  March  7,  1840,  and  is 
the  oidy  surviving-  mendjcr  of  a  family  of  nine  children  born  to 
Osmyn  and  Dolly  (Buck)  Hastings,  natives  of  Caledonia  county, 
Vermont.  The  other  children  were  Dolly  Ann.  Osmyn,  Delight, 
Climena,  married  Bernard  Whitney;  Ozro  B.,  Orsino,  twin 
brother  of  our  subject;  Josephine  A.,  and  Angelette  J.  When 
our  subject  was  ten  years  of  age.  his  parents  moved  to  Wisconsin 
and  located  in  Dodge  county.  In  1852  they  moved  to  Juneau 
county  and  in  1859  to  Monroe  county  where  they  settled  on  a 
farm  of  150  acres  of  wild  land  in  LaClrange  township,  which 
the  father  sold  in  1867  to  Levi  Woodard.  and  thence  moved  to 
Minnesota,  where  they  spent  one  year.  Exchanging  farms  with 
their  son-in-law,  Bernard  K.  Whitney,  they  returned  to  La- 
Grange  township  and  lived  on  the  farm  of  seventy  acres,  where 
our  subject  now  resides.  They  later  returned  to  Minnesota, 
where  the  father  died  in  1878  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years 
and  the  same  year  his  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  He  w^as  prominent  in  his  town- 
ship, and  was  always  an  active  man  of  affairs  and  Avas  called 
to  the  various  local  offices  of  trust. 

Orlando  H.  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  and 
remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he  reached  his  majority,  when 
he  secured  employment  at  farm  work  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  on  August  14,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
company  F,  twenty-fifth  Wisconsin  infantry,  and  was  mustered 
into  the  service  at  La  Crosse.  After  a  few  months  spent  in 
IVIinnesota  and  at  Madison,  his  regiment  went  to  Columbus,  Ky., 
and  the  following  May  to  Vicksburg.  On  account  of  illness  Mr. 
Hastings  went  to  the  hospital  in  ^lemphis,  Tennessee,  and  was 
given  a  furlough  of  three  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  returned  to  his  regiment  at  Helena,  Ark. ;  thence  the  regiment 
proceeded  to  Cairo,  111.,  and  was  with  Sherman  in  the  Atlantic 
campaign.  Again  becoming  ill,  he  was  sent  to  several  field  hos- 
pitals and  afterwards  to  the  Jiospital  at  Rome,  Ga.,  where,  on 
account  of  disability,  he  was  discharged  on  October  2,  1864. 
He  then  returned  to  his  home  in  LaGrange  township,  where  he 
soon  after  married  and  for  three  years  conducted  a  farm  in 
Glendale  township,  then  returned  to  the  town  of  LaGrange 
and  spent  three  years.     He  then  went,  again  to  Glendale  and  in 


704  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

1875  came  back  to  LaGrange  towiisliip,  wlicre  lie  lias  since  made 
his  home,  actively  engaged  in  general  farming. 

He  was  married  I\Iarch  7,  1866,  to  Miss  Clarissa  J.  AVest, 
daughter  of  the  late  Hiram  AVest.  She  died  in  1882  in  her 
thirty-fifth  year.  They  IkkI  six  children  l)()rn  lo  them,  viz: 
George  W.,  deceased;  Lettie  J.  is  the  Avife  of  Albert  Doolittle,  of 
Vilas  county,  AVisconsin ;  Lydia  T.,  Avife  of  Fred  TT.  T^undy.  of 
Sand  Point,  Idaho;  j\Iary  Josephine,  deceased;  Ella  C,  married 
AVilliam  Kampman,  of  ]\Iinneapolis,  and  Orlando  Jay  is  deceased. 
Mr.  Hastings  married  for  his  second  wife,  ]\Iiss  Christina 
Semersen,  daughter  of  Christian  Semersen,  a  native  of  Denmark. 
She  died  December  9,  1910,  aged  sixty-four  years.  J\Ir.  Hastings 
has  been  active  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  has  l)een  director 
and  treasurer  of  the  school  district.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Henry  W.  Cressy  Post,  G.  A.  K.,  of  Tomah. 

Lyle  H.  Heath'^'  lielongs  to  the  younger  elass  of  prosperous 
farmers  of  jMonroe  county.  He  was  born  in  Arcadia,  Trempea- 
leau county,  Wis.,  and  is  the  son  of  Edwin  S.  and  Anna 
(Busby)  Heath,  of  La  Crosse  and  Trempealeau  counties.  The 
father  removed  from  Trempeleau  to  La  Crosse  county,  and  in 
1911  came  to  Monroe  county.  The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mr. 
Heath  were  Oscar  B.  and  Ann  (Miller)  Heath,  long-time  resi- 
dents of  Marengo,  Wis.,  and  who  later  removed  to  La  Crosse 
county,  wdiere  he  died  in  1902.  His  wife,  grandmother  of  our 
subject,  survived  nine  years  and  passed  aw;iy  April  2,  1911. 
Lyle  H.  attended  the  public  schools  and  was  reared  on  a  farm 
in  La  Crosse  county,  where  he  lived  until  the  fall  of  1911,  when 
he  removed  to  IMonroe  county  and  purcliased  the  Dedrick 
Langrehr  farm  of  160  acres  in  section  five,  Sparta  township. 
He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  takes  pride  in  raising 
Holstein  cattle.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  "Woodmen  of 
America,  and  the  Yeomens.  AVliile  only  a  recent  settler  in  Sparta 
tOAvnship,  ]\Ir.  Heath  is  interested  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and 
county,  and  is  one  of  its  most  loyal  citizens.  He  has  one  brother, 
AYilliam  0.,  Avho  resides  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Air.  Heath  was  married  on  September  1,  1910,  to  Aliss  Alartha 
LaFleur,  daughter  of  Henry  LaFleur,  of  New  Amsterdam.  AVis. 
They  have  two  children,  Alabelle  A.  and  AVillard  L. 

M.  0.  Heffernan,  cashier  of  the  Farmers'  State  Bank.  Xor- 
walk,  is  the  son  of  Morris  and  Elizabeth  (Sims)  Heffeiiiaii, 
natives  of  Canada  and  Kngland  respectively.  His  father  in 
early  life  lett  his  native  counti-y  and  came  to  the  States,  and 
for   some   time   after   his   arri\al.   followed   the   occupation   of  a 


BIOGRAPHY  705 

sailor  on  Lake  Erie.  His  next  move  was  westward,  this  time 
coming  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  arrived  in  the  early  fifties, 
locating  in  Hazel  Green  township.  Grant  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  continued  to  reside,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1904,  owned  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county. 
His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  still  survives.  Mr.  Heffernau, 
grandfather  of  M.  0.,  was  also  a  native  of  Canada,  where  he 
spent  his  life  in  the  occupation  of  farming.  The  ancestors  on 
the  Heffernan  side  were  of  Irish  descent,  while  the  Sims  family 
were  of  English  extraction  (Cornish).  "William  Sims,  the 
maternal  grandfather,  was  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Hazel 
Green  township,  Grant  county,  where  he  died  in  1890  at  the 
age  of  ninety  years. 

M.  0.  Heffernan  was  the  ninth  child  of  a  family  of  thirteen 
children,  twelve  of  whom  are  living;  the  others  besides  our  sub- 
ject are  John,  of  Wilton ;  William,  deceased ;  Albert  lives  at 
Ireton,  Iowa ;  Thomas,  of  Dubuque,  Iowa ;  Abbie,  wife  of  E.  J. 
Osborn,  Carroll,  Iowa ;  James  E.  lives  at  Birmingham,  Ala. ;  IMary 
is  the  wife  of  Grant  Wills  and  resides  at  Cuba  City,  W^is.,  as  does 
Oscar ;  Walter  lives  in  Beloit ;  Jesse  E.  at  Black  Earth,  Wis. ; 
Clyde  and  Elmer  reside  at  Platteville,  Wis.  Mr.  Heffernan,  our 
subject,  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Grant 
county  and  at  the  Platteville  Normal  school,  graduating  from 
the  latter  institution  with  the  class  of  1901 ;  he  began  teaching 
the  same  year  at  Hollandale,  AVis.,  and  in  1902  became  principal 
of  the  Norwalk  high  school,  continuing  as  such  until  1909.  In 
1905  he  was  a  candidate  for  county  superintendent  of  schools 
in  opposition  to  M.  M.  Haney,  but  was  defeated  after  a  hotly 
contested  campaign.  Closing  his  term  as  principal  of  the  high 
school  in  1909  he  went  to  Hayti,  S.  D.,  where  for  two 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  furniture  business.  Eeturuing  to 
Norwalk  in  May,  1911,  he  became  cashier  of  the  Farmer's  State 
Bank,  which  position  he  still  retains.  This  financial  institution 
was  organized  September  17,  1907,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000. 
The  total  footings  of  this  bank  often  reached  the  snug  sum 
of  $100,000,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  soundest  institutions 
in  the  county. 

On  August  16,  1907,  Mr.  Heffernan  was  married  to  Miss  Mabel 
McGary,  daughter  of  Eugene  and  Lydia  McGary,  one  of  the 
prominent  and  highly  esteemed  families  of  Norwalk,  and  whose 
biography  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  and  jMrs.  Heffer- 
nan are  the  parents  of  two  children,  viz :  Olive  Lydia,  and 
Eugene,  who  is  deceased.     Mrs.  Heffernan  was  graduated  from 


706  IIISTOKV  OF  MOXKOE  COUNTY 

the   Sparta   high   scliool   with   the  chiss  of  1898  and  for  .several 
terms  -was  a  leadier  in  the  seln)ols  of  Xorwalk. 

Adam  J.  Heintz.  Anionj?  the  many  suceessful  and  public 
spirited  farmers  of  Portland  township.  Monroe  county,  is  Adam 
J.  Ileintz.  lie  is  the  son  of  Peter  and  Barbara  Ileintz.  natives 
of  Germany,  whero  Adam  was  born  February  20,  1847.  the  eldest 
of  a  family  of  seven  children.  Of  the  others.  Katherine  is  the 
wife  of  \\'illiam  Jenson  and  lives  at  ( "ashton ;  Caroline,  widow 
of  August  ^Miller.  Portland  township:  Adeline,  wife  of  John 
Schmitz,  of  Portland  township:  ]\Iary,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of 
Peter  AVeber.  \Vhen  our  subject  reached  the  age  of  one  .year, 
his  parents  emigrated  to  America,  arriving  here  in  1848.  They 
came  to  Wisconsin  and  first  settled  in  Jefferson  county,  and  in 
186.S  moved  to  Alonroe  county,  where  liic  fathei'  i)urc]iased  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Portland  township,  to  which  he  later  added 
three  40 's,  and  here  established  the  family  home  where  they 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Tlie  mother  died  in  1882 
at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years;  the  father  survived  until  August 
2,  1892.  when  he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 

Our  sub.iect  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  district 
schools,  assisting  in  tlie  farm  work  until  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  when  he  |)Hi-(]uised  120  acres  of  Avild  land  in  section 
twenty-three.  Poi-tiand  township,  and  was  one  of  the  tirst  settlers 
in  that  section.  Starting  in  life  with  no  cajiital  l)ut  his  native 
ability,  he  endured  the  many  hardships  of  the  pioneer,  and  by 
the  good  graces  of  AV.  H.  Blytou  and  ]\lartin  Erickson,  of  Sparta, 
who  extended  him  a  line  of  credit  for  supplies,  he  was  enabled 
to  clear  his  land  and  place  the  same  under  cultivation.  The 
first  successful  crop  raised  was  wheat.  His  farm  is  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  well  improved  with  a  good  residence, 
barns  and  tobacco  sheds  and  other  buiklings.  He  has  spent  his 
whole  life  in  farming  and  has  been  generally  successful. 

In  August.  1872,  ]\Ir.  Ileintz  was  married  to  Aliss  Victoria 
IMashak.  daughtei-  of  Hartlemas  ]\Iashak.  ^Irs.  Ileintz  died  two 
years  later  in  3874,  leaving  one  daughter.  Anna,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  ]\Iatt  ]Marx.  of  Brush  Creek.  Ilis  second  marriage  was 
with  Alary  Schmitz.  daugliter  of  John  Schmitz.  of  Portland  town- 
ship. Of  this  union  six  children  have  been  born,  viz:  John  lives 
at  home;  Peter  lives  at  Casliton :  Lena  is  the  wife  of  August 
Aleisner,  of  Portland  township;  Alaggie  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
Alasenberg,  of  Jefferson  township:  Christ  and  Agnes  Heintz  are 
at  home.  In  the  early  days  of  the  township  Air.  Ileintz  was  a 
member  of  the  side  board  and  for  thirty  rears  has  been  treasurer 


BIOGRAPHY  707 

of  the  school  district.  He  and  his  family  affiliate  with  the  Pine 
Hollow  Catholic  cluirch. 

Herman  Heintz"',  a  ])roniinent  farmer  of  Oakdale  township, 
was  born  in  ]\Ionroo  county,  Wisconsin,  March  3.  1866,  the  son 
of  John  C  and  Caroline  (Hubert)  Heintz,  both  natives  of 
Germany.  The  parents  came  to  America  in  1852,  and 
located  in  Waukesha  county,  this  state,  where  they  lived  for 
five  years.  In  1857  tliey  moved  to  Monroe  county,  where  the 
father  purchased  120  acres  of  land  in  section  thirty  in  the  town 
of  Oakdale,  to  which  he  later  added  sixty  acres,  all  of  which  was 
wild  land  covered  with  timber.  He  erected  a  log  house  of  one 
room,  in  which  the  family  lived  for  twenty  years,  and  with  his 
own  hand  cleared  eighty  acres,  and  placed  the  same  under  a 
good  state  of  cultivation.  The  trip  from  Waukesha  to  Monroe 
county  was  made  in  a  second  class  wagon  which  contained  all 
their  earthly  possessions,  and  which  was  drawn  by  an  ox  team. 
Some  relics  from  this  old  wagon  are  now  in  possession  of  our 
subject.  They  were  honest,  hard  working  people,  devoted  to 
their  home  and  family  and  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
Their  family  consisted  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  now 
living.  As  a  man  he  took  great  interest  in  all  public  matters, 
and  for  twenty  years  Avas  school  clerk  of  his  town,  and  secretary 
of  his  church.  The  mother  was  also  born  in  Germany,  and  died 
in  1906. 

Herman  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty  years  purchased  180  acres  of  land  in  sections  ten, 
twenty  and  thirty,  Oakdale  toAvnship,  being  the  old  homestead. 
Many  of  the  improvements  made  by  his  father  were  on  the  place, 
the  residence,  which  has  been  rebuilt  by  Mr.  Heintz,  w^as  erected 
thirty-six  years  ago,  and  the  barn  was  built  thirty-eight  years 
ago.  A  modern,  up-to-date  barn,  30  by  101,  has  recently  been 
liuilt,  and  a  large  compressed  air  tank  furnishes  water  through 
a  system  of  pipes  for  both  house  and  barn.  Mr.  Heintz  has  an 
ambition  to  run  his  farm  in  the  latest  up-to-date  manner,  and 
in  his  operations  uses  all  the  modern  devices.  He  was  the  first 
man  in  Monroe  county  to  use  a  manure  spreading  machine,  which 
was  ordered  direct  from  the  factory,  and  he  is  the  first  man  in 
the  town  of  Oakdale  to  engage  in  alfalfa  raising.  He  makes  a 
success  of  this  adventure,  and  during  this  year  of  1912  has 
cut  three  crops  from  five  acres.  He  is  an  extensive  dealer  in  and 
breeder  of  Holstein  cattle,  and  now  has  a  fine  herd  of  250  head. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  operations,  he  carries  on  an 
extensive  dairy  business,  and  is  also  an  extensive  raiser  of  full- 


708  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROE  COUNTY 

blooded  white  leghorn  chickens.  In  every  sense  Mr.  Heintz  is 
a  model  and  influential  citizen,  and  one  of  tlie  prosporous  and 
progressive  farmers  of  the  county. 

John  Heintz,  who  is  one  of  the  successful  citizens  of  Jefferson 
township.  ]\Ionroe  county,  Wisconsin .  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Wisconsin.  July  17.  IS^A.  the  son  of  Michael  and  Catherine 
(Boltz)  Heintz.  The  parents  were  natives  of  Rhein  Pfaltz,  a  prov- 
ince of  Bavaria.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1849  and  first 
located  at  Grand  Haven,  Mich.,  wliere  he  was  employed  in  the 
pineries  for  four  years.  In  the  fall  of  1852  he  returned  to  his 
native  country,  got  his  wife  and  came  back  to  America  in  the 
spring  of  1853  and  settled  on  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  town  of 
Sullivan,  Jefferson  county,  and  there  passed  his  life.  He  was 
born  in  March,  1824,  and  died  November  6,  1870.  His  wife,  mother 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1836,  and  died  ]\Iarch  3.  1898.  The 
father  had  a  liberal  education,  secured  in  his  native  country,  and 
after  settling  in  this  country',  experienced  all  the  ups  and  downs 
of  pioneer  life.  He  was  honorable  and  upright,  and  a  man  of 
genial  disposition,  and  with  his  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church.  At  the  time  of  INIichael  Heintz 's  death.  ]\Irs.  Heintz. 
mother  of  our  subject,  acquired  140  acres  of  land  in  Jefferson 
county,  and  in  1863  ^Michael  Heintz  purchased  160  acres  of  land, 
part  of  which  was  in  Monroe  and  a  part  in  Vernon  county. 

John  attended  the  common  schools  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  old,  and  lived  Avith  his  mother  until  1884.  when  the  family 
became  separated,  and  he  began  to  look  out  for  himself.  Has 
improved  a  farm  and  at  present  has  one  of  the  best,  if  not  the 
best,  orchards  in  the  town.  In  1911  liad  a  fruit  yield  of  300 
bushels  of  apples.  On  ]May  6,  1884,  he  was  married  at  Ottawa. 
Waukesha  county,  to  ]\riss  Barbara  Bischel,  daughter  of  Henry  ami 
Barbara  (Ruf )  Bischel.  To  this  union  has  been  born  nine  cliildren, 
viz. :  Gertrude  B.,  born  September  22,  1885,  graduated  from  the 
Cashton  high  school  in  1905,  and  for  five  years  she  taught  school 
in  Monroe  and  Chippewa  counties.  AVisconsin,  which  she  gave  up  to 
accept  a  position  with  ^Marshall  Field  &  Co.,  of  Chicago.  At  present 
(1912)  Gertrude  is  employed  in  one  of  the  departments  of  the  Boston 
store,  Chicago;  Clara  J.,  born  October  31,  1887,  is  in  business  at 
La  Crosse  Steam  Laundry;  Bruno  Henry,  born  January  21.  1890. 
is  at  home  on  the  farm;  INIichael  P.,  born  December  29.  1891; 
Agnes  G..  born  Deceml)er  22.  1893:  Frances  Emma,  born  INIay  12. 
1896;  Lucia  M..  born  September  17.  1899:  Philamena.  born  :\lay 
29,  1902;  Francis,  born  August  7.  1904.  Several  of  the  children 
attended  high  school  at  Cashton. 


BIOGRAPHY  709 

Mrs.  Heintz  is  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of  eleven  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  now  living.  Hei-  father  came  to  America  in 
1851  and  located  in  AYaukesha  county,  Wisconsin ,  he  was  born  at 
Gallinsheim  Hessen  Dornistadt,  Germany,  on  the  Rhine,  July  18, 
1828.  The  mother  was  born  August  20,  1831,  in  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  in  1849.  They  were 
married  at  Ottawa.  Waukesha  county.  Wis.,  in  1857.  and  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding  April  20,  1907.  The.y  have  five  sons, 
three  daughters  and  forty-three  grandchildren.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Heintz  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  while  in  polities  he 
is  a  Democi"at. 

William  Heiser,  one  of  the  influential  and  public  spirited  citi- 
zens of  Jefferson  township,  is  the  sou  of  Adolph  Heiser  and  Eliza- 
beth (Fuhrmeister),  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  came 
to  America  from  Germany  in  1851  with  his  brother  William,  and 
located  at  Beloit.  Rock  county.  Wis.  lie  was  a  watchmaker  by 
trade  and  followed  this  occupation  for  some  time  in  Beloit,  when 
in  1856  he  moved  to  the  town  of  Jefferson,  in  Monroe  county,  and 
purchased  120  acres  of  land  in  section  twenty-three,  and  there 
made  his  home  and  engaged  in  farming  for  thirty-six  years,  when 
he  retired  from  active  labor  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 
enjoying  the  well-earned  fruits  of  his  many  years  of  toil.  He  died 
at  IMilwaukee  in  1908.  He  had  received  a  good  education  in  his 
native  county  and  was  a  man  well  posted  on  all  current  topics.  He 
was  well  known  in  Monroe  county  as  one  of  the  most  successful 
farmers:  was  prominent  in  public  matters,  and  all  worthy  projects 
received  his  hearty  support.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
took  a  great  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party.  For  several  years 
he  was  f^hairman  of  the  town  board  and  clerk  of  the  town,  and  no 
man  stood  higher  in  the  estimation  of  the  community  than  did  he. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was  a  woman  of  many  virtues, 
died  in  1882. 

William  Heiser  was  born  at  Beloit.  AVis..  October  5.  1854,  and 
is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  (1912) 
living.  He  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  which  he 
attended  up  to  his  eighteenth  year,  assisted  his  father  in  the  farm 
work  and  lived  on  the  homestead  until  his  father  retired.  In  1844 
the  grandfather,  Christopher  Fuhrmeister,  emigrated  from  Ger- 
many to  America  and  first  located  at  Rockford,  111.,  and  after- 
guards, in  1856,  removed  to  ]Monroe  county  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  320  acres  in  sections  twenty-two,  twenty-three  and  twenty- 
seven,  in  the  town  of  Jefferson.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county.    After  his  death,  the  farm  was 


710  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

acquired  by  one  siiIj.jccI.  avIio  1i;is  since  made  many  valuable 
iuiproveiiienls.  In  1!U)4  a  larye  ham  was  built,  the  resilience  was 
enlarged  and  the  land  iin])roved  by  cultivation  so  that  now  it  is 
one  of  the  most  fei'tile  and  productive  farms  in  Jetiferson  town- 
ship, and  is  located  tive  miles  northeast  of  C'ashton,  and  the  farm 
is  well  stocked  with  i^(»o(l  cattle,  horses  and  hogs,  while  the  up-to- 
date  methods  used  in  his  opei-ations  makes  him  one  of  the  most 
successful  fai'iuers  and  dairynieii  in  his  town.  J'ublic  spirited  and 
generous,  IMr.  Ileiser  has  alwa\s  been  active  in  atfairs  of  his 
county  and  has  held  several  ot'tices  of  the  town  :  he  was  constable 
for  one  year,  assessor  three  years,  clerk  of  the  school  tlistrict  for 
twelve  years  and  is  now  serving  his  twelfth  term  as  chairman  of 
the  town  board.  He  has  also  been  connected  with  several  busi- 
ness entei-prises;  he  was  pi-esident  of  the  Fai-mer's  Creamery  of 
Cashton  for  two  years,  and  treasurer  for  eight  y^ars;  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  ^loni'oe  County  Tornado  Insurance  Company  of  ]\Ion- 
roe  comity,  and  is  president  of  the  Amei-ican  Society  of  Equity; 
he  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  active  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 

Mr.  Ileiser  has  been  twice  married,  first  on  July  26,  1890.  to 
]\Iiss  ]Matilda  ]\1.  Smith.  Two  childi'en  were  born  to  this  union, 
viz.:  Frederick  (J.,  boi-n  October  2!).  18})1,  and  "William  J.,  born 
April  29,  i89'A.  Mvs.  Ileister  died  in  189:3,  and  he  married  for  the 
second  Avife  ]\Iiss  Adelia  Smith,  daughter  of  Jacol)  and  Kate  Smith, 
October  2,  1899.  Her  parents  were  l)oth  natives  of  (Jermany.  The 
father  died  in  190-1:  and  the  mother  survives  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  They  had  a  family  of  ten  childi-eii.  One  daughter  has  been 
born  to  this  second  mai'i'iage — Elsie,  born  oMarch  7.  1900. 

C.  C.  Helmke"-',  a  resident  of  Wilton.  ^lonroe  count.Y,  is  an 
extensive  stock  raiser  and  general  farnuM'.  and  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Wilton,  SeptembiM-  17.'lSti4.  His  parents.  Christum  and 
Elizabeth  (IMarten)  Ilelmki'.  came  from  (iernumy  to  America  in 
18r)0,  with  one  child,  and  located  in  ('(iluiubus.  Wis.,  for  a  short 
time,  then  moved  to  Monroe  county  the  Following  yeai'.  wliei-e  for 
five  years  j\lr.  Ilelmke  worked  as  a  faiiii  laborer.  In  1855  he 
bought  a  farm  of  his  own.  containing  eighty  acres,  in  section  nine. 
of  the  township  of  AVilton,  where  he  lived  for  years  in  a  log  cabin 
of  two  I'oonis.  and  later  added  to  his  oi-iginal  jiurchase  another 
eight\-aere  ti-aet.  all  ol'  which  was  wild  land  and  had  to  be  cleared 
and  brok'en  Ixd'orc  any  pi-olits  could  be  i-eali/ed.  lie  died  in  1872 
aiul  the  remaining  ones  oi'  his  laiuil.v  continued  to  live  there,  ami 
in  1877  erected  a  new  frame  house  in  which  they  lived  until  our 
subject  bought  out  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  ami  erected  a 
fine  lunv  residence  in  1899.  which  has  since  been  his  home.     The 


BIOGRAPHY  711 

mother  died  in  1906.  They  were  well  educated,  thrifty  and  highly 
respected  people  and  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  polities. 

C.  C.  attended  school  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  and 
was  the  mainstay  of  his  parents  on  the  farm  and  instigated  most 
of  the  later  improvements.  He  was  married  on  June  3,  1897,  in 
the  town  of  Wilton  to  Mrs.  Hannah  Pach.  Her  people  also  came 
from  Germany  and  located  in  IMonroe  county  in  1870;  they  had 
eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living.  They  are  now  living  in 
Wilton,  the  father  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  and  the  mother  is 
seventy-one,  and  both  are  devoted  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Pach  owns  160  acres  of  fine  land  in  Sheldon  township. 

Mr.  Helmke  has  been  a  successful  stock  raiser  for  thirty  years ; 
he  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  served  as  assessor  of  the 
town  of  Wilton  and  was  also  treasurer  for  three  years  and  for 
twenty  years  was  a  member  of  the  school  board. 

David  Hemstock,  a  jirominent  drayman  of  Sparta,  is  the  second 
eldest  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  He  was  born  in  IMilwaukee 
county,  AVisconsin.  October  13.  1858,  to  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Steadman)  Hemstock.  natives  of  England  and  Canada,  respect- 
ively. The  parents  came  to  Wisconsin  more  than  fifty  years  ago 
and  located  in  IMilwaukee  county,  where  they  remained  for  a 
short  time  and  moved  to  La  Crosse  county  and  purchased  a  farm 
in  Burns  township,  which  by  hard  work  and  perseverance  they 
brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  made  it  their  homestead 
until  1899,  when  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

William  Hemstock.  the  paternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of 
Canada,  wdiere  he  spent  his  life  and  raised  his  family  of  four  sons, 
the  third  being  the  father  of  David,  our  subject.  IMr.  Steadman, 
maternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  London,  England,  and  was 
a  captain  on  the  high  seas  for  some  time.  He  came  to  Canada  and 
made  that  his  home  for  a  number  of  years,  and  moved  to  La  Crosse 
for  a  short  time  and  later  to  Chicago,  111.,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

Besides  David,  the  other  members  of  his  family  are  Elizabeth, 
now  the  wife  of  N.  V.  Jewett.  of  Monroe  county.  Wisconsin; 
Fainiie.  the  wife  of  F.  A.  Hubbard,  of  Barron;  Sarah  (deceased), 
wife  of  David  Jones;  William  A.,  of  Sparta:  INIary  Ellen,  wife  of 
Lemuel  Jones,  of  Arkansas ;  Lillie.  wife  of  John  Boweu,  of  Barron ; 
Ethel  and  George  E..  who  reside  in  Sparta,  and  Gertrude,  wife  of 
Chris  Thompson,  who  resides  at  Ladysmith,  Wis. 

David  Avas  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  remained 
helping  with  the  farm  work  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age. 


712  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

and  t)ien  took  uj)  t';ii'ining  on  liis  own  account  in  Burns  township. 
La  Crosse  count\'.  Nine  years  later  lie  moved  to  Sparta,  and  in 
1894  i)urcliased.  with  his  brother,  William,  the  dray  business  oi 
Ilott'maii  &  Fich.  wliii-h  ihey  successfully  conducted  under  th<; 
firm  name  of  Hemstock  Brothers  for  some  five  years,  when  David 
])urchased  the  interest  of  his  bi'olhei-  and  has  since  conducted  the 
business  on  his  own  account.  11(^  is  a  wide  aw^ake,  prosperous  and 
energetic  business  man,  thoroughly  up  to  date.  He  takes  an  active 
part  in  the  fraternal  orders  to  which  he  belongs,  being  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  ^Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Rebecahs. 

]Mr.  Hemstock  was  married  in  December.  1893.  to  ]\Iiss  Clara  E. 
Hulbert,  daughter  of  Ira  Hulbert,  of  Sparta.  They  have  one 
child.  Vena  Ray  Hemstock. 

William  A.  Hemstock,  liveryman  and  popular  business  man  of 
Sparta,  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin.  He  was  born  in  Burns  valley, 
La  Crosse  county,  and  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  ten  children, 
three  boys  and  seven  girls  born  to  William  and  IClizabeth  (Stead- 
man)  Hemstock.  both  natives  of  Canada,  who  came  to  the  Ignited 
States  in  an  early  day  and  settled  first  at  ^Milwaukee.  From  there 
they  moved  to  West  Salem,  and  nearly  fifty  years  ago  they  came 
to  Burns  valley,  La  Crosse  county,  and  located  on  a  farm.  They 
were  among  the  early  pioneers  of  this  section  and  were  considered 
substantial  and  successful  farmers.  Here  they  reared  their  family 
and  lived  nntil  1899,  when  the  father  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three.  ]Mrs.  Hemstock  still  survives  and  makes  her  home 
at  Sparta. 

AVilliam  attended  the  district  schools  while  living  on  the  farm, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  married  ]\Iiss  ]\Iaude  Skelton,  of 
Lewis  valley.  Wisconsin,  on  November  24.  1892.  He  then  rented  a 
farm,  which  he  worked  on  his  own  account  for  two  years.  In  1894 
he  gave  up  farming  and  moved  to  Sparta,  where  he  engaged  with 
his  brother,  David,  in  the  drayage  business,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Hemstock  Brothers,  continuing  for  about  five  years;  he  then 
sold  his  interests  to  his  brother  jiiul  purchased  the  livery  business 
of  J.  C.  Hewitt,  on  Oak  street,  whidi  Ik^  carried  on  for  five  years 
before  moving  to  his  present  quarters  on  North  Water  street,  and 
now  conducts  the  largest  livei-v  business  in  INIonroe  county.  Begin- 
ning with  nine  horses,  he  now  has  a  stock  of  thirty  and  other 
equipment  in  proportion,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  Sparta.  He  is  active  in  fraternal  organizations,  being 
identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern 


BIOGRAPHY  713 

Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Equitable  Fraternal  Union,  and  is 
prominent  in  social  circles. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hemstock  have  one  daughter — Lila  Belle. 

George  A.  Henry,  ex-sheriff  of  Monroe  county,  was  born  at 
Kingston,  Ulster  county,  N.  Y.,  March  18,  1859,  to  John  and 
Hannah  (Steanson)  Henry,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ireland. 
In  1850,  while  still  a  young  man.  he  came  to  America  and  located 
at  Kingston,  where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  for  three  years 
at  the  trade  of  currier,  and  after  working  with  Neas  &  Teller  for 
nearly  twelve  years,  he  came  to  Wisconsin  in  the  spring  of  1861 
and  purchased  a  farm  of  120  acres  four  and  one-half  miles  south- 
west of  Tomah.  Possessed  with  that  thrift  and  energy  common 
to  his  race,  he  brought  his  farm  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
there  made  his  home  until  1875,  when  he  disjiosed  of  his  land  and 
returned  to  Kingston.  N.  Y.  He  remained  there  but  a  short  time, 
and  in  1877  came  back  to  Monroe  county,  and  on  May  1  of  that 
year  purchased  another  farm  of  120  acres  near  Jacksonville,  and 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  for  about  eighteen 
years,  whence,  in  1895,  they  moved  to  the  city  of  Tomah,  where 
Mrs.  Henry  died  May  30,  1910.  and  where  he  still  lives  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight  years.  They  had  a  family  of  two  sons,  George  A. 
and  William  C,  and  both  stood  high  in  their  community.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  the  mother  was  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  church. 

George  A.  Henry  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and  his 
experience  was  the  same  as  that  of  most  farmer  boys.  He  attended 
the  district  schools  and  helped  with  the  farm  Avork  until  he  was 
twenty-three  years  old,  and  for  five  years  after  his  marriage,  con- 
tinued to  reside  on  the  home  farm,  then  inoved  to  the  city  of 
Tomah  and  engaged  in  the  milling  business  for  some  four  years, 
and  from  1892  to  1908  was  engaged  in  the  dray  business,  and  for 
fourteen  years  was  a  local  agent  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company. 
Mr.  Henry  is  a  Republican  in  political  views,  and  is  active  in  the 
councils  of  his  partj'^,  and  has  been  called  upon  to  fill  many  public 
offices.  He  was  school  treasurer  in  the  town  of  Adrian  for  two 
years  and  supervisor  for  one  year;  he  was  elected  alderman  of  the 
city  of  Tomah  from  the  second  ward  and  served  two  years,  and  for 
four  years  was  treasurer  of  the  fire  department.  In  1908  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  his  county  and  served  with  distinction  until  1911. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Henry  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
^lodern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

On  November  18,  1882,  Mr.  Henry  was  united  in  marriage  with 
]\Iiss  Mary  Schultz,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Schultz,  pio- 


714  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COrXTY 

neers  ol'  .Mniii'dr  coiinty.  luiviim'  coiiu'  lierc  in  1850.  To  ^li-.  and 
]\Ii's.  Henry  liavo  been  horn  lixc  cliildicn.  foui-  of  wlioni  ai-e  now 
livino-.  viz.:  Hobcrt  AV..  horn  July  8.  1883;  Arthur  J.,  horn  Feb- 
ruary 7.  1887;  Fay  II..  l)orn  December  26,  1889;  Carl  R..  born 
Novemh.'i-  12.  ISDl.  and  Karlc  II,.  l)orn  Scptcnihcr  •J4.  ISOl.  is  no\v 
deceased. 

George  L.  Herbst,  a  i)roniiiu'nl  inerehant  oi'  Spai-la.  was  horn 
lici'i'  on  .May  7.  IShS.  the  son  of  Fidel  and  P'lizaheth  (Stauss) 
Ilerhst.  lie  atlcnch'd  the  public  schools  in  Spai-ta.  and  early 
started  in  life  as  a  clerk  in  ihc  store  of  J.  J.  ]\Iason  tJc  ("o.;  he 
i-eniained  with  this  firm  for  some  five  years,  then  wcnl  to  Water- 
town.  S.  I).,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  time,  returninj?  to 
AVisconsin  he  found  employnu'iil  with  the  Fostei-  Lumber  Com- 
pany, of  Fairehild.  Wis.  So  well  did  he  fuHiiJ  liis  duties  here 
that  he  remained  in  tlieir  ejnploy  for  twelve  yeai's.  lie  next 
eno-ao'ed  with  the  firm  of  Kei)ler  &  Co.,  of  Eauclaire.  Wis.,  where 
he  remained  for  about  two  years,  and  moved  to  Sparta  ajiain  and 
took  a  position  as  clerk  with  the  firm  of  Dodjre  &  Davis  in  the 
dry  goods  business.  Durino'  all  these  years,  the  one  desire  upper- 
most in  the  mind  of  Mr.  IIerl)st  was  1he  ownership  of  a  store;  he 
had  been  attentive  to  business,  and  witli  his  natural  energy  ant! 
economical  tact,  at  the  end  of  two  years  Avith  Dodge  &  Davis,  he 
had  accumulated  sufficient  funds,  so  tliat  in  1002,  associated  with 
his  brother,  Edward,  lie  embarked  in  the  dry  goods  business  on 
his  oAvn  acconnt.  wliieii  they  successfully  carried  on  for  a  short 
time,  when  ]Mr.  Herbst  purchased  the  interest  of  his  brother  and 
became  sole  i)roprietor.  On  February  8,  1905,  the  business  was 
incorporated  luider  the  name  of  the  Herbst  Dry  Goods  Company, 
which  it  still  retains,  and  Avith  their  new  and  up-to-date  stock  of 
goods,  is  one  of  Sparta's  busiest  and  well  known  business 
establishments. 

In  June,  1898,  IMr.  Herbst  married  ^liss  Winnie  Kyle,  daughter 
of  H.  H.  Kyle,  of  Augusta.  Wis.  Three  children  have  been  born 
to  them.  viz. :    H.  Robert.  George  F.  and  Elizabeth  Herbst. 

Fraternally  IMr.  IIerl)s1  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  ]\Iaccabees. 

Fidel  Herbst.  father  of  our  sid).)eet.  was  a  luitivt-  of  Preussen, 
Germany,  boi-n  Ai)ril  24.  1838.  In  1S54.  when  but  sixteen  years  of 
age,  he  emigrated  to  tiu-  I'nited  States,  stopjiing  first  at  Syracuse, 
X.  Y..  where  he  was  employed  at  the  blacksmith  trade;  he 
remained  there  until  18G6,  when  he  came  to  Sparta,  and  was 
actively  engaged  at  his  trade  until  a  little  uKU-e  than  a  year  prior 
to  his  death,  which  oeoirred  October  3.  1901.    A  Hepnblican  in  his 


BIOGRAPHY  715 

political  opinions,  he  was  interested  in  the  afitairs  of  his  i)arty  anil 
held  numerous  positions  of  trust.  He  was  for  a  time  chief  engi- 
neer of  the  Sparta  fire  department ;  held  the  otfiee  of  city  treasurer 
and  alderman  from  his  ward,  was  in  the  city  council  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Cong-regation  church,  lie  was  the  son  of  John 
Ilerbst,  a  native  of  Sigmaringen,  German^',  who  was  a  forester 
and  spent  his  life  in  Germany.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Katherine  Knittel.  Fidel  Herbst  was  married  November  30,  1861, 
to  ]\Iiss  Elizabeth  Stauss,  daughter  of  Hartman  and  Katherine 
Elizabeth  Stauss,  natives  of  Germany.  He  was  a  merchant  tailor 
in  his  home  country,  where  he  died  in  1866,  aged  sixty-nine  years. 
Mrs.  Herbst,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  born  September  28,  1841, 
and  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  girls  and  three  boys. 
Shortly'  after  the  death  of  her  father,  when  but  ten  years  of  age, 
accompanied  by  her  older  sister,  Sophia,  and  two  others,  she  came 
to  this  country  and  located  at  Hazel  Green,  Wis.  She  soon  after 
went  to  Galena.  III.,  where  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Herbst.  They 
had  a  family  of  six  children,  viz.:  Fred  W..  of  Fairchild,  Wis.; 
Carl  ('..  of  ]Minneai)olis;  Anna  j\Iarie  Pjlizabeth.  wife  of 
Congressman  John  J.  Esch.  of  La  Crosse,  Wis. ;  George  L..  John  L. 
and  Edw^ard,  all  of  whom  reside  at  Sparta,  where  also  the  mother 
resides. 

Fred  B.  Herrman,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Monroe  county 
since  1888,  is  a  prosperous  and  influential  farmer  of  Sparta  town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  the  town  of  farmington,  La  Crosse  county, 
February  9,  1862,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children, 
born  to  William  and  Katherine  (Williams)  Herrman.  Those 
besides  our  subject  are :  Amelia,  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Huber, 
resides  in  La  Crosse  county;  Lucas  B.  is  deceased;  Frank  A.; 
Anna,  widow  of  Phillip  Corelett ;  Bessie  is  the  wife  of  John 
Rhyme,  of  Sparta  township ;  INlary  is  the  wife  of  William  Kuhen, 
of  Dodge  county,  AA^isconsin;  Matilda  is  the  wife  of  Kirt  C. 
Squires  and  lives  at  Gladstone,  N.  D. ;  AVilliani  resides  in  Sparta, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business;  Henry  resides  in 
Indiana.  Robert  in  La  Crosse,  and  Amos  lives  in  La  Crosse 
county,  and  Lillian  Herrman  in  La  Crosse.  The  parents  were 
natives  of  Germany,  and  after  coming  to  the  United  States  in 
the  early  forties,  located  first  in  Dodge  county,  AVisconsiu,  and 
later  by  ox  team  made  their  way  to  La  Crosse  county,  where  the 
father  acquired  a  farm  of  200  acres,  and  successfully  engaged 
in  farming,  and  there  made  his  home  until  his  death  in  1900,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  i\Irs.  Herrman,  mother  of  our 
subject,   passed   away   in   190L   at   the   age   of  sixty-three  years. 


716  HISTORY  OF  .AIONROE  COT'XTY 

They  were  high  iiiiiided  and  progressive,  and  enjoyed  the  friend- 
ship and  esteem  of  all  Avho  knew  them.  The  grandfather  of 
Mr.  Fred  Herrman  was  Bartle  Ilerrman,  also  a  imtive  of  Ger- 
many. He  eame  to  America  and  settled  in  Dodge  county,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  lived  for  many  years,  and  died  on  a  farm  near 
"Waupnn. 

Fred  B.  Herrman  attended  the  district  school  at  Farmington, 
La  Crosse  county,  and  remaincil  on  the  liomc  farm  until  he 
arrived  at  tlie  age  of  seventeen.  He  was  tlu'u  employed  at  farm 
work  })y  AVilliam  Storandt,  of  La  Crosse  county,  and  later  entered 
the  employ  of  Sawyer  &  Austin,  in  the  lumber  business,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years.  He  next  located  on  a  farm  in  Burns 
township.  La  Crosse  county,  and  there  remained  two  years.  He 
then,  in  ISSS.  purchased  his  present  farm  of  160  acres,  of  which 
forty  acres  lie  in  La  Crosse  county,  and  120  acres  in  Sparta 
township,  in  section  nineteen,  from  ^Martin  Flood.  Mr.  Herrman 
is  one  of  the  thrifty  and  well-to-do  farmers  of  the  county,  and 
his  farm  is  e(iuipped  with  the  latest  and  modern  labor  saving 
machinery,  and  in  1897  he  erected  a  large  barn,  to  which  during 
the  year  3912  Avill  be  added  an  addition  of  42  by  60  feet.  In 
1902.  a  new  and  up-to-date  residence  was  erected,  and  this  with 
his  ninety-ton  silo  and  other  improvements,  makes  his  one  of  the 
ideal  couiiti-y  homes  in  ]\Ionroe  county.  He  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  djiiiying.  and  makes  a  siiecialty  of  raising  Jersey 
cattle. 

On  April  U.  1885,  Mr.  Ilerrman  was  united  in  marriage  witli 
Miss  Ida  J.  Flood,  daughter  of  ]\Iartin  and  ]\Iary  (Ilanunond) 
Flood,  natives  of  Vermont  and  Canada  respectively.  Pearly  in 
the  fifties  they  came  to  Ridgeville  township,  in  ^lonroe  county, 
and  located  on  what  is  known  as  the  Shulte  farm.  In  1865, 
when  ]Mrs.  Ilerrman  was  four  years  of  age,  they  removed  to  the 
farm  in  Sparta  townsliip  whei-e  .Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Ilerrman  now 
reside.  .\t  that  time  the  farm  was  in  a  wild  state  covered  with 
a  growth  of  timber,  which  ]\lr.  Flood  by  hard  work,  thrift  and 
perseverance,  succeeded  in  clearing,  and  the  land  Avas  ])rouglit 
to  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  there  made  his  home  until 
1902,  when  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  Mrs.  Flood, 
mother  of  .Mrs.  Herrman.  died  October  24.  1890,  aged  seventy-one 
years.  Bei-nai-d  Flood,  who  resides  in  the  city  of  Sparta,  is  the 
only  bi-othei-  of  .Mrs.  Ilernnaii.  To  .Ah",  and  .Mi-s.  Ilerrman  has 
been  born  three  children.  Harry  F.,  born  :May  11,  1888;  Harriet, 
born  Decend)er  7.  1892,  is  now  a  student  at  the  State  University, 
and  Robert  A.,  born  August  11.  1902. 


BIOGRAPHY  717 

Mr.  Herrman  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  while  he  has  never  sought  or  cared  for  office,  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  tOAvnship  board  for  several  years,  and  was 
at  one  time  a  director  and  manager  of  the  Rockland  creamery. 

John  Herring",  who  is  justly  ranked  among  the  substantial 
and  progressive  farmers  of  Sparta  township,  is  a  native  son  of 
Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  and  was  born  on  section  thirty-six, 
Sparta  township,  May  2,  1867,  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Smith) 
Herring,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  when  yet  a 
young  man,  left  his  native  land  for  the  United  States,  and  upon 
arriving  in  this  country,  came  to  "Wisconsin  and  settled  first 
in  Leon  township,  Monroe  county,  where  he  found  employment 
as  a  farm  hand.  Imbued  with  the  determination  to  succeed,  he 
went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  by  strict  economy  accumulated 
means  with  which  he  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  section 
thirty-six,  Sparta  tOAvnship,  and  commenced  farming  on  his  own 
account.  He  fought  manly  the  hardships  incident  to  pioneer 
life,  and  by  hard  work,  thrift,  and  judicious  management,  he 
mastered  all  obstacles,  improved  the  farm  with  a  large  and  com- 
modious dwelling,  and  outbuildings,  and  brought  the  land  to  a 
state  of  cultivation  where  it  produced  enormous  crops,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  January  7,  1887,  he  was 
considered  one  of  the  most  influential  and  substantial  farmers 
of  his  township,  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  His 
wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  a  lad}^  of  many  womanly 
virtues,  and  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  her  large 
circle  of  friends.  Her  death  occurred  November  2,  1902.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Emma  is  the  wife  of  Archie  Doane  and  resides  in  Little  Falls 
township ;  John,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Lillie,  the  wife  of 
George  Merrow,  of  Sparta ;  Hattie,  the  wife  of  Fayette  Baldwin, 
lives  at  Sparta ;  William  is  deceased,  having  met  his  death  in  a 
dynimite  explosion  in  December,  1903,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Roy  Francis,  and  Frank,  both  of 
whom  live  in  Sparta  township.  Mr.  John  Herring  attended  the 
district  schools  of  his  town,  assisting  in  the  farm  work  on  the 
homestead,  where  he  remained  until  1900.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  section  thirty-five,  opposite 
the  old  home  farm,  which  he  continued  to  operate  until  his 
marriage,  when  he  moved  to  his  present  home.  Since  residing 
on  his  present  place  he  has  changed  and  remodeled  the  buildings 
erected  a  new  silo,  and  made  other  improvements,  while  bringing 
the  land  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.    He  is  engaged  in  general 


718  HISTORY  OF  :\[OXROE  COUNTY 

fannintj.  stot-k  raising  and  (l;iiryin<r.  with  the  cultivation  and 
I'aising  of  Ix-rrics  a  specialty.  Jn  social  matters  lie  is  a  lU'Muher 
of  the  ^lodern  AVoodnien  of  Ann>riea. 

On  April  12,  1  !)()(>,  Mi-,  llri-rin^-  was  miited  in  marriage  with 
!i\liss  Anna  L.  Guy,  daughter  of  William  \.  and  Isabella  (Xicol) 
Guy,  and  granddaughter  of  ^Vlexander  and  Anna  (Denwoody) 
Nicol,  whose  sketches  appear  elsewhere  in  this  work.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Herring  have  been  born  foui*  sons.  Leo  Nelson,  John 
Petei',  Spencer  and  AVilliam. 

Fred  Heser,  a  i)i-osperous  fanner  of  section  one.  Greenfield 
township,  is  the  son  of  Fred  and  Barbara  (Silverhorn)  ITeser, 
l)oth  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  early  in  life, 
settling  first  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  they  married ;  they  after- 
ward came  to  AVisconsiu  and  located  at  Hartford,  remaining 
there  but  one  year,  when  in  ISofJ  they  moved  to  Neilsville,  in 
Clark  county;  they  remained  there  seven  years,  then  in  IStiii 
moved  to  Monroe  county  and  settled  on  eighty  acres  in  the  town 
of  P]aton,  a  farm  of  and  a  part  of  the  160  acres  now  owned  by  oin- 
subject,  eighty  acres  of  which  is  in  Greenfield  township  and 
eighty  acres  in  the  original  town  of  Eaton  but  which  is  now 
Grant  township ;  they  first  resided  on  the  eighty  lying  in  Eaton, 
but  in  1868  moved  to  the  eighty  in  Greenfield,  where  our  subject 
now  resides.  He  was  energetic  and  thrifty,  and  l)y  hard  work 
subdued  his  wild  land  and  brought  it  undci-  cultivation.  He 
was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  at  one  time  was 
chairman  of  the  town  board.  AVhen  the  Civil  ^V;^•  hi-oke  out, 
he  enlisted  and  served  in  the  Wisconsin  regiment  until  dis- 
charged. He  died  in  1875  at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  honored  and 
respected  by  all  Avho  kncAv  him.  His  widow,  mother  of  our 
subject,  still  survives  and  resides  at  La  Crosse.  The  maternal 
grandmother,  Barbara  Silverhorn,  came  to  AVisconsin  from  Ger- 
many, died  in  Greenfield  townsliip  and  was  buried  in  Tunnel 
City". 

Fred  Heser  was  Ixun  in  Clark  county,  AViscousin.  November 
8,  1856,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  ]\Ionroe  county  when  seven 
years  of  age,  and  is  the  second  child  in  a  family  of  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  an^  now  living,  viz:  Fred,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch:  William,  a  resident  of  Greenfield  township:  Laura, 
married  John  Snowberry.  and  lives  in  La(irange  township: 
George,  also  of  LaGrange.  and  Barbara,  who  is  the  wife  of 
C.  H.  Wiekland,  resides  at  Tomah.  Those  deceased  are  Helen. 
Henry  and  AVallace.  ]\Lr.  Heser 's  education  was  obtained  in  llic 
district  schools,  and  Avitli  the  exception  of  three  years  spent  in 


BIOGRAPHY  719 

the  lumber  woods  of  Clark  county,  he  has  resided  on  the  home< 
farm  since  boyhood.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  he,  in  1881, 
came  into  possession  of  the  i)lace  and  has  since  made  many 
improvements.  While  the  original  house  built  by  his  father  still 
stands  in  a  fair  state  of  repairs,  it  was  replaced  in  1911  by  a 
modern  residence,  ecpiipped  with  up-to-date  appliances.  A  large 
and  substantial  barn  was  l)uilt  in  1907.  The  place  is  now  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  well  supplied  with  everything 
that  goes  to  make  a  model  farm.  ]\lr.  Heser  is  a  thorough  and 
practical  farmer  and  occupies  a  prominent  place  in  his  town 
and  county.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  side  board  for  two 
terms  and  is  still  a  member ;  he  has  been  treasurer  of  the  school 
district  for  six  years  and  in  fraternal  matters  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  ^Modern  AVoodmen  of  America. 

He  was  married  July  2,  1882,  to  ]\Iiss  Emma  Purdy,  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Susan  (Savage)  Purdy,  of  Greenfield  township. 
To  this  Tuiion  lias  been  born  ('(^lia.  wife  of  Albert  AVoodard,  of 
Tunnel  ("ity:  Earl  E.,  of  Greenfield  township;  Edna,  wife  of  Paul 
RosenaAv,  of  LaGrange  township;  ]\Iyrtle  E.,  Verna  F.,  and  Fred 
D.  are  at  home ;  Robert  is  deceased.  Earl  E.  Heser  married  Edith 
Schuler.  daughter  of  August  Schuler,  of  Tomah.  in  September, 
1909,  and  has  one  child,  Kenneth  R.  Celia  was  the  wife  of  the 
late  Carr  Johnson,  and  has  three  children,  viz :  Georgie,  Ortis 
and  Thelma,  the  latter  is  now  the  wife  of  Albert  Woodard,  by 
whom  she  has  had  two  children.  Alice  and  Margaurite ;  Edna 
J.  married  Paul  Rosenaw  and  has  one  daughter,  Luceil. 

E.  Glenn  Hesselgrave,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Norwalk 
Star,  was  born  at  AVestport.  Columbia  county,  AYisconsin,  August 
10,  1876.  Son  of  David  and  Hannah  (Armour)  Hesselgrave, 
natives  of  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  and  Baltimore  Md., 
respectively.  They  came  to  AYisconsin  in  1851,  and  located  at 
Lodi,  where  the  father  followed  blacksmithing,  and  where  they 
remained  for  twenty  years.  He  died  September  19,  1911,  in  his 
ninetieth  year.  He  was  an  ordained  clergyman  of  the  Uni- 
versalist  church,  and  was  also  well  posted  in  law.  His  wife,  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  survives  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

E.  Glenn  was  the  eighth  child  in  a  family  of  ten  children; 
the  others  are :  Mary,  wife  of  Niles  Fellows  of  Aladison ;  Clar- 
ence, of  Lodi:  Isabella,  wife  of  Scott  Xutting,  Eldorado,  Iowa; 
IMiles,  Long  Prairie,  ]Minn. ;  Florence,  wife  of  AY.  J.  Harriman, 
Baraboo ;  Blanche,  Avife  of  Hon.  C.  L.  Pearson,  of  Baraboo ; 
Alfred,  St.  Cloud,  Minn. ;  Claude,  Prairie  Du  Sac,  AYis. ;  and 
Leroy.  of  Lodi.     Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 


720  HISTORY  OF  ^lONROE  COUNTY 

of  Lodi,  and  early  began  the  printers  trade  at  Eldorado,  Iowa; 
was  then  employed  at  Lodi,  Baraboo,  and  various  papers,  and  in 
November,  1907,  purchased  the  Norwalk  Star  of  \Y.  J.  Robinson, 
which  he  has  since  continued  to  publish  as  a  non-partisan  paper, 
changing  the  size  from  a  quarto  to  a  folio.  He  was  married 
October  17,  1910,  to  Miss  Anna  McGary,  daughter  of  Eugene 
McGary  of  Norwalk. 

Ira  A,  Hill  was  born  in  Belknap  county.  New  Hampshire,  on 
November  26,  1841,  and  died  at  Pasadena,  Calif.,  where  he  was 
spending  the  winter,  on  ]March  20,  1904. 

He  received  his  education  at  Gilmanton  Academy,  in  liis  native 
state,  and  later  taught  school.  In  1862  he  recruited  for  the 
Fifteenth  New  Hampshire  Yolunteers,  enlisted  therein  and  was 
appointed  third  sergeant.  His  regiment  being  sent  to  New  York, 
he  was  detached  and  detailed  as  commissary  sergeant  on  board 
transport  of  General  Banks'  expedition  to  New  Orleans,  and  after 
reaching  there,  continued  in  the  commissary  department  until, 
stricken  with  fever  ,he  was  sent  to  the  hospital.  Upon  conva- 
lescence he  re.joined  his  regiment  at  Carrollton,  La.,  and  was 
employed  in  the  regimental  ad.jutant's  office.  In  the  fall  of  1863 
he  Avas  mustered  out  from  the  military  service,  returned  to  his 
native  state  and  spent  an  invalid  year. 

In  1864  ]Mr.  Ilill  managed  the  business  department  of  the 
Galena  (111.)  Gazette,  the  editorial  charge  of  the  paper  falling 
under  a  former  New  Hampshire  acquaintance.  After  two  years, 
meantime  making  the  acquaintance  of  L-^.  S.  Grant  and  his  brother, 
Orville,  he  was  employed  for  one  year  with  Grant  &  Burke  in  the 
leather  and  saddlery  hardware  business  at  Chicago.  Entering  the 
firm  of  Davis,  ]\Iedary  &  Hill,  who  acquired  the  La  Crosse,  AVis., 
branch  of  the  Grant  &  Burke  business,  ]\Ir.  Hill  spent  two  years, 
during  which  time  he  was  married  to  ]\Iary  E.  Tyler,  only  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  B.  Tyler,  of  Sparta,  Wis.,  their  marriage  occurring 
December  8.  1868. 

Disposing  of  his  interests  at  La  Crosse  in  1871.  he  removed  to 
Sparta  and  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business,  later  enter- 
ing the  drug  business.  In  1874  he  united  with  Thomas  B.  Tyler, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Tyler  &  Hill,  in  the  real  estate  and  loan 
business,  which,  together  with  banking,  occupied  ]Mr.  Hill  during 
the  rest  of  his  life.  In  1879  he  became  a  director  in  the  Bank  of 
Sparta,  was  vice  president  in  1883  and  president  from  1886  until 
his  death  in  1904. 

Mr.  Hill  Avas  a  representative  citizen  and  successful  business 
man,  taking  an  interest  in  whatever  tended  to  promote  the  moral 


BIOGRAPHY  721 

and  intellectual  growth  of  the  community.  He  served  for  ten 
consecutive  years  on  the  school  board  of  Sparta,  was  in  the  city 
council  and  the  board  of  supervisors. 

In  1891  he  was  appointed  regent  of  the  normal  schools  of 
Wisconsin  by  Governor  Peck,  of  which  board  he  was  president, 
1894-5.  As  a  Democrat  in  politics,  he  was  a  delegate  and  again 
was  alternate  delegate  to  national  conventions.  He  was  a  member 
and  past  commander  of  John  W.  Lynn  Post  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic. 

As  a  Mason  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  lower  bodies,  being 
past  high  priest  of  the  chapter  and  past  eminent  commander  of 
the  commandery.  He  was  grand  king  of  Wisconsin  grand  chapter 
and  grand  representative  of  North  Carolina,  near  the  grand  chap- 
ter of  Wisconsin.  He  was  a  member  of  Wisconsin  Consistory  and 
of  the  shrine  at  IMilwaukee. 

He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  other 
orders. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  had  two  children,  Louis  T.,  who  is  a  resident 
of  Sparta  and  vice  president  of  the  Bank  of  Sparta,  and  Kittle, 
who  is  the  wife  of  A.  W.  Barne.y,  also  vice  president  of  the  Bank 
of  Sparta. 

Merle  W.  Hill,*  manager  of  the  F.  P.  Mooney  farm  in  La 
Grange  township,  was  born  in  Tomali,  Wis.,  December  22,  1888, 
the  sou  of  Oliver  Mason  and  Sophia  (Sprague)  Hill,  natives  of 
Cortland  county,  New  York,  and  who  were  married  in  Illinois. 
He  was  a  pioneer  settler  in  Wisconsin,  and  came  to  Monroe  county 
and  Tomah  township  more  than  forty  years  ago,  where  he  settled 
on  200  acres  of  wild  land,  which  he  improved  and  where  he  con- 
tinued to  live  until  his  death  in  1910,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  He  was  one  of  Monroe  county's  thrifty  and  progressive 
farmers,  a  man  of  prominence  and  influence  in  his  township.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  a  woman  of  rare  attainments  and  domestic 
virtues,  died  in  October,  1909,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  loved 
and  esteemed  b.v  all  who  knew  her.  They  had  a  family  of  nine 
children,  as  follows :  Ira,  Ernest,  both  of  Tomah ;  Emma,  wife  of 
Edwin  Eaton,  of  Waukesha,  Wis. ;  Caddie  C,  of  Tomah  township ; 
Ella,  wife  of  F.  J.  Mooney,  superintendent  of  the  Monroe  County 
Asylum,  and  Merle  W.  Those  deceased  are  William,  Oscar  and 
Jessie. 

Merle  W.  Hill  attended  the  district  school  of  his  neighborhood 
and  remained  at  home  assisting  in  the  farm  work  until  1911,  when 
he  became  manager  of  the  IMooney  farm,  where  he  carries  on 
general  farming  and  dairying,  conducting  a  milk  route  in  the 


722  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

city  of  Tomah.  He  is  a  member  of  the  ]\Iy.stie  Workers,  and  on 
June  28,  1911,  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Blanche  Dana,  danohter  of 
Edward  and  Ella  Dana,  of  Tomah.  They  have  one  child — Bulah 
S.  Hill. 

Oliver  Mason  Hill,  deceased,  who  was  a  i)ioneer  settler  of 
Wisconsin  and  was  among  that  class  of  sturdy,  thrifty  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  to  whom  ^Monroe  county  is  so  largely  indebted 
for  the  high  place  it  holds  among  the  banner  counties  of  the  state. 
He  was  born  April  14.  1837,  in  Cortland  county.  New  York,  a  son 
of  Samuel  H.  Hill,  who  was  born  jMareli  12,  1794.  When  Oliver 
Avas  but  three  3'ears  of  age  his  parents  came  west  to  Illinois  and 
located  in  Kane  count}',  where  they  made  their  home  \mtil  they 
came  to  Monroe  countA^  in  1865.  Here  the  father  purchased  200 
acres  of  land  and  established  the  family  home,  and  here  they  lived 
the  balance  of  their  lives — his  death  occurring  in  (Colorado  ]\Iarch 
12,  1870,  whither  he  had  gone  in  search  of  health.  His  wife, 
grandmother  of  our  subject,  survived  him  thirteen  years,  and  died 
in  Monroe  county  in  August,  1883.  He  Avas  a  AVhig  until  the 
formation  of  the  Republican  partj'^,  and  e\'er  after  Avas  a  staunch 
supporter  of  this  party,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Universalist. 

Oliver  ]\lason  Hill  Avas  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Kane  count}',  Illinois,  Avhich  he  attended  up  to  his  eighteenth  year, 
remaining  at  home.  At  the  death  of  his  parents  he  inherited  the 
family  homestead  and  continued  to  carry  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising,  making  a  specialty  of  high  bred  Jersey  and  Durham 
cattle,  Avhich  he  often  entered  in  competition  Avith  others  for  first 
prize  at  stock  exhibitions.  He  Avas  a  successful  farmer,  a  man 
of  sterling  character,  faithful  in  all  his  undertakings  and  no  one 
in  the  community  Avas  more  highly  respected  than  he.  In  ]iolities 
a  Republican,  he  Avas  a  strong  adA^ocate  in  the  cause  of  temperance 
and  Avas  formerly  a  member  of  the  Grange  organization  and  sec- 
retary and  treasurer  of  the  Eastern  Monroe  County  Agricultural 
Society. 

^Ir.  Hill  Avas  united  in  marriage  Avitli  Miss  Sophia  Sprague, 
October  13,  1861.  Nine  children  Avere  born  to  them,  six  of  Avhom 
are  noAV  living,  viz.:  Tna.  born  December  10.  1862;  Ella,  born 
NoA-ember  10,  1864;  Ernest,  born  August  26,  1876:  Emma,  born 
December  10,  1878 ;  Caddie  C.  born  February  12,  1881.  and  :\Ierle, 
born  December  22,  1888,  and  surviA-e  the  father  Avhose  death 
occurred  in  1910  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  Those  deceased 
are  William  II.,  Oscar  S.  and  Jesse  P.  Hill.  William  Avas  droAA'ned 
in  the  LemonAveir  river  in  1881. 

Caddie  C.  Hill  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and  attended 


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BIOGRAPHY  723 

the  district  school  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  and  helped 
with  the  farm  Avork.  At  the  death  of  his  father,  he  came  into 
possession  of  the  home  farm  of  200  acres,  which  he  has  success- 
fully carried  on,  and  since  added  170  acres  more.  lie  is  among 
the  younger  class  of  Monroe  county's  prominent  and  progressive 
citizens.  A  Republican  in  political  sentiment,  he  has  never  sought 
nor  held  public  office.  He  has  been  secretary  of  the  Farmers' 
Elevator  Company  at  Tomah,  and  for  one  year  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Monroe  County  Fair  Association,  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Farmers  and  Merchants'  Bank,  of  Tomah.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  Hill  being  unmarried, 
the  household  duties  are  looked  after  by  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Mary 
Amidon.  She  was  married  June  1,  1862,  to  Llwellen  Amidon,  a 
prominent  citizen,  civil  engineer  and  county  surveyor  of  Monroe 
county  and  locator  of  Government  and  school  lands,  and  in  poli- 
tics a  Republican.  At  the  time  of  his  death  in  1898  he  was  the 
OAvner  of  an  eighty-acre  farm.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Amidon  were 
born  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living. 

William  Hoard,  one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising  citi- 
zens of  Wiltt)n,  was  born  in  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio.  April  13,  1859, 
the  son  of  Philander  and  Nancy  (Reed)  Hoard,  both  natives  of 
the  Buckeye  state.  They  reared  a  family  of  three  children, 
William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  only  surviving  mem- 
ber of  the  family.  They  were  farmers  by  occupation  and  were 
among  the  ]n'ominent  and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  their 
locality.  The  father  died  in  1862  and  the  mother  passed  away  in 
1874.  " 

William  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  and  was 
thrown  on  his  own  resources  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen  years. 
He  worked  eight  months  on  a  farm  at  small  wages,  and  was  later 
employed  by  one  man  for  eight  years,  the  highest  wages  received 
during  this  time  being  $12  per  month.  He  came  to  Wisconsin 
with  his  mother  and  brother  from  ^Michigan,  and  located  in  Wilton 
township,  Monroe  county,  where,  on  March  15,  1882,  he  purchased 
120  acres  of  land  in  section  twenty-eight,  where  he  lived,  engaging 
in  general  farming  until  1911,  when  he  removed  to  the  village  of 
Wilton.  In  addition  to  his  successful  general  farming,  he  has  car- 
ried on  an  extensive  dairy  business,  having  a  herd  of  twenty-eight 
Jersey  milch  cows.  He  is  an  extensive  breeder  and  owner  of 
Jersey  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs,  and  is  ivcpt  busy  managing 
his  farm.  He  is  one  of  the  influential  and  public  spirited  men  of 
his  town,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  all  matters 
for  the  betterment  of  his  town  and  county.    He  is  now  president 


724  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

of  the  Farniprs"  Livestock  Association,  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 

He  Avas  niai-ried  ]\Iarch  15,  1882,  to  ]Miss  La  Rue.  daughter  of 
S.  B.  LaRue.  a  i)i-oininent  citizen  of  AVilton  townsliip.  ^Irs.  Hoard 
is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  Her  parents  were  also  natives 
of  Ohio  and  emijirated  to  AVisconsin  and  settled  in  the  town  of 
Wilton  in  1858,  and  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  that  town. 
The  father  purchased  280  acres  of  wild  land  in  section  twenty- 
eight,  where  the  family  lived  for  ten  years  in  a  log  house  of  one 
room.  They  then  built  a  small  frame  house,  where  they  lived  for 
thirty-eight  years,  and  then  erected  a  tine  residence.  The  large 
and  well  constructed  liarns  and  silo  have  recently  been  added  to 
the  im])rovements,  all  of  which  go  to  make  it  an  ideal  up-to-date 
country  home.  The  father  died  in  1911  and  the  mother  passed 
away  in  1897.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  ]\lrs. 
Hoard,  viz.:  .Mildred,  born  March  24.  1883:  Glenn,  born  June  18, 
1886.  and  Ray.  honi  A])ril  28.  1889. 

Reuben  Hohn  is  another  one  of  the  native  sons  of  ^Monroe 
county  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wells.  April  17.  1864.  the 
son  of  Cyrus  Hohn  and  Sarah  (Sherwood)  Hohn.  the  former 
a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Wisconsin.  The  father  came 
to  Wisconsin  when  a  young  nuiii  aiul  Avorked  on  a  farm  and 
in  a  sawmill  and  later  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  had 
previously  mastered.  He  lived  in  Wisconsin  until  his  children 
became  grown,  where  he  died  in  1906.  He  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Miss  Sarah  Sherwood,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children. 
After  her  death  he  married  for  his  second  wife  ]Miss  Sarah  Miller. 
Samuel  Hohn.  grandfather  of  our  subject,  also  came  to  Wisconsin. 
Reuben  attended  the  common  schools  during  his  boyhood  and 
after  the  death  of  his  mother  lived  nine  years  with  ]Mr.  Al.  Fulton. 
He  then  found  employment  on  a  farm  at  .^10  jht  uKuith.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-four  years,  in  1888.  he  was  married  to  .Miss  Cornelia 
]\Iay  Hudson,  daughter  of  AVilliam.  from  England,  and  Lizzie 
Hudson,  whose  family  canu^  originally  from  Vermont.  ]\Ir.  and 
]Mrs.  Hohn  have  two  children,  Ellis.  Ixu-n  Decendier  8.  1890.  and 
Delia,  born  Alarch  18.  1892.  In  1912  Mr.  Hohn  ]mrchased  160 
acres  of  choice  hiiid  in  Leon  lownship.  adjoining  Wells,  where  he 
is  well  and  favorably  know  n  ;is  oti<"  of  the  progressive  men  of  the 
county. 

Hans  C.  Hoitomt,  who  is  the  son  nf  Adoli)h  and  Alaren 
(Skulei'ud)  lloiloml.  was  born  in  Norway,  .\ovendier  14.  1878.  and 
when  seven  years  of  age  came  to  America  with  his  uncle  and  aunt. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guilder  Olson,  who  located  in  the  town  of  Portland, 


BIOGRAPHY  725 

]\Iouroe  county,  Wis.,  where  our  subject  was  reared.  The  uncle 
died  in  1902.  his  aunt  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
Mr.  Hoitomt  started  out  in  life  for  himself  and  was  engaged  in 
running  a  thrashing  machine,  and  also  operated  a  sawmill  for  a 
time  in  Vernon  county,  and  afterwards  came  to  Monroe  county 
and  located  at  jMelvina,  and  Avith  others  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business,  dealing  extensively  in  pine  and  hemlock  lumber.  Out- 
side of  the  lumber  business,  he  owns  considerable  property,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  several  ice  houses  in  Vernon  and  Monroe 
counties.  He  also  deals  extensively  in  cord  wood,  shipping  many 
carloads  to  eastern  markets  each  year.  He  also  controls  and 
operates  the  transfer  line  at  Melvina.  Besides  his  many  business 
ventures.  Mr.  Hoitomt  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
his  town  and  county,  and  is  treasurer  of  the  IMelvina  Creamery 
Association.  He  is  the  owner  of  the  largest  private  fish  pond  in 
the  state,  which  covers  an  area  of  five  acres,  and  Avhich  was  eon- 
verted  from  a  mill  pond  by  Captain  Hunt  in  his  lifetime,  and  is 
plentifully  stocked  with  thousands  of  black  bass  and  bull  heads, 
weighing  up  to  five  pounds  each.  ]Mr.  Hoitomt  is  figuring  on 
marketing  this  product  in  the  near  future  and  will  ship  to  eastern 
markets. 

In  1898  ]\lr.  Hoitomt  was  married  to  Miss  Dora  Olson,  by 
whom  he  has  five  children,  viz. :  James.  Morris,  Viola.  Harold  and 
Gordon  Hoitomt.  In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Hoitomt  was  formerly 
a  Republican,  but  now  is  independent  in  thought  and  action, 
while  in  fraternal  matters  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

Fred  A.  Holden,  deputy  register  of  deeds  of  Monroe  county, 
is  a  native  of  New  York  State,  having  been  born  at  Ellicottville, 
June  19,  1849,  the  son  of  Amos  B.  and  Mary  L.  (Lynes)  Holden, 
who  were  also  natives  of  that  state.  In  1855,  when  Fred  A.  was 
six  years  of  age,  his  parents  came  to  Sparta  ;  soon  after  arriving 
at  what  was  to  be  the  future  home,  his  father  engaged  in  business 
with  D.  R.  Wheeler  and  W.  S.  Newton  as  contractors  and  builders. 
Mr.  Holden,  Sr.,  had  the  honor  of  building  the  first  hardware 
store  erected  in  Sparta,  but  which  was  later  destroyed  by  fire. 
He  continued  this  business  for  some  years  and  then  engaged  in 
farming.  Among  the  many  buildings  erected  by  him  besides  the 
hardware  store  was  the  Congregational  church,  of  which  he  was 
a  devoted  member.  In  1905  he  passed  from  this  life  to  his  well- 
earned  reward  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Not  only  did  he  stand 
high  in  the  community  as  a  citizen,  but  also  in  his  home  and 
domestic  relations,  and  among  his  friends  he  was  greatly  beloved 


726  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

and  esteemed  for  his  loyalty  and  devotion  to  those  near  and 
dear  to  him.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  preceded  her 
liusband  to  the  grave,  liaving  passed  away  in  1897,  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years.  She  was  a  woman  of  charming  disposition  and 
many  womanly  virtues.  Amos  B.  Holden  was  the  son  of  Arnold 
Holden,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  Avho  settled  in  Western  New 
York  in  an  early  day,  and  there  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-six 
years.  His  wife  was  Patience  Tanner,  who  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninety-eight  years.  The  paternal  great  grandfatlier  of  our  sub- 
ject was  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  this  country  and  settled 
on  Nantucket  Island,  where  he  mndc  cloth  after  the  plan  of  those 
early  times. 

Fred  A.  Holden  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Sparta.  He  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  then  for  eleven 
years  was  engaged  as  traveling  salesman  for  a  wholesale  imple- 
ment house.  He  afterwards  purchased  a  farm  of  his  own  and 
besides  farming,  he  worked  at  various  times  Avith  his  father  at 
the  carpenters'  trade,  and  later  took  up  civil  engineering,  which 
he  followed  for  twenty-five  years,  twelve  years  of  which  time 
he  was  county  surveyor,  and  during  this  period  he  became 
familiar  with  all  parts  of  Monroe  county.  Since  the  fall  of  1910 
he  has  been  deputy  register  of  deeds  under  his  son,  AVilliam  A., 
and  has  prepared  a  valuable  map  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Holden  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 

On  January  14,  1886,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss 
Mary  Miller,  daughter  of  Samuel  Miller,  of  Milwaukee.  Their 
children  are  AYilliam  A.  and  Mabel. 

William  A.  Holden,  register  of  deeds  of  i\Ionroe  county,  was 
born  in  Sparta  township,  Monroe  county,  February  6,  1887.  His 
parents,  Fred  A.  and  Mary  M.  (Miller)  Holden,  are  natives  of 
New  York  state  and  Switzerland  respectively,  the  former  being 
born  at  Ellicottville,  and  the  latter  at  Argon.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents also  were  natives  of  New  Y'ork  state,  came  to  Sparta 
in  1855,  where  they  lived  until  their  decease ;  his  death  occurred 
in  1905,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  hers  in  1897,  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years. 

AYilliam  A.  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  his 
education  at  the  Angelo  district  school.  He  followed  farming 
pursuits  until  1905,  when  he  became  rural  mail  carrier  on  Route 
Number  Three,  from  Sparta,  Avhich  occupation  he  followed  until 
the  fall  of  1910,  when  ho  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket 


BIOGRAPHY  727 

by  a  majority  of  1200  to  the  office  of  register  of  deeds,  whicli 
position  he  is  filling  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  many  friends,  and 
the  citizens  of  the  community  generally.  His  term  of  office  will 
expire  in  1913. 

Mr.  Holden  has  been  a  member  of  company  L,  third  regiment 
Wisconsin  national  guards  since  April,  1903,  and  is  now,  1912, 
first  lieutenant  of  his  company.  Also  a  member  of  Sparta  lodge 
No.  94,  I.  0.  O.  F.  On  November  22,  1910,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  K.  Axelson,  daughter  of  Asmus  Axelson,  a  popular 
and  prosperous  citizen  of  Sparta  township. 

Albert  E.  Hollister*,  a  well-known  and  popular  citizen  of 
Tomah,  where  he  has  lived  for  more  than  forty  years,  was  born 
in  Lima,  Livingston  county,  New  York,  May  26,  1845.  His 
father,  John  Hollister,  was  a  native  of  Osnabruck,  Ontario, 
where  he  was  born  in  1819.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
English  army  in  the  Patriot  War.  When  eighteen  years  of  age, 
he  went  to  the  town  of  Lima,  N.  Y.,  and  while  a  resident  of  that 
place,  married  Miss  Mercy  S.  Irish,  a  native  of  Livingston 
county,  and  daughter  of  David  Irish,  a  soldier  in  the  American 
army  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  died  of  w^ounds  received  while  in 
that  war.  When  our  subject  was  three  years  of  age,  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Cass  county,  IMichigan,  where  they  settled 
on  a  farm  and  where  the  father  died  in  1887.  His  wife,  mother 
of  our  subject,  made  her  home  on  the  homestead  until  her  demise. 
They  were  of  sterling  character,  influential  in  their  community 
and  universally  esteemed  and  beloved. 

Albert  E.  Hollister  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children 
— five  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  second  in  order  of  birth  is 
Mary  E.,  who  married  G.  M.  Wilson ;  Charles  R.,  second  son  and 
third  child  in  order  of  birth,  was  killed  by  an  accident  when 
seven  years  of  age ;  Bennett  L. ;  AVilber  ^Y. ;  Ellen  M.,  married 
Perry  Osborne  and  died  in  Barton  county  Missouri,  in  1875 ; 
Gordon  L.,  and  Elvene  M.,  married  to  J.  H.  Long  and  resides  in 
Michigan.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  trained  in  that  occupation.  He  received  a  common  school 
education  in  the  district  schools  of  his  neighborhood,  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  in  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  company  A., 
nineteenth  regiment  Michigan  volunteer  infantry,  but  being  of 
under  age,  he  was  released  on  demand  of  his  father,  and  hired 
out  as  a  farm  laborer,  which  he  followed  but  a  few  days  and 
again  enlisted,  but  with  the  same  results.  After  remaining  at 
home  one  year,  he  again  enlisted  and  this  time  "stuck."  (A 
detailed  account  of  Mr.  Hollister 's  military  career  will  be  found 


728  IIISTOKY  OF  .AIOXKOK  ('OIXTY 

ill  anotlicr  chapter  of  this  volume. j  .\t  the  elose  of  the  war  ]\lr. 
Ilollister  returned  to  his  former  home  in  ^Michigan,  and  on 
September  10,  ] 865,  married  ^Miss  Charlotte  A.  Powell,  daughter 
of  Jason  and  ]\Iary  A.  Powell.  In  1866  he  came  to  Wisconsin 
but  remained  only  a  short  time  and  returned  to  Miehigan.  In 
1868  he  eame  again  lo  AViseonsin  and  was  for  two  years  engaged 
in  lumbering  in  the  woods,  lie  then  came  to  ]\Ionroe  county  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  the  townshiji  of  Tomah,  but  his  health 
failing  on  account  of  wounds  reeeived  in  the  army,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  retire  from  active  farm  work  and  moved  to  the  city  of 
Tomah  and  engaged  in  the  sale  of  musical  instruments,  and  has 
since  here  made  his  home.  ]Mi'.  and  .Mrs.  Ilollister  have  two 
children — Mary  Bell,  born  ]\Iay  9.  1870,  married  Walter  S.  Mason, 
head  bookkeeper  for  G.  F.  Swift  &  Sons,  of  Omaha,  Nebr.,  and 
John  R.,  born  September  2,  1873.  ]\Ir.  Ilollister  is  a  Republican 
in  political  sentiments,  and  a  strong  supporter  of  Robert  M. 
LaFollette.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  qualities  and  social 
standing,  courteous  in  manner,  of  generons  impulses  and  a  lover 
of  good  cheer. 

Sylvaniis  Holmes.  The  late  Judge  Holmes,  of  Sparta,  was 
a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  ami  was  born  in  1816.  Sylvanus 
Holmes  liad  a  marked  and  interesting  personality,  and  had 
passed  through  many  striking  and  romantic  adventures  in  the 
course  of  his  long  life.  His  youth,  np  to  the  age  of  nineteen,  was 
passed  npou  his  father's  farm  at  the  suburban  village  of  Aurora 
near  Buflfalo,  X.  Y.  He  was  kept  hard  at  work  for  most  of  the 
year,  picking  up  such  education  as  he  could  in  the  Avinter  months 
at  the  district  school.  In  1834,  he  took  boat  for  Detroit,  where 
he  made  a  brief  stay.  He  worked  at  Xiles,  ^Michigan,  that  winter, 
and  then  went  by  foot  to  Racine,  where  he  found  a  very  small 
village,  among  a  good  many  stumps.  He  spent  the  summer  with 
a  party  of  government  surveyors,  returned  to  Racine  for  the 
winter,  and  in  the  spring  of  1836,  went  with  a  large  party  of 
Indians,  l)y  way  of  ("liicago.  to  Council  Bluffs,  having  a  position 
in  the  commissary  de])artment.  The  country  was  almost  wholly 
Avithout  roads  or  inhabitants.  The  .iourney  occupied  six  months. 
About  the  first  of  January,  1837,  he  and  a  friend  bought  a  canoe, 
and  with  a  small  stock  of  provisions,  started  on  the  ^Missouri 
river,  not  knowing  how  far  it  was  to  the  first  settlement.  After 
five  days  provisions  gave  out,  but  Holmes,  who  was  a  good  shot, 
l)rought  down  a  fine  deer,  and  with  the  supply  of  venison  the 
young  men  renewed  their  jonrney.  Once  they  were  followed 
and    shot    at   bv   Indians,   but    got   awav   under   cover   of  night. 


JUDGE   SYLVANUS   HOLMES 


BIOGRAPHY  729 

After  eleven  days  they  came  to  a  cahin  oeeiipied  by  two  white 
nieri,  and  thence  they  started  on  foot  for  St.  Joseph,  then  a 
mere  trading  post,  being  forced  to  stop  for  one  night  on  the 
cold  prairie  with  the  wolves  howling  around  them.  The  winter 
they  spent  at  Plattsbnrgh,  Missouri,  and  thence  Holmes  went 
by  boat  and  stage  to  Peoria,  111.,  where  he  was  persuaded  by 
a  contractor  to  accompany  another  band  of  Indians  to  Council 
Bluffs,  serving  out  provisions  and  keeping  accounts.  In  the 
spring  of  1837,  he  commenced  trade  for  himself  a  few  miles 
below  Council  Bluffs,  and  the  fall  of  that  year  he  built  the  first 
hewed  log  house  on  the  site  where  Omaha  now  stands.  Being 
prostrated  by  a  severe,  persistent  fever  and  ague  he  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  country  and  returned  to  his  early  home.  In 
1840  he  went  to  Hume,  N.  Y.,  Avhere  he  lived  for  several  years, 
filling  various  public  offices.  In  1842  he  was  married  to  IMiss 
Mary  Ann  Stone,  at  Varysburg,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Holmes  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  years.  In  1846  he  removed  to  Bradford,  Pa., 
where  he  lived  for  twenty  years.  AVhile  there  he  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  as  county  connnissioner  for  three  years,  and 
associate  judge  of  the  county  for  five  years.  In  1861  he  enlisted 
for  the  war,  raised  a  company  of  volunteers  and  received  a  com- 
mission as  first  sergeant.  He  was  subsequently  promoted  to  be 
adjutant  in  the  fift^^-eighth  regiment  of  Pennsylvania  volunteers, 
but  ^vas  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of  ill  health.  From 
1863  to  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  provost  marshal  of  his  con- 
gressional district. 

In  1865  he  came  to  Sparta  and  became  a  merchant  here,  as  he 
had  been  at  Bradford.  In  1869  he  removed  to  Wilmar,  Minn., 
and  was  judge  of  probate  of  the  county  for  five  years.  He  then 
returned  to  Sparta,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death, 
Avhich  occurred  January  23,  1895. 

Judge  Holmes  was  emphatically  a  good  man,  who  commanded 
the  respect  of  all.  He  was  an  honored  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  having  been  one  of  the  deacons  from  1883  until 
his  death.  In  politics  he  was  a  radical  prohibitionist,  expressing 
his  opinion  with  positiveness  and  frequency  but  with  courtesy. 
His  height  was  over  six  feet  and  his  size  in  proportion,  and  with 
his  erect  bearing  and  firm  step  he  was,  perhaps,  the  most  mili- 
tary figure  in  Sparta,  at  least  since  Major  Davidson  passed  away. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Grand  Army 
post.  His  three  children  are:  Mrs.  E.  M.  Calhoun  (deceased), 
Mrs.  Robie  Lee,  of  Sparta,  and  Eugene  S.  Holmes,  of  Billings, 
IMontana. 


730  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Mathias  Hoveland,  a  native  of  Norway,  was  born  in  1853  and 
died  in  Angelo  township  in  1909.  It  was  in  1869  that  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  in  Vernon  county,  Wisconsin,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  began  the  active  duties  of  his  farm  life  and  first 
located  on  a  farm  near  AVestby.  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  removed  to  Viroqua,  and  twenty-one 
years  later  to  eastern  ^Monroe  county,  and  there  resided  until 
1901,  when  he  located  on  the  farm  in  section  five,  Angelo  town- 
slup,  where  his  widow  and  famil}-  now  reside.  This  farm  of  220 
acres  is  among  the  best  in  the  township  and  I\Ir.  Iloveland  did 
much  to  improve  and  bring  the  land  to  its  present  high  state  of 
cultivation.  The  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings  are  large, 
commodious  and  well  constructed,  and  the  place  is  well  supplied 
with  up-to-date  appliances  used  in  modern  farming  methods. 

Mr.  Hoveland  had  one  brother,  Andrew,  and  three  sisters, 
viz. :  JNIatie,  Christina  and  Bertha.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  a 
prominent  and  useful  man  in  his  comnuinity,  and  a  member  of 
the  ]\Iodern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Beavers. 

On  September  23,  1877,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  ^Mi-ss 
Emma  Van  Dyke,  daugliter  of  Abraham  Van  Dyke,  of  Ohio.  To 
this  union  was  born  five  children,  as  follows:  Ethel,  wife  of  Eli 
Sutherland,  of  Tunnel  City;  Christina,  wife  of  Ray  "Webster,  of 
Sparta ;  Asa,  who  conducts  the  home  farm ;  Hazel,  wife  of  Chester 
Green,  of  Sparta,  and  Harold,  who.  resides  at  home. 

George  A.  Hoffman  is  a  native  of  IMonroe  county,  and  repre- 
sents one  of  the  pioneer  German  families  who  came  to  the  county 
in  the  early  fifties  and  located  in  Jefi:'erson  township.  Avhcre 
George  A.  was  born  August  25,  1857.  His  parents  were  John  E., 
who  met  an  untimely  death  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse  in  1867 
— he  was  at  that  time  forty-five  years  of  age — and  f]lizabeth 
(Seymour)  Hoffman,  who  died  in  1882  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine 
years.  They  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  until  George 
A.  was  nineteen  years  old  he  lived  with  his  parents  on  the  home- 
stead, attending  school  and  assisting  in  the  farm  work. 

T'^pon  leaving  home  our  subject's  first  employment  was  with 
0.  D.  Stevens,  and  later  with  the  firm  of  ]\Iyer  &  Youngman  in 
the  butcher  business  at  Sparta,  where  he  remained  about  three 
years  altogether,  and  then  engaged  with  his  brother,  William  C, 
in  the  same  business.  This  partnership  continued  until  he  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  with  William  Potter  in  a  meat  nuirket  on 
Oak  street,  and  this  lasted  for  several  years.  He  next  sold  his 
interests  to  his  brother  AVilliam,  and  in  1905  opened  his  present 
market   on  Water  street   by    purchasing    Lyon    Conger's    half 


BIOGRAPHY  731 

interest,  and  the  firm  name  became  Doxrud  &  Hoffman,  continu- 
ing until  1911,  when  he  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  thus 
assumed  entire  control,  where  he  now  reigns  both  successfully 
and  independently.  He  was  also,  in  the  meantime,  for  a  short 
while  connected  with  his  two  brothers,  William  C.  and  J.  H. 
Hoffman. 

Mr.  Hoffman  is  a  man  of  extraordinary  business  ability  and 
since  his  first  venture  on  his  own  resources  he  has  seldom  under- 
taken a  proposition  that  has  not  yielded  to  his  benefit.  "Fair 
Dealing"  is  his  motto,  and  to  this  he  attributes  his  success.  He 
is  a  good  conversationalist  and  interests  his  hearers  with  many 
incidents  of  early  pioneer  days,  when  the  ox  team  was  a  fixture 
on  the  homestead  farm,  and  the  wearing  apparel  was  made  by 
hand  for  the  family  of  eight,  of  which  he  was  the  sixth  child.  He 
also  recalls  vividly  the  responsibility  of  the  mother  in  rearing 
the  family  after  the  death  of  the  father  and  of  his  own  part  in 
helping  to  cultivate  the  280-acre  farm. 

On  November  9,  1883,  Mr.  Hoffman  married  Miss  Julia  T. 
Nolan,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Anna  Nolan,  of  Eidgeville,  Wis. 
Their  children  are  Arch  W.,  Myrtle  Ann,  Alica  Elizabeth  and 
Harvey  W.  Hoffman. 

Julius  H.  Hoffman,  brother  of  AA^illiam  C.  and  George  A.  Hoff- 
man, all  of  Sparta,  who  has  been  a  lifelong  resident  of  Monroe 
county,  was  born  in  Jefferson  township  November  12,  1861,  to 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Seymour)  Hoffman,  pioneer  Germans  of  this 
township,  having  located  here  in  the  fifties. 

Born  and  raised  on  a  farm,  Mr.  Hoffman  attended  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  township  and  the  public  school  of  Sparta. 
His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  homestead  farm  and  upon  leaving 
that  he  was  engaged  in  the  butcher  business  at  Sparta  with  his 
brothers  for  about  eight  years,  and  then  engaged  in  the  retail 
grocery  business,  but  this  was  of  short  duration  and  he  went  into 
the  harness  and  saddlery  business  in  Sparta,  and  after  making  a 
success  of  this  for  about  ten  years  he  concluded  to  try  the  real 
estate  business,  and  in  the  year  1908  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  William  Pearson,  of  AVinnipeg,  of  the  firm  of  AVilliam 
Pearson  Company  (Limited),  with  offices  in  Sparta,  dealing 
largely  in  western  lands  and  the  Last  Mountain  valley.  They 
also  handle  farm  and  city  property  in  Monroe  county  and  Sparta. 

Mr.  Hoffman  is  a- high-minded,  public-spirited  man,  and  is  in- 
terested in  whatever  relates  to  the  well  being  or  betterment  of 
his  community.  He  is  actively  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  AYoodmen  of  America. 


'•A2 


lll?STOKV   OF  .MOXKOK  CUlNTY 


lie  was  for  fourteen  years  chief  of  the  firi^  drpjirtinent  aud  served 
two  terms  as  member  of  the  city  council  from  the  Third  ward. 

On  June  10,  1800,  ]Mr.  ITotfman  Avas  united  in  marriage  with 
^liss  Capitola  Chaiiihcrlain.  (hniirhtcr  of  ('.  B.  and  Lois  ("liamlx'r- 
laiii.  Ill"  Spaiia. 

William  C.  Hoffman  is  unr  of  the  well-known  and  substantial 
citizens  of  Sparta.  He  is  of  German  lineajrc  and  a  native  of 
Chicago,  111.,  born  j\Iay  14,  1854,  the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Seymour)  lloifman,  both  natives  of  Germau.w  and  were  among 
the  sturdy  ])ioneers  that  eaiiie  and  settled  in  Monroe  county  in 
the  early  fifties.  They  located  in  Jett'ci-son  toAvnship  on  a  farm 
and  connnenced  to  ])reak  up  and  subdue  the  Avild  land,  and  had 
but  scarcely  l)egun  to  improve  his  farm  and  make  his  way  when 
the  Civil  AVar  broke  out  and  he  was  drafted  for  service  in  a 
AVisconsin  regiment.  PVcling  it  a  neeessity  and  duty  to  remain 
at  home  and  care  for  his  large  family  he  liired  a  substitute  for 
$1,000  to  take  his  place  in  the  service,  and  had  got  nicely  started 
on  the  reduction  of  his  war  debt  when  he  met  an  untimely  death 
by  an  accident  with  a  horse  at  the  age  of  foi'ty-five  years.  His 
death  was  a  great  loss  to  the  family  and  left  the  future  manage- 
ment and  development  of  the  home  farm  with  the  mother,  which 
by  energy  and  untiring  efforts  on  her  part,  and  the  aid  of  her 
sons,  was  successfully  carried  on,  and  100  of  the  2r)0-acrc  farm 
was  i^laced  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

AVilliam  C.  began  early  in  life  to  make  his  own  way  and  lay 
the  foundation  for  the  future  successful  business  career  he  has 
since  enjoyed,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  came  to  Sparta  and 
found  employment  in  the  l)utelier  business  under  James  Bulser, 
receiving  for  his  first  services  $5.  Avhieli  was  raised  to  $15  a 
month,  and  at  the  expiration  of  the  third  year  he  returned  to  the 
fa  I'm  for  a  short  time,  hut  the  desire  for  a  more  active  life  pre- 
vailed and  he  again  returned  to  Sparta  and  t(M>k  uji  the  l)utcher 
business,  working  for  some  time  with  vai'ious  tirms,  and  finally 
he  with  two  others  i)urchased  the  business  of  his  first  employer 
and  the  style  of  the  firm  was  Potter,  Audis  &  Hoffman.  At  the 
end  of  three  years  Mr.  Hoffman  ])urehased  the  interest  of  Audis 
and  the  business  was  car]"ied  on  for  the  next  five  years  under  the 
mime  of  Potter  &  Hoffman.  At  this  time  Mr.  Potter  sold  his 
interest  to  ]Mr.  Hoffman  and  he  then  associated  Avith  liis  two 
brothers  and  the  nam(>  became  Hoffman  brothers,  with  a  pros- 
perous ])usiness  until  1904,  when  Mr.  AVilliam  Hoffman  sold  a 
half  interest  to  his  brother,  J.  E.  Hoffman,  and  a  half  interest  to 
Jefferson  HoUenbeck,  and  retired. 


ofiislif'' 
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isslsoM"' 
wral  vtii'-  ■ 
jt,r(iii»tkni« 

|ii(ipfrty"« 


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liriMi,'. 


BIOGRAPHY  733 

A  resident  of  Monroe  county  for  half  a  century,  and  starting 
in  life  without  capital,  Mr.  Hofifman  has  by  hard  work,  economy 
and  good  business  judgment,  worked  his  way  to  success  and  has 
gained  a  competency  with  whicli  to  enjoy  the  remaining  years 
of  his  life.  He  is  in  the  true  sense  a  self-made  man,  one  of  good 
moral  character,  enterprising  and  public  spirited.  ]Mr.  Hoffman 
is  also  a  public  benefactor  in  that  he  has  made  it  possible  for 
several  young  persons  to  receive  a  practical  education,  thus 
starting  them  on  the  road  to  success  in  life.  He  is  an  extensive 
property  owner,  and  in  1890  built  a  shop  costing  some  $6,000,  and 
has  since  then  erected  several  other  substantial  ])uildings.  He 
is  a  director  in  the  ]\Ionroe  County  Bank,  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  identified  with  every 
movement  for  the  improvement  and  betterment  of  his  city. 

On  January  28,  1878,  Mr.  Hoffman  was  married  to  Miss  .Mary 
Fitzgerald,  daughter  of  Patrick  Fitzgerald,  of  Sparta. 

Edwin  S.  Hubbard,  a  successful  farmer  of  Sheldon  township, 
Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  born  February  6,  1862, 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Saxby)  Hubbard,  both  natives  of 
England.  The  father  came  to  America  in  the  early  fifties  before 
his  marriage  and  located  in  Walworth  county,  where  for  a  time 
he  worked  as  a  laborer,  and  later  moved  to  Monroe  county  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  Forest,  and  in  1857  went  to  Sheldon  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  120  acres  of  land  in  sections  fourteen 
and  fifteen  and  resided  there  for  thirty  years,  engaged  in  general 
farming.  In  1887  he  went  to  Tennessee  and  remained  five  years, 
returning  to  the  homestead  at  the  end  of  that  time,  sold  the  farm 
to  Edwin  S.  and  retired  from  active  labor.  Mr.  and  ]\lrs.  Hub- 
bard had  a  family  of  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living. 
During  his  farming  operations  Mv.  Hubbard  dealt  extensively  in 
stock  raising,  making  a  specialty  of  Oxford  sheep,  of  which  he 
was  a  successful  breeder.  He  had  the  first  wheat  ground  at  the 
first  grist  mill  established  at  Sparta,  using  an  ox  team  to  take  it 
there.  Mr.  Hubbard  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Sheldon 
township  and  experienced  his  share  of  the  trials  and  hardships  of 
the  pioneer.  He  was  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  the  county, 
high  minded  and  public  spirited.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubbard  were 
both  members  of  the  Baptist  church  and  contributed  liberally  to 
its  support.  After  a  long  and  well  spent  life  Mr.  Hubbard  passed 
away  in  1903,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  The 
death  of  Mrs.  Hubbard  occurred  in  1883. 

Edwin  S.  was  raised  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  assisting  in  the  farm 


734  IIISTOHV  OF  .MOXKOE  COI'XTY 

work,  and  was  the  mainstay  of  his  father.  He  has  always  lived 
on  the  home  farm,  whicli  he  purchased  in  1888,  and  has  since 
carried  it  on  on  his  own  account.  He  is  a  successful  preneral 
farmer  aud  his  place  is  well  improved  by  cultivation  and  substan- 
tial buildings.  He  employs  the  most  up-to-date  methods  in  his 
farming  operations  and  keeps  his  place  well  supplied  with  modern 
equipments,  and  a  good  grade  of  horses,  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep, 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  dairying.  He  is  independent  in  politics 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  county. 
He  has  served  as  clerk  of  the  town  one  year,  for  tAvo  years  was 
treasurer  of  his  town,  and  for  several  years  school  clerk.  He  is 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Xorwalk  creamery  and  is  now  its 
president,  and  has  been  the  past  five  years. 

On  February  22,  1888,  IMr.  Hubbard  was  married  in  Uie  town 
of  Sheldon  to  jNHss  Josephine  Falk,  daughter  of  Fred  and  Fredrica 
Falk,  natives  of  Germany.  ]Mrs.  Hubbard  is  one  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  reared  and  brought  uj)  at  ^Medsker's  Valley. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  i\Irs.  Hubbard,  viz. : 
Lillian,  Verna  and  William  Hubbard. 

Walter  W.  Hughart,  who  has  ])een  a  resident  of  ]\Ionroe  county 
for  some  fifteen  years,  is  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  and  Inisi- 
ness  men  who  are  worthy  of  special  mention  in  this  woi-k.  He 
was  born  July  2()..  1871,  in  Richland  county.  Wisconsin,  and  is 
the  son  of  Daniel  R.  and  Elsie  ]\I.  (Brown)  Hughart.  His  father 
came  from  Ohio  and  his  mother  from  New  York.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  l(S(i!)  in  Wisconsin,  and  moved  to  Kichland  county  in  1848, 
where  they  lived  until  about  1!)02.  and.  after  spending  some  time 
in  Oregon,  they  located  in  Spokane,  Wash.  The  father  died 
in  Si)()kane  in  1911  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Tlie  moflier  still 
sui'vives  and  resides  in  Spokane,  AVash. 

AValter  W.  obtained  a  good  education  in  the  district  schools 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  began  to  earn  his  own  living.  He 
was  faithful,  steady  and  economical  in  his  habits,  and  after  a 
few  years  he  had  accunudated  sufficient  money  from  his  savings 
with  which  to  purchase  a  farm  of  120  acres  in  sections  eleven  and 
twelve  in  the  iDwiiship  of  Oakdale.  On  .\ovenil)er  28,  1895,  he 
was  married,  in  Alt.  Pleasant  township,  (ireen  county,  Wisconsin, 
to  Aliss  Phila  A.  Richards,  (hinglitei-  of  James  and  Jaiu^  Richards, 
old  settlers  and  early  ])ioneers  of  that  county.  Her  ]U'0{)le  came 
originally  fi-om  England  on  the  patei-nnl  side,  and  the  mother 
descended  from  one  of  the  Lords  of  the  House  of  Parliament, 
After  his  marriage,  he  disposed  of  the  120-acre  farm  and  pur- 
chased another  120-acre  tract  in  section  foui-tecn  of  Oakdale  town- 


BIOGRAPHY  735 

ship,  where  they  located  and  now  reside,  he  being  considered  one 
of  the  most  successful  men  in  the  business.  His  methods  of  con- 
ducting the  farm  are  up  to  date  and  his  land  is  in  a  high  state  of 
productiveness.  In  connection  with  his  general  farming,  he  makes 
a  specialty  of  dairying  and  poultry  raising,  from  which  he  derives 
a  regular  income.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Oakdale 
Co-operative  Butter  Association,  and  is  a  man  of  good  business 
ability.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  polities  and  for  three  years  has  been 
clerk  of  the  to-\\ai  of  Oakdale.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Brotherhood  of  America. 

Mr.  and  IMrs.  Hughart  have  a  family  of  ten  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  viz:  Ruth  I.,  born  September  7.  1896;  S.  Edith, 
born  December  31.  1897;  Eunice,  liorn  January  20.  1899;  J. 
Stanly,  born  December  29,  1900;  Wilber  H..  born  July  3,  1902; 
Lillie,  born  April  3,  1904;  Elsie,  born  May  8,  1905;  Gertrude,  born 
April  23,  1907 ;  Phila.  born  December  3,  1908,  and  James  Daniel, 
born  December  31.  1910. 

Evan  Humphrey,*  who  ranks  among  the  progressive  farmers 
of  Monroe  county,  was  born  at  Bangor,  LaCrosse  county,  "Wiscon- 
sin. April  15.  1879,  to  G.  G.  and  Catherine  (Meredith)  Humphrey, 
both  natives  of  Wales.  Sometime  during  the  fifties  they  decided 
to  come  to  the  United  States,  and  soon  after  arriving  in  this  coun- 
try came  West  to  Wisconsin,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Bangor, 
in  LaCrosse  county.  He  Avas  a  mason  by  trade  and  followed  this 
honest  calling  as  demand  warranted  in  connection  with  his  farm- 
ing. He  was  a  man  of  high  ideals,  kind-hearted  and  generous,  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Calvinistic  IMethodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  contributed  liberally  to  its  support.  He  took  a  lively  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
twenty-five  years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  town  board  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1894.  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  is  a  woman  of  fine 
mental  attainments  and  still  survives. 

Evan  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  district  schools.  He  started  life  on  his  own  account  in 
1898.  when  nineteen  years  of  age;  he  took  charge  of  and  carried 
on  his  father's  farm  with  marked  success  for  some  five  years,  and 
in  1903  came  to  Monroe  county  and  purchased  liis  present  farm 
of  160  acres  from  J.  T.  Hutson.  and  has  since  continued  as  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  of  Sparta  township,  pursuing  up-to-date 
methods  which  have  brought  him  successful  results.  He  follows 
general  farming  and  dairying,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  raising 
Guernsey  cattle. 


736  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROE  COUNTY 

]\lr.  lliunplircy  was  iinitod  in  marriatro  with  !Miss  Rose  Hntson, 
dautrlitor  of  J.  T.  Ilulson,  in  V.H)'-i.  ami  to  this  union  has  been 
born  three  children — Tracy  J..  Gladys  Irene  and  Hugh  ^Meredith — 
all  of  wlioni  reside  at  home  with  their  parents.  ]\Ir.  Humphrey 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  township,  is  a  member 
of  the  town  board,  and  all  matters  he  considers  for  the  welfare  of 
his  community  he  gives  his  active  support.  lie  is  a  member  of 
the  Big  Creek  ]Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  contributes  of  his 
means  to  its  su]iport. 

Andrew  Hntson,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  well  known  citizen 
of  ^loiirof  ctdintN-.  is  a  lifelong  resident  of  the  county,  having 
been  born  in  Farmers  Valley.  Angelo  township.  Fel)ruary  21.  1859, 
son  of  Solomon  and  ]\Iaria  (Winterburn)  Hntson.  They  were 
natives  of  England  and  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  first 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  Soon  thereafter  they  came  to  "Wiscon- 
sin, and  in  1856  traveled  overland  by  team  from  ^Milwaukee  to 
Angelo  township,  where  they  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
that  section.  They  engaged  in  farming  and  there  made  their 
home  until  Andrew  reached  the  age  of  two  years,  Avhen  they 
moved  to  the  Leon  Valley  in  Leon  township,  and  in  1868  came 
to  Sparta  town.ship  and  located  on  a  farm  of  145  acres  in  section 
seven,  where  our  subject  now  resides.  At  the  time  of  locating  on 
this  farm  in  the  Big  Creek  Valley,  it  had  an  orchard  of  ten  acres 
which  was  valued  at  $1,000.  l)ut  the  balance  of  the  farm  was 
mostly  covered  with  stumps.  By  energy,  hard  work  and  perse- 
verance these  were  soon  removed,  and  the  land  transformed  into 
one  of  the  most  fertile  spots  in  the  valley.  New  buildings  have 
been  erected,  consisting  of  an  up-to-date  residence  equipped  with 
modern  conveniences,  large  and  commodious  barns  and  other  out- 
buildings. Other  improvements  have  been  made  from  time  to 
time,  until  it  has  become  one  of  the  most  ideal  farm  homes  to  be 
found  in  IMonroe  county,  and,  being  located  in  one  of  the  pictur- 
esque localities  of  Big  Creek  Valley,  has  a  peculiar  charm  all  its 
own.  'Mv.  Hntson.  father  of  Andrew,  died  January  1.  1878,  aged 
fifty-two  years,  and  his  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  passed  away 
in  1870  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven.  ]Mr.  Andrew  Hntson  is  the 
second  child  of  a  family  of  three  children,  the  others  being  Emma, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Robert  E.  Hntson.  of  Sparta  townshiji.  and  Ida. 
now  the  wife  of  J.  A.  Parker,  of  ^Minneapolis.  ]\Iinn. 

On  June  17,  1886,  jMr.  Hutson  was  united  in  nuirriage  witli 
!RIiss  Lillian  J.  Doane,  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Sarah  M. 
(Rhodes)  Doane,  of  Welsh  Valley.  Little  Falls  township.  They 
were  natives  of  New  England,  descended  from  old  and  prominent 


BIOGRAPHY  737 

families.  They  came  to  Wisconsin  and  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Bush  Prairie,  Lafayette  township,  this  county.  lie 
was  a  man  of  high  ideals,  prominent  in  his  community  and  re- 
spected and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  death  occurred 
in  1865,  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years.  His  widow,  mother  of 
Mrs.  Hutson,  who  survives  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  is  a 
charming  lady  and  still  retains  most  excellent  health  and  mental 
vigor. 

Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Hutson  have  an  interesting  family  of  four  chil- 
dren. They  are:  Clayton  H.,  born  October  23,  1888;  Percival  W., 
a  student  at  Beloit  College,  born  November  13,  1891 ;  Margorie  E., 
born  December  19,  1898,  and  Lorene  A.,  born  July  6,  1907. 

Mr.  Hutson  received  his  education  in  the  district  school  and 
has  devoted  his  entire  life  since  boyhood  to  farming,  and  is  known 
as  one  of  the  progressive  and  substantial  farmers  of  JNIonroe 
county,  being  a  man  of  intelligence  and  worth  in  the  community 
in  which  he  resides.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  his  town,  assessor 
for  twelve  years,  and  also  a  member  of  the  school  board.  In 
rsligious  matters  he  and  his  most  estimable  wife  and  family  are 
identified  with  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church  of  Big  Creek 
Valley. 

Benjamin  F.  Hutson,  who  resides  in  section  six.  town  of 
Sparta,  was  born  at  Council  Bluffs,  la.,  January  21,  1877,  the  son 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Fox)  Hutson,  natives  of  England  and 
Vermont  respectively.  They  were  married  in  the  Big  Creek  Val- 
ley, Sparta  township,  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  a  short  time  and  then  removed  to  Kansas. 
After  a  short  sojourn  in  that  state,  he  went  to  Arkansas,  thence 
removed  to  Nebraska,  and  later  to  Iowa,  locating  at  Council 
Bluffs,  where  he  was  engaged  for  two  years  in  railroad  construc- 
tion work.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to  South  Dakota 
and  homesteaded  a  quarter  section  of  land,  and  remained  there 
four  years.  He  then  returned  to  Monroe  county  and  purchased 
a  small  farm  of  eighty  acres  near  the  Big  Creek  Methodist  church 
in  Sparta  township,  and  there  died  eighteen  months  later,  on 
March  24,  1886,  aged  fiftv-six  vears.  Mrs.  Hutson,  mother  of  our 
subject,  survives  and  is  a  resident  of  Leon  Valley  in  this  county. 

Benjamin  F.  is  the  third  child  of  a  family  of  six  children. 
Those  besides  our  subject  living  are  Chauncey  A.,  of  Sparta;  May, 
the  wife  of  Reuben  Holm,  of  Leon  township.  Those  deceased 
are  Carrie  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 

On  April  12,  1899,  ]\Ir.  Hutson  was  married  to  INIiss  Nona 
McCumber,  daughter  of  William  and  Martha  (Hohn)  McCumber, 


738  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

of  Spai'ta  townsliip.  They  have  tliree  ehildren — Dora  ^Mildred, 
Ivy  Merrill  and  AVilliani  Henry.  ]Mr.  lliilson  was  reared  on  a 
farm  in  H'\g  Creek  X'allcy.  ;ind  atl ended  Ihc  distriet  schools,  after 
Avhieh  he  was  employed  at  farmin<i-  in  tlilTerent  localities  until 
18!)8.  when  lie  ])urchase(l  his  ])resent  farm  of  KiO  acres,  and  which, 
l)y  li.ii'd  work,  ihi'ift  and  cconniny.  he  has  hi'ous^hl  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivat  ion.  cn-clfd  a  new  iiiodei-n  i-esidence,  re-built  the  barns, 
adding  a  granary,  tool  shed  and  hog  liousc.  and  installed  a  sys- 
tem of  i-iniiiing  water,  all  of  wliich  makes  him  a  model  country 
home.  .Mr.  llntson  is  a  nieml)er  of  Ihc  (lood  Templars  Lodge, 
and   in   |)olilies  he  is  a  Republican. 

Fred  G.  Hutson,  successful  farmer  of  section  thirty-four,  An- 
gelo  townshii),  is  the  son  of  Thomas  ami  Mai-y  Ann  (Wooley) 
Hutson,  natives  of  England,  whence  they  eame  to  America  and 
first  settled  in  AVestern  New  York,  and  in  the  early  fifties  came 
to  AViseonsin  and  located  in  IMonroe  county,  where  Fred  G.  was 
born  December  7.  186!).  .\fter  a  few  years  spent  in  Leon  town- 
ship, the  father  j)urchased  a  farm  in  Big  Creek  A^'alley,  La  Crosse 
county,  and  there  remained  until  late  in  life,  when  he  removed  to 
the  city  of  S{)arta,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
Ilis  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  passed  aAvay  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  They  raised  a  family  of  seven  children,  Fred  G.  being  the 
youngest.  Of  the  others,  Thomas  and  Harriet  are  deceased ; 
Charles  II.  lives  in  Sparta;  Robert  AV.  resides  in  AVells  township: 
Thirza  is  the  wife  of  D.  F.  Jones,  of  Sparta  township;  and  John  F., 
of  Sparta. 

Fred  G.  was  reared  on  liis  fatluM-'s  farm,  attending  the  com- 
mon, schools  and  assisting  Avith  the  farm  work  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  when  he  started  out  for  himself. 
He  first  located  in  Angelo  township,  near  S]>arta.  where  he  re- 
mained one  year,  then  went  to  ^linnesota.  After  a  short  time  he 
returned  to  ]Monroe  count\-  and  located  in  Leon  township,  remain- 
ing there  two  years,  and  then  moved  to  the  town  of  AVells  and 
spent  two  more  yeai-s.  and  again  returned  to  Leon  and  spent  two 
years;  thence  to  the  town  of  Angelo.  locating  on  his  i)resent 
farm,  eighty  acres  of  which  lies  in  section  thirty-four.  Angelo, 
and  loT  acres  in  section  three.  AVells  township,  in  1!>0L  In  1905 
he  erected  a  new  barn  and  othei-  outbuildings,  and  in  1907  built 
a  new  residence.  Since  ])urchasing  this  farm,  ]\Ir.  Hutson  has. 
besides  cai'rying  on  general  farming,  been  actively  engaged  in 
making  many  imi)rovements.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  is  in- 
terested in  all  ])ublic  matters,  and  is  now  (1912)  serving  his  fourth 


BIOGRAPHY  739 

term  as  township  treasurer.    In  social  matters  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Beavers. 

On  January  'S,  1895,  Mr.  Ilutson  was  married  to  JNliss  Eliza- 
beth Jones,  daughter  of  J.  E.  and  Carrie  (Calkins)  Jones,  of  Leon 
township.  ]Mrs.  Hutson  passed  away  in  1910,  at  the  age  of  forty 
years,  leaving,  besides  her  husband,  a  family  of  eight  children, 
viz :  Phillip,  Evelyn,  George,  Carl,  Grace,  Ruth,  Gertrude  and 
Dorothy. 

Robert  W.  Hutson  is  a  native  of  Monroe  county  and  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Angelo  on  August  9,  1860,  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
]\Iary  Ann  (Wooley)  Ilutson.  lie  received  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and  early  in  life  started  out 
for  himself,  dependent  upon  his  own  resources.  In  1881  he  bought 
his  father's  farm  and  has  actively  managed  it  ever  since;  in  1901 
took  a  position  Avith  the  Piano  Manufacturing  Company  as  travel- 
ing salesman  for  some  three  years ;  he  then  resumed  work  on  the 
farm,  which  is  located  in  section  three  of  Wells  township,  at 
which  he  has  been  successful  from  the  start,  and  is  now  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most  progressive  and  hustling  farmers  of  his  town- 
ship. Besides  general  farming,  Mr.  Ilutson  does  quite  an  exten- 
sive dairy  business  and  takes  pride  in  keeping  his  place  well 
stocked  with  horses,  cattle  and  hogs,  and  well  supplied  with 
modern  equipments  for  carrying  on  the  work. 

]\Ir.  Ilutson  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  aft'airs  of  his  town 
and  county  and  works  in  the  Republican  ranks  in  any  movement 
pertaining  to  the  betterment  of  the  community.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  February  13,  1882,  Mr.  Hutson  was  married  at  Leon,  to 
]\Iiss  Georgia  E.  Rich,  and  they  have  had  seven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  viz:  Lola,  born  July  31,  1884;  Floyd, 
born  March  12.  1886;  Bessie,  born  January  31,  1889;  Jessie,  born 
jMarch  4,  1891 :  Robie,  born  December  7,  1893,  and  Georgia,  born 
January  9.  1898.     Lizzie  is  deceased. 

Martin  Jackson.  No  history  of  Monroe  county  would  be  com- 
plete without  a  biography  of  Mr.  Martin  Jackson,  the  pioneer 
grain,  seed  and  stock  dealer.  He  was  born  in  West  Toten,  Nor- 
Avay,  on  December  13,  1846.  His  parents,  Jacob  and  Christinina 
(Hangrud)  Jackson,  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1870  and 
located  at  Cashton,  where  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
four  years,  and  the  mother  passed  away  at  Cashton  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years. 

After  arriving  in  this  country  Mr.  Jackson  spent  the  first  three 


740  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROE  COUNTY 

years  at  various  kinds  of  employment.  He  had  received  a  thor- 
oug:h  education  in  Norway  and  in  the  meantime  developed  an 
unusual  executive  ability,  which  aided  him  greatly  after  coming 
to  America.  He  was  an  ambitious  and  energetic  young  man  and 
soon  after  coming  to  Sparta  he  secured  a  position  in  a  grain  ele- 
vator, w^hich  he  held  for  about  ten  years,  six  of  which  he  operated 
the  grain  warehouse  for  the  firm  of  Dorwin,  King  &  Company, 
and  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business  with  a  reputa- 
tion for  honorable  and  upright  dealing.  He  was  thrifty  and  saving 
and  soon  accunudated  means  with  which  he  purchased  a  ware- 
house at  Casliton.  He  enlarged  and  remodeled  his  buildings  and 
soon  established  a  good  trade,  and  by  his  honesty  and  square 
dealing  secured  the  patronage  of  that  entire  section,  where  he 
did  an  annual  business  running  as  high  as  $100,000,  his  shipments 
of  grain  and  stock  often  reaching  100  cars  or  more.  He  soon 
again  enlarged  his  facilities,  and  for  a  period  of  seventeen  years 
he  operated  three  warehouses.  In  1897,  disposing  of  his  interests 
at  Cashton,  he  returned  to  Sparta,  where  he  owned  and  operated 
a  grain  elevator  on  the  C,  M.  &  St.  P.  R.  R.,  and  also  took  charge 
of  the  Northwestern,  and  at  Sparta,  in  the  live  stock  business, 
transactions  amounted  from  $120,000  to  $150,000  a  year  for  some 
time,  and  subsequently  leased  it  to  McEchorn  &,  Company,  of 
Wausau,  Wis.  This  elevator  was  soon  thereafter  destroyed  by 
fire.  Since  disposing  of  his  elevator  interests  Mr.  Jackson  has 
been  engaged  in  the  seed,  stock  and  wool  business  at  Sparta, 
Avhich  has  grown  to  large  proportions,  he  having  the  reputation 
of  being  the  largest  dealer  in  wool  in  jMonroe  county  and  of  being 
the  most  proficient  in  the  grading  of  grain  of  any  man  in  the 
county. 

In  1873  Mr.  Jackson  married  Miss  Mary  Langard,  daugliter 
of  Lars  O.  and  Mary  Langard,  both  natives  of  Norway,  and  Avho 
emigrated  to  "Wisconsin  in  1868  and  made  their  home  in  La  Crosse 
county.  Mrs.  Jackson  died  in  1908  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years. 
Six  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson,  viz. :  Olga,  who 
is  the  wife  of  C.  AY.  Craig  and  lives  at  Hoquaim.  Wash. ;  Claudie 
is  the  wife  of  Robert  Merrill,  of  Sparta;  Clara  married  James  A. 
Uttley  and  resides  in  Nortli  Dakota;  INlinnie  is  the  Avife  of  Cleo 
Evans  and  lives  in  Sparta ;  George  and  Elystar,  who  also  live  in 
Sparta. 

Mr.  Jackson  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  from  the  first  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  local  and  state  politics.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  county  board,  president  of  the  village  of  Cashton, 
and  a  member  of  the  Cashton  school  board  for  several  years.    lie 


BIOGRAPHY  741 

is  a  man  of  fine  personal  qualities  and  social  standing,  courteous 
in  manner,  dignified  in  his  bearing,  of  generous  impulses  and  a 
lover  of  good  cheer.  He  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church  of  Sparta,  and  of  the  Order  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  one  of  Monroe  country's  most  reliable  and 
substantial  citizens. 

Joseph  Jankel,"'  a  prosperous  farmer,  whose  160-acre  farm  is 
located  in  section  twenty-one,  Lafayette  township,  is  a  son  of 
Peter  Jankel  and  was  born  in  Germany,  July  3,  1850.  While  yet 
a  young  boy  his  parents  both  died  and  he  went  to  live  with  his 
aunt,  ^Irs.  Derbert,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he  became 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  He 
was  first  employed  in  a  machine  shop,  where  he  remained  for  a 
time,  and  then  was  engaged  in  railroad  work  at  Hamburg,  Ger- 
many, Avhich  occupation  he  followed  for  two  years.  When  he 
became  of  age  he  entered  the  German  army  and  served  as  a  pri- 
vate until  1875,  when  he  received  his  discharge  and  returned  to 
his  former  home  and  resumed  employment  in  the  machine  shop, 
Avhere  he  remained  for  one  year.  In  the  spring  of  1877  he  sailed 
from  his  native  land  for  America,  and  on  June  10  of  that  year  he 
arrived  in  Sparta  and  went  to  live  with  his  brother  William  in 
Ridgeville  township.  During  the  next  five  years  he  was  variously 
employed,  making  his  home  for  the  time  with  his  brother.  He 
then  rented  a  farm,  which  h(>  conducted  on  his  own  account  for 
seven  years;  thence  he  went  to  Coles  valley  and  lived  on  a  rented 
farm  for  four  years,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  came 
to  Sparta  township  and  worked  the  King  farm  for  one  year,  and 
in  November,  1893,  purchased  his  present  farm.  The  land  is 
under  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  is  well  stocked  and  improved 
with  a  good  class  of  buildings,  in  the  most  part  put  there  by  Mr. 
Jankel  since  he  has  owned  the  place.  Mr.  Jankel  began  life  on 
this  farm  with  a  cajntal  of  ^{^300,  ])acked  by  a  determined  purpose 
to  succeed,  and  the  first  year  cleared  ten  acres,  and  has  since 
continued  to  improve  the  land.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  raising  of  Durham  cattle. 

In  1880  he  was  married  to  Miss  Amelia  Dresner,  daughter  of 
Christ  Dresner,  of  Leon  township.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
three  children.  Clara  A.  and  Martha  E.  are  now  engaged  in 
teaching,  and  Adolph  A.  is  conducting  the  John  Swartzlow  farm 
in  Lafayette  township. 

Adolph  A.  Jankel  was  born  in  Ridgeville  township,  January 
13,  1888,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Amelia  (Dresner)  Jankel. 
He  attended  the  district  school  and  was  reared  on  the  home  farm. 


742  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

After  leaving  lioine  he  was  employed  at  farm  work  for  E.  T. 
Doane  and  Charles  L.  Flume,  and  later  was  employed  by  David 
Ilemstock  iu  the  draying  business.  lie  was  married  Fel)ruary  1-4, 
1912,  to  Miss  Nina  Dald,  daughter  of  Jens  and  Celia  (Madsen) 
Dahl,  of  Angelo  township,  and  immediately  thereafter  took  charge 
of  the  Jolui  Swartzlow  farm. 

William  T.  Jefferson,  president  of  the  Jefferson  Leaf  Tobacco 
Company,  another  one  of  Sparta's  representative  business  iiicn 
and  liigldy  respected  citizens,  is  a  native  of  Pittsylvania  county, 
Vii'ginia,  and  was  born  April  29,  1862,  and  is  the  second  of  a 
family  of  ten  cliihlron  l)orn  to  William  TazAvell  and  Amelia 
(Wilcher)  Jefferson.  Tlie  otliers  are  James  T.,  of  Franklin 
county,  Virginia;  Mollie  is  the  wife  of  F.  P.  Graves,  of  Franklin 
eount3%  Virginia ;  Charles  F.  and  Vincent  AV.,  of  Danville,  Va. ; 
Leslie  AV.  resides  at  AVorth,  AV.  A'^a.;  Christianl).  and  Ossie  A., 
of  Roanoke,  Va.;  Cabell  1).  resides  on  the  homestead  fai-m  ne;ir 
Sandy  Level,  Va..  and  Kelly  B.  lives  at  AVatertown.  Wis.  AVil- 
liam  T.  Jefferson,  father  of  our  subject,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Pittsylvania  county  for  many  years,  where  he  has  been  success- 
fully engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  attained  to  a  position 
of  prominence.  Isaiah  Jefferson,  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  is  also  a  native  of  A^irginia,  as  was  also  Coleman  AVitcher, 
the  maternal  grandfather,  who  was  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  respected  families  of  A^'irginia. 

AVilliam  T.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
toAvn  and  his  life  up  to  his  twenty-fourth  year  was  spent  in  farm- 
ing, a  portion  of  his  time  l)eing  associated  with  bis  ohlei-  lirother, 
James  T.  In  1886  AVilliam  went  to  Danville,  A^'a.,  and  established 
the  firm  of  AV.  T.  Jefferson  &  Company,  dealers  in  leaf  tobacco. 
He  later  followed  the  same  line  of  business  in  North  and  South 
Carolina,  making  his  headquarters  at  Danville,  A"a.,  and  purchas- 
ing tobacco  at  Fair  Bluff,  N.  C,  and  ]\lullen,  S.  C,  for  some  five 
years,  whence  he  came  to  AVisconsin,  and  in  1901  1o  Sparta,  as 
manager  of  the  American  Cigar  Company's  plant.  He  contiinied 
in  that  capacity  until  January.  190(),  when  lie  was  nuide  state 
manager  of  the  same  company  Avith  head(|uarters  at  ^Madison. 
After  a  residence  of  four  years  at  this  place  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion and  returning  to  Sparta  in  November,  1908,  organized  the 
Jeft'erson  Leaf  To1)aceo  Com]>any,  Avhieh  is  incorporated  for 
$50,000,  with  AV.  T.  Jefferson,  ])resident  ;  D.  AV.  Cheney,  vice- 
president,  and  H.  AV.  Jeft'erson,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The 
extensive  output  of  Uiis  establislunent  is  distributed  throughout 
1lie  middle  Avest  and  eastern  states.    The  purchase  of  this  product 


BIOGRAPHY  743 

is  made  iu  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  and  is  sold  to  large  jobbers 
and  manufacturers  through  William  T.,  who  represents  the 
company  in  the  various  cities  of  the  two  states. 

In  Bedford  county,  Virginia,  January  17,  1881,  Mr.  Jefferson 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  D.  Rorer,  daughter  of 
J.  Q.  and  Sallie  (Hensley)  Rorer.  They  have  six  children,  viz. : 
Harley  W.,  Mahlon  H.,  attorney  at  law,  Beach,  N.  D. ;  Earl  A., 
Rorer,  Sallie  A.,  and  Thomas  Jefferson. 

Harley  W.  Jefferson,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Jefferson 
Leaf  Tobacco  Company,  was  married  in  June,  1908,  to  Miss  Lelia 
A.  Shannon,  daughter  of  W.  0.  and  Alice  Shannon,  of  Henderson, 
N.  C.  They  have  one  son,  Harley  W.  Jefferson,  Jr.  Mr.  Jefferson 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Modern  AYoodmen  of  America,  the  U.  C.  T.,  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Mrs,  Anna  Jenkins,  the  widow  of  the  late  David  Jenkins,  a 
resident  of  section  eight,  Leon  township,  a  daughter  of  Evan  S. 
and  Ann  Evans,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Fish  Creek  valley, 
who  emigrated  to  La  Crosse  county  from  North  Wales  in  the 
spring  of  1855,  was  married  to  Mr.  Jenkins  December  7,  1877. 
Mrs.  Jenkins  was  born  June  14,  1858,  and  is  the  oldest  of  a  family 
of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

David  Jenkins  was  one  of  the  highly  respected  citizens  of  the 
Fish  Creek  valley  in  Monroe  county,  and  was  a  native  of  South 
Wales.  He  was  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  five  children  born 
to  Evan  and  Margaret  (Williams)  Jenkins,  also  natives  of  AVales. 
His  birth  occurred  August  5,  1848,  and  he  came  to  America  with 
his  mother,  two  brothers  and  a  sister,  and  joined  his  father,  who 
had  preceded  them  to  Leon  township.  Mr.  Jenkins,  the  father, 
was  a  coal  miner  from  South  Wales,  but  wishing  to  better  his 
condition  sought  out  the  new  country  in  which  to  make  a  more 
desirable  home.  He  homesteaded  160  acres  of  land  where  Mrs. 
Jenkins,  the  subject  of,  noAv  resides,  he  being  one  of  the  very 
early  settlers  of  the  valley,  where  he  continued  to  reside  during 
his  active  life,  making  his  home  with  his  sons  during  his  later 
years,  and  died  in  La  Crosse  county  in  1898  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  He  was  a  good  citizen  and  a  devoted  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  and  in  politics  a  Republican.  His  wife,  the 
mother  of  David,  died  in  1880.  There  were  born  to  David  and 
Anna  Jenkins  three  children,  viz. :  Arthur,  born  April  15,  1878 ; 
Emlyn,  born  March  15,  1883,  and  Vida  Claudia,  born  June  8,  1887. 
David  Jenkins  was  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  Leon  town- 
ship, a  man  devoted  to  his  home  and  family,  a  strict  temperance 


lu  HISTORY  OF  moxrop:  county 

}nan  and  a  staunch  Republican,  and  witli  his  estimable  wife  was 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  church.  He  passed  away  on 
June  20,  1910,  and  was  buried  in  Fairview  cemetery  at  Bangor, 
Wisconsin. 

SKETCH  OF  THE  JENKINS  FAMILY. 

The  Jenkins  family  are  of  Hritish  origin.  The  name  in  AVelsh 
is  "Cuncyn''  or  ''Sheukiu."  They  originated  in  South  AVales 
and  dwelt  there  for  many  generations.  Very  few  of  this  name 
are  found  in  North  Wales.  They  are  quite  numerous  in  Clamor- 
gan  county.  They  were  freeholders  of  land  until  mining  Avas 
developed  about  one  hundred  years  ago ;  then  they  followed  min- 
ing, iron  and  tin  workers,  and  tlu*  clan  have  scattered  to  every 
part  of  the  globe.  They  have  taken  part  with  other  family  clans 
in  the  advancement  of  freedom,  education  and  religion.  Wales 
has  advanced  more  in  comparison  than  any  state  in  Europe. 
Education  in  different  grades  is  of  the  best.  It  furnishes  more 
preachers  and  divines  than  any  part  of  the  United  Kingdom. 
The  Bible  and  the  hymn  book  is  the  encyclopedia  and  songster 
of  the  Welshman  for  a  long  period.  The  Welsh  language  is 
spoken  by  hundreds  of  thousands  through  the  principality.  It  is 
a  poetical  and  musical  language ;  it  has  variety  of  sound  almost 
endless ;  it  has  a  stanza  to  the  spider  composed  of  vowels  alone. 
No  other  language  can  boast  of  such  a  feat ;  the  people  have  clung 
to  the  language  for  thousands  of  years  Avith  wonderful  tenacity, 
while  cousins,  the  Scotch  and  Irish,  have  neglected  their  vernacu- 
lar to  an  alarming  extent.  The  Scotch  clung  to  the  nuisical 
bagpipe  while  the  Welsh  and  Irish  have  taken  to  the  harp.  This 
three  clans  are  holding  a  triennial  festival  they  call  the  sitting,  or 
"Eistedfod,"  w^here  they  have  competition  in  essays,  poetry, 
songs,  music,  instrumental,  dancing,  art,  etc.,  in  every  branch  of 
learning  and  literature.  The  foremost  kelt  of  the  clans  today  are 
leaders  in  every  branch  of  learning  and  constitute  noblemen  in 
the  advanced  line  in  civilization  of  mankind  in  every  ]iart  of  the 
globe. 

PROGRESS  OF  FIFTY-FOUR  YEARS. 

AYlien  father  and  T  came  to  America  in  1858  we  came  to  a 
comparatively  wild  and  desolate  country.  The  ^Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  railroad  was  then  built  to  Tomali.  Farmers  who  lived  there 
then  had  rude  small  log  huts.  Their  only  market  was  Ua  (^rosse. 
Sparta  Avas  a  small  place  then.  There  were  only  a  few  horses  in 
the  La  Crosse  valley:  people  used  oxen.     A  buggy  or  cutter,  and 


THOMAS  JENKINS 


BIOGRAPHY  745 

eveu  a  bobsled  was  a  rare  article.  The  long  sleigh  was  in  vogue 
and  some  used  these  in  summer  until  they  procured  wagons.  To 
cut  grass  and  grain  they  used  scythe  and  cradle  and  bound  by 
hand.  The  virgin  soil  was  very  productive ;  everything  was  very 
cheap,  wheat  33  cents  per  bushel,  pork  2  cents  per  pound,  and 
good  cows  $25.  Horses  were  very  dear,  a  good  team  costing 
$400  or  $500 ;  hired  men  $1  per  day ;  people  very  contented  and 
wonderfully  accommodating.  The  first  settlers  were  strong  men 
and  Avomen  of  all  nationalities.  If  a  man  climbed  on  top  of  the 
bluffs  he  could  see  only  timber,  timber.  Today  field,  houses, 
barns,  cattle,  horses,  school  houses  and  healthy  and  rugged  look- 
ing children.  Monroe  county,  thou  hast  changed  wonderfully ; 
thou  art  big  and  almost  square,  so  big  I  guess  as  Milwaukee, 
Kenosha  and  Eacine  counties.  Thou  art  a  baby  yet  in  numbers 
of  population,  but  there  is  great  progress  within  thy  bounds. 
La  Crosse  valley,  the  great  rail  highway  to  the  wonderful  west, 
is  romantic  and  beautiful  with  young  forest  trees  on  both  sides 
of  the  valley.  Sparta,  the  most  American  city  of  Wisconsin,  is 
located  in  a  fertile  and  picturesque  spot  within  five  miles  of  the 
greatest  soldier  drilling  camp  in  the  United  States.  There  are 
as  good  farms  in  this  valley,  as  you  can  see  in  any  part  of  the 
United  States,  and  a  glorious  and  progressive  future  awaits  the 
coming  generations. 

Thomas  Jenkins,  one  of  the  intelligent  farmers  of  Leon  town- 
ship, Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  w^as  born  in  Wales,  February  16, 
1840.  He  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  ^lonroe  county 
in  1858,  and  is  a  loyal  citizen  of  the  country  of  his  adoption. 
Evan  Jenkins,  his  father,  was  born  in  Wales  in  1813,  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  Morgan  Jenkins,  also  natives  of  Wales.  He 
was  reared  in  his  own  country  and  during  his  youth  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  and  mining.  In  1858  he  determined  to 
try  his  fortune  in  the  new  world,  and  accordingly  crossed  the  sea 
to  America.  He  came  directly  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  in  Monroe 
county,  where  he  made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  November,  1898.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  section 
and  bravely  bore  his  part  in  developing  the  resources  of  the 
country.  He  was  married  in  his  native  land  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven  years  to  Margaret  Williams,  who  w^as  born  in  Wales.  Of 
this  union  five  children  were  born :  Thomas,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  W.  W.  AVilliams,  of  Scranton,  Pa. ; 
David,  who  lived  on  part  of  the  old  homestead,  died  in  June, 
1910 ;  Evan,  who  lives  on  a  farm  near  Bangor,  and  Llewellyn, 
who  lived  on  part  of  the  old  homestead,  died  in  March,  1904.   The 


746  HISTORY  OF  MOXROP]  COUNTY 

mother  of  these  children  died  April  21,  1879,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  years.  She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  ]\Ir.  Jenkins  is  a  member  of  the  church ;  politically  af- 
filiates Avith  the  Republican  and  Prohibition  parties.  lie  is  a  man 
of  integrity,  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings,  and  enjoys  the 
highest  respect  of  the  community. 

Tliomas,  the  oldest  of  the  family,  remained  with  his  father 
on  the  home  farm  until  he  purchased  a  farm  of  AV.  S.  Jones  in 
1874.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  was 
fairly  trained  in  all  tlie  details  of  agriculture.  He  now  owns  379 
acres  in  two  farms  and  good  Iniildings  in  Pleasant  valley.  The 
writer  has  been  married  twice,  first  to  Mary  Lloyd,  daughter  of 
John  and  JMargaret  Lloyd.  Three  children  were  born  to  them, 
INIilton,  Annie  and  ]\Iargaret.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
in  1881,  :Milton  died  in  1898,  and  Annie  and  Margaret  in  1906. 
]\Iarried  for  the  second  time  in  1888  to  Laura  Rathbun,  daughter 
of  Ilallet  and  Catherine  (Cramer)  Rathbun.  at  Cashton,  AYis.  The 
latter  is  now  deceased.  Six  children  are  the  result  of  this  union : 
Hallet  Rathbun,  died  in  infancy ;  Gathorn  Meredith,  Lyel  Newton, 
Melita  Lucinda,  Tliomas  Hallet,  Glen  Llewellyn.  Deeming  the 
temperance  movement  the  greatest  question  of  the  day,  the  writer 
has  given  his  hearty  support  and  influence  to  temperance  in 
every  form ;  has  served  twice  as  juror  and  twice  on  the  town 
board.  I  am  glad  that  I  did  not  load  myself  with  bad  habits  in 
my  youth,  such  as  drinking,  using  tobacco,  swearing,  playing 
cards,  dancing  and  mastered  superstition  and  unrelial)le  legends. 
I  am  a  lover  of  books  and  am  standing  on  a  broad  platform  in 
my  views  and  thinking  that  there  are  good  people  in  all  parties 
in  every  country.  I  admire  Wisconsin  Avitli  its  equity  and  ad- 
vancement, and  its  great  university.  Our  free  schools  will  drive 
darkness,  middle  age  dogmas  and  superstition  out  of  the  land.  I 
leave  my  blessings  to  my  descendants  and  kindest  wishes  to  the 
readers  of  the  history  of  Monroe  county.  AYisconsin. 

Respectfully,  THOAIAS  JENKINS. 

Zeno  Kent  Jewett,  whose  death  occurred  at  Sparta.  September 
12,  1908.  was  a  leader  among  the  horticulturists  of  Wisconsin, 
and  an  illustrious  example  of  that  type  of  enterprising,  intelligent 
and  resourceful  business  men  who  have  given  to  INIonroe  county 
the  advanced  station  i1  hdlds  among  the  progressive  counties  of 
this  state.  He  was  a  native  of  Aurora,  Portage  county.  Ohio, 
born  in  Septeml)er.  1837.  His  father,  Christopher  Jewett,  was  a 
native  nf  New  Hampshire  and   was  descended   from  one  of  the 


BIOGRAPHY  747 

earliest  and  most  respected  New  England  families.  lie  was  one 
of  seven  brothers  who  have  numerous  descendants  throughout  the 
country. 

The  paternal  grandfather,  James  Jewett.  emigrated  to  Ohio 
when  his  sou  Christopher  was  a  youth,  and  was  among  the  early 
pioneers  of  Portage  county.  The  mother  of  Zeno  Kent  Jewett, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Arabella  Kent,  was  also  a  pioneer  of 
that  part  of  Ohio,  having  emigrated  from  Connecticut.  Christo- 
pher Jewett.  accompanied  by  his  family,  went  to  Illinois  in  1841 
and  settled  in  Chicago,  which  was  at  that  time  a  small  village, 
remaining  there  but  one  year,  when  he  removed  to  McHenry 
county.  After  a  residence  of  a  few  years  at  this  place,  the  family 
again  moved,  gomg  at  that  time  to  Lake  county,  Illinois,  where 
the  father  died  in  1851.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  survived 
him  many  years,  spending  the  latter  part  of  her  life  with  her  son, 
Zeno,  at  Sparta.  Christopher  and  Arabella  (Kent)  Jewett  were 
the  parents  of  three  children,  Zeno  K.  being  the  eldest.  The  late 
Mrs.  jMiriam  Morehouse,  a  long  time  resident  of  Sana  Andro,  Cal., 
was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  and  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years,  her  death  occurring  in  1908;  the  youngest  and  only  sur- 
viving member  of  the  family,  A.  H.  Jewett,  is  a  resident  of  White 
Salmon,  Wash. 

Zeno  K.  Jewett  was  reared  and  spent  his  early  youth  in  Illi- 
nois. In  the  fall  of  1865  he  came  to  INIonroe  county  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  LaFayette  township.  Returning  to  Lake  county, 
Illinois,  he  married,  in  1866,  Miss  A.  Eliza  Judd,  daughter  of 
Artemus  and  Hannah  (Halliday)  Judd,  natives  of  New  York 
state  and  Canada  respectively.  Artemus  Judd  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Canada  Avhen  twelve  years  of  age,  and  here  resided 
until  early  manhood,  whence  he  came  to  Wisconsin,  where  Mrs. 
Jewett  was  born.  The  family  later  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he 
died  in  1870.  His  widow  survived  until  1882,  when  she  too  passed 
away.  IMrs.  JeAvett  has  four  brothers  living,  viz. :  Eli  E.  Judd,  of 
Antioch,  111. ;  Capt.  Samuel  H.  Judd,  of  Tacoma.  Wash. ;  Artemus 
W.  Judd  resides  in  Illinois,  and  F.  B.  Judd  lives  in  Iowa.  Four 
children  were  born  to  JMr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett,  viz. :  Miriam  Irene, 
Art  Judd.  Maude  lone,  all  of  whom  reside  at  Sparta,  and  Bella, 
who  is  deceased. 

Art  Judd  Jewett  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine 
McMillen,  daughter  of  C.  W.  and  INIary  K.  McMillen,  of  Sparta, 
August  11,  1890.  They  have  one  son,  Zeno  Kent  Jewett,  who 
married  Minnie  D.  King,  daughter  of  John  A.  King,  of  Tomah, 
September  17,  1909.  and  they  have  one  son.  John  Artemus  Jewett. 


748  HISTORY  OF  :\10XR0E  COUNTY 

]\Ir.  Zeno  K.  Jewett  returned  to  ]\Ionroe  county  witli  liis  young 
wife  in  llic  sprin*?  of  1866,  iind  moNcd  onto  the  farm  that  he  had 
purchased  llic  tail  j)revious,  wliidi  lie  improved  with  a  good 
residence  and  outbuiUlings,  and  carried  on  general  farming  until 
1868,  at  wliicli  time  he  Avas  joined  by  his  l)rother.  A.  II.  -lewett, 
and  togellici"  they  continued  to  operate  the  fai"m  successfully 
initil  187;i.  wlicn  Mr.  Zeno  K.  -lewett  jmrchased  tlu^  interest  of  his 
brother  and  .-ifterward  conducted  the  farm  alone,  starting,  in  the 
meantime,  a  nursery  and  farm  within  the  city  limits  of  Sparta. 
Gradually  disposing  of  all  his  holdings  in  LaFayette  township,  he 
devoted  liimscir  entirely  to  his  Sparta  interests  and  conducted  a 
protitfd)le  ;iiid  growing  business.  For  years  he  kept  a  very  com- 
plete nursery,  making  a  specialty  of  the  finest  evergreens.  He 
was  also  successfully  engaged  in  the  i-aising  of  small  fruits  and 
was  foi"  many  years  known  as  one  of  llie  most  prosperous  nursci-y- 
nien  and  horticulturists.  Jn  18!J8  he  established  the  -lewett  gi-een- 
houses.  which  were  also  an  accpiisition  to  his  already'  tine  culture, 
and  which  are  still  most  ably  and  successfully  conducted  under 
the  management  of  his  daughter,  Miss  ]\Iiriam  Irene  -Jewett.  while 
the  farm  and  nursery  is  being  carried  on  by  his  son.  A.  J.  -Jewett. 

Mr.  -Jewett  had  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs 
and  was  always  i-eady  to  lend  his  moral  intlnence  and  financial 
aid  to  any  worthy  enterprise  tending  to  the  betlermeni  of  his 
conniiunity.  lie  never  sought  ])olitical  preferment  nor  desired 
public  oftice.  although  he  Avas  alderman  from  the  First  AVard 
and  chairman  of  the  board  at  the  time  the  waterworks  system 
was  inaugurated,  lie  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  A  man  of  jovial  dis- 
position, he  was  recognized  as  one  of  Sparta's  most  influential 
citizens  and  highly  esteemed  by  all. 

Dni'ing  his  lifetime.  'Sir.  -lewett  and  his  estimable  wife  were 
extensive  travelers  and  visited  the  I'acitic  coast  and  other  impor- 
tant points  of  the  Republic,  securing  many  mementoes  from  the 
interesting  points  visited.  ]Mrs.  -Jewett  relates  many  of  the  vivid 
scenes  and  incidents  connected  with  the  early  days  when  they 
first  settled  in  J.a  Fayette  township,  at  which  tinu'  the  Indians 
came  and  camped  on  their  farm,  the  chief  and  others  of  their 
tribe  often  seeking  a  night's  lodging  at  their  home.  She  also  tells 
of  attending  the  war  dances,  which  at  times  continued  toi-  three 
days  and  niLilils.  it  is  such  stin-ini;  incidents  as  she  is  able  to 
relate  that  heli)ed  to  make  up  llic  history  of  jiionccr  da\s  in 
]\Ionroe  eountv. 


BIOGRAPHY  749 

George  A.  Johnson,*  who  resides  on  section  twenty-two,  Green- 
field township,  is  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  having  been  born 
on  the  homestead  farm  adjoining  the  one  of  320  acres  where  he 
now  resides,  and  Avhich  is  one  of  the  well  cultivated  and  pro- 
ductive farms  of  the  county.  He  was  born  on  June  14,  1884,  to 
Albert  and  Sarah  (Tarr)  Johnson,  who  were  natives  of  New 
England,  and  descended  from  an  old  and  prominent  family.  The 
Tarr  family  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Greenfield  township, 
together  with  the  Sawyers  and  others,  sketches  of  whom  appear 
elsewhere  in  this  work. 

Albert  Johnson  is  a  son  of  Calvin  Johnson,  who  came  to  INIon- 
roe  county  in  an  early  day  and  settled  in  section  twenty-two, 
Greenfield  township,  where  he  spent  many  years  of  his  active  life. 
He  moved  to  Riverside.  Cal.,  where  he  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  His  wife,  grandmother  of  our  subject,  also 
died  there.  The  parents  of  our  subject  are  still  residents  of 
Greenfield  and  classed  among  the  well-to-do  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  that  town.  They  have  had  a  family  of  nine  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  viz.:  Herbert,  deceased; 
William  resides  in  California;  Ralph  lives  in  Greenfield  town- 
ship ;  Harr}'  in  Iowa ;  Fred  is  a  civil  engineer  and  is  located  in  the 
Philippine  Islands;  George  A.,  our  subject,  Jesse  and  David  are 
residents  of  Greenfield  township,  and  Charles  lives  on  the  home- 
stead farm. 

George  A.  was  reared  on  the  farm,  where  he  remained  a  greater 
part  of  the  time  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two ;  he  at- 
tended the  district  schools  and  assisted  in  the  farm  work.  He 
started  on  his  own  resources  on  a  rented  farm,  which  he  subse- 
quently purchased  in  1910,  and  where  he  now  resides.  He  has 
his  farm  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  well  improved  with 
a  good  residence  and  outbuildings,  and  it  ranks  among  the  best 
farms  of  the  township,  while  the  owner  occupies  a  prominent 
place  among  the  citizens  and  is  known  as  a  thorough  and  up-to- 
date  farmer. 

He  was  married,  January  12,  1910,  to  INIiss  Minnie  Prescott, 
daughter  of  A.  G.  and  Sarah  (Hackett)  Prescott,  prominent 
citizens  of  Tuunell  City. 

John  L.  Johnson,  a  prominent  resident  of  LaGrange  township, 
was  born  in  Sauk  county,  Wisconsin,  July  2,  1855,  the  son  of 
Rev.  A.  J.  and  Clarissa  Almeda  (Rouse)  Johnson,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  they  married  and  came  to  Sauk  count}',  thence  to 
Monroe  county ;  the  father  was  a  traveling  preacher,  in  the  faith 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  1862,  when  our  subject 


750  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COIWTV 

was  seven  years  of  afre.  befiaii  fanniiiir.  He  continued  in  this 
ocenpation,  tofjether  with  liis  ininistcrial  work,  nntil  his  (h^ath, 
wliicli  ocenrred  in  ^losiiicc.  Wis.,  in  ISSI).  ;it  the  aye  of  sixty-nine 
years.  He  was  the  fatlicr  of  eight  ciiildreii.  w/..:  Klson  AV.,  of 
Augusta.  AVis. :  Hari-iet.  Avife  of  Samuel  Hinkley.  of  ^losinee, 
Wis.;  .lohn  1^..  oiii-  subject;  Elniar.  ck^ceased ;  Sarah  AliiKHhi,  wife 
of  Daniel  Roberts,  of  Alilwaiikcc  ;  bhi  ^lay,  wife  of  William  Upton, 
of  Minneapolis;  Dr.  II.  H.  .lolinson,  of  Toniali.  and  Vance,  of 
Beloit. 

John  L.  a11ciid(^d  the  common  schools  and  has  been  on  the 
farm  since  he  was  seven  years  of  age.  Early  in  life  he  was  em- 
l)loyed  for  three  years  as  overseer  of  a  cranberry  marsh  at  Ray- 
mour,  wdiere  he  continued  for  some  time  after  the  exjiiration  of 
his  three-year  contract.  In  1909  he  purchased  the  Alvin  Day 
farm  in  LaGrange  township,  where  he  now  resides,  engaged  in 
general  farming.  In  1879  he  was  married  to  Miss  Phoebe  Getman, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Jane  Getman,  of  Monroe  county.  One 
son,  Ernest  H.,  Avas  born  to  this  union.  Mrs.  Johnson  died  in 
1896  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years  and  lie  nmrried  for  his  second 
wife  Airs.  Fidc^lia  Featherly,  of  Monroe  county,  in  1899. 

Julius  P.  Johnson,*  ])rosperous  farmer  in  Sparta  township,  is 
a  native  of  Denmark  and  was  born  January  10.  1870.  lie  is  a  son 
of  Hans  Henry  and  Marie  Johnson,  also  natives  of  Denmark. 
Hans  II.,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  the  son  of  Jens  and  Kate 
Johnson,  who  spent  their  early  life  in  Denmark,  where  lie  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  His  wife,  Kate,  was  left  with  a 
family  of  five  children  and  later  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  at  Tomah.  Alonroe  county,  AA^isconsin,  where  she  died  in 
1890.  The  children — three  of  whom  are  now  living — are:  Peter, 
of  Tomah:  X(ds.  of  A^alley  Junction;  Sina.  the  Avife  of  Christ 
Hansen,  of  X'alley  -Innction;  Kate  and  Alina.  \\lio  are  now  de- 
ceased. 

Our  siihjecl  was  raised  on  llic  home  farm  in  Denmark,  con- 
sisting of  eight  acres,  every  spot  (>f  wliicli  was  like  a  garden. 
•luliiis  attended  tlif  i)iil)lic  schools  unlil  the  age  of  fourteen.  Be- 
side the  farm  his  father  was  engaged  in  shoe  making,  and.  upon 
the  compldioii  of  liis  schooling.  .Inlius  was  engaged  in  the  shoe 
business  and  farming  until  his  seventeenth  year,  then  for  one 
year  he  ti-aveled  through  Denmark,  and  in  llie  .spring  of  1889  lie 
came  to  America.  Coming  direct  to  AVist-onsin,  he  first  settled 
at  Bangor.  La  Crosse  county,  where  he  Avas  employed  as  a  farm 
hand  for  three  years.  lie  then  rented  a  farm  near  that  place  and 
engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account,  coni inning  to  reside  here 


BIOGRAPHY  751 

for  eight  years,  and  in  1901  came  to  Sparta  township,  Monroe 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  120  acres  from  L.  R.  Cham- 
berlain in  section  two.  to  which  he  has  since  added  fifteen  acres. 
Under  ]Mr.  Johnson's  management  the  phice  has  been  greatly 
improved,  the  residence  has  been  remodeled  and  made  into  a 
modern  and  up-to-date  home,  with  fine  outbuildings  consisting  of 
barns,  to  which  he  added  a  large  new  silo.  He  is  engaged  ex- 
tensively in  stock  raising  and  dairying,  and  has  a  fine  herd  of 
full-blooded  Holstein  cattle. 

On  November  22.  1899,  he  was  iniited  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Clara  Rhyme,  daughter  of  Henry  aiul  AVilholmina  Rhyme,  of 
Farmington  township,  La  Crosse  county.  ]\lr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson 
have  an  interesting  family  of  three  children,  as  follows :  Ethel 
Elizabeth,  born  November  19.  1901:  Fay  ^Margaret,  born  January 
22,  1904,  and  Julius  EdAvard,  born  February  21,  1908.  ]\Ir.  John- 
son is  one  of  the  enterprising  men  of  his  town,  and  now  serving 
as  chairman  to  the  town  board. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  the  third  child  in  order  of  birth  of  a  family  of 
nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living:  Jens,  of  Denmark; 
Charles  AV..  of  North  Dakota:  our  subject:  Christ,  of  Bangor, 
Wis. ;  Otto,  of  South  Dakota :  Augusta,  wife  of  John  Evans,  of 
Bangor;  Henry  and  Julia,  who  live  in  Denmark,  and  Hansen,  wiio 
is  deceased. 

Lewis  C.  Johnson.  In  perpetuating  in  words  more  enduring 
than  monuments  of  stone,  the  memory  of  men  of  prominence 
whose  active  and  valuable  lives  were  spent  in  ]Monroe  county,  the 
pages  of  this  volume  would  be  incomplete  Avere  mention  not  made 
of  the  honored  pioneer  whose  name  is  here  recorded. 

Esau  Johnson,  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  South 
Carolina;  he  came  west  to  AVisconsin,  and  was  the  first  white  man 
to  settle  in  Monroe  county.  In  1846,  according  to  government 
reports,  he  Avas  a  squatter  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
twenty-four,  township  fifteen,  range  tAvo  Avest,  Avhich,  after  the 
establishment  of  ^Monroe  county.  Avas  in  Sheldon  toAvnship.  He 
was  energetic  and  thrifty,  a  man  of  good  judgment,  kind-hearted 
and  generous.  His  death  occurred  in  1888,  honored  and  respected 
by  all  Avho  kncAv  him.  Tlie  death  of  the  mother  occurred  in  1876. 
Lewis  C.  Johnson  Avas  born  in  the  toAvn  of  Sheldon.  IMonroe 
county,  on  June  2.  1846,  Avhose  portrait  adorns  the  Avails  of  the 
county  clerk's  office  in  the  court  house  at  Sparta,  has  the  honor 
of  being  the  first  Avhite  child  born  in  this  county.  He  lived  at 
home  Avith  his  parents  until  he  Avas  sixteen  years  of  age,  and, 
being  so  early  throAvn  upon  his  oAvn  resources,  commenced  his 


752  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

L-areer  as  a  common  laborer,  working  for  the  meagre  salary  of 
75  cents  per  day;  yet,  in  the  face  of  these  difficulties,  by  his  hard 
work  and  economy,  he  finally  acquired  a  farm  in  his  own 'right, 
which  he  afterward  developed  into  one  of  the  model  homes  of 
the  county,  while  for  many  years  he  has  witnessed  the  growth 
;nn]  taken  an  active  ])ar1  in  the  development  of  his  community 
and  the  transforming  of  Monroe  county  into  its  present  condition 
among  the  banner  counties  of  the  state.  lie  is  a  man  of  recog- 
nized ability  and  influence,  and  has  been  generally  successful  in 
whatever  branch  of  business  he  has  undertaken,  showing  himself 
cai)able  and  trustworthy.  He  now  resides  witii  his  family  in  a 
comfortable  residence  at  Oil  City,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
now  living  in  the  county.  On  February  21,  1865,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Forty-sixth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
seven  months  and  six  days,  receiving  his  discharge  September  27, 
1865.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  takes  an  active  part  in 
all  matters  of  public  interest. 

He  was  married  in  the  town  of  Sheldon  in  1867,  to  Miss  Olive 
Floyd,  and  they  have  had  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living,  viz.:  Luella.  Eva  E..  Adelbcrt  ]\1.  and  Henry  AV.  Johnson. 
Those  deceased  are  Jane  and  Huldah. 

David  r.  Jones,  a  progressive  farmer  of  Sparta  township,  is  a 
native  of  the  Keystone  state,  born  at  Danville,  ]\Iay  3.  1865,  the 
son  of  John  F.  and  ]\Iary  (Williams)  Jones,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Wales.  In  1851  the  father  emigrated  to  America  and 
located  in  Pennsylvania,  wlicie  he  was  em])loyed  in  the  coal  mines 
nntil  1866.  He  then  removed  with  his  family  to  Wisconsin  and 
settled  on  a  farm  which  he  purchased,  consisting  of  sixty-five 
acres  near  Watertown.  in  Jefferson  county.  After  a  residence 
there  of  four  years,  they  removed  to  La  Crosse  county,  where 
their  lives  were  spent;  the  father  died  in  1891  and  the  death  of 
the  mother  occurred  in  1884.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  six  (»f  whom  ai-c  now  living,  viz.:  John.  Sarah.  William. 
David  F.,  Mary,  now  tlic  wife  of  George  Welsh,  and  p]lizabeth. 

David  F.  Jones  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  La  Crosse  county,  and  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  twentv-three  vears  old.      In  1895  he  came  to  ^Monroe  countv 

•  •  • 

and  for  sixteen  years  resided  in  the  city  of  Sparta,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  lucrative  dray  and  coal  business.  He  moved  onto  his 
present  farm  in  section  twenty-two.  Sparta  township,  where  he  is 
successfully  engaged  in  general  farming.  ]\Ir.  Jones  is  one  of  the 
influential  and  juiblic-spirited  men  of  his  township  and  enjoys  the 
respect  of  all  wiio  know  him.     He  is  a  Republican  in  political 


BIOGRAPHY  753 

sentiment  and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  F.  R.  A. 

Mr.  Jones  has  been  twice  married ;  his  first  matrimonial  ven- 
ture was  on  January  15,  1890,  with  Miss  Sadie  Hemstock,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Elizabeth  Hemstock,  of  Sparta.  By  this  union 
three  children  were  born,  viz. :  Earl  F.,  born  February  16,  1891, 
is  now  attending  the  agricultural  department  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Madison ;  Mildred  S.,  born  January  13,  1893,  and  Ethel 
E.,  born  April  17,  1896.  Mrs.  Jones  passed  away  in  1903,  and  he 
married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Theiza  Hutson,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  INIary  Hutson. 

John  L.  Jones  is  one  of  the  sterling  men  and  successful  farmers 
of  Leon  townslii]).  He  was  born  near  Rockland,  in  La  Crosse 
county,  Wisconsin,  on  January  4,  1856.  His  parents  were  John 
W.  and  Mary  (Jones)  Jones.  The  father,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, emigrated  to  Canada  in  the  early  fifties,  where  he  remained 
three  years,  then  moved  to  Wisconsin  and  located  in  the  Fish 
Creek  Valley,  La  Crosse  county,  on  a  farm,  which  was  his  home 
for  about  eighteen  years ;  then  moved  to  the  town  of  Portland  and 
purchased  680  acres  of  land.  Earlier  in  his  life  he  had  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner,  and,  after  locating  in  the  Fish 
Creek  A^alley  in  1854,  he  built  the  first  saw  mill  on  Robinson's 
creek.  He  also  assisted  in  building  the  railroad  depot  at  Bangor, 
and  built  the  first  grist  mill  at  this  place ;  he  followed  the  car- 
penter's  trade  until  1858,  after  which  he  made  farming  his  chief 
occupation.  During  the  Civil  AVar  he  engaged  in  buying  substi- 
tutes for  drafted  men,  which  business  often  necessitated  his  walk- 
ing to  La  Crosse  and  back  the  same  day,  a  distance  of  twenty-five 
miles.  He  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  his  community  and 
held  several  local  offices  in  the  towns  of  Bangor  and  Portland, 
and  during  the  fifteen  years  he  was  justice  of  the  peace  he  was 
always  an  advocate  of  arbitration  in  disputes  of  all  causes  that 
came  before  him.  He  was  an  ardent  prohibitionist  and  a  firm 
believer  in  the  cause  of  temperance.  From  a  poor  man  and  a 
small  beginning,  he  became  a  man  of  means  and  influence  in  his 
town  and  county.  Three  years  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1900,  he  moved  to  the  city  of  Sparta.  Mrs.  Jones,  mother  of 
our  subject,  survives  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  is  the  only 
person  living  of  the  early  pioneers  in  the  Big  Fish  Creek  Valley. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  were  the  parents  of  six  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, seven  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  viz.:  AV.  A.  Jones,  a 
prominent  banker  of  Sparta ;  Mary ;  Evan  M.,  a  druggist  at  Clark, 
S.  D. ;  David  S.,  druggist  at  AVatertown,   S.  D. ;  Thomas  R.,  a 


754  HISTORY  OF  3I0XR0E  COUNTY 

farmer  of  I'oi-lland  towiisliip ;  lieiijaiuiii;  Edwin  resides  in  Bis- 
marck. X.  D..  enf;a^ed  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business, 
and  John  L..  our  subject.    Sarah  is  deceased. 

John  L.  Jones  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  liis  home  town  and  at  the  Cleveland.  Ohio,  hij;h  school.  After 
completing  his  education,  he  tau<.dit  school  four  years  in  ]\Ionroe 
county  and  for  two  years  in  La  Crosse  county.  On  .Inly  5.  1882, 
he  moved  with  his  sister  to  ]*leasant  Valley  and  purchased  220 
acres  of  land  three  miles  southeast  of  Leon,  where  he  has  since 
resided,  engatred  in  iieneral  farmin<::  and  stock  raisin«r.  He  deals 
extensively  in  blooded  shortJiorned  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs. 
His  place  is  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation  and  well  imjjroved 
with  a  substantial  residence,  barns,  tool  shed  and  granary,  all  of 
which  have  been  erected  since  ,"\lr.  Jones  purchased  the  fai-iii.  He 
is  a  progressive  and  high-minded  gentleman  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town.  For  five  years  he  held  the 
position  as  manager  of  the  Leon  Valley  Creamery  Association, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  progressive  Republican. 

On  February  27.  1885.  he  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  ]\Iarv  Harr, 
daughter  of  John  Harr,  an  old  and  prominent  pioneer  of  Big 
Creek  Valley.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to  ]Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jones,  viz. :  Sidney  D.,  a  student  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  Valparaiso  University:  Vivian,  (jladys  and  ]\Iyrtle.  Vivian 
and  Myrtle  are  teachers;  Hazel  and  Isabelle  are  attending  the 
Sparta  high  school,  and  Florence  resides  at  home. 

John  R.  Jones,  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Wisconsin 
from  the  county  of  Monroe,  was  born  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in  1850, 
the  only  son  of  John  R.  and  Anna  (Davis)  Jones,  both  natives 
of  Wales.  The  father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1840  and 
located  at  Pittsburg,  where  he  was  employed  in  the  iron  and 
steel  mills  for  sixteen  years.  In  1856  the  familv  came  to  AViscon- 
sin,  taking  passage  by  boat  from  Pittsburg.  They  went  down 
the  Ohio  river  to  Cairo,  thence  up  the  Mississippi  to  La  Crosse, 
then  overland  to  the  Fish  Creek  valley  in  ]\ronroe  county.  Avhere 
the  father  purchased  120  acres  of  land.  Previous  to  this,  how- 
ever, the  father,  with  a  friend,  had  visited  this  section  on  a 
prospecting  tour,  at  that  time  making  the  journey  from  ]\Iihvau- 
kee  on  foot.  On  the  arrival  of  th(>  family,  ]\Iay  6,  185(5,  they  set 
to  work  to  improve,  subdue  and  cultivate  the  wild  land.  Their 
first  residence  was  a  board  structure  12x16  feet.  The  lumber 
was  hauled  from  Ontario  by  ox  teams,  a  distance  of  twenty  odd 
iniles,  over  hills  and  creeks  which  had  no  bridges.  At  this  time 
the  streams  were  abundant  with  fish  and  tlie  Avild  game  roamed 


HON.  JOHN  R.  JONES 


BIOGRAPHY  755 

over  the  hills  and  valleys,  wliieh  contributed  largely  to  the  sturdy 
pioneers'  menu.  From  a  meager  l)eginning  and  without  tlie  ad- 
vantages of  wealth  conferred  upon  him,  having  lost  $5,(,)()0  of  hard 
earned  money  by  the  collapse  of  a  bank  in  a  financial  panic  of  the 
late  forties  and  early  fifties,  ]\Ir.  Jones,  Sr.,  fought  manfully  the 
battles  of  pioneer  life  and  by  hard  work,  thrift  and  economy, 
converted  his  wild  land  in  the  valley  to  a  good  farm  and  pleasant 
home.  He  was  one  of  Monroe  county's  most  exemplary  citizens, 
and  by  careful,  judicious  management  made  life  a  success  and 
owned  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  April  21,  1903, 
320  acres  of  land  in  the  Fish  Creek  valley.  His  early  education 
was  limited,  but  he  was  a  constant  reader  and  a  close  observer 
of  events,  and  in  his  mature  years  was  known  as  a  well-read  and 
thoroughly  posted  man,  and  he  was  withal  a  man  of  generous 
impulses,  given  to  acts  of  charity  and  kindness  to  those  in  need. 
Having  but  a  small  family  of  his  own  his  heart  went  out  to  many 
orphan  children  who  had  no  home  or  funds,  and  to  this  class  he 
gave  liberal  succor.  During  his  lifetime  he  gave  a  home  to  some 
four  or  five  boys,  raised  and  educated  them  until  they  arrived 
at  the  age  of  manhood.  All  of  them  turned  out  to  be  honorable 
and  respected  citizens.  Mr.  Jones  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  "Welsh  Presbyterian  church,  whose  first  meetings  were  held 
in  the  little  log  school  house  one-half  mile  from  his  residence. 
In  1876  a  new  frame  church  edifice  was  erected,  and  still  a  little 
later  a  large  building  was  constructed  on  the  same  site,  to  all  of 
which  ]\lr.  Jones  contributed  liberally  of  his  means.  This  latter 
buildhig  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1910,  and  during  the  year  1911 
another  building  was  erected,  whore  our  subject  and  his  family 
now  w^orship. 

In  all  matters  of  public  interest,  whether  of  count3%  state  or 
national,  Mr.  Jones  took  a  commendable  interest,  and  his  home 
was  at  all  times  open  for  the  gathering  of  his  friends,  who  dis- 
cussed all  the  live  issues  of  the  day.  In  early  life  he  was  a  AVhig, 
but  upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  he  became  one 
of  its  most  ardent  supporters.  He  was  born  at  Cardigan  Shire, 
in  South  Wales,  in  the  year  1816,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  highly  respected  and 
beloved  for  her  many  womanly  virtues  and  noble  Christian  char- 
acter. She  was  born  at  Cardigan  Shire,  South  AYales,  in  1806, 
and  died  at  her  home  on  January  13,  1897,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
one. 

John  R.  Jones,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended  the  district 
schools  of  his  neighborhood  until  he  Avas  sixteen  years  of  age 


756  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUXTT 

and  tlien  took  a  course  of  instruction  at  "West  Salem  Academv, 
euniiiiercial  colleye  and  at  the  Si)arta  liigh  school.  lie  after- 
wards taught  school  for  four  years  in  La  Crosse  and  ]\Ionroe 
counties.  Later  he  spent  two  years  and  a  half  as  a  student  in  the 
law  office  of  Bleeknian  &  Blooniingdale,  at  Sparta,  but  over- 
exertion so  impaired  his  ej'esight  that  lie  was  compelled  to  aban- 
don law  and  he  then  returned  to  the  farm.  In  politics  he  is  a 
staunch  supporter  of  the  principles  of  tiie  Republican  party  and 
is  active  in  its  councils.  He  has  been  called  upon  to  fill  many 
positions  of  trust.  He  has  served  as  treasurer  of  his  town,  has 
been  supervisor  for  six  years,  and  for  eleven  terms  a  member 
of  the  county  board,  two  terms  of  which  he  has  been  chairman.  In 
1906  he  was  elected  to  the  general  assembly,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1908,  and  again  in  1910.  He  has  served  on  the  committees  of 
agriculture,  state  department,  engrossed  bills,  and  as  chairman  of 
charitable  and  penal  institutions,  also  as  chairman  of  highways. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  joint  committee  of  the  assembly  and 
senate  to  investigate  the  highways  of  the  state,  and  is  known  as 
the  father  of  the  present  efficient  highway  system  of  the  state.  He 
is  a  progressive  Republican  and  ardent  advocate  of  reform,  and 
believes  in  a  pure  and  unsullied  government. 

On  ]May  25,  1882,  Mr.  Jones  was  married  to  ]\liss  ^Margaret 
James,  daughter  of  ]\Ir.  D.  J.  James  and  ]\Iary  (Jenkins)  James, 
of  La  Crosse  county,  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  highly  es- 
teemed citizens  thereof.  To  this  union  have  been  born  four 
children:  David  S.,  Stephen  R..  John  R.  and  Wilford  :\1.  IMrs. 
Jones  possesses  all  the  amiable  traits  common  to  the  AVelsh  people. 
She  is  kind,  generous  and  hospital)le.  Her  parents  came  from 
Wales  in  an  early  day  and  also  settled  in  the  Fish  Creek  valley 
in  1852.  They  had  a  family  of  twelve  children,  only  two  of  whom 
are  now  living,  ]\Irs.  Jones  being  the  youngest.  ]\Irs.  Jones  was 
born  at  Fish  Creek.  November  15.  1856.  Her  father  was  born  in 
1813  and  died  on  June  1.  1895.  Her  mother  was  born  ]Marcli  9. 
1812.  and  died  February  15,  1879.  They  were  both  born  in  Gla- 
morgan Shire,  AVales. 

]\Ir.  Jones  owns  406  acres  of  land  in  the  Fish  Creek  valley, 
which  is  highly  improved  with  a  substantial  and  modern  residence 
and  outbuildings,  located  on  the  side  of  the  great  ridge,  which  is 
a  beautiful  spot  and  presents  to  the  eye  a  landscape  scene  admired 
and  not  to  be  forgotten  l)y  all  who  see  it. 

Marvin  E.  Jones,  deceased,  was  boiii  in  Liverpool,  England, 
February  22,  1841,  and  died  in  La  Grange  township.  ^Monroe 
county.  Wisconsin.  April  3.  1897.     AVhen  ten    years    of    age    he 


BIOGRAPHY  757 

came  with  his  pareuts  to  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
lived  nntil  1864,  when  lie  moved  to  Monroe  county.  In  18f)6  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  ]\Iiss  Alice  S.  Waterman,  daughter  of 
Othaniel  and  Mary  (Gambia)  Waterman,  natives  of  Oneida 
county,  New  York.  Mrs.  Jones  was  born  near  Utica,  N.  Y.,  De- 
cember 17,  1842.  Her  parents,  after  leaving  New  York,  went  first 
to  Indiana,  thence  to  Fox  Lake,  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  and  in 
1864  they  moved  to  La  Grange  township,  Monroe  county,  where 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  years  spent  in  Minnesota  they  resided 
during  the  remaining  years  of  their  life.  He  w-as  a  progressive, 
puldic  spirited  citizen,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years,  had  many  Avarm  friends.  His  widow  survived 
until  February  4,  1899,  when  she  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two,  beloved  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her.  They  had 
six  children,  Mrs.  Jones  being  the  eldest  daughter.  Of  the  others 
Frederick  C.  lives  at  Waterloo,  Ind. ;  Charles  and  Mary  Ellen  are 
deceased,  and  two  w^ho  died  in  infancy. 

The  parents  of  Mervin  E.  Jones  were  Robert  and  JMary  Ann 
Jones.  He  was  born  in  Whales  and  she  in  England.  They  came 
to  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  and  there  died.  Mervin  E.  had  one 
sister,  ]\Iary,  deceased,  and  four  brothers,  viz.^  Andrew,  Thomas 
and  ]\Iande]-ville,  residents  of  ]Minnesota ;  Aniron,  who  is  also 
deceased.  The  children  born  to  Mervin  E.  Jones  and  Alice  S. 
AVaterman  Jones  are  ]\Iary  Elizabeth,  wdfe  of  John  McCurdy,  of 
Tomah  township;  Alice  S. ;  Genevieve,  formerly  the  wife  of  Har- 
vey Cook,  of  California,  died  in  June,  1911 ;  Maud  is  deceased ; 
Charles  ^lervin,  of  Puyallup,  AYash.;  Frederick  E.,  La  Grange 
township  ;  Robert  0.,  of  Valley  Junction  ;  Happy  L.,  married  Louis 
Curabo  and  resides  in  Pennsylvania ;  Edward  resides  at  Tomah ; 
Nellie  E.  is  the  wife  of  Ray  McGuinniss,  Valley  Junction;  Glad- 
stone of  Ontario ;  Sydney  P..  Valley  Junction,  and  Margaret  R. 
married  Charles  Houck,  who  lives  at  Valley  Junction. 

Mr.  Jones  was  a  man  well  thought  of  in  his  town  and  popular 
alike  with  the  citizens  of  the  surrounding  towns.  He  was  for 
nine  years  continuously  employed  by  Gleason  &  Squier,  the  Good- 
year company,  as  head  sawyer  at  the  water  mill  and  other  places, 
and  finally  met  with  an  accident  wdiich  terminated  in  his  death. 
He  was  a  kind  neighbor,  loyal  citizen  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  him.  On  July  3,  1903,  the  home  of  Mrs.  Jones  was  visited 
by  a  cyclone,  which  demolished  her  residence,  tore  up  trees  and 
destroyed  other  buildings.  Neighbors  who  chanced  to  drop  in  as 
the  storm  approached  fled  to  the  cellar  and  saved  their  lives  from 
the  cyclone. 


758  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Thomas  R.  Jones,  another  thrifty  farmer  of  Portland  town- 
ship, was  born  at  Rockland,  La  Crosse  county,  "Wisconsin,  Janu- 
ary 20,  1870,  son  of  John  AV.  and  Mary  (Jones)  Jones,  both 
natives  of  South  Wales.  The  father  was  born  in  1828  and  the 
mother  in  1832.  John  Jones  followed  farming  in  La  Crosse  county 
until  1871,  when  he  came  to  ^Monroe  county  and  bought  land  in 
section  sixteen,  Portland  township,  which  he  improved  and  added 
to  until  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  720  acres.  There  were 
seven  children  in  his  family,  as  follows:  John  L.,  of  Leon  town- 
ship; AVilliam  A.  and  IMary,  of  Sparta;  p]van  M.  lives  at  Clark, 
S.  D. ;  David  F.  resides  at  AVatertoAvn,  S.  D. ;  Thomas  R..  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  and  Edwin,  of  Bismarck,  N.  D.  John  Jones, 
father  of  Thomas  R.,  was  one  of  ]\Ionroe  county's  most  h.ighly 
respected  and  progressive  citizens,  and  took  great  interest  in 
public  matters,  and  any  enterprise  which  he  thought  was  for  the 
interest  and  betterment  of  his  community  received  his  endorse- 
ment and  hearty  support.  "While  living  in  La  Crosse  county  he 
served  as  assessor,  and  after  moving  to  Portland  township  he 
served  as  town  clerk  for  a  number  of  terms,  and  for  many  years 
was  justice  of  the  peace.  His  death  occurred  in  December,  1900. 
His  widow,  mothet  of  our  subject,  is  still  living  and  resides  in 
Sparta. 

Thomas  R.  Jones  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  attended 
the  district  schools  and  lived  with  his  parents  until  they  moved 
to  Sparta  in  1899,  when  he  purchased  from  his  father  the  home 
farm,  where  he  still  lives.  On  March  1,  1899,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Emma  Breitenfield,  who  was  born  in  Portland  township, 
August  28,  1877,  the  daughter  of  "William  and  Anna  (Oswald) 
Breitenfield,  natives  of  Germany  and  Switzerland,  respectively. 
The  father  was  born  near  Bremen,  Germany,  September  23,  1848, 
and  the  mother  was  born  in  Switzerland  on  January  8,  18-t9.  They 
were  married  in  Leon  township,  Monroe  county,  December  3, 
1872,  and  raised  a  family  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now 
(1912)  living.  They  are:  Albert,  who  lives  at  La  Crosse;  ]\Irs. 
Albert  Erickson,  of  Portland  township;  ]\Irs.  Thomas  R.  Jones, 
wife  of  our  subject;  Mrs.  Adolph  Everson  lives  in  La  Crosse; 
Herman  resides  in  Portland  township ;  ]Mrs.  Carl  ^Moede,  of  Cash- 
ton,  Monroe  county;  Otto  and  Theodore,  of  Portland  township. 
The  mother  of  this  family,  a  lady  of  fine  mental  attainments,  a 
good  wife  and  mother,  passed  away  on  December  3,  1906.  ^Ir. 
and  Mrs.  Jones  have  one  daughter,  ^Nlabel  A.,  born  February  7, 
1900. 

Mr.  Jones'  farm  of  160  acres  in  section  sixteen,  Portland  town- 


BIOGRAPPIY  759 

ship,  is  highly  improved  by  cultivation  and  a  fine  residence,  barns 
and  other  outbuildings,  besides  being  equipped  with  many  labor- 
saving  devices,  and  in  addition  to  general  farming  he  is  interested 
in  the  Citizens'  State  Bank  of  Sparta.  He  is  serving  his  fourth 
term  as  chairman  of  the  town  board,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace.  In  politics  he  is  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  in  religious  matters  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Portland 
township. 

George  W.  Kelk,  present  chairman  of  the  Oakdale  town  board 
and  a  prominent  farmer  of  this  township,  was  born  here  on  June 
7,  1883.  He  is  the  third  child  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children, 
ten  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  born  to  Charles  and  Matilda 
(Halvorson)  Kelk,  natives  of  New  York  and  AA^isconsin, 
respectively. 

Charles  Kelk  moved  with  his  parents  from  New  York  state 
to  New  Lisbon,  Monroe  county,  AVisconsin,  some  time  during  the 
seventies,  where  they  lived  for  about  ten  years,  and  then  moved 
to  Oakdale  township  and  made  their  permanent  home.  The  father 
died  in  1906.  The  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Kelk  also  live  in  Oakdale  and  are 
considered  among  the  leading  farmers  and  citizens  of  that 
township. 

George  lived  at  home  until  his  twentieth  year,  attending  the 
district  schools  of  his  neighborhood  until  he  was  sixteen.  He  was 
a  thrifty  and  energetic  young  man  and  decided  that  upon  reaching 
his  majority  he  was  both  able  and  capable  of  making  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  and  accordingly  started  out  with  a  portable 
saAv  mill,  which  he  operated  with  success  and  followed  that  busi- 
ness for  about  five  years.  On  October  20,  1909,  he  wedded  Miss 
Elizabeth  Giesler,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Matilda  Giesler,  in 
Monroe  county.  Mrs.  Kelk's  ancestors  on  her  father's  side  came 
from  Germany  to  AViseonsin  state  in  an  early  day,  where  her 
father  was  born.  Her  mother  was  a  native  of  New  York.  They 
had  a  family  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Mr.  Kelk  is  a  young  man  of  fine  personality,  strictly  up-to-date 
with  his  methods  of  farming,  and  has  one  of  the  best  dairies  in 
his  section,  which  yields  a  regular  income.  He  keeps  posted  on 
all  public  matters  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Republican  party. 

Ransom  Kenyon,*  of  Sparta  township,  is  one  of  the  well-known 
early  settlers  of  Monroe  county.  He  dates  his  birth  in  the  town 
of  Frabius,  Onondago  county,  New  York,  January  30,  1832.    His 


760  HISTORY  OF  :\10NR0E  COIXTY 

father,  Enoch  -J.  Kenyon,  was  also  born  in  central  New  York,  as 
was  liis  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  ]\Iiss  Lucy  Reed,  and 
their  married  life  was  spent  in  the  p]mpire  state.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  eldi'st  in  a  family  of  six  children,  and  is  the 
only  surviving  member.  Farm  duties  early  claimed  his  attention 
to  such  an  extent  that  his  school  advantages  were  limited.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-four  he  left  his  native  heath  and  came  to  ]\Ion- 
roe  county,  AVisconsin,  where  he  pre-empted  a  forty-acre  tract  in 
Leon  township,  and  proceeded  to  clear  the  timber  and  establish 
a  home  in  the  new  country.  It  was  here  that  he  first  built  a  log 
house  and  stal)le.  mikI  where  he  enjoyed  the  varied  experiences 
of  the  i)ioneer  in  the  then  dense  wilderness,  surrounded  by  deer, 
wolves  and  other  wild  sjame,  and  Avhere  the  Indian  Avas  not  an 
unfrequent  visitor.  In  1855,  three  years  after  he  had  established 
himself  in  the  Cooley,  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  James  Rich- 
ardson and  removed  to  this  place,  which  has  since  been  his  home, 
carrying  on  both  the  farm  in  Leon  and  the  one  where  he  lives. 

In  1858  Mr.  Kenyon  was  united  in  nuirriage  with  Miss  Anna 
Caroline  Palmer,  daughter  of  Kernetus  and  Harriet  Palmer,  of 
Fabius,  Onondago  county.  New  York.  !Mrs.  Kenyon  was  born  in 
Cortland  county.  New  York,  in  1839,  and  was  a  faitiiful  helpmeet 
to  her  husl)an(l  in  the  struggles  of  pioneer  life.  A  few  years  after 
her  marriage  her  father  came  to  La  Crosse  county,  where  he  was 
employed  for  a  time.  Her  mother  continued  to  reside  in  New  York 
state  until  1888,  when  she  came  to  AVisconsin.  making  lur  home 
with  her  daughter  until  her  death  in  18!)8,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  ]\[rs.  Kenyon  is  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  five  children, 
as  follows  :  Harriet,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  Amelia  C,  wife  of  Homer 
D.  Call.  Those  deceased  are  AYilliam  O.  and  Harriet,  who  died 
while  young.  Mrs.  Kenyon 's  paternal  grandfather  Avas  Titus 
Palmer,  avIio  came  from  Conn(M-ticut  to  Cattaraugus  county,  New 
York,  thence  to  Onondago  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming, 
and  there  died.  Her  maternal  grandmother  was  Arvilla  AVheat, 
who  came  from  Connecticut  to  New  York  state  on  horseback  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  to  join  her  parents,  who  had  preceded  her 
to  Courtland  county,  being  among  the  pioneers  of  that  locality. 
]\Iiss  Wheat  nmrried  -lol)  AVhitmarsh  Avhen  seA'enteen  years  old 
and  they  raised  a  family  of  fifteen  children,  and  he  Avas  an  exten- 
sive farmer  and  cattle  droA'er  of  that  day  and  frequently  took 
large  herds  of  cattle  overland  on  foot  to  Ncav  York  city.  ]Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kenyon  have  Iavo  children,  AVillis  0.,  on  the  home  farm,  aiul 
Alice  A.,  Avife  of  C.  E.  ]\Iiller,  of  Yiroqua.  Wis.  In  politics  ^Ir. 
Kenyon  has  been  a  life  long  Democrat. 


BIOGRAPHY  761 

Webster  Kenyon/''  who  was  one  of  the  ijublic  spirited  and  sub- 
stantial eitizens  of  Tomali.  Wis.,  attained  to  success  by  patient 
and  persistent  efforts  in  tlic  line  of  an  honest  calling  and  held 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him  by  reason  of  the 
honorable,  upright  and  manly  character  of  his  dealings.  He  was 
born  November  18,  1830,  at  Hartland,  Niagara  county.  New  York, 
a  son  of  Daniel  and  Elma  Kenyon,  both  natives  of  that  state,  of 
J]nglish-Scotch  ancestry  on  the  father's  side,  and  Holland  an- 
cestry on  the  mother's  side.  They  came  to  Wisconsin  with  a 
family  of  six  children  in  1848,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Honey 
Creek,  Walworth  county,  remaining  there  for  three  years,  w^henee 
they  removed  to  Hartford,  Washington  county,  and  here  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  death  of  the  father  occurred 
in  1855  and  that  of  the  mother  in  1856.  They  were  farmers  by 
occupation,  thrifty  and  enterprising,  and  enjoyed  the  friendship 
of  all  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  He  w'as  brought  up  in 
the  Quaker  faith  and  w^as  a  man  of  excellent  habits  and  devoted 
much  of  his  time  to  the  buying  and  selling  of  stock.  AVhen  en- 
gaged in  farming  he  paid  much  attention  to  the  raising  of 
thoroughbred  cattle,  which  he  took  pride  in  exhibiting  at  fairs, 
and  often  received  the  highest  premium.  Upon  coming  to  AVis- 
consin  he  sold  his  farm  in  Niagara  county  containing  182  acres. 
He  had  a  good  common  school  education,  and  in  later  years  was 
an  active  member  of  the  Universalist  church.  He  was  an  old-lime 
Whig  and  a  strong  anti-slavery  man.  and  often  gave  assistance  to 
slaves  in  escaping  from  their  masters. 

Mr.  Webster  Kenyon  attended  the  common  schools  of  Niagara 
county  and  the  select  school  taught  by  the  Aldrich  children, 
Quaker  instructors.  After  coming  to  Wisconsin  he  attended  the 
high  school  in  AVal worth  county,  which  was  supplemented  by  a 
special  university  course  in  engineering  and  surveying,  and 
thereby  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  civil  engineering. 

AVhen  he  first  came  to  AVisconsin  Mr.  Kenyon  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  during  the  summer  months  w'hile  attending  the  com- 
mon schools  in  winter,  and  for  the  first  tw^o  years  thus  employed 
he  received  the  munificent  salary  of  $8.00  per  month,  and  for  the 
next  three  years  he  received  $11.00  per  month.  After  receiving 
so  small  a  salary  on  the  farm  he  was  induced  by  a  friend  to  go 
into  the  lumber  regions  of  Michigan,  and  there  obtained  employ- 
ment at  $18.00  per  month,  but  after  a  short  time  he  joined  a  party 
of  surveyors  as  chainman  at  a  salary  of  $20.00  per  month,  and  so 
apt  w^as  he  and  so  faithful  did  he  perform  his  duties  his  salary 
was  soon  raised  to  $60.00  per  month.     He  afterward  spent  one 


762  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

year  in  the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  ^Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad 
on  their  line  between  ]\Iihvaukee  and  Fox  Lake,  Wis.  In  the  fall 
of  1854  he  decided  to  go  to  Kansas,  but  on  his  way  visited  Monroe 
county  and  becoming  so  impressed  with  the  advantages  that  this 
county  offered  he  located  in  the  town  of  Adrian  and  at  once  en- 
gaged in  surveying,  a  business  he  followed  part  of  the  time  in 
connection  witli  his  lumber  interests  near  Tomah.  During  the 
civil  war  31  r.  Kciiyon  was  drafted  for  service  and  assigned  to  the 
Twenty-second  Regiment,  AVisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  with  that  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he 
was  honorably  discharged. 

Mr.  Kenyon  was  three  times  married,  the  last  time  in  1886  to 
Miss  Mary  Gott,  by  whom  there  was  no  issue,  but  by  his  former 
marriages  there  were  born  four  children,  all  of  Avhom  are  now 
(1912)  living,  viz.:  Alma  Eloise,  Schuyler  Colfax.  Henry  Wilson 
and  Kathleena.  A  Republican  in  political  faith,  he  took  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party,  and  any  public  movement 
toAvards  the  betterment  of  the  commiuiity  always  received  his 
sanction  and  support.  He  served  the  county  as  surveyor  for  fif- 
teen years.  He  was  an  active  member  in  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
moved  to  the  city  of  Tomah  in  1911,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  hard  work  which  the  years  of 
conscientious  endeavor  brought. 

George  A.  King",  who  resides  in  section  thirty-five,  Adrian 
township,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Wiscon- 
sin. In  the  forties  his  parents,  Robert  and  Harriet  (Tobner^i 
King,  natives  of  Cambridgeshire,  England,  came  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  at  Whitewater,  AVis.,  where  our  subject. 
George  A.,  was  born  April  9.  1856.  In  June  of  the  following  yeai' 
the  family  moved  from  AVhitewater  to  Alonroe  county,  and  located 
on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  our  subject.  A  short 
time  after  locating  on  this  farm  the  parents  went  to  Jacksonville, 
Adrian  township,  but  soon  returned  to  the  homestead  perma- 
nently, where  they  lived  and  experienced  the  hardships  and  trials 
of  the  pioneer.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  AVar,  having  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Regiment.  AVisconsin  A'olunteers, 
and  was  with  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea.  He  was  one  of 
Ihe  representative  citizens  of  Alonroe  eoimty,  a  man  of  high 
ideas,  a  kind  and  generous  neighbor,  and  one  of  the  useful  citi- 
zens of  the  county.  His  death  occurred  July  5,  1895,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was 
a  woman  of  many  domestic  virtues,  a   good  wife  and  kind  and 


BIOGRAPHY  763 

loving  mother,  passed  away  in  November,  1879,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-fonr  years,  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  her. 

George  A.  King  is  the  second  youngest  of  a  family  of  three 
children ;  of  the  others,  John  J.  is  deceased,  and  Oscar  R.  resides 
in  Tomah,  Mr.  King  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended 
the  public  school.  He  early  started  in  life  for  himself  and  as  a 
result  of  his  thrift  and  ambition  he  acquired  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  adjoining  the  old  homestead  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years. 
The  original  farm  was  wild  land,  fully  one-half  of  which  lias  been 
improved  by  Mr.  King,  until  now  it  contains  120  aer?s  and  is 
considered  one  of  the  finest  homes  in  the  county.  The  road  pass- 
ing the  homestead  farm  was  originally  an  Indian  trail  from  Kick- 
apoo  to  Gray  Pines,  and  Indians  could  be  seen  flocking  with 
baskets  of  blueberries  to  and  from  Tunnel  City  at  nearly  all  times 
of  the  day.  The  view  from  this  home  is  one  of  the  most  pictur- 
esque of  any  in  Monroe  county,  and  one  can  view  the  landscape 
for  miles  to  the  north  and  east  from  one  of  the  highest  altitudes 
of  the  township.  Here  Mr.  King  is  successfully  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock  raising,  and  keeps  a  fine  herd  of  Durham 
cattle  in  his  dairy.  In  all  public  matters  he  takes  a  keen  interest 
and  any  movement  for  the  betterment  of  his  community  receives 
his  loyal  support.  lie  has  been  chairman  of  the  town  board  for 
five  years  and  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years  has  been  one  of  the 
jury  commissioners.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World. 

In  December,  1880,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Kate  Seibold, 
daughter  of  George  and  Armenia  (Kuapp)  Seibold,  natives  of 
Germany  and  Canada,  respectively.  In  1850  the  father  came  to 
Baraboo,  AVis.,  and  from  there  came  to  La  Grange  township  in 
IMonroe  county,  and  in  1869  moved  to  Ridgeville  township,  where 
they  remained  until  1887,  when  they  moved  to  Tomah,  where  the 
father  now  resides,  the  mother  having  passed  away  in  1905  at 
the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  Mrs.  King  is  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  six  children.  The  others  are :  Emma,  wife  of  Truman  R.  Tal- 
bot, of  Sparta ;  Ira  Seibold,  Tunnel  City ;  Etta,  wife  of  Bert  Hoag, 
of  Tomah ;  Olive,  wife  of  Henry  Skinner,  of  Tomah ;  Myrtle,  wife 
of  William  Young,  Spokane,  Wash.  Those  deceased  are  George, 
Mary  and  Laura.  The  children  born  to  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  King  are 
Maude  A.,  Vnn  M..  and  Vyrgil  M. 

Thomas  H.  King,  of  Sparta,  Wis.,  is  a  native  of  Monroe  county, 
and  was  born  in  Wells  township  October  26,  1871.  Among  the 
pioneers  of  Wells  township  were  George  E.  and  Helen  E. 
(Nichols)  King,  parents  of  Thomas  H.,  who  came  from  Cattarau- 


7G4  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOK  COl'NTY 

gus  coiuilx.  Nt'W  '^'(trk.  1()  .Mdiiroc  county  aiul  ciitcrfd  a  lioiue- 
stead  of  government  land.  Tiny  were  thrifty  and  enterprising 
])eopl<'  and  represented  tlie  l)est  class  of  ])ioneer  citizens,  wlio 
devoted  llu'lr  lives  to  building  \i\t  tlir  country  ;iiid  adding  to  its 
taxable  "wealth.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  two  sons 
and  five  daughters,  viz.:  ]\Iina.  wife  of  Robert  Allen,  of  AVells 
township;  Ida.  Avife  of  Thomas  J.  Taylor,  of  Spai-ta;  Thomas  II., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  ]\li]li(!  .M.,  wife  of  Charles  Blake,  of 
Sparta ;  George  AV. ;  Blanche,  wife  of  p]rnest  Gerscheske,  deceased, 
and  "Winnie,  Avife  of  Russell  ( 'atley,  of  Sparta. 

Thomas  S.  King,  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sul),j('ii.  was  also 
among  the  early  settlers  of  the  same  locality.  Here  he  cleared  up 
and  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  120  acres  and  there 
spent  his  life.  His  death  occurred  in  December,  1897.  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years. 

Henry  Nichols,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  ]\[r.  King,  left 
the  Empire  state  and  came  to  "Wisconsin  early  in  1854,  and  also 
entered  a  government  claim  of  IGO  acres,  and  later  added  to  this 
claim  additional  land  by  purchase,  which  he  OAvned  at  the  time 
of  his  death  about  twenty-five  years  ago.  His  wife,  the  maternal 
grandmother  of  our  subject,  Avas  ]\Iary  0.  Stearns,  Avho  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  and  her  superior  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart  attract  to  her  the  admiration  of  her  many 
friends. 

Thomas  attended  the  district  schools  of  his  native  toAvnship 
until  he  Avas  fourteen  years  of  age,  Avhen  he  entered  the  Sparta 
city  schools,  and  upon  completing  his  studies  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  E.  E.  Oliver,  Avho  Avas  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise 
business  at  tJiat  time  and  later  in  the  timber  business  in  northern 
AVisconsin.  He  afterAvard  spent  two  years  as  traA^eling  salesnum 
for  a  Avholesalo  implement  house  in  ^Mihvaukee.  In  1002  he 
opened  au  office  at  Sparta  and  endjarked  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness, in  Avhich  he  has  been  ennnently  successful,  not  only  in  his 
immediate  locality,  but  in  the  sale  of  ]\Ionroe  county  iin])Toved 
farms  and  city  property  and  soutlnvestern  lands. 

On  July  4.  18!)4,  he  married  ^Miss  ]\Ielila  V.  Loddiigton,  of 
CraAvford  county,  "Wisconsin,  and  they  have  three  children,  viz.: 
I\I.  Alarie,  Thomas  R.  and  Helen  I. 

AFr.  King  is  a  man  of  fine  social  (jualities,  generous,  kind- 
hearted  and  popular  in  the  circles  in  wliich  he  moA'es. 

Albinus  Kirst,  avIio  for  nmre  than  half  a  century  has  been  a 
resident  of  Monroe  county  and  an  active  citizen  in  deA^eloping  the 
material  resources  of  the  countA'  and  aiding  in  its  transformation 


BIOGRAPIli^  765 

from  a  wilderness  to  its  present  place  among  the  rich  and  fruitful 
counties  of  the  state,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and  was  born  De- 
cember 21,  1849.  When  he  was  six  years  old  his  parents,  Gottlieb 
and  Sophia  (Weidmann)  Kirst,  came  to  this  country  from  Ger- 
many, arriving  in  1855,  and  after  spending  two  years  in  the 
vicinity  of  Chicago  they  came  to  Wisconsin  and  first  located  in 
Greenfield  township,  this  county,  where  they  made  their  home 
until  1866,  when  they  moved  to  Adrian  township  and  settled  on 
a  farm  of  wild  land  in  section  twenty-three,  cleared  and  cultivated 
it  and  made  it  their  home,  and  here  our  subject  now  resides.  The 
father,  who  attained  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years  and  eight 
months,  passed  away  in  1897.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject, 
died  in  1871  at  the  early  age  of  forty-nine  years.  They  were 
hard-working,  faithful  and  highly  respected  people,  and  the  farm, 
which  at  the  time  of  settlement  contained  but  sixteen  acres  of 
cleared  land,  now  consists  of  120  acres  of  highly  cultivated  and 
productive  soil. 

Albinus  Kirst  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children.  Of  the  others 
Louis  is  deceased;  Ernestine  is  the  wife  of  Bernard  Drowatzky, 
of  Tomah ;  Ida,  widow  of  the  late  John  F.  Schultz.  of  Toniah ; 
Emil  is  deceased,  and  Emma  is  now  ]\lrs.  James  Ebert  and  lives 
in  Tomah.  Our  subject  coming  to  Monroe  county  with  his 
parents,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  amid  the  struggles  of 
pioneer  life,  and  has  always  been  a  successful  farmer.  He  is 
energetic,  enterprising  and  progressive  and  a  man  of  strict  in- 
tegrity. He  takes  pride  in  making  his  farm  one  of  the  best  in  tiie 
county.  In  1891  he  built  a  large  and  commodious  barn  and  in 
1908  a  modern  residence  was  erected  on  an  elevation,  backed  by  a 
beautiful  oak  grove,  and  is  made  picturesque  to  the  observer,  and 
in  front  of  this  is  a  sparkling  spring  of  pure  water,  the  pride  of 
the  owner  of  this  ideal  farm  home.  Mr.  Kirst  has  always  taken  a 
keen  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town,  has  been  treasurer  of  the 
school  district,  and  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church,  of  Tomah. 

On  March  31,  1874.  ]\Ir.  Kirst  was  married  to  Miss  Fredrecka 
Matzka,  also  a  native  of  Germany.  The  fruits  of  this  union  has 
been  seven  children.  Those  living  are:  Anna;  Leonard,  wJio  is 
pastor  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  at  Cambria.  Wis. ;  Lydia 
and  Arthur.    Louis.  Otto  and  Rinold  are  deceased. 

William  C.  Kirst,  who  condiTcts  the  farm  of  165  acres  in  sec- 
tion twenty-two.  Adrian  township,  the  estate  of  his  father,  which 
has  been  his  home  all  his  life,  is  the  son  of  Emil  and  Margratha 
(Wagner)  Kirst,  botli  natives  of  Germany.    The  father  came  with 


766  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

his  paiM'iits  to  America  wlit-n  he  was  two  years  of  age,  and  they 
settled  on  this  lioniestead  when  hnt  few  acres  of  it  were  cleared. 
Tlu'v  immediately  set  to  work  to  improve  the  land  and  soon 
hi-onjiht  it  to  a  fjood  state  of  cultivation,  built  a  residence  and 
outhuildini»s.  Aviiicli  have  since  been  remodeled  and  imitroved  by 
our  siil)je('t.  and  is  now  one  oi'  Ihe  best  fai'ui  hdiiies  in  the  county. 
p]mil.  one  snhjeel  's  father,  was  the  son  of  Gottlieb  Kirst,  and  died 
in  1!!(I7  at  the  i\^e  of  fifty-two  years.  His  Avidow.  mother  of 
William  C,  was  born  in  IS.")?,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Iluth)  Wagner,  also  natives  of  (Jermany.  who  came  first  to  Mil- 
waukee and  six  years  later  to  Ridgeville  township.  ^lonroe  county, 
more  than  fifty  years  ago.  Ibn-  father  was  the  founder  of  the  St. 
John's  (lerman  Lutheran  church  of  Kidgeville.  of  which  ^Irs. 
Kirst  is  a  devoted  mend)er,  and  makes  liei-  home  willi  our  subject. 

William  ('.  is  the  ohb^st  of  a  family  of  si.\  childi-eii:  the  others 
are:  Rev.  Ewald  Kirst.  \vlio.  aftei-  completing  a  ten  yeai's'  course 
of  study,  is  now  pastor  of  the  (iennan  Lutheran  chiu'eli  at  Ellens- 
burg,  Wash.;  Ernest  is  a  student  of  the  agricult  nral  dei)artment  of 
the  Wisconsin  Thiiversity  at  Madison;  Alfred,  of  Adi-ian  town- 
ship, has  also  completed  a  thorough  course  in  agricultui'e  at  the 
same  university;  Fred  1j.  ami  liobert  (\.  who  are  at  home. 

On  JuiK^  27.  1012.  ]\li'.  Kirst  was  mai'iied  to  ]\Iiss  Lillie  Matzke, 
of  Tomah.  lie  lived  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  obtained  a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood. 
and  tlien  learned  the  carpenters'  trade,  at  which  he  has  worked 
in  connection  with  his  farming  operations  for  several  years;  he 
built  many  tine  barns  and  other  buildings  in  his  community,  and, 
besides  conducting  his  home  farm,  he  works  tlie  W.  L.  Kehberg 
place  in  the  same  township,  ami  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
prosi)erous  and  enterpi-ising  young  farmers  in  the  count>'.  lie  is 
a  nuiii  of  ability  and  push  and  has  served  his  town  in  various 
offices,  being  treasurer  for  three  years,  and  is  now  tilling  the 
office  of  assessor,  being  elected  in  1911. 

Mathias  Knorst,  a  native  of  Germany,  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and 
r^Iary  (Ilotf)  Knor.st  and  was  boi-ii  August  14.  1S4S.  lie  came 
to  Ainei'ica  with  his  parents  and  four  l)rothers  and  two  sisters. 
He  tii'st  located  in  IMercei-  count.w  Pennsylvania,  where  they  i-e- 
sided  until  1S7().  when  the  fatliei-  jtun-hased  a  farm  of  160  acres 
of  laiul.  known  as  the  Thom])Son  farm,  in  section  lifteeii.  -letferson 
township.  Moiu'oe  county.  AVisconsin.  and  movcul  thither  and  there 
made  liis  home  until  his  death,  which  occun-ed  in  18!);i.  The 
mother  died  in  IS!).").  He  was  an  iiulustrious  and  hard  working 
man,  ami   cleared,   grubbed   and  transformed   his   farm    from   its 


BIOGRAPHY  767 

wild  condition  to  a  state  of  cnltivation  and  productiveness.  He 
was  honorable  and  upright  in  all  his  dealings,  and  a  man  of  influ- 
ence in  his  town,  and  he  and  his  wife  worshijied  at  the  Catholic 
church. 

jNIatliias  received  his  education  in  the  parochial  school,  which 
he  attended  up  to  his  thirteenth  year,  and  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-four.  He  came  to 
Monroe  county  ten  years  after  his  father  and  located  on  a  rented 
farm  in  Jefferson  township,  which  he  carried  on  for  a  time,  and 
after  the  death  of  his  father  he  acquired  the  old  homestead,  to 
which  he  has  since  made  many  and  valuable  improvements.  Along 
the  banks  of  the  stream  which  runs  through  his  jilace  are  found 
specimens  of  blue  and  white  clay  that  resemble  matrix  stone  taken 
out  of  the  Rocky  mountains  in  Colorado,  and  a  rich  red  clay  of 
metal  appearance  is  found  in  large  cpiantities  and  is  believed  by 
many  to  be  valuable  for  manufacturing  purposes.  The  farm  also 
contains  a  good  (piality  of  limestone,  and  it  is  believed  that  the 
farm  contains  valuable  minerals.  Mr.  Knorst  is  a  progressive 
farmer,  using  the  latest  up-to-date  methods  in  his  operations,  and 
is  one  of  the  influential  ])ul)lic-spirited  men  of  his  town.  His  son 
J.  J.,  who  is  an  accomplished  watchmaker  and  jeweler,  has  re- 
ceived a  liberal  education,  resides  at  home  and  devotes  much  time 
in  assisting  his  father  in  the  farming  operations. 

On  September  9.  1873,  Mr.  Knorst  was  married,  in  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania,  to  ^Nliss  Barbara  Franz,  daughter  of  John 
and  Catherine  Franz,  who  were  also  natives  of  Germany.  To  ]Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Knorst  have  been  born  Ave 'children,  four  of  whom  are 
now  living,  viz. :  Anna  M.,  born  March  5,  1875,  married  George 
Weiner  and  is  the  mother  of  six  children:  Catherine  A.,  born  July 
32.  1877:  Jacob  J.,  born  April  29.  1879,  and  Mary  A.,  born  May 
13.  1881.  In  politics  Mr.  Knorst  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious 
affiliations  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Nicolaus  Koopman  resides  on  section  twenty-nine,  LaGrange 
township  and  is  one  of  the  thrifty  farmers  of  that  section.  He 
was  born  in  the  Province  of  Holstein,  Germany,  March  9,  1849 ; 
his  father,  Johan  Koopman.  never  left  the  fatherland,  preferring 
to  spend  his  life  in  the  country  where  he  lived  and  died.  lie  was 
the  father  of  seven  children:  of  the  others,  Johan  lives  at  Bram- 
stadt,  Germany;  Margarete  is  deceased;  Henri,  deceased;  Anna, 
of  Germany;  John,  of  Tomah.  and  Kathrina,  who  lives  in  Germany. 

Nicolaus  received  a  common  school  education  in  his  native 
town  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  his  father  gave  him  one  dollar 
and  told  him  that  he  would  have  to  make  his  own  living.    At  the 


768  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 


age  of  twenty-one  he  entered  the  German  army  and  served  tliree 
years.  In  1884  he  came  to  America,  and.  upon  his  arrival  in  this 
conntry.  came  direct  to  Monroe  connty.  landing  at  Tomah  July  5 
of  that  3'ear.  He  spent  a  few  days  at  Jacksonville,  Wis.,  and  on 
•Inly  L'L'.  1884,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  C.  A.  Goodyear  Com- 
I)any.  where  he  remained  until  April,  1912.  During  the  period  of 
from  1884  to  1897  he  was  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Tomah,  but  in 
the  hitter  year  he  came  to  his  present  farm,  which  he  has  since 
carried  on  in  addition  to  his  business  with  the  Goodyear  Company. 
The  residence  on  this  place  having  been  destroyed  by  fire,  ^Mr. 
Koopman  erected  a  small  structure,  which  was  replaced  in  1911 
by  his  present  modern  and  commodious  home.  In  addition  to  his 
residence,  he  has  a  fine  barn,  granary  and  hog  house.  The  place 
is  well  improved  by  cultivation,  and  modern  conveniences  and 
api)liances  which  go  to  make  a  model,  up-to-date  country  home. 
In  all  his  business  ventures.  'Mv.  K()oi)man  has  scored  a  grand  suc- 
cess as  a  result  of  his  thrift,  ambition  and  fair  dealing,  and  now 
abides  at  his  ease  in  one  of  the  best  country  homes  in  his  township. 

He  was  married.  November  8.  1874.  in  his  native  country,  to 
]\Iiss  Geeshen  Sandkamj).  daughter  of  Claus  and  Katherina  Sand- 
kamp.  Of  the  children  born  to  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koopman.  ^larcus 
is  deceased ;  Eliza  married  Carl  Wagner,  of  Tonuih ;  Ennna  is 
deceased,  and  Edward  resides  at  home.  In  religious  affiliations, 
]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Koopman  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 

Carl  Kortbein,  a  wealthy  farmer  and  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  this  section  of  ]Mimroe  county,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ridge- 
ville,  this  county,  on  June  30.  1865.  His  parents  were  David  and 
Louisa  (Kube)  Kortbein,  both  natives  of  Germany.  David  came 
to  America  with  his  parents  in  1856,  and  the  family  first  located 
on  a  farm  near  Watertowu,  Wis.,  where  they  lived  among  the 
Avilds  for  about  five  years,  with  the  Indians  for  neighbors,  and 
then  moved  to  IMonroe  county  in  1861.  Christian  Kortbein,  his 
father,  and  grandfather  of  Carl,  was  an  ambitious  and  thrifty 
farmer  and  labored  hard  against  the  difficulties  of  those  pioneer 
days;  he  died  in  1873.  and  his  wife  passed  aAvay  two  years  previ- 
ous. They  were  l)oth  devoted  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
David  ac(|uired  a  good  education  in  Germanv,  and  was  a  close 
student  in  all  matters  of  general  importance  in  his  native  country, 
and.  after  eoming  to  America,  ajijilied  liimself  diligently  to  the 
task  of  obtaining  a  home  for  himself  and  family.  lie  was  married 
in  Watertown,  Wis.,  in  1862,  and  had  a  family  of  three  children, 
1\vo  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  viz.:  Carl  and  a  twin  brother. 


BIOGRAPHY  769 

Albert  Kortbein.  In  1895  they  purchased  the  farm  where  our 
subject  now  resides,  in  sections  twenty-four  and  thirteen  in  Ridge- 
ville  township.  He  was  hard-working,  energetic  and  persevering, 
and  a  man  of  excellent  judgment  in  matters  of  public  interest,  as 
well  as  in  his  farming  methods,  and  was  considered  a  valuable 
citizen  to  his  community.  He  was  born  in  1826  and  died  in  1912. 
His  widow,  mother  of  Carl,  still  lives  at  the  homestead  with  her 
son,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  and  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem 
by  her  many  friends. 

Carl  has  always  lived  on  the  home  farm  and  until  he  was  fif- 
teen years  old  attended  the  district  schools,  where  he  acquired  a 
good  substantial  education,  considering  the  limited  course,  and 
after  his  school  days  were  over  he  made  a  special  effort  to  obtain 
the  practical  knowledge  of  matters  in  general  which  now  ranks 
him  among  the  foremost  men  of  his  township.  He  was  married 
at  the  age  of  thirty-one,  on  June  23,  1896,  to  Miss  Adelhaide 
Roscovius,  daughter  of  Rudolph  and  Augusta  Roscovius,  in  Adrian 
township,  and  they  have  had  a  family  of  five  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Edwin  J.,  born  July  4,  1897;  Agnes, 
born  April  10,  1899;  Hilda,  born  December  15,  1901;  Arnold, 
born  October  4,  1902,  and  Ethel,  born  August  4,  1912. 

Mrs.  Kortbein  is  the  second  child  of  a  family  of  ten  children, 
nine  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living.  Her  father  was  a  railroad 
contraetor  and  bridge  builder  and  came  to  America  from  Germany 
with  his  family  in  1872,  and  settled  in  Tomah,  Monroe  county, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  until  he  retired — ^twenty-seven  years 
ago. 

Anton  Kroeger,*  who  was  born  in  Waukesha  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, September  6,  1859,  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren— two  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living — born  to  Henry  and 
Anna  Kroeger,  both  natives  of  Germany.  They  emigrated  to 
America  in  1852  and  located  first  in  New  Jersey,  from  whence 
they  came  to  Waukesha  county,  where  the  father  worked  for  a 
time  as  a  laborer.  In  1860  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Monroe 
county  and  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Ridgeville  township 
and  added  later  eighty  acres  more,  and  here  established  the  family 
home,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1907.  His  wife,  mother  of 
our  subject,  died  in  1884.  The  father  was  an  energetic,  hard- 
working man  and  was  a  successful  farmer  and  was  considered 
authority  on  many  points  of  agriculture.  His  first  vote  for  presi- 
dent was  cast  for  Franklin  Pierce.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Kroeger 
were  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Anton  Kroeger  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools 


770  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

ami  assisted  his  fatlun-  willi  llic  f'ai-m  \V()fl<.  liviim-  at  home  during 
tlicir  lifetime.  In  1!)(12  lie  ])iir('hased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
section  eight.  Kidgeville  towiiship.  and  has  since  been  successfully 
engaged  in  general  fai'iiiiiig  on  his  own  ))lace.  He  takes  pride  in 
keei)ing  his  ])laee  well  imi)i-o\('(|  and  stocked,  employing  only  the 
most  up-to-date  methods  in  his  operations.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  takes  active  inlci-est  in  the  atfairs  of  his  party.  He 
has  held  minor  local  offices  and  is  now  (1012)  assessor  for  the 
town  of  Ridgeville.  lie  was  married  June  8.  1892.  at  Sparta,  to 
]\Iiss  Kat(^  Doll,  daughter  of  .John  Doll,  a  pioneer  of  ]\Ionroe 
county.  To  this  union  has  been  born  eight  children,  four  sons 
and  four  daughters,  viz. :  (xertie  L..  Joseph  A..  (Jrace  K..  Walter 
]^..  Helen  II..  Alex.  P..  Ruth  and  James  J. 

George  P.  Kronberg,  one  of  the  industrious  tillci-s  of  the  soil 
in  ]\Ionroe  connt.w  and  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  good  prac- 
tical sense,  is  the  owner  and  pro|)i-ietoi-  of  the  Kronberg  farm  in 
section  twenty-nine.  Angelo  township,  consisting  of  eighty-four 
acres.  He  was  l)orn  in  Denmarlv.  January  18.  1866,  the  son  of 
N.  J.  and  Christiana  Kronberg.  The  father  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1885.  and  is  now  {lf)12)  living  at  AVest  Salem,  La  Crosse 
county.  AVisconsin.  The  mother,  who  was  born  in  Denmark, 
sjient  hei'  entire  life  in  that  country,  Avhere  she  died,  (ieorge  P. 
Kronberg.  the  snl).)ec1  of  this  sketch,  attended  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  country,  and  "vvas  reared  on  the  farm,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1884.  when  he  set  sail  for  America.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  this  connti'v  he  raine  to  Bangor.  La  Crosse  county.  Wisconsin, 
■where  he  found  he  had  but  5  cents  in  his  jjocket.  He  immediately 
found  em])loyment  with  tln^  Chicago.  ^Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul 
Railroad,  and  later  with  the  Northwestern  Railroad,  and  still 
later  he  hired  out  as  a  farm  laborer,  and  continued  at  this  occupa- 
tion until  1891.  M'hen  he  came  to  Angelo  township  and  ])urchased 
his  present  farm  and  immediately  nu^ved  hithei-  with  his  family. 
Since  I'cmoving  to  his  ])resent  place.  Air.  Kronberg  has  remodeled 
and  improved  his  residence,  built  a  large  and  commodious  barn, 
silo  and  other  outbuildings,  and  has  brought  the  soil  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  Sixty-five  acres  of  this  farm  is  so  highly 
improved  that  each  year  it  i)roduces  a  bountiful  harvest.  He  is 
a  practical,  systematic  and  ])rogressive  farmer  and  gives  particu- 
lar attention  to  the  fertilization  of  the  land,  the  rotation  of  crops 
and  other  means  of  deriving  the  best  results  from  his  farm  opera- 
tions. He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  aifairs  of  his  town  and 
county,  and  is  now  serving  his  fourth  term  as  member  of  the 
town  board.    He  has  been  interested  in  the  construction  of  bridges 


BIOGRAPHY  771 

on  the  highways  and  in  other  improvements  of  his  township,  and 
is  known  as  a  high-minded,  public-spirited  and  successful  citizen. 

On  Jul}'  1,  1888,  Mr.  Kronberg  was  united  in  marriage,  at  West 
Salem,  La  Crosse  count}^  Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Roberta  Miller, 
daughter  of  Robert  F.  and  Nancy  D.  (Washburn)  Miller,  natives 
of  Ohio,  and  who  came  to  La  Crosse  county  in  1849,  being  among 
the  early  pioneers  of  that  section,  the  towns  of  Burns  and  Bangor. 
He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  died  soon  after  his  return 
from  the  army,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years.  Mrs.  Miller, 
mother  of  Mrs.  Kronberg,  is  also  deceased,  her  death  having  oc- 
curred in  1897.  Abel  AVashburu,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Kronberg, 
came  from  Ohio  to  Wisconsin  in  18-48,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
highly  respected  pioneers  of  Burns  township,  LaCrosse  county, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 

To  Mr.  and  IMrs.  Kronberg  have  been  born  four  children :  Rob- 
ert P.,  born  in  July,  1889;  Ruddie  R.,  born  June  11,  1892;  Tressie 
C,  born  December  30,  1899,  and  Levi  M.,  born  August  11,  1903. 

Irvin  A.  Krotzman,  of  AA^ells  township,  IMonroe  county,  was 
born  July  21,  1861;  his  parents  were  John  E.  and  Fredarica 
(WoeWin)  Krotzman,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  came 
to  America  before  his  marriage,  and  first  located  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  shoemaker  for  ten  years.  He 
then  spent  a  short  time  in  New  York  and  in  1858  came  to  AVis- 
consin,  locating  at  Sparta,  but  later  moved  to  Walworth  county, 
continuing  at  his  trade  luitil  he  purchased  160  acres  of  govern- 
ment land,  to  which  he  added  until,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he 
owned  360  acres  in  ]Monroe  county,  where  he  lived  for  thirty-four 
years,  then  moved  to  Salem,  La  Crosse  county,  and  resided  with 
our  subject.  The  father  was  born  in  1824  and  the  mother  in 
1827.  They  toiled  hard  in  the  honest  endeavor  to  build  them  a 
home,  and  suffered  many  privations  at  first,  but  in  the  end  were 
successful,  passing  away  at  the  close  of  a  busy  and  well  spent  life, 
honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  them.  INIr.  Krotzman  died 
in  1895  and  INIrs.  Krotzman  in  1901.  They  had  a  family  of  seven 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Irvin  A.  was  the  fifth  child  in  the  family  and  received  a  good 
education,  and,  after  spending  two  years  in  the  Sparta  high  school, 
he  spent  ten  winters  in  teaching  and  working  at  the  stone  masons' 
trade  during  the  summer  months.  He  then  embarked  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  cari\ving  on  a  general  store  at  Clifton,  Wis.,  for 
five  years.  Disposing  of  this  business,  he  moved  to  Salem,  La 
Crosse  county,  and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  from  1893  to 
1895,  and  then  purchased  the  old  homestead  in  section  fourteen, 


772  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

AVells  towiisliii).  where  he  has  since  resided  and  lias  been  con- 
stantly adding  to  the  improvements  of  the  place.  His  house  and 
barns  are  well  built  and  of  modern  construction,  and,  in  addition 
to  his  general  farming,  he  carries  on  a  paying  dairy  business,  and 
his  elegant  fish  i)(,tnd  near  his  residence  is  bountifully  supplied 
with  the  finny  tribe. 

]Mr.  Krotzman  is  a  man  of  thrift  and  ability  and  has  made  a 
grand  success  of  the  farming  business  since  he  began,  as  well  as 
gaining  the  good  will  of  his  fellowmen.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  town  board  and  also  as 
clerk  of  the  board.  He  was  married,  February  3,  1889,  at  Tomah, 
Wis.,  to  Miss  Carrie  Frohmader.  Four  children  have  been  born 
to  them,  three  of  whom  are  living,  viz. :  Celia,  born  April  1,  1891 ; 
John,  born  January  19,  1893,  and  Alma,  born  July  7,  190-1.  In 
religious  affiliations,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krotzman  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Sparta. 

George  F.  Kuckuck  owais  one  of  the  best  150-acre  farms  in 
Mimroe  county;  it  is  located  in  sections  seventeen  and  twenty,  in 
Oakdale  township.  Avhere  he  has  lived  since  1910.  He  is  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  but  has  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  most 
of  his  life.  He  w'as  born  on  January  30,  1888,  in  Oakdale  town- 
ship, the  son  of  George  and  Rose  (Gabower)  Kuckuck,  who  were 
both  natives  of  Germany.  He  lived  at  home  and  attended  school 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  and  then  learned  the  carpen- 
ters' trade  and  worked  at  that  for  about  four  years,  after  which 
he  purchased  his  father's  farm.  On  June  24,  1909,  he  was  wedded, 
in  Monroe  county,  to  Miss  Charlotte  Avery,  whose  parents  are 
early  settlers  here  and  highly  respected  people. 

Mr.  Kuckuck  is  one  of  the  hustling  young  farmers  of  this  local- 
ity, and  is  thoroughly  up-to-date  on  all  issues  of  public  interest. 
At  the  present  time  he  is  secretary  of  the  Oakdale  Co-operative 
Butter  Association  and  is  a  man  of  good  business  judgment.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  takes  great  interest  in  the  move- 
ments of  that  party.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  ]\Iodern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

"Lawrence  A.  Lane,  of  Cashton.  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  is 
a  native  of  New  York  State,  and  was  born  yt  Plattsburg,  August 
10,  1851.  His  father.  Dyer  Lane,  was  born  in  Ottawa,  Canada. 
October  21.  1828,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  ]\Iary 
Fitzpatrick,  was  born  in  England  in  1830.  They  were  nuirried  at 
St.  Andrews,  Canada,  in  1846,  where  they  resided  luitil  1848,  and 
removed  in  that  year  to  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  wiiere  they  made  their 
home  for  nine  years,  thence  in  1857  came  w^est  to  Wisconsin  and 


BIOGRAPHY  773 

first  settled  at  Horicon.  They  remained  here  one  year,  and  in 
1858  went  to  Maiiston,  Juneau  county,  where  they  made  their  per- 
manent home.  The  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming 
and  lumbering,  and,  being  thrifty  and  progressive,  met  with  much 
success.  He  is  still  living  (1912)  at  Mauston  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  The  mother  died  in  1902.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  eight  of. whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Mrs.  Emery 
Root,  who  resides  at  Mauston ;  Lawrence  A.,  our  subject ;  Mrs. 
Thomas  Dowd,  of  Omaha,  Neb. ;  Alex.  Lane,  Rapid  City,  S.  D. ; 
Albert  resides  in  western  Nebraska;  Mrs.  Peter  Comer,  of  Maus- 
ton ;  J.  D.  Lane  lives  at  IMansfield,  S.  T>.  Those  deceased  are  Mrs. 
Emery  Newkirk,  and  Phoebe,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years,  and  two  children  died  in  infancy. 

Lawrence  A.  Lane  was  seven  years  old  when  his  parents  lo- 
cated at  Mauston,  attended  the  common  schools  at  this  place,  after 
which  he  attended  the  Cashel  &  Rogers  Business  College  at  La 
Crosse,  which  is  now  known  as  the  Wisconsin  Business  University, 
Here  he  received  a  thorough  business  training,  and  after  com- 
pleting the  course  was  engaged  as  a  school  teacher,  which  voca- 
tion he  followed  for  about  twelve  years.  In  1882  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago,  IMilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  as  ware- 
house man  at  New  Lisbon.  He  remained  thus  employed  for  eight 
years,  and  so  well  did  he  perform  the  duties  assigned  him  he  was 
transferred  in  1890  to  Cashton  and  given  entire  charge  of  the 
company's  business  at  that  place,  in  which  capacity  he  is  still 
engaged. 

On  October  20,  1878.  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Jennie  JMeredith,  who  was  born  at  Racine,  Wis.,  October  10,  1853, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ann  Meredith,  both  natives  of  Wales. 
There  were  nine  children  born  to  them.  viz. :  Thomas,  who  en- 
listed and  served  in  the  W^isconsin  Regiment  in  the  Civil  War, 
died  while  in  the  service ;  Mrs.  Ernest  Jewett,  of  Wheaton,  111. ; 
IMrs.  Rachel  Demeroe,  of  Grand  Rapids,  Wis. ;  George  is  deceased; 
Mrs.  Lawrence  A.  Lane,  deceased;  Mrs.  Sarah  Louie  and  Mrs. 
Robert  Marshall,  deceased;  Edwin  lives  at  New  Lisbon,  and  Mrs. 
Maggie  Rourke  resides  at  Grand  Rapids,  Wis.  One  daughter  was 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lane  on  December  21,  1881,  and  is  now" 
Mrs.  Carl  C.  Coe. 

On  November  9,  1903,  Mrs.  Lane  died.  She  was  most  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her,  was  a  good  wife  and  mother,  and 
a  lady  of  many  womanly  virtues. 

A  Democrat  in  political  opinion,  Mr.  Lane  takes  an  active  part 
in  the  affairs  of  his  party,  and  is  interested  in  all  matters  per- 


774  HISTORY  OF  :\[OXROE  COUNTY 

taining  tt»  tlic  welfare  of  his  community.  He  has  served  eleven 
years  as  clerk  of  the  village  of  Cashton.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cashton  Camp,  No.  2671.  ^Modern  "Woodmen  of  America, 
and  in  religious  matters  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Peter  and  Paul's 
Catholic  ehurcli.  ]Mr.  Lane  was  a  member  of  Company  D,  Third 
Regiment  Wisconsin  National  (Juaixls,  and  spent  five  years  in  that 
service. 

Joseph  J.  Lee,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Portland  township,  is  a 
native  of  lesvold,  Norway,  where  he  was  born  June  29,  1847.  lie 
remained  in  the  land  of  his  nativity  until  he  became  twenty-two 
years  of  age  and  then  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  Sparta, 
AVis.,  ]\Iay  17,  1869.  The  first  three  years  after  his  arrival  he  made 
his  home  with  his  uncle,  Lars  Peterson.  In  1S72  he  purchased 
a  farm  of  120  acres  in  section  tw^enty-one,  Portland  townshij). 
The  land  was  in  a  raw'  state  and  he  immediately  set  to  work  to 
subdue,  cultivate  and  improve  it,  and. by  hard  work  and  per- 
severance he  succeeded  and  now  has  one  of  the  best  cultivated 
and  most  joroductive  farms  of  the  township.  His  first  house  and 
also  his  barns  were  built  out  of  logs,  and  so  wild  was  the  land  that 
he  found  it  necessary  to  grub  the  stumps  in  order  to  build  the 
foundation  for  his  house.  To  replace  the  old  log  house  he  has 
recently  completed  a  modern  twelve-room  residence,  finished  in 
quartered  oak,  with  a  steam  plant  in  the  basement  for  heating 
and  other  up-to-date  appliances,  and  his  is  now  one  of  the  finest 
homes  in  jMonroe  county.  His  barn,  whicli  is  34x86  feet,  is  one 
of  the  most  modern  barns  in  that  section.  It  has  9-foot  ceilings 
below,  with  a  basement  under  the  whole,  with  cement  fioor,  and 
contains  stable  room  for  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  six  horses;  also 
a  modern  silo,  built  in  1912. 

On  ]\Iarch  7,  1876,  Mr.  Lee  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Olive  P.  Ben- 
rud.  Mho  is  also  a  native  of  Norway,  and  was  born  in  the  same 
town  as  Mr.  Lee  on  April  12,  1856.  They  have  a  family  of  nine 
children,  viz. :  Leonard  J.,  ]\Irs.  Peter  Peterson,  Ole  R.,  ]\Irs. 
Henry  Peterson,  Lenora,  John  A..  Louis  Y.,  Albert  and  Fstella. 

]\Ir.  Lee's  whole  life  has  been  spent  in  farming  and  dairying. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  Farmers'  dairy 
of  Portland,  and  one  of  its  directors,  and  for  some  time  its  secre- 
tary. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  served  several  terms 
on  the  township  board,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  church. 
He  came  to  America  with  limited  means  to  start  with,  but  as  a 
result  of  his  ambition  and  thrift,  hard  work  and  economy,  he  has 
added  to  his  original  purchase  from  lime  to  time  until  he  now 
owns  280  acres  of  fertile  and  liigblv  cultivated  land,  and  with  his 


Q 

K 


BIOGRAPHY  775 

fine  country  home,  is  surrounded  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  wlio 
regard  him  as  one  of  the  prosperous  and  influential  citizens  of 
the  county. 

J.  B.  Leis  is  a  native  of  Cole's  valley,  Jefferson  township, 
Monroe  county,  where  he  was  born  February  7,  1869.  His  parents, 
Bernard  and  Catherine  Leis,  Avho  were  both  natives  of  Germany, 
came  to  America  in  the  early  fifties,  and  in  1857  located  on  the 
ridge  in  the  town  of  Jefferson.  They  had  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, our  subject  being  the  fourth.  When  the  family  first  settled 
in  Jefferson  the  father  purchased  a  small  tract  of  land  and  there 
lived  until  1863,  when  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  War 
and  with  his  regiment  served  in  the  Army  of  Tennessee  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  after  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  he 
returned  to  the  old  homestead  and  purchased  200  acres  of  wild 
land,  and  with  his  own  hands  cleared  and  grubbed  100  acres  and 
converted  it  from  a  wild  state  to  a  highly  productive  farm.  In 
those  early  days  settlers  were  few  and  wild  game,  bear  and  deer, 
were  plentiful,  with  Indians  roaming  over  the  country.  Mr.  Leis 
was  a  hard  working  man  and  always  sociable  and  good  natured, 
and  held  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  acquaintances.  His 
word  was  considered  as  good  as  his  bond.  He  and  his  wife  were 
both  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and  Mr.  Leis  assisted  in 
building  a  little  church  at  the  cemetery  where  they  worshiped, 
but  which  has  since  been  destroyed  by  cyclone.  He  was  an  advo- 
cate of  pure  democracy  and  was  a  loyal  supporter  of  this  party 
all  his  life.    He  died  in  1904.    The  mother  passed  away  in  1907. 

J.  B.  Leis,  our  subject,  lived  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-five  years  old,  attending  the  district  schools  until  his 
fifteenth  year.  After  his  marriage  he  moved  on  to  his  father-in- 
law's  farm,  which  he  rented  for  two  years,  and  then  engaged  in 
the  saloon  business  in  Pine  Hollow  and  operated  that  together 
with  his  farm.  He  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  sections 
twenty-eight  and  twenty-nine  and  erected  thereon  a  modern  resi- 
dence of  ten  rooms  and  a  good,  substantial  barn.  His  farm  is 
well  stocked  with  good  horses,  cattle  and  hogs  and  the  cream 
from  his  dairy  is  sold  to  the  Farmers'  Enterprise  Creamery,  at 
Cashton,  of  which  he  became  president  in  1909,  a  position  he  still 
holds.  He  is  independent  in  politics  and  has  held  several  minor 
offices.  He  has  been  supervisor  for  three  years,  and  for  a  long 
time  overseer  of  highways,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  all  matters 
of  general  importance,  and  is  one  of  the  public  spirited  men  of 
his  town. 

On  August  21,  1893,  Mr.  Leis  was  married  to  IMiss  Eva  Han- 


776  IITSTOKY  OF  .AIONROE  COUNTY 

sen,  daughter  of  P.  J.  Hansen,  and  they  have  five  children,  viz.: 
Henry  B.,  born  March  3,  1895;  Katie  E.,  born  October  11.  1896; 
Lawrence  H.,  born  September  10,  1898;  Celia  M.,  born  February 
26,  1900,  and  Addla  (".,  born  December  24,  1902. 

Capt.  M.  E.  Leonard,  Civil  AVar  veteran  and  an  industrious 
citizen  of  Sparta,  was  l)()rn  at  Fort  Ann.,  "Washinorton  county, 
New  York.  September  27,  1832,  his  parents  l)ein^  Jarvis  and  Eliza 
Leonard,  both  natives  of  New  York  state.  Jarvis  Leonard  was 
the  son  of  Elisha  and  Clara  Leonard,  natives  of  ^Lissachusetts  and 
Connecticut,  respectively  .  The  early  Leonard  faniily  were  strong 
believers  in  the  P>ai)tist  faith. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  of  a  family  of  three 
children,  the  first  being  Eliza  Jane,  wife  of  Rev.  Robert  A.  Adams. 
She  is  now  deceased,  lier  death  occurring  in  Boston,  ]\Iass.,  and 
Philetus  A.,  who  died  at  Odell,  111.,  in  February,  1912.  Jarvis 
Leonard,  father  of  our  subject,  was  twice  married.  His  second 
marriage  was  with  Elizabeth  Pierce,  by  whom  he  had  one  son, 
]\Iason  Leonard,  who  lives  at  Chicora,  Pa. 

Captain  Leonard  Avas  married  December  10,  1869,  to  I\Iiss 
Olive  A.  Damon,  daughter  of  Seth  and  ]\Iary  Damon.  She  lived 
to  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years  and  died  in  ^lay,  1909.  There  were 
five  children  born  to  Captain  and  ]\Irs.  Leonard,  viz. :  Kliza,  mar- 
ried George  Hasty  and  lived  at  Aberdeen,  S.  D.,  where  she  died; 
Frederick  J.  married  ]Miss  Lettie  Burnham,  of  Cambridge,  ]\lass. 
They  have  one  child  named  Leoua,  and  reside  at  La  Crosse.  Wis. ; 
AVilliam  T.  lives  at  Watertown,  S.  D. ;  Arthur  M.,  of  Chicago,  and 
]\Iinnie  B.  Leonard,  who  resides  at  Sparta.  ]\Ir.  Leonard  was 
reared  on  the  home  fai-m,  going  with  his  family  to  Cattaraugus 
county,  New  York,  Avliither  they  moved  from  AVashingtou  county 
in  1837.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Leonard  began  farming 
on  his  own  account,  which  he  followed  until  1856.  In  early  life 
he  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  late  Judge  ^Morrow,  of 
Sparta,  and  they  became  fast  friends.  In  the  year  185()  they 
decided  to  accept  Horace  Greeley's  advice,  "Go  west,  young 
man,"  and  came  to  AVisconsin  together  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 
It  was  with  great  difficulty,  however,  owing  to  Judge  IMorrow's 
ill  health  that  they  were  able  to  reach  Sparta.  The  first  occupa- 
tion accepted  by  Mr.  Leonard  after  reaching  this,  the  then  new 
country,  was  that  of  clerk  in  the  Hotel  ]\Ionroe,  where  he  remained 
until  this  hotel  Avas  destroyed  by  fire  two. years  later.  He  then 
became  clerk  of  the  Denny  House,  which  stood  where  the  AVarncr 
House  now  stands.  There  were  no  railroads  in  those  early  days 
and  the  only  means  of  travel  was  by  stage  coach,  which  was  slow 


BIOGRAPHY  777 

and  tedious.  The  line  of  coaches  between  Portage  and  St.  Paul 
were  run  in  relays  and  the  duty  of  caring  for  the  men  in  Sparta 
fell  to  Mr.  Leonard.  His  experience  as  hotel  clerk  was  varied 
and  his  duties  strenuous  in  that  he  had  to  manage  many  a  rough 
gang  of  men.  This  work  was  followed  by  varied  experiences  in 
other  lines  of  business,  and  later  he  ventured  into  hop  raising  for 
two  years.  He  then  took  up  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner  and 
built  several  of  the  early  buildings  of  Sparta  and  many  of  the 
large  barns  in  and  about  Sparta  township,  as  well  as  the  first 
silos  and  bridge  were  constructed  by  him.  He  continued  at  this 
trade  until  1909,  when  he  retired. 

In  July,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Twenty-fifth  Regi- 
ment, Wisconsin  Volunteers,  and  the  first  service  he  performed 
was  as  a  recruiting  officer,  a  position  he  held  for  several  months. 
The  governor,  appreciating  his  fitness  to  command,  commissioned 
him  captain  of  his  regiment.  Captain  Leonard  is  one  of  the  stal- 
wart figures  of  Sparta  and  a  man  of  strong  physique.  His 
experiences  during  the  Civil  AVar  will  be  found  among  the 
reminiscences  of  this  work.  All  through  his  service  as  captain  of 
the  Twentj^-fifth  Regiment  his  motto  w^as,  "Simply  do  your  duty 
and  fear  nothing." 

Gothern  Liddle,  who  resides  in  section  ten,  Sparta  township, 
was  born  at  Herseyville,  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  August  24, 
1874,  and  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  children  born  to 
William  and  Mary  (Aherne)  Liddle,  natives  of  England  and  Ire- 
land, respectively.  Of  the  others,  Kate  is  now  Airs.  John  AlcVay, 
of  Hardin,  Mont. ;  William  is  deceased ;  Alary,  wife  of  Charles 
Jarvis  and  resides  at  Culbertson,  Alont. ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Richard 
Barrett,  Alerrill,  AA^is. ;  Isabelle,  Airs.  Charles  Hubner,  of  Culbert- 
son, Mont.,  and  Alantille,  wife  of  Jefferson  Butterfield,  who  resides 
at  Beacli,  N.  D.  In  1846  Mary  Aherne,  with  money  furnished  by 
her  mother,  came  to  Canada  and  for  two  years  made  her  home 
with  William  Tate,  who  at  that  time  was  engaged  in  surveying 
the  Grand  Trunk  railway.  In  1850  William  Liddle  came  from 
England  to  Canada  and  while  there  met  and  married  Alary 
Aherne.  With  money  saved  while  a  girl  Airs.  Liddle  bought  a 
home  of  James  Aherne  near  Saginaw,  Alich.,  which  she  later 
traded  with  Stephen  Wilbur  for  an  eighty-acre  farm  at  Hersey- 
ville, Alonroe  county,  whither  they  went  in  1861.  Some  nine  years 
later  disposing  of  the  farm  at  Herseyville,  they  purchased  what  is 
known  as  the  Putnam  farm  in  Sparta  township,  where  they  re- 
moved in  1872,  and  afterwards  bought  the  present  home  farm. 
Here  Air.  Liddle  died  on  February  3,  1909,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 


778  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

three  years.  He  had  been  actively  engaged  in  farming  and 
railroading  during  his  lifetime,  was  a  man  of  genial  tempera- 
ment, kind-hearted  and  generous,  and  esteemed  ])y  all  who  knew 
him. 

William  Alexander  Liddle,  i)at('rnal  grandfatluT  of  our  suh- 
jeet,  a  native  of  Scotland,  moved  to  Newcastle,  England,  in  an 
early  day,  where  he  died  when  his  son  "William  was  a  boy.  His 
wife,  grandmother  of  our  subject,  was  Isabelle  (Donohue)  Liddle, 
wlio  died  j)rior  to  lier  liu.sband.  ]\Iichael  and  Kate  (Harden) 
Aherne,  maternal  grandparents,  were  born  in  Shandon  and  Lim- 
erick, Ireland.  He  died  in  Ireland  and  she  at  Saginaw.  ]\iich.. 
wliere  she-came  after  the  death  of  her  husband.  He  was  a  sailor 
on  the  deep  seas  and  during  the  Crimean  war  sailed  from  England 
under  the  American  flag.  They  had  a  family  of  three  children, 
]\Irs.  Liddle  being  the  only  surviving  mein])er.  Those  deceased 
are  Sarah,  wife  of  iloses  Kahoe,  who  was  at  one  time  foreman 
on  the  Evening  Post,  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  Katherine,  who  was 
the  wife  of  Lewis  Anger.  On  April  10,  1912,  ]\Irs.  Liddle 
celebrated  her  seventy-ninth  birthday  by  entertaining  a  large 
number  of  her  friends  and  neighl)ors. 

Gothern  Liddle  received  his  preliminary  education  at  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  his  home  town,  which  Avas  supplemented  by  a 
thorough  course  in  the  Sparta  high  school.  "With  the  exception  of 
one  year  spent  on  the  road  as  salesman  for  a  farm  machinery 
concern,  ^Ir.  Liddle 's  whole  life  has  been  spent  on  the  farm, 
which,  since  reaching  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  lias  man- 
aged and  conducted.  The  original  farm,  which  consisted  of  eighty 
acres,  has  been  added  to  from  time  to  time  until  it  now  contains 
200  acres  of  highly  cultivated  land.  He  has  been  lavish  in  his 
expenditures  of  time,  energy  and  money  in  improving  the  farm, 
erecting  a  commodious  and  substantial  residence,  barns  and  silo, 
and  supplying  modern  appliances  and  ecjuipments,  so  that  this 
is  in  reality  one  of  the  most  desirable  homes  in  Sparta  township. 
Mr.  Liddle  has  always  carried  on  general  farming  and  dairying 
and  for  many  years  has  been  counted  one  of  the  thrifty  and  pros- 
perous farmers  of  his  section,  and  an  influential  and  wide-awake 
citizen.  He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  township  affairs  and 
in  1012  was  elected  assessor.  In  religious  belief  he  and  his  family 
are  mend)ers  of  St.  I'atrick's  church,  of  Sparta. 

On  October  26.  1910.  ]\Ir.  Liddle  was  married  to  ^liss  Julia 
Madden,  daughter  of  Jolin  and  .lulia  (Crowley)  ^Madden,  natives 
of  Limerick,  Ireland.  The  father  emigrated  to  America  when 
sixteen  years  of  age.  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Lemonweir  town- 


BIOGRAPHY  779 

ship,  Juneau  couuty,  near  Mauston,  where  Jic  was  engaged  in 
farming  and  railroading  for  forty  years.  He  died  February  15, 
1904,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  beloved  and  esteemed  by  all 
wdio  knew  him.  His  wife,  mother  of  Mrs.  Liddle,  who  was  a 
woman  of  many  domestic  virtues,  held  the  contid(>ne(>  and  respect 
of  her  wdde  circle  of  friends,  survived  until  September  25,  1905, 
when  she  passed  away.  They  raised  a  family  of  nine  children,  as 
follows :  Anna,  wafe  of  James  MeCarty,  of  Iron  River,  Wis. ; 
John,  resides  at  Minneapolis  and  is  conductor  on  the  Great  West- 
tern  railroad ;  P.  II.  is  roadmaster  on  the  Chicago,  ]\Iilwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  road  from  Portage  to  La  Crosse ;  Maggie  married  John 
Hurey,  of  Mauston;  James  lives  on  the  old  homestead;  David  is 
deceased;  Julia,  wife  of  our  subject;  Dennis,  of  Chisholm,  IMinn., 
and  Beatrice,  wife  of  John  Maloney,  a  farmer  in  Juneau  county. 

George  F,  Lillie  comes  of  Scotch  ancestors.  Ills  parents,  Wil- 
liam and  Isabella  (Young)  Lillie,  left  Scotland  in  1858  and  upon 
their  arrival  in  this  country  settled  at  Lake  Champlain,  N.  Y., 
where  they  remained  but  a  short  time.  They  again  moved  west- 
ward, settling  in  Jefferson  county,  Wisconsin,  where  our  subject, 
George  F.,  was  born  on  October  6,  1860.  In  the  spring  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  they  came  to  Monroe  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Wellington  township.  They  followed  agricultural  pursuits  for 
several  years  in  this  township,  then  moved  to  the  village  of  Ken- 
dall, in  IMonroe  county,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter 
and  builder.  He  held  the  office  of  township  treasurer  for  several 
terms,  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  filled  other  minor 
offices.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lillie  were  among  the  early  and  most  re- 
spected pioneers  of  their  section,  and  after  a  long  and  busy  life 
Mr.  Lillie  died  in  October,  1908,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  and 
]\Irs.  Lillie  passed  away  in  1871  at  the  age  of  forty-one  years, 
respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  them. 

William  Lillie  was  the  son  of  David  Lillie,  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  wJio  spent  his  entire  life  at  Orwell,  Vt.  The  father  of  Mrs. 
Lillie,  and  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  William  Young. 
James,  a  brother  of  William  Lillie,  w-as  a  farmer  at  Orwell,  Vt., 
where  he  died.  He  was  in  the  service  for  his  country  in  the 
Civil  War.  Walter  Lillie,  another  brother  of  the  late  William 
Lillie,  is  still  living  at  Orwell,  Vt.,  and  is  engaged  in  making  and 
sharpening  marble  cutters'  tools. 

George  F.  Lillie  is  the  seventh  of  a  family  of  eight  children. 
The  others  are  Betsy  H.,  wife  of  James  M.  Gordon,  of  Nebraska; 
Frances,  wife  of  Nelson  Crouch,  and  resides  at  Kendall,  in  this 
county;  Loran  E.  Lillie  lives  at  Boone,  la.,  and  David,  James, 


780  HISTORY  OF  MOXROP]  COUNTY 

William  aiul  Walter  arc  dei-eused.  ]\Ir.  Lillie  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Wellington  township,  attended  the  common 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  was  employed  in  a 
country  store  conducted  by  Samuel  Cholvin.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  years  he  entered  the  employ  of  Messrs.  Burrington  & 
TiOckwood,  merchants  at  Kendall,  with  whom  he  remained  for 
three  years.  After  spending  one  year  in  Nebraska  he  returned 
to  Kendall  and  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, lie  later  added  other  lines  and  for  thirteen  years  suc- 
cessfully conducted  a  general  store.  In  1898  he  was  elected  clerk 
of  the  circuit  court  for  Monroe  county,  and  disposing  of  his 
merchandise  interests,  assumed  charge  of  that  office.  He  was 
re-elected  for  a  second  term,  at  the  close  of  which  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Wisconsin  Telephone  Company.  After  two  years 
spent  in  the  telephone  service  he,  in  September,  1807.  removed  to 
Sibley,  la.,  and  there  conducted  a  bakery  and  restaurant  for  one 
and  a  half  years.  Returning  to  Sparta  in  1909  he  decided  to 
again  engage  in  business  in  his  home  town,  and  on  April  24,  of 
that  year,  opened  a  A^ariety  store,  which  he  made  a  success,  and 
in  1911  enlarged  his  facilities  and  changed  the  name  to  the 
Variety  Emporium,  and  is  now  conducting  a  thriving  and  j^ros- 
perous  business.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and  industrious 
habits,  generous  in  his  dealings  and  well  liked  by  his  customers. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order  and  the  ]\Iodern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

On  October  81,  1883,  ]Mr.  Lillie  married  ]\Iiss  Annie  Josephine 
McFee,  daughter  of  Washington  and  Eliza  (Hart)  McFee.  of 
Ontario,  Vernon  county,  Wisconsin.  Their  children  are  Earl  B., 
who  resides  in  Portage,  Wis. ;  Mamie  J,  and  Paul  W.  reside  at 
Sparta.    Dean  H.,  George  W.  and  Gladys  are  deceased. 

Joseph  A.  Lincoln"  is  a  native  of  Wilton,  ]\Ionroe  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  was  born  May  11,  1873.  He  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Hannah  (Falkner)  Lincoln.  George  Lincoln,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Dorset,  Vt.,  and  his  father, 
James  Lincoln,  emigrated  Math  his  family  from  Vermont  to  Illi- 
nois, and  after  a  short  time  came  to  Wisconsin,  locating  in  the 
town  of  Wilton  in  the  early  fifties,  where  he  homesteaded  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  section  ten  of  that  town,  where  George,  his  son, 
bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  the  same  section,  and  his  father, 
James,  had  acquired  440  acres  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  ex- 
perienced the  ups  and  downs  of  pioneer  life,  with  the  land  wild 
and  uncultivated.  The  homestead  is  now  occupied  by  our  subject 
and  the  house  built  on  this  farm  is  one  of  the  oldest  land-marks  in 


BIOGRAPHY  781 

the  valley.  James,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  reared  a  family 
of  five  children,  of  whom  George,  father  of  our  subject,  is  the 
only  surviving  member.  George  Lincoln  attended  the  district 
school  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade,  to  which  he  gave  his  undivided  attention  for  several  years. 
His  marriage  occurred  in  1870  and  to  this  union  were  born  eleven 
children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  second  child.  In 
1891  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Hebron.  N.  D.,  where  he  has 
been  successful,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  320  acres  of  land  in  that 
northwest  country. 

Joseph  attended  the  public  school  up  to  his  sixteenth  year  and 
made  his  home  with  his  uncle,  Joseph  Lincoln,  and  was  ahvays  a 
laborer  until  1906,  when  he  became  the  ow^ner  of  sixty  acres  of 
choice  land  in  Wilton  township. 

October  25,  1895,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Isabell 
Allingham,  daughter  of  Hugh  0.  and  Elizabeth  Allingham.  They 
have  one  son,  Hugh  0.,  born  November  1,  1899.  Mrs.  Lincoln  has 
one  brother,  Hugh  0.  Allingham,  Jr.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Lincoln 
is  a  resident  of  Tomah  township,  and  is  the  owner  of  143  acres  of 
laud.  In  polities  Mr.  Lincoln  is  a  Republican  and  active  in  the 
interest  of  his  party.  In  1912  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the 
town  of  "Wilton. 

William  Wallace  Link.  Among  the  early  settlers  in  western 
Wisconsin,  away  back  early  in  the  Nineteenth  century,  was  Henry 
A.  Link,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  A  native  of  Kinder- 
hook.  N.  Y.,  he  left  that  state  at  about  the  time  mentioned,  and 
became  located  in  what  is  now  the  Leon  Valley,  in  Monroe  county. 
He  was  a  son  of  Nicholas  Link  and  grandson  of  William  Link, 
who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  ancestors  were 
natives  of  Holland,  and  settled  at  an  early  day  on  the  North  river 
in  Columbia  county,  New  York.  Here  Henry  A.  was  reared  and 
educated.  His  wife  w^as  Laura  Hutchins,  daughter  of  M.  and 
Sybil  (Simpson)  Hutchins,  of  Scotch  and  Irish  ancestry.  They 
raised  a  family  of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living. 
He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kinderhook,  state  of  New  York,  in 
1809,  and  died  in  January,  1880,  aged  seventy  years.  He  was  a 
successful  farmer  in  his  native  state,  where  he  grew  to  manhood, 
and  received  a  good  education.  He  was  a  student  of  economic 
principles  and  a  man  of  good  sound  judgment;  in  every  walk  of 
life  his  career  was  above  criticism  or  reproach ;  a  man  of  unbend- 
ing honor,  incorruptible  honesty,  broad  but  practical  charity, 
noble  and  generous  in  his  dealings,  dignified  in  his  manhood, 
worthv  as  a  citizen,  true  and  faithful  as  a  friend,  he  merited  and 


782  IIISTOHV  OF  .MOXROK  CorXTY 

received  lli<'  lioiioi-  miuI  respect  of  all  who  knew  liiin.  TTc  ;it  one 
time  ran  for  mciiilxT  of  the  yeneral  assembly  of  New  York  state, 
heiiiij'  (lefealcd  l)y  oin'  vote;  was  a  Jacksonian  Deniocrjit  and  a 
l)eliever  in  in-incipjes  of  J)emocraey.  and  after  coming  to  Wis- 
consin attained  to  a  position  of  prominence  in  every  movement 
of  ])uhli('  interest.  He  held  iiuiiiy  town  offices,  was  justice  of  the 
peace  for  a  iiundx'r  of  years,  and  his  advice  was  soug:ht  on  many 
occasions  by  the  ])eop]e  of  liis  town. 

With  a  view  to  l)ettering  his  condition,  Henry  A.  Link  came 
to  Wiscdiisin  iiti  ;i  tour  of  inspection  and  ii|)oii  Ids  arrival  in  the 
Jjcon  \'alle.\  lie  was  so  impressed  with  the  country  that  he  pur- 
(diased  lliO  acres  of  land  which  he  cultivated  and  seeded,  then 
returned  to  his  native  state  for  his  family.  Taking  passage  at 
Jiuft'alo,  they  came  by  the  way  of  the  Great  Lakes  to  ^Milwaukee, 
from  which  point  they  came  to  Portage  City.  Avhere  they  pur- 
chased a  team  of  horses  and  wagon  Avitli  which  they  traveled 
overlaiul  to  the  Leon  Valley  in  ^Monroe  county,  ai'riving  here  in 
September,  1853.  He  added  to  his  original  purchase  from  time 
to  time  until  he  had  acquired  1.000  acres  of  the  choice  land  in 
the  valley,  besides  purchasing  other  tracts  in  Iowa  and  ^Missouri. 
lie  was  one  of  ]\Ionroe  county's  foremost  citizens,  kind  and  con- 
siderate of  the  poor,  to  whom  lu'  always  extended  a  helping  hand, 
in  many  instances  cancelling  the  debts  owed  him  without  any 
remuneration.  He  was  a  man  of  decided  views  and  disliked  the 
aristocrat  and  looked  with  disfavor  on  the  rich  who  took  advan- 
tage of  their  i)Oor  debtors  to  increase  their  omu  fortunes.  To 
charitable  subjects  he  gave  thousands  of  dollars,  and  will  always 
be  remembered  as  one  of  the  mo.st  liberal,  open-hearted  men  in 
the  county.  When  ho  ari'ived  in  this  section  but  few  settlers 
lived  near  him.  His  was  the  first  frame  residence  erected  in  the 
Leon  Valley,  aiul  at  this  time  trips  to  Delton.  AVis..  a  distance  of 
100  miles,  were  necessary  to  secni-e  flour  and  other  provisions. 
He  always  bought  as  much  as  he  could  haul  and  sold  the  surplus 
to  his  neighbors.  His  wife,  nuither  of  William  "\V.,  was  born  in 
New  York  state  in  1815,  and  died  in  August,  1S78,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years.  She  A\as  a  wonuni  of  I'are  Avomanly  graces, 
a  devout  Christian,  and,  while  in  New  York,  was  with  her  husband 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  but  after  coming  to 
AVisconsin  became  a  Congregationalist. 

William  Wallace  Liid<  av;is  l)orn  in  Colum])ia  county.  New 
York,  October  21.  1887.  and  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1858  with  his 
l)arents  and  family,  consisting  at  that  time  of  nine  children.  He 
attended  the   common  schools  of  New  York  state,   receiving  a 


BIOGRAPHY  783 

limited  education,  but  he  was  a  constant  reader  aiul  close  observer 
of  events  and  became  thoroughly  posted  on  almost  any  subject. 
He  delved  into  historical  science,  mental  and  moral  philosophy, 
and  is  also  a  great  Bible  student,     lie  has  beconu'  a  theologian 
and  from  deep  thinking  and  study  has  accepted  the  belief  which 
he  now  enjoys,  when  the  Almighty  manifests  himself  in  diflferent 
and  mysterious  ways  to  his  children  he  has  created  in  this  world. 
William   remained  at  home  assisting  on   the  farm  until   he  was 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he  went  AVest  to  Montana,  where 
he  remained  two  years.     At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned 
home  and  rented  his  father's  farm,  which  he  carried  on  for  two 
years,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  of  120  acres  and  has  since  made 
additions  until  now  he  has  a  farm  of  270  acres  of  choice  valley 
land,  located  near  the  village  of  Leon.     ]Mr.  Link  is  the  oldest 
living  settler  in  the  Leon  Valley,  and  is  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous and  influential  citizens  of  the  county.     He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  county,  and  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  community  he  gives  his  hearty 
support.     In  politics  he  is  a  Prohibitionist,  but  previous  to  be- 
coming allied  with  the  Prohibition  jiarty  he  had  been  active  in 
the  interest  of  Democracy.     AVhile  he  has  never  sought  official 
position,  he  has  held  many  minor  town   offices   and  for  several 
years  was  justice  of  the  peace ;  being  a  member  of  the  county 
board  for  three  years.     He  is  now  clerk  of  the  school  district  in 
which  he  lives  and  has  tilled  that  position  for  more  than  twenty- 
five  years,  having  always  taken   a  deep   interest   in   educational 
matters. 

Mr.  Link  has  been  twice  married ;  his  first  marriage  w^as  Avith 
]\Iiss  Carrie  Olson,  on  June  7,  1868.  Seven  children  were  born 
to  this  union,  three  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz. :  Dorothy,  who 
is  now  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trade  at  Chi- 
cago;  George  Martin  is  instructor  in  the  high  school  of  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  and  0.  R.  is  in  the  United  States  mail  service  and 
resides  at  Leon.  Mrs.  Link  died  June  1,  1879,  and  on  February 
28,  1881,  he  was  married  for  the  second  time  to  Miss  Irene  Under- 
wood, who  was  born  in  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  she  was  reared 
in  Vernon  county,  AVisconsin.  where  she  Avas  educated.  Her 
father,  Avho  died  in  Vernon  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1882,  Avas  a 
native  of  Xcav  York  state,  and  Avas  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  as 
were  his  tAvo  sons,  Oliver  and  Horace.  The  mother,  AA'hose  maiden 
name  Avas  Eliza  Hunter,  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  To  Air.  and  Airs. 
Link  have  been  born  tAvo  children ;  Ethel  J.,  uoav  Airs.  HoAvard  G. 


784  HISTORY  OF  .MOXROK  ("OrXTY 

Slayttm.  ]i<).st mistress  of  J^eoii.  and  Wiiificd  \V..  who  is  engaged  in 
tannin!.''  on  the  homestead  farm. 

Charles  E.  Loomer  is  one  of  tliose  unassuming  men  who  has 
proven  his  worth  botli  as  a  soldier  and  a  citizen.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  to  take  up  anus  in  defense  of  his  country  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  War,  and  when  no  longer  needed  in  the  ranks  of  the 
firing  line,  he  dropped  the  tools  of  strife  and  put  his  hand  to  the 
plow  in  an  honest  endeavor  to  redeem  the  wilderness  and  make 
two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  only  one  grew  before. 

He  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  was  born  at  Boston 
October  1,  1841,  the  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  Ann  (Rivers) 
Loonier,  natives  of  Nova  Scotia,  from  where  they  moved  to  ^lassa- 
chusetts.  and  in  the  early  sixties  to  .Monroe  county.  Wisconsin, 
and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  l)y  our  subject.  He  was  a 
slii{)  carpenter  by  trade  and  after  coming  to  the  then  new  coun- 
try, worked  at  liis  trade  building  houses  for  settlers.  He  was 
prominent  in  his  community  and  held  man\'  local  otifiees.  Both  he 
and  our  subject's  mother  were  born  in  1809  and  both  died  the 
same  year — in  1877.  j\Ir.  Loomer.  our  subject  is  the  only  sur- 
viving member  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  ^lary.  Avho  married 
Henry  Van  Antwerp,  died  at  Sparta  November  4.  1911:  Ilattie, 
who  married  Gideon  Bigelow.  and  died  at  San  Jose,  Calif.,  May 
10,  1912;  Maria  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  the  others  died 
when  young. 

Charles  E.  Loomer  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  home  town,  and  when  ten  years  of  age.  his  parents 
moved  to  Kansas,  where  they  pre-empted  Government  land;  after 
ten  years  spent  in  the  Sunflower  state  the  family  came  to  Wis- 
consin and  .settled  at  Sugar  Creek,  in  Walworth  county,  on  a 
farm  purchased  by  the  father.  Charles  remained  here  until  1865. 
when  he  njarried  and  came  to  ^Monroe  county,  settling  first  in 
Glendale  township,  moving  to  his  present  farm  the  following 
year,  which  was  then  a  forest  in  the  wilderness  of  the  northern 
part  of  LaGrange  township,  which,  at  that  time  formed  a  part  of 
the  town  of  Lincoln.  He  purchased  his  land  of  James  B.  Avery, 
who  had  bought  the  land  witli  script,  and  here  ^Ir.  Loomer 
assumed  the  task  of  clearing  and  subduing  the  land  and  estab- 
lishing a  permanent  home.  He  proceeded  to  build  a  home, 
16x24.  and  in  1869  built  his  present  residence,  which  has  since 
undergone  repairs  and  atlditions  made.  A  house  erected  by  his 
father  now  forms  a  part  of  this  residence.  Out  of  these  primitive 
surroundings,  with  the  Indians  foi-  neighbors,  he  carved  out  a 
home,  and  by  persistent  effort  has  subdued  and  brought  the  land 


BIOGRAPHY  785 

to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  now  enjoys  the  fruits  of  his 
many  years  of  toil.  Out  of  the  original  wilderness  he  still  retains 
a  ten-acre  tract  of  woodland  of  the  forest,  which  has  yet  not  seen 
the  woodman's  axe,  and  is  a  marvel  of  beauty.  Besides  cultivat- 
ing and  improving  the  land  by  substantial  buildings,  as  opportu- 
nity afforded,  j\Ir.  Loonier  has  this  year  (1912)  erected  a  sub- 
stantial modern  residence  in  the  city  of  Tomah.  He  occupies  a 
prominent  place  in  his  community,  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  supervisors,  and  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  church 
work. 

He  was  married  on  October  6,  1865,  to  Miss  Phoebe  C.  Parkyn. 
daughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  and  Rebecca  (Lake)  Parkyn,  natives  of 
England  and  New  Jersey,  respectively.  The  father  was  of  the 
Free  Will  Baptist  persuasion,  and  a  man  of  influence  in  his 
denomination.  He  was  born  in  1812  and  died  in  Nebraska  in  his 
eighty-eighth  year;  Mrs.  Loomer's  mother  survived  until  1909, 
when  she  passed  away  at  the  age  of  ninety-three.  Mrs.  Loomer 
was  born  in  LeRo}',  Genesee  county,  N.  Y.,  September  29,  1840, 
one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  viz. :  John  L..  of  Mountain 
Grove,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  Loomer.  Mary  H.,  wife  of  Byron  Jenkins,  of 
Holbrook.  Neb. ;  Joseph  0.,  of  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  and  Alice,  who 
married  Elisha  Hulce,  of  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin,  is 
deceased.  Mv.  and  Mrs.  Loomer  are  members  of  the  LaGrange 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

On  September  2,  1861,  Mr.  Loomer  enlisted  in  company  I, 
thirteenth  Wisconsin  Infantr}^  which  was  detailed  for  duty  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  and  thence  to  Fort  Scott.  The  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  Alabama,  thence  to  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 
Upon  reaching  Knightsville,  Mr.  Looiuer  was  taken  ill  and  sent  to 
a  hospital,  where  he  was  given  a  furlough;  he  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war  and  was  finally  discharged  in  July,  1865,  having 
attained  to  the  rank  of  sergeant. 

John  J.  Lucas,  dealer  in  ice,  of  Sparta,  comes  from  English 
ancestry.  He  Avas  born  February  8,  1851:,  the  son  of  James  and 
Berthia  (Lewis)  Lucas,  who  came  to  Ncav  York  state  from  Eng- 
land, their  native  country,  in  the  early  forties,  locating  first  at 
East  Galway.  He  being  a  glove  cutter  by  trade,  here  found 
employment  in  the  glove  business,  and  after  a  short  sojourn, 
moved  to  Gloversville,  and  thence  to  Funda's  Bush,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  work  at  his  trade  for  some  two  years.  In  1856  he  left 
the  Empire  state  and  came  west  to  Sparta,  where  he  was 
employed  by  Hageman  &  Roberts  for  two  years,  and  then  moved 
to  Hartford,  Wis.,  and  remained  there  for  the  next  two  years. 


786  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  COUNTY 

He  then  moved  to  Chicago,  HI.,  and  there  lost  his  life  in  the  great 
fire  of  1871.  hciiiu'  then  sixty-eiglit  years  of  aye.  His  widow, 
mother  of  our  sut)ji'ct.  died  about  1872. 

John  .).  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  four  children,  three  of 
whom  arc  now  living.  After  ohlaiuiiii:  an  (Mlucatioii  in  the  |)ul)lic 
schools,  he  secured  employ iiuMit  on  a  farm  in  Dane  county  for  a 
time,  and  latci-  went  to  KoihI  du  Lac  Wis.,  where  he  learned  the 
paper  maker's  ti-ade.  and  foi-  a  period  of  Iwo  \'ears  was  in  the 
employ  of  (Jeorge  Hunter.  At  Ihe  end  of  that  time  he  went  to 
Kaukauna,  Wis.,  and  after  spending  one  year  in  the  paper  mills 
at  this  place,  came  to  Sparta,  and  in  the  year  1879  (Migaged  in  the 
paper  making  business  with  the  late  O.  1.  NiMvton.  whose  i)lant 
was  on  the  site  of  the  present  electric  light  and  power  company 
plant.    He  remained  with  Mr.  Newton  for  six  years. 

Fraternally  ]\Ii'.  Lucas  is  a  mend)er  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  ^Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  married  in  187")  to 
]\Hss  Maggie  Gartman.  daughter  of  Alexandei-  and  Chi-istina 
(Many)  Gartman.  iNIrs.  Lucas  died  Jammry  4.  18!)8,  leaving, 
besides  her  husband,  four  children,  viz. :  Earl  Spencer,  Nina, 
]\raude.  who  married  Walter  Lake  and  resides  in  California,  and 
Alexander  Lucas,  of  Sparta. 

In  June,  1910,  Mr.  Lucas  was  again  married  to  ^liss  P^stella 
Grove,  of  La  Crosse,  AVis. 

Herman  Ludeking  is  a  prosperous  German  farmer  of  section 
four,  in  the  town  of  Wilton.  Alonroe  county,  where  he  first  bought 
ninety-six  acres  in  1889.  and  later  added  another  twenty  acres, 
making  his  pi'esent  farm  contain  about  110  acres.  He  was  born 
in  Germany  on  Ai)ril  7.  1859.  and  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  and  three  other  children  in  1872  and  located  in  Wilton 
townshi]).  There  the  father  worked  for  about  oiu*  year  as  a  fai'm 
laborer,  tluui  bought  eighty  acres  in  section  four,  wiiere  they 
made  theii-  home  foi-  twenty-two  years,  and  he  died  in  1894  and 
the  motiiei-  in  IS!)!).  They  had  seven  children,  four  of  whom  ai'c 
now  (1912)  ]i\inii-.  They  were  among  the  best  people  of  their 
township;  Republican  in  politics  and  members  of  tlu^  (Jerman 
Reformed   church. 

Herman  b(>gan  his  career  as  a  farm  laborer,  receiving  ^W  for 
his  first  year's  work.  He  continued,  however,  in  this  business  for 
about  nine  years  and  tlien  ]iui'chascd  a  farm  of  his  own.  He 
was  married  on  December  ;U.  188.").  to  Miss  Emma  Hehnke.  who 
died  in  1894,  leaving  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Myi-tle.  born  October  26.  1886.  and  IVarl.  born  August  17.  1888. 
Mr.   Ludcking  was  married  for  the  second  time  on  December  1. 


BIOGRAPHY  787 

1895,  in  the  town  of  Adrian,  to  Miss  Emma  Wenclland;  her 
parents  settled  in  Adrian,  whei-e  the  father  died  in  1904,  and  the 
mother  still  lives  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  They  had  a  farm 
of  120  acres  and  a  family  of  nine  children,  all  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ludeking  have  had  a  family  of 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  livinp::  INIartha.  born  September 
14.  1897;  Alvira.  born  August  16.  1905,  and  Lorenz,  born 
September  10.  1911. 

]Mr.  Ludeking  is  a  thrifty  general  farmer  and  employs  the 
latest  methods  in  his  farming  operations ;  his  stock  is  of  the  best 
grade,  and  at  present  (1912)  he  is  erecting  a  new  modern  resi- 
dence, which  makes  his  home  ideal  in  every  respect. 

Albert  William  Luebchow,  one  of  the  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  ^Monroe  county,  was  born  in  Germany,  August 
6,  1866,  to  August  and  Louise  (Rehbein)  Luebchow.  When  four 
years  of  age,  he  ^\ith  three  other  children  accompanied  his 
parents  to  America,  arriving  in  this  country  in  1870.  The  family 
located  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  where  they  made  their  home 
and  spent  their  lives,  the  d(^ath  of  the  father  occurring  in  1908, 
ancl  that  of  the  mother  in  1904.  They  had  a  family  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  three  are  now  living,  viz:  Albert  AVilliam, 
Frank  and  Jacob.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and 
a  devoted  Christian,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  owned  a  farm 
of  160  acres  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois. 

Albert  William  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  attending 
the  district  schools  and  assisting  in  the  farm  work.  When 
twenty-eight  years  old.  on  April  28,  1894,  he  was  married  at 
Tomah  to  ^liss  ]\Iinnie  Rasch.  Four  children  have  been  born 
to  them,  viz :  Hilda,  Emma,  George  and  Alice.  For  six  years 
after  his  marriage  ^Ir.  Luebchow  and  his  wife  resided  with  his 
parents.  In  1902  he  moved  to  the  city  of  Tomah  and  purchased 
and  ran  a  feed  barn,  and  after  remaining  here  a  short  time,  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  190  acres  in  section  eighteen,  Tomah  town- 
ship, where  he  moved  and  has  since  resided,  engaged  in  general 
farming,  and  carries  on  quite  an  extensive  dairy  business,  sup- 
]ilying  the  Tomah  creamery  with  a  large  amount  of  milk  and 
cream.  He  is  considered  one  of  the  most  thrifty  and  prosperous 
farmers  of  his  section ;  a  man  of  sterling  character,  faithful  in 
all  he  undertakes,  and  is  highly  esteemed  in  his  neighborhood. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  political  opinion,  and  although  he  has 
never  aspired  to  political  office,  he  has  served  three  years  as 
school  director  and  has  been  commissioner  of  public  highways. 
He  takes  a   counnendable  interest  in   all   public   affairs,   and  all 


788  IlISTOKY  OF  MONROE  ("OIXTY 

iiialtcrs  ])('rtainiii2:  1o  tlic  Ix'ttonncnt  of"  the  coniinunity  rooeive 
liis  licai'ty  suppoi'l. 

Fred  E.  Luethe,  oin-  uT  the  progrcssiN  c-  Janiiurs  oi^  Kidgeville 
townshi]),  was  l)()rn  in  Switzerland,  November  2,  1848.  and  is  the 
first  child  born  to  Jacob  and  Anna  Barbara  (Hertig)  Luethe. 
Mr.  Luethe  received  a  good  iinriiial  scliool  education  and  after 
spending  several  years  teaching  high  school  in  Switzerland,  he 
came  In  Wisconsin,  and  after  working  nine  months  on  a  farm 
in  Sheldon  township,  inirchascd  eighty  acres  of  land  in  that 
town.  He  Avas  married  to  .Mrs.  !\Iiiniie  Heitmann  (nee  Farner) 
in  1S84.  To  this  union  six  children  were  born,  namely:  Emma  P., 
Walter  J.,  Werner  ('.,  Dorothy  S.  B.,  Otto  F.  and  Ernst  A.  W. 
In  1886  they  moved  to  Norwalk,  where  ]\Ir.  Luethe  was  engaged 
in  the  sawmill   husiness  for  some  time. 

In  Septendjer.  1898,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in 
section  tAvenly-one  of  the  town  of  Kidgeville,  to  which  he  subse- 
quently added  eighty  acres,  owning  at  the  present  time,  220 
acres  Avhere  he  now  resides. 

lie  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  and  prominent  citizens 
of  Kidgeville  township,  and  has  made  many  valualde  improve- 
ments on  his  farm.  He  built  a  large  and  conunodious  barn, 
34  by  64  feet,  in  1898,  and  his  modern  twelve-room  residence 
was   erected   in    1899.   and   later   man>'   other  outbuildings. 

Mr.  lAiethe  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of  his  town, 
aiul  has  Ix-en  called  upon  to  fill  several  im])ortant  offices.  He 
has  been  rlei']\  of  llie  town  f(M'  1wciity-one  years,  school  treasurer 
for  twelve  years,  and  in  191):^  helped  to  organize  the  Norwalk 
Creamery  Company  of  which  he  lias  since  been  secretary.  He  is 
one  of  the  Avell-to-do  men  of  his  town,  public  spirited  and  infiu- 
eutial.  In  politics  he  adheres  to  tlie  jirinciples  of  the  Republican 
party,  while  in  religious  matters  he  and  his  wife  and  children  are 
mendiers   of  the   German    Evangelical   chun-h. 

Appleton  N.  Maltby,  post  master  at  Oakdale.  Wis.,  was  born 
October  16,  1840.  in  Dekalb  county,  Indiana.  His  parents.  Noah 
and  .Jane  (Coleman)  Maltl)y.  wiM-e  natives  of  New  York  state, 
liaving  been  born  in  Oneida  county.  They  came  west  to  Indiana 
in  1838,  and  after  a  residence  there  of  ten  years,  moved  to 
Illinois  in  1S4S.  and  in  isr)2  went  to  Iowa,  and  in  1860,  they  came 
to  Tomah.  Wis.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  and  for 
many  years  was  express  agent  at  Tomah.  The  father  later  went  to 
Greeley,  Colo.,  where  he  died  in  1S99.  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years.  The  molhei-  |)asse(l  away  in  1S92.  They  reared  a  fajiiily 
of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  li\ing. 


BIOGRAPHY  789 

Appletoii  N.  reccixcd  his  ('(lucatioii  in  the  coiniiion  schools  of 
"^luliaiia  and  Iowa,  and  in  1859  came  to  Tomah  and  Tor  thirty 
vears  was  employed  in  the  saw  mills.  ?Ie  was  married  on 
"^^eeember  27.  18H2,  to  J\Iiss  Clemy  I.  Baker,  daughter  of  Enoch 
Baker,  an  old  and  highly  respected  citizen,  who  came  from  Wash- 
ington county.  New  York,  and  settled  in  Oakdalc  lownsliip,  in 
1855.  ^Irs.  ]\Ialtby  is  the  oidy  surviving  mend)ei"  of  a  family 
of  three  children,  and  at  the  death  of  her  father  inherited  200 
acres  of  land  near  the  village  of  Oakdale.  IMr.  and  Mrs.  Maltby 
have  one  daughter,  Leah,  born  August  25,  18H(>,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  J.  N.  AYeloby. 

Mr.  Maltby  was  ai)pointed  postmaster  of  Oakdale  in  1897, 
and  is  still  the  incundient.  lie  lias  held  the  office  of  town  clerk 
for  six  years,  and  for  eight  years  has  been  treasurei-  of  his  school 
district.  He  is  now  rc^tired  from  a<'tive  business,  except  the 
duties   of  postmaster. 

On  August  7,  1862,  at  Tomah,  he  enlisted  in  company  D, 
twenty-fifth  regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  His  regiment  Avas  sent  to  jMinnesota 
during  the  Indian  Massacre,  afterwards  returning  to  La  Crosse, 
and  in  February.  1868.  was  ordered  to  Columbus,  Ky.,  and  from 
there  to  Yicksburg,  and  took  part  in  the  siege  of  that  <'ity,  and 
the  capture  of  Helena,  Ark.  He  was  Avith  Sherman  on  his  march 
to  the  sea  and  lat(M'  his  regiment  Avas  transferred  to  tlie  army 
of  Tennessee.  At  the  battle  of  Atlanta,  his  company  Av<^nt  into 
the  engagement  A\'ith  thirty-four  guns  and  came  out  Avith  seA^en- 
teen.  He  Avas  honorably  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C,  in 
1865.  In  fraternal  matters.  INIr.  ]\Ialtby  is  a  member  of  the 
i\Iasonic  order,  and  Henry  W.  Cressy  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Tomah. 

F.  E.  Markgraf^''.  The  parents  of  F.  E.  Markgraf,  Frederick 
and  Anna  (ITmbright)  ^larkgraf,  came  to  America  from  Ger- 
many in  the  early  fifties  Avith  a  family  of  tAvo  children.  After 
tAvo  years  spent  at  ]\Iadison,  Wis.,  they  moA^ed  to  the  tOAvn  of 
Sheldon  in  Monroe  county,  Avhere  the  father  purchased  a  small 
farm,  Avhicli  he  afterAvards  sold  and  purchased  820  acres  of  AAdld 
land  in  sections  ten,  three  and  elcA^en  of  the  same  toAvn,  and  there 
established  a  family  home  and  commenced  the  life  of  a  farmer  in 
the  then  ucav  country.  With  no  capital  but  his  native  ability, 
in  a  Avilderness  without  settlement,  and  markets  and  trading  posts 
a  long  Avay  off,  and  the  only  means  of  transportation  an  ox  team, 
here  he  built  a  small  log  house,  and  as  there  Avere  no  shingles  or 
roofing  to  be  had.  bed  sheets  Avere  substituted  for  the  roofing 
Avhich  sufficed  until  a  better  one  could  be  procured.     There  the 


790  HISTORY  OF  :M0XR0E  COUNTY 

family  lived  for  six  years,  w  hen  a  larger  and  better  log  house  was 
eonstrueted,  wliidi  they  afterward  occupied  for  twenty  years. 
Mr.  Markgraf  set  diligently  to  work  clearing  and  cultivating  his 
land,  and  from  a  sickly  calf  iiresciilcd  lo  him.  he  commenced  the 
raising  of  stock  which  resulted  in  the  successful  breeding  and 
the  building  up  of  a  large  herd  of  Durham  cattle,  with  which  he 
in  later  years  kept  the  farm  Avell  supplied.  In  those  early  days 
wild  game  was  plentiful  and  the  family  relied  on  the  deer  for 
their  meat  sui)ply.  ^Mr.  ]\Iarkgraf,  Sr.,  was  in  every  way  a  suc- 
cessful farmer,  a  model  citizen,  and  well  informed  on  almost  any 
subject.  In  ])olitics  he  w^as  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  matters 
affiliated  with  the  German  Evangelical  chun  h.  Tu  this  family 
there  were  twelve  children,  of  whom  two  sons  and  four  daughters 
are  now  living.  Prior  to  the  death  of  the  father  he  sold  his  farm 
to  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  slvetdi.  Ills  wife,  mothei-  of  our 
subject,  is  also  deceased. 

F.  E.  Markgraf  Avas  born  in  the  town  of  Sheldon.  July  20. 
1862,  and  had  the  advantages  of  the  district  schools  until  his 
fifteenth  year.  He  assisted  in  the  management  of  his  father's 
farm  until  he  purchased  it.  He  cleared  100  acres,  and  following 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  has  brought  it  from  a  wild  to  a 
highly  cultivated  state,  and  with  the  substantial  residence,  barns 
and  other  outbuildings,  makes  it  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Sheldon 
township.  Besides  general  farming,  ]\Ir.  ]\larkgraf  is  a  breeder 
of  Durham  cattle,  high  grade  hogs  and  sheep,  and  his  farm  is 
well  sui)plied  with  modern  equipments. 

He  was  married  at  AVatertown,  AVis.,  to  Aliss  Tillie  Osbreich. 
daughter  of  "William  and  E.  O.  Osbreich.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, viz:  Elma.  born  February  26,  1890;  Louis,  born  INIarch  4. 
1895,  and  Ada,  born  April  24,  1897. 

David  C.  Marten",  whose  parents,  David  F.  and  Caroline 
(Link)  Marten,  were  early  pioneers  of  Wilton,  ]\Ionroe  county, 
owns  a  nice  farm  of  160  acres  in  sections  four  and  nine  of  AVilton 
township.  He  was  born  here  on  Fe])ruary  22,  1868,  and  attended 
school  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old  and  for  several  years  after- 
ward, worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  his  neighborhood.  On  November 
23,  1898,  he  was  married  in  the  town  of  Oakdale.  to  Aliss  Anu^lia 
Rogge,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Johanna  Rogge.  She  was  the 
sixth  child  of  a  family  of  nine  children  and  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools.  I\[r.  and  JMrs.  ]\Iarten  have  two  children,  l-j-nia 
Caroline,  born  Septem])er  19,  1899.  and  Elba  Heui-y.  boi-n  ."\I;ircli 
18,  1903. 

David  F.  Marten  came  to  America  in  1857,  two  vears  after  his 


BIOGRAPHY  791 

brother  came,  and  settled  in  Monroe  county.  David  worked  as  a 
farm  laborer  for  a  while,  then  bought  eighty  acres  in  section 
three,  in  the  town  of  AVilton,  and  lived  there  until  he  died  on 
August  22,  1905.  Tliey  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  living.  He  was  a  hard  working  man  and  good  citizen, 
and  in  acquiring  his  beautiful  liome,  he  passed  through  the  trials 
and  hardships  of  the  pioneer,  and  at  his  death,  left  his  widow 
and  family  in  comfortable  circumstances.  Mrs.  jMarten  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years. 

Our  subject  is  a  successful  farmer  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
the  dairy  business;  he  keeps  the  best  grade  of  stock  and  uses  the 
latest  methods  in  his  management  of  the  farm.  In  1901  he 
built  a  nice  barn  and  in  1898  built  his  residence,  with  which  his 
other  buildings  correspond.  He  is  independent  in  his  political 
views  and  they  are  devoted  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Frank  Mashak*  is  another  one  of  the  wide-awake  and  pro- 
gressive men  of  Portland  township,  and  is  the  son  of  Frank  J. 
and  Razy  (Sleider)  jMashak,  natives  of  Poland  and  Bohemia 
respectively.  The  father  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
parents  when  he  was  nine  years  of  age  and  early  in  the  seventies 
he  located  on  a  farm  of  182  acres  in  section  seventeen,  Portland 
township,  Monroe  county,  where  our  subject,  Frank,  was  born 
October  9.  1877.  When  the  father  settled  on  his  farm,  it  was  all 
wild  land  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  which  he 
cleared  and  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  improving 
the  farm  with  a  substantial  residence,  barns  and  other  outbuild- 
ings, and  here  made  his  home  until  1904,  when  he  moved  to  the 
village  of  Cashton,  where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mashak 
raised  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  which  our  subject  is  the 
third  in  order  of  birth.  The  others  are:  John,  of  Cashton;  Lena, 
the  wife  of  Jake  Konen,  resides  in  Washington  township,  La 
Crosse  county;  Razy  is  the  Avife  of  Albert  Marx  and  lives  at 
Cashton;  Vincent  lives  at  Melvina,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business;  Louis  and  Edward,  who  reside  in  Portland 
township. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  district  schools  and 
lived  on  the  home  farm,  assisting  in  the  farm  w^ork  until  1904, 
when  he  purchased  the  place,  which  he  has  since  carried  on  with 
marked  success.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying 
and  uses  all  the  improved  methods  in  his  operation. 

On  June  7,  1904,  Mr.  Mashak  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Amelia  Dagenhardt,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Katherine  Dagen- 
hardt,  of  St.  Mary's  Ridge,  Jefferson  township.     To  this  union 


7i)2  IIISTOHV  OK  .MONKOI-:  (OIXTY 

lias  been  Ixuii  live  ehildreii.  \i/.:  Ktliel.  (  larenee,  Raymond, 
Sylvester  iind  Li>rine.  ]Mi'.  .MasliMk  is  a  ijuhlic  spirited,  enter- 
prising eiti/eii.  ;iiid  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
town  and  county,  and  for  tlircie  years  lias  been  a  member  of  the 
town  boai'd.  Helijjionsly  he  and  liis  wife  ai'e  niendjers  of  the 
[Middle  l^idiic  Catholic  ehurcli. 

John  W.  Mashak'-',  son  of  Franl;  .1.  and  Ka/.y  (Sleider)  ^lashak, 
early  settlers  and  prosperons  citizens  of  iNIonroe  eounty,  was  born 
January  2r),  1812,  in  the  to\\ii  of  Portland.  Tie  attended  the  dis- 
triet  seliool  and  I'cniaincd  at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-three,  when  on  May  2:^.  ISi).").  he  niari'ied  in  La  Crosse 
county,  ^liss  ]\Iary  Coi-n.  one  of  a  family  of  ei«iht  (diildren.  Mr. 
and  i\lrs.  IMashak  have  two  children,  Joseph  and  Levi.  After  his 
marriage,  ilr.  Mashak  purchased  a  farm  of  215  acres,  where  he 
lived  for  five  years,  then  moved  into  the  village  of  Melvina  in 
Jefferson  township,  and  for  a  short  time  was  engaged  in  the 
saloon  business.  lie  erected  a  large  brick  business  building, 
which  is  now  owned  by  Tony  Pelzer.  After  disposing  of  his 
interests  in  Melvina,  ]\Ir.  Mashak,  in  1905,  moved  to  the  village 
of  Cashton  and  again  endiarked  in  the  saloon  business,  but  soon 
moved  from  his  first  location  to  one  near  the  dejiot.  and  after  one 
year,  re-purchased  his  first  saloou  and  has  since  operated  that. 

Besides  the  215-acre  farm  Avhich  he  owns,  he  purchased  in 
1906  another  farm  adjacent  to  the  village  of  Cashton,  which  he 
disposed  of  in  1!)(I7.  He  also  owns  considerable  property  in 
Cashton.  In  1911  lu^  went  into  the  automobile  business  and  now 
i-oiiducts  a  large  garage  whcic  he  does  all  kinds  of  automobile 
repairing  and  handles  the  sale  of  the  Jackson  autonu^bile.  and  is 
doing  a  si)lendid  business  in  this  line. 

Mr.  Mashak  is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  business  nuni 
of  Cashton.  public  spirited  and  progressive,  and  takes  a  com- 
nuMidable  interest  in  all  public  matters,  especially  in  those  of  his 
town  and  county.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  both  he 
and  his  es1inial)le  wife  ari'  mend)ers  of  the  Pine  Hollow  Catholic 
church. 

Vincent  Mashak'''  leading  hardware  nuM-chaid  at  [Melvina. 
^lonroe  count.w  ^Visconsin.  was  born  .\pril  14.  1S8:}.  and  is  ojie  of 
a  family  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  ai'c  now  living,  born 
to  Frank  and  Kazy  (Sleider)  [Mashak.  natives  of  Poland  and 
Bohemia  respectively;  both  are  now  living,  the  fornu>r  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two  and  the  latter  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Emigrating 
to  America,  the  father  started  life  as  a  poor  nmn,  locating  near 
[Melvina    in   "Monroe   county,    fortv  years  ago.     He   endured   the 


BIOGRAPHY  793 

.struggles  aiul  luii'dsliips  oi'  pioneer  life  in  ;i  new  eounlry,  and  by 
hard  work  and  perse\eranee  beeanie  the  owner  of  six  hundred 
aeres  of  huid,  niucli  of  whicli  was  in  its  wild  state.  He  was  ener- 
getic and  thrifty,  and  hrouglil  the  land  to  a  good  stale  of  cultiva- 
tion and  inii)roveinent  and  it  is  now  wortli  •i^lOO  pel'  acre.  He 
recently  removed  to  the  village  of  ("ashton,  where  he  now  lives  in 
retirement,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  many  years  of  activity 
and  toil. 

Vincent,  though  comparatively  a  young  man.  possesses  gooti 
business  judgment  and  is  i)rosperous  in  his  hardware  business. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  common  school,  which  he  at- 
tended nntil  sixteen  years  of  age,  then  for  three  years  was  em- 
ployed as  clerk  in  a  Cashton  store.  In  1905,  he  ])urchased  a  stock 
of  hardware  and  located  at  Melvina,  where  he  has  dealt  exten- 
sively in  general  hard-ware,  agricultural  impl(Miients.  gas  engines 
and  sanitary  dairy  nuichinery.  Besides  his  business  interests, 
]\Ir.  ]\Iashak  is  ((uite  an  extensive  owner  of  real  estate  in  ^lelvina. 

On  ]\Iay  8,  1907.  ]\Ir.  Mashak  w\as  married  to  Miss  Lizzie 
Seitz,  daughter  of  Anton  Seitz,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
two  children,  viz :  Earl  and  Alta  iNIashak.  In  politics,  Mr.  Mashak 
is  independent  in  thought  and  action,  and  in  religious  nuitters 
he  and  his  Avife  are  nuMubers  of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  church, 

Ellis  E.  Matteson,  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  ^\"isconsin,  is 
the  son  of  ]\iark  P.  and  Eliza  (Lock)  Matteson,  and  was  l)orn  in 
Little  Falls  township,  December  9,  1867.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Michigan  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Canada  in  1852.  They 
came  to  Wisconsin  with  their  family  and  settled  at  Hartford, 
Wis.,  moving  from  there  to  the  town  of  Little  Falls  near  Cataract, 
Avhere  the  father  purchased  a  farm  of  120  acres,  established  the 
family  home  and  rinirinl  his  family  and  lived  until  his  death  in 
1889.  He  was  a  successful  farmer,  and  as  a  man,  Avas  held  in 
high  esteem  and  respected  as  a  citizen  and  neighbor.  He  took 
a  keen  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  county  and  served 
on  the  town  board,  and  for  several  years  was  a  school  director. 
He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Fpisco})al  clnirch.  Th(\v  had  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  now  living,  viz:  ^Mrs.  Christenia  Hyslop. 
I\Irs.  Amy  Morgan,  D.  T.,  V.  M.,  A.  L..  and  Ellis  E. 

Reared  on  the  honu'  farm,  Kllis  E.  attended  tlu^  district  school 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  assisted  with  the  farm  work 
and  remained  at  home  until  he  attained  his  twenty-third  year. 
On  April  80,  1891,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  A.  Richardson, 
daughter  of  Joel  F.  and  ^lartha   ^F.  Richardson.     Thev  are  tlie 


794  HISTORY  OF  MONROP]  COUNTY 

l)areiits  of  three  eliiklrcii:  .Mabel  ('lairc,  horn  April  2H.  1892; 
Hazel  Bell,  horn  January  2G,  3894,  and  Forrest  Clyde,  horn  June 
20,  1897.  After  his  marriage.  ]\Ir.  Matteson  lived  on  the  home 
farm  until  1898,  when  he  moved  to  Black  River  Falls,  AVis., 
and  engaged  in  the  livery  husiness,  whieli  he  followed  for  four 
years.  Disposing  of  his  interests  here,  he  returned  to  ]\Ionroe 
county  in  1902  and  pui-diased  a  farm  of  110  acres  in  tlie  Leon 
valley,  and  has  since  made  this  his  home.  He  is  successfully 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stockraising  and  keeps  his  farm 
well  stocked  with  a  good  grade  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs;  he 
operates  an  extensive  dairy,  tlie  income  from  which  amounts  to 
ahout  $1,200  per  year.  Since  purchasing  his  present  farm,  he 
has  made  many  improvements,  erected  a  silo,  separator  house, 
etc.  He  is  known  as  one  of  the  progressive  and  i)ul)li('  spirited 
citizens  of  his  town,  employs  modern  methods  in  his  farming 
operations,  and  is  president  of  the  Leon  Valley  Creamery 
Association. 

E.  M.  McCann,  an  extensive  farmiM-  and  stock  raiser  of 
Monroe  county,  owns  a  farm  in  Wilton  townshiji.  wher*'  he 
resides.  He  was  born  April  12.  18G7.  in  the  town  of  AVilton,  the 
son  of  Patrick  and  ]\Iary  ]McCann,  both  natives  of  Ireland. 
Patrick  came  to  America  some  time  during  the  forties,  and  after 
stopping  for  a  short  time  in  New  York,  he  moved  to  Walworth 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  lie  was  married  ;iii<l  lived  for  several 
years,  then  moved  to  ]\Ionroe  county  and  bought  120  acres  of 
wild  land  and  set  to  work  to  establish  a  new  home,  and  after 
passing  through  the  usual  hardships  and  privations  of  the  early 
settler,  he  acquired  a  comfurtal)le  home,  whei'e  he  spent  the 
renminder  of  his  life  and  died  in  1893.  I  lis  widow  is  still  (1912') 
living.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  children,  six  of  Avhom  are 
living.  They  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  ami  .Mr. 
McCann 's  political  views  wei'e  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Edward  ^1..  our  sub.jecl.  was  the  second  youngest  of  the  fam- 
il\'  and  attended  school  luitil  he  was  eighteen,  living  at  home  until 
he  was  married.  Octobei-  12.  1892.  in  the  town  of  Wilton,  to  ]\Iiss 
]\Iary  Kerrigan,  daughter  of  •James  ami  ]\Iargaret  Kerrigan,  and 
one  of  a  family  of  tive  children,  three  of  whom  are  living.  They 
were  also  natives  of  Ireland  aiul  came  to  America  some  time  in 
the  fifties  and  settled  in  Walworth  county,  and  later,  in  1807. 
moved  to  Monroe  county,  where  the  father  bought  120  acres  of 
land  in  Ridgeville  township  and  made  their  home  for  sixteen 
years;  he  then  bought  160  acres  in  section  tweiily.  township  of 
Wilton,  and  was  at  the  time  ol'  his  death  in   190.')  an  extensive 


BIOGRAPHY  795 

land  owner.  Her  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  ]\IeCaun  have  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  living,  viz.:  James,  born  April  27,  1894;  Marie,  born  June  5, 
1896;  Cecilia,  born  December  12,  1900;  Lucy,  born  April  12,  1902; 
Edward,  born  October  12,  1904;  Mabel,  born  February  5,  1906, 
and  Laurence,  born  August  13,  1910. 

Mr.  McCann  is  a  successful  general  farmer  and  his  home  is 
ideal  in  every  respect.  He  keeps  the  best  grade  of  stock  and 
makes  a  specialty  of  dairying  with  a  herd  of  twenty-five  Holstein 
cows.  He  is  constantly  improving  his  farm  and  remodeling  his 
buildings ;  he  built  a  new  residence  in  1906  and  his  outbuildings 
correspond.  He  is  a  public  spirited  man ;  was  manager  of  the 
Farmers'  Creamery  Company,  of  Wilton,  for  ten  years  and  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Farmers'  Livestock  Association,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  of  the  Catholic  Order  of 
Foresters. 

John  McCann*  is  one  of  the  extensive  land  owners  of  Wilton 
township,  and  carries  on  the  dairy  business  on  a  large  scale.  He 
owns  seven  forty-acre  tracts  in  sections  twenty,  three  and  seven- 
teen, and  another  twenty  acres  in  section  twenty.  He  was  born 
November  17,  1858,  in  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin,  the  son  of 
Patrick  and  i\Iary  (Kerrigan)  McCann,  both  natives  of  Ireland. 
He  lived  at  home  on  the  farm  until  he  reached  his  majority,  and 
attended  school  up  to  his  twentieth  year.  After  his  school  days 
were  over,  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  on  his  own  account  for 
about  two  years,  and  then  bought  an  eighty-acre  tract  in  section 
tv/enty,  W^ilton  township.  He  was  married  in  Tomah,  Monroe 
county,  on  April  9,  1891,  to  Miss  Bridget  Cummings,  whose  people 
also  came  from  Ireland  in  an  early  day.  She  was  the  second  of 
a  family  of  four ;  her  parents  were  prosperous  farmers  and  highly 
respected ;  the  father  died  in  1874  and  the  mother  in  1900,  both 
members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Mr.  McCann  is  a  successful  general  farmer  and  well  liked  by 
his  neighbors.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  politics,  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  and  both  himself  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Thomas  H.  McConnelP,  who  is  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers 
in  LaGrange  township,  was  born  in  Green  county,  Wisconsin, 
January  31,  1856.  His  parents  were  James  and  Mary  (Dellears) 
McConnell,  both  natives  of  Wisconsin.  When  Thomas  was  nine 
years  of  age,  his  parents  moved  to  Walworth  county,  where  they 
made  their  home  and  spent  their  lives.     The  father  died  in  1909 


706  IllSTOKY  OF  .Mo.XKOE  COrXTY 

Ml    llic    aur    i>r   ciylily-oiic   years,   and    llu-    death    id'    llic    inothtM- 
t»e('urred  in  1!*()1   ;il  jdjoiit  sixty-eifrht  years. 

Tliomas  II.  attended  the  district  sehools  (d'  ins  lunne  town, 
and  was  employed  at  tarni  work.  Iui\inu  been  Ixmnd  ont  nntil  he 
reached  tlic  aye  of  eighteen,  lie  i-tnnained  in  Walworth  county 
until  he  became  of  aii'e,  and  then  for  a  time  resided  in  (Ii-een 
\'aney.  He  then  went  to  Dell  Rapids  in  188.'i.  where  he  purchased 
a  farm  t>f  KiO  acres,  built  a  residence  and  made  other  improve- 
ments. After  residin.ii'  here  for  nine  years,  lu*  returned  t(> 
AValworth  county  and  purchased  a  tine  farm  of  KiO  acres,  payiuir 
tiierefoi"  $10. 000.  Here  he  remained  for  ehn-en  years,  and  dis- 
posinjr  of  his  interests,  he.  in  190:1  moved  to  IMonroe  county  and 
puichased  his  pi'ese;i1  fai'ni  of  10(1  aci-es.  in  section  twenty-ei<rht. 
IjaGrangre  townshi]).  which  he  has  since  ini|>i'oved  witli  modern 
buildinsrs.  lie  carries  on  general  farming  and  the  place  is  well 
stocked  with  hiiili  y:rade  horses,  hojrs  ami  a  Hue  herd  of  full 
blooded  (iuernsey  cattle.  ]\Ir.  ]Mc('onnell  has  a  model  home,  which 
he  has  ac<piired  throuiih  his  tlii-ift  ami  siood  mana.irement.  and  is 
counted  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 

He  was  married  in  1881  to  ]\liss  ("lara  K.  Si)ensley.  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Eliza  Spensley,  of  AVal worth  county.  Wisconsin. 
They  have  three  children,  viz.:  Robert  Y...  at  home:  Charles  H.. 
a  student  in  the  rniversity  of  Wisconsin,  and  Clitford  R. 
]\Ie('onnell. 

Eruce  E.  McCoy  is  of  Scotch  ancestry  and  is  i)roud  of  belon^r- 
ing  to  a  race  of  piomn'i-s.  He  was  born  in  western  New  York  in 
1829.  when  the  stage  coach  and  canal  were  the  only  means  of 
travel.  His  father.  Jesse  ]\Ic('oy.  in  1844.  came  with  his  family 
to  Racine  county.  \Yisconsin.  via  the  Great  Lakes  from  ^Monroe 
county.  New  York,  and  settled  on  the  naked  prairie,  when  the 
country  was  devoid  of  roads  and  bridsres,  farm  l)uildinjrs,  school 
houses  and  the  i-onveiiiences  of  civilization.  It  took  four  years 
of  work  in  the  woods  in  wintei-,  prairie  breaking  in  summer, 
house  and  barn  building  in  the  new  home  l)ef(n-e  the  town  of 
Mount  Pleasant  ])oasted  of  a  schoolhoiise.  which  was  built  mostly 
by  private  subsci'ipl  ion.  This  school  was  built  and  conducted  on 
the  okl  plan  of  seats  artuind  the  outside,  teacher  boarding  aroun*; 
and  parents  furnishing  wood  and  jiaying  the  teacher  ])ro  rata  for 
their  children.  He  becanu'  the  first  teacher  at  a  salary  of  -I^IO  ]ier 
month,  and  foi-  seven  yeai-s  continued  to  teach  in  winter  and  woi-k 
on  the  farm  in  the  summer.  He  was  elected  and  served  as  town 
superintendent  of  scluxd  for  three  years.  He  helped  in  organizing 
the  Racine  County  Agricultural  Society  and  became  its  first  sec- 


BRUCE   E.    m'cOY 


BIOGRAPHY  797 

retary.  In  1864  lie  was  elected  chairman  ul  his  town  upon  war 
issues  and  immediately  organized  and  was  elected  captain  of 
company  G,  forty-third  regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  infan- 
try, being  mustered  at  IMilwaukee.  He  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Johnsonville  and  Nashville  and  later  was  detailed  as  judge 
advocate  of  a  military  commission,  with  headquarters  at 
Murpheysborough,  Tenn.,  and  so  continued  until  his  regiment  was 
mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

On  his  return  from  the  war  he  was  married  to  Miss  S.  Allouva 
Bowker.  daughter  of  Abram  Bowker,  also  a  pioneer  settler,  and 
due  to  ill  health  sold  his  farm  and  went  into  the  milling  business 
at  Kenosha,  Wis.  In  1868,  he,  with  W.  L.  Hughes,  purchased  the 
La  Fayette  mill  at  La  Fayette,  Monroe  county,  and  continued  its 
operation  until  it  was  washed  away  completely  in  the  great  flood 
of  ]\Iarch  1876.  During  this  time  the  pine  forests  in  towns  of 
La  Faj^ette  and  Greenfield  were  being  cut  and  the  mill  furnished 
the  flour  and  feed  for  the  Parmlee,  Wilsonville,  Tester  and  Bacon 
sawmills.  He  also  furnished  about  10,000  railroad  ties  and  5,000 
cords  of  wood  annually  for  the  Chicago.  IMilwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  at  La  Fayette  Station  (since  discontinued). 

About  500  Winnebago  Indians  made  their  summer  camping 
ground  at  La  Fayette,  and  his  l)usiness  relations  with  them  were 
always  pleasant  and  no  difficulties  ever  arose,  nor  did  he  ever 
loose  any  money  by  trusting  them. 

He  was  chairman  of  the  towni  of  La  Fayette  during  five  years 
of  his  eight  years'  residence  there.  He  opposed  the  bonding  of 
the  to'\\n  for  4-4,000  to  secure  the  building  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railway  from  Elroy  to  Sparta,  and  wnth  others  suc- 
ceeded in  cutting  the  bond  issue  to  $2,000.  He  was  the  lone  mem- 
ber of  the  county  board  of  supervisors  to  oppose  the  selling  of 
$31,000  of  tax  certificates  to  George  Runkle  for  10  cents  on  the 
dollar,  and  taking  the  brunt  of  the  bitter  grafting  opposition,  filed 
his  written  protest  on  l)ehalf  of  tlie  town  of  La  Fayette,  and  event- 
ually recovered  from  the  county,  foi-  the  town,  the  face  value, 
dollar  for  dollar,  of  all  hn  Fayette  tax  certificates  so  sold. 

On  the  complete  loss  of  his  La  Fayette  mill  in  1876  he  bought 
The  depot  mill  in  Sparta,  wdiich  was  burned  in  January,  1878.  He 
immediately  rebuilt  the  present  standing  mill,  which  three  years 
later  he  sold  to  Peter  jMiller.  and  later,  with  Lyman  Newberry 
and  others,  joined  in  developing  a  silver  mine  in  Colorado,  in  a 
new  camp,  to  which,  at  that  time,  both  the  Rock  Island  and  the 
Union  Pacific  railroads  were  extending  their  lines.  Simultane- 
ously both  roads  sto]iped  their  work  and  the  camp  was  a  failure. 


798  IIISTOKY  OF  .MOXKOE  COFXTY 

Just  boforo  iroino;  "dead  bi-oko"  lie  and  Henry  Foster  and  others 
took  a  hand  in  townsite  l)nildin.ii-.  went  into  North  Dakota,  took 
up  lioiaesteads  on  the  l)anks  of  a  fine  lake,  in  what  is  now 
]M('Intosh  eounty,  then  nnsnrveyed  except  into  townships,  and  on 
a  line  of  what  they  believed  a  railroad  snrvey  northwest  from 
Aberdeen  would  take.  They  surveyed  a  village  plat  for  a  county 
seat,  jj:ave  away  lots  to  all  who  would  l)uild  on  thcni.  had  a  nice 
country  town,  but  when  the  looked-for  railroad  came  the  railway 
station  was  e.stablished  four  miles  away,  and  the  villajjers  moved 
their  houses  antl  the  county  seat  over  to  it.  About  this  time  he 
bought  the  Sparta  l)('iiiocrat  of  1-5.  W.  Perry,  and  the  Sparta 
Advertiser  off  F.  A.  Brown,  and  consolidated  tliem  into  one 
plant.  lie  was  the  editor  and  pul)lisher  of  the  ^Monroe  County 
Democrat  for  ten  years,  advoeatin.ii-  honesty  in  politics,  as  well 
as  in  personal  matters,  ludividual.  i-ather  than  class  development 
in  our  schools,  integrity  rathei*  than  policy  for  success  in  every- 
day life,  state  riiihts  as  aiiain.st  a  stronger  central  o:overnment, 
a  l)r()a(ler  patriotism  as  against  the  selfishness  of  ])artisanship 
and  of  secret  societies. 

After  selling  fne  ^lonroe  County  Democrat  in  180."),  he 
gave  much  of  his  time  to  the  development  of  outlot  125.  on 
which  the  Gillman  mill  stands,  and  other  real  estate  transactions 
in  Texas  and  Old  ]\Iexico. 

He  cast  his  first  vote  at  the  time  the  old  Democratic  party  was 
selling  our  ])ublic  domain  at  $1.25  per  acre  and  was  plotting  to 
make  slavery  national  instead  of  sectional.  His  vote  was  against 
both  these,  and  he  continued  a  loyal  Republican  up  to  the  time  it 
resumed  specie  payment,  and  later  demonitized  silver  and  began 
its  crusade  for  a  greater  centralization  of  ])olitical  jiowei-  iu  the 
general  government. 

In  1881  he  bought  his  present  home,  corner  F.ast  Oak  and 
Fast  avenue,  where  his  sons.  Robert  and  Clark,  grew  to  manhood, 
and  from  where  he  buried  his  wife  in  1893,  and  his  son,  Clark. 
in  1907. 

Iu  191(1  the  fii'st  lai-ge  maneu\-ei'  caiiii)  of  10.000  federal  and 
state  troops,  under  command  of  (leiieial  Hodges.  T.  S.  A.,  was 
stationed  on  tlie  I'nited  States  military  reservation  in  the  town  of 
La  Fayette  and  in  his  honor  was  immed  "Camj)  Bruce  E.  ^IcCoy." 
In  1912  encamjunent  was  similarly  so  named,  and  both  the 
Chicago.  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  ami  the  Chicago  «&; 
Northwestern  Railway  have  named  the  railway  station  in 
La  Fayette  "McCoy." 


BIOGRAPHY  799 

The  last  seventeen  years  his  lionie  has  been  in  the  family  of 
his  son,  Robert. 

David  G.  McCray,  wlio  has  lived  in  Monroe  eonnty  for  more 
than  a  half  a  centnry,  is  one  of  that  class  of  stnrdy,  enterprising 
men  Avho  have  not  only  witnessed,  bnt  have  also  had  an  important 
part  in  the  work  of  transforming-  the  connty  from  a  state  of  com- 
parative wilderness  to  its  present  high  place  among  the  banner 
comities  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Warren  connty,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Angnst  27,  1833,  the  son  of  James  and  Clinda  INIcCray. 
jMr.  McCray  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1855  and  first  settled  at  Sandy 
Bay,  Kewannee  connty,  and  here  remained  nntil  1867,  when  he 
removed  to  Little  Falls  township,  in  Monroe  connty,  and  pur- 
chased 120  acres  of  wild  land,  which  he  improved  and  brought  to 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Besides  being  engaged  in  general 
farming,  he  makes  a  specialty  of  fruit,  and  is  the  largest  grower 
of  apples  and  small  fruits  in  the  town  of  Little  Falls.  A 
Republican  in  political  opinion,  he  takes  an  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  his  party  and  while  he  has  never  sought  political  preferment, 
he  has  filled  the  office  of  school  clerk  for  seventeen  years. 

Mr.  IMcCray  was  u.nited  in  marriage  in  1857  with  ]\Lss  Esther 
A.  Lane,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Clara  Lane,  residents  of 
Kewaunee.  Of  a  family  of  eight  children  born  to  this  union,  four 
are  now  living:  Edgar  C,  Reuben  C,  May  M.  and  Martha  E. 
IMcCray. 

Eugene  McGary,  president  of  the  village  of  Norwalk.  and  life- 
long resident  of  IMonroe  county,  was  born  in  Ridgeville  town- 
ship, October  17,  1854.  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children  born 
to  Seluim  and  Elvira  (Fox)  INIcGary.  Of  their  other  children, 
Frances  married  Norman  Record,  of  Sparta,  Wis. ;  Isabelle  is  the 
wife  of  George  Wood,  of  Baraboo,  Wis. ;  Nora  is  the  wife  of  John 
Kier,  also  resides  at  Baraboo ;  Josephine  is  the  wife  of  W.  B. 
Kendalls,  and  lives  in  Chicago.  111.,  and  Jessie  is  Mrs.  B.  L.  Bond, 
of  Elroy.  Wis.  Seluim  McGary  was  the  son  of  Thomas  McGary,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life;  his  son,  Seluim,  was  born  here.  Seluim. 
with  his  wife,  were  among  the  early  pioneers  of  Wisconsin,  having 
settled  in  Oil  City,  in  Monroe  county,  in  the  early  forties,  where 
he  secured  employment  by  the  month  in  the  lumber  mill  of  the 
late  Esau  Johnson.  After  one  year  thus  spent,  he  took  up  a 
Government  claim  of  160  acres  of  land  in  section  twenty-eight, 
Ridgeville  township,  near  where  the  village  of  Norwalk  is  now 
located  and  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  Jnlv  17,  1910.  in  his  eightieth  vear.     The  death  of  his 


800  niSTOKV  OF  :\IONROE  C'OT'XTY 

wife,  inotljiT  ol:'  our  .subject,  occ-urre'd  FL-ljniary  4,  1908.  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years.  He  was  of  tliat  numerous  class  of 
sturdy  men  who  were  ins1ruiH<Mital  in  l)rin«iin.tz'  jdxnit  tlie  won- 
derful ehanffes  that  have  heen  wioimlil  in  1  ransl'oi-minii'  that  part 
of  Monroe  eouiily.  Wisconsin,  troin  a  state  of  eonipai-ative  wilder- 
ness 1o  ils  present  fruitful  and  fertile  condition,  as  one  of  the 
garden  spots  of  tlie  state.  Tlii-ouuli  his  industi'y  the  farm  was 
bronght  to  a  high  state  of  cnltivjilion.  and  with  the  fine  improve- 
ments he  made,  was  one  of  the  iiuxhd  farms  of  the  county.  lie 
was  an  inHuential  citizen  in  the  comnuinit\'.  a  man  of  intelligence 
who  was  in  sympathy  witli.  and  ready  to  lentl  a  helping  hand  in 
every  worthy  enterprise  intended  for  the  betterment  of  the  eom- 
niuiiil\.  Dui'ing  liis  active  life  he  heUl  several  local  otifices.  and 
when  the  village  of  Norwalk  was  incorporated  he  became  its  first 
president.  'JMie  business  life  of  Mr.  IMcGary  furnished  a  notable 
exam]>le  of  what  may  be  accomjilished  by  energy  and  resolution. 
when  guided  by  honorable  principles  and  aided  by  agreeable  per- 
sonal characteristics:  he  was  in  truth  a  successful  business  man. 
and  his  actions  in  ail  his  transactions  were  marked  by  scrupu- 
lously fair  dealing,  frankness  and  kindness  and  faith  in  the  better 
side  of  human  nature.  Of  his  two  brothers.  Thomas  was  a  soldiei- 
in  the  Civil  War.  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  and 
Henry  died  in  1898. 

Eugene  IMcGary  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm,  and  obtained 
his  education  in  tlie  public  schools  while  assisting  in  the  farm 
work.  He  has  resided  on  the  homestead  all  his  life,  and  when  his 
father  became  incai)acitated  and  inactive  he  assumed  full  man- 
agement, and  at  the  death  of  his  father  inherited  the  farm.  Uo 
carries  on  general  farming  and  does  considera])lc  dairying,  in 
which  he  is  generally  successful,  and  with  liis  inodern  residence, 
which  he  erected  in  1910.  overlooking  the  village  of  Xorwalk. 
commodious  barns  and  outbuildings,  his  is  one  of  the  model,  com- 
fortable homes  of  the  county.  He  takes  a  commendable  interest 
in  all  public  matters  ami  has  served  as  president  of  the  village  of 
Norwalk  in  all  ten  years;  his  last  term  of  service  extending  con- 
tiiniously  over  a  period  of  seven  years.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  ]\lod(M'ii  AVoodmcn  of 
America. 

As  a  man.  ]\lr.  Mc(iary  is  well  thought  of  in  the  connuunity; 
has  always  shown  himself  capable  and  trustworthy  in  any  jilace 
he  has  l)een  called  to  till,  and  no  man  enjoys  more  public  confi- 
dence and  esteem. 

On  March  4.  1877.  Mr.  ]\IcGai-v  was  united  in  marriage  with 


BIOGRAPHY  801 

Miss  Lydia  Sour,  daughter  of  David  Sour,  one  of  the  prominent 
and  successful  citizens  of  Cole's  valley,  Monroe  county.  They 
have  an  interesting  family  of  five  children,  viz. :  Mabel,  Anna, 
Harold,  Lester  and  Clayton  McGary. 

Lucien  A.  McWithey,  son  of  Tilly  Gilbert  and  Betsy  Maria 
(Blyton)  McAVithey,  was  born  November  9,  1831.  Through  his 
father  and  mother,  he  inherited  the  strong  and  independent  char- 
acteristics of  a  Scotch-English  race,  from  which  his  parents  both 
descended.  The  McWithey  and  Blyton  families  were  natives  of 
Kentucky  and  Vermont  respectively;  the  father,  Tilly  G.,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  son  of  Isaac  McWithey,  who  came 
from  Scotland,  the  land  of  his  nativity,  to  New  York,  and  sub- 
sequently moved  to  Ohio,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  Tilly  G.  McWhithey  was  the  fourth  of  a  family  of  eight 
children.  Ithimer,  Stephen,  Charles  G.,  Tilly  G.,  James,  Jemimah, 
Sarah  and  Caroline.  Betsey  JMaria  Blyton  McWhithey  was  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz:  Polly,  Christopher, 
William,  Elijah,  Russell,  John,  Thomas  and  Betsey  Maria  Blyton. 
Thomas  Blyton,  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a 
native  of  England;  he  came  to  the  state  of  New  York  early  in 
the  nineteenth  century  and  was  the  father  of  John  Blyton,  the 
inventor.  The  wife  of  Thomas  Blyton  was  Nellie  Sharp,  and  the 
maiden  name  of  the  wife  of  Isaac  McWithey  was  Katherine 
Sharp.  Tilly  G.  McWithey  was  born  March  19,  1800,  and  died 
October  27,  1878.  He  married  Betsey  Maria  Blyton  March  8, 
1826.  She  was  born  September  17,  1812,  and  died  November 
1,  1894. 

Mr.  McWithey,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  second 
child  of  a  family  of  eight  children  born  to  his  parents  as  follows : 
James  D.,  born  February  29,  1829,  is  deceased;  Lucian  A.,  born 
November  9,  1831 ;  Thomas  A.,  deceased,  born  January  10,  1834 ; 
Julia  A.,  born  February  11,  1836 ;  Henry  E.,  born  August  6,  1838 ; 
Lucy  A.,  born  April  7,  1840;  Elbert  P.,  and  Adelbert  P.,  twins, 
born  April  11,  1847.  Mr.  McWithey  was  united  in  marriage 
October  16,  1861,  to  Miss  Ophelia  Smith,  of  Sparta,  daughter  of 
John  M.  and  Experience  Forsythe  Smith,  natives  of  New  Med- 
ford,  Ct.,  and  Owego,  Tioga  county,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  McWithey 
Avas  born  at  Owego,  and  her  mother  was  born  on  a  farm  near  that' 
place.  John  M.  Smith  was  employed  for  many  years  as  foreman 
in  a  carding  mill ;  they  later  moved  to  Cattaraugus  county, 
locating  for  a  time  at  Farmersville.  In  1855  they  came  to  Wis- 
consin and  were  among  the  pioneers  to  take  up  land  in  Leon 
township,  Monroe  county,  which  they  improved  and  brought  to 


802  IIISTOKV  (»K  .MOXKM)!-:  COINTY 

;i  liijrh  state  of  eultivatinn,  and  liorc  remained  tin-  Ijalauce  of  their 
lives.  lie  was  oiic  of  tlu'  succi'ssfiil  and  intlueutial  citizens  of 
Jiis  township  and  passed  a\\a.\  -lanuary  12.  1864,  aged  fifty-eight 
years.  Ilis  widow,  mother  ol'  .Mrs.  .McAVitliey,  wiio  was  a  wo)nan 
of  many  domestic  virtnes,  survived  until  Dec('nd)er  (5,  1883,  wlicn 
she  died  at  the  age  of  sevcuty-scvcn  years.  They  luid  a  family 
of  seven  children,  vi/ :  William  Henry,  deceased;  Freelove, 
deceased:  Alva  L. :  .John  J.:  Charles  E. :  Ophelia  and  Frank  W., 
deceased.  .\lva  L.  and  -lolui  •).  Smjih  are  residents  of  Farmer's 
valley,  lliis  countx'.  and  (  harles  K..  resides  at  Bloomer,  Chij)- 
pewa  eouni\.  Wis.  The  ancestors  of  the  Smith  family  were 
of  Welrli  (nigin  :  John  Smith,  father  of  John  jM.  Smith  and  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  ]McAVithey.  was  horn  April  5,  1773;  His  wife, 
grandmother  of  ]\lrs.  ]\IeWithey.  Avhose  maiden  name  was 
Ophelia  Smith,  was  liorn  June  15,  1774.  Their  children  were 
Anna.  l)orn  ]\Iay  10,  1775;  Edward  F..  born  March  27,  1797; 
Athalia,  born  November  18,  1798;  Electa,  born  June  15,  1800; 
Asemath,  born  January  18,  1802;  Tliursa  il.,  born  December  26, 
1803;  John  M..  father  of  :\Irs.  McWithey,  born  December  28, 
1805;  Sylvia,  born  in  Deceml)er,  1807;  Esther,  born  June  22, 
1809;  ■William  H.,  born  April  16,  1812.  and  Eliza,  born  July 
24.  1815. 

p]lisha  Forsythe.  matei'nal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  McWithey 
■was  born  September  10,  1773 ;  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Freelove  Parks,  was  born  September  17,  1775.  He  was  the  son 
of  Jonathan  Forsythe.  whose  father  was  a  full-blooded  Scotch- 
man aiul  a  native  of  Edinburgli.  The  children  of  Elisha  and 
Freelove  Park  Forsythe  were  Katherine,  born  September  18, 
1795;  George,  born  July  2.  1798;  Elisha.  l)orn  February  14.  ISOl  ; 
Azar,  born  October  17.  1803:  Experience,  mother  of  ]\Irs. 
]\IcWithey,  born  Septembei-  17,  1806:  Gilbert,  born  October  4. 
1808,  and  Eldridge,  born  August  5,  1812.  :\Ir.  and  ^Irs.  :\rcAVithey 
had  one  daughter,  a  young  lady  of  much  ])romise.  born  August 
14,  1867.  and  who  died  October  12.  1887. 

Lucian  A.  ^McAVithey  was  reared  on  a  farm,  receiving  his 
education  in  the  district  schools.  After  leaving  home,  his  first 
employment  was  that  of  clerk  in  a  hotid.  On  (October  7,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  company  A,  third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  and  served  as 
corporal  for  nearly  three  years.  His  regiment  Avas  detailed  for 
frontier  service  and  engaged  in  bushwhacking  on  the  border  line 
of  ^Missouri,  Kansas,  Indian  Territory  and  later  Arkansas. 
Returning  to  Kansas,  he  was  located  at  Fort  Scott,  Fort  Leaven- 
worth and  Troy.    During  his  service  his  eyesight  became  impaired 


BIOGRAPHY  803 

from  the  effects  of  dust  encountered  on  the  frontier,  from  wliicli 
his  sight  has  never  fully  recovered.  After  his  discharge  in  1864, 
he  returned  home,  and  for  some  time  was  totally  blind.  After 
receiving  expert  treatment  at  Milwaukee,  which  partially  restored 
his  vision,  he  returned  to  Sparta,  and  for  some  years  was  engaged 
in  distributing  wheat  and  Hour  with  his  fine  team  of  horses  for 
the  Angelo  mill,  until  this  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  after 
it  was  rebuilt,  and  until  the  second  mill  was  burned;  he  then 
with  the  aid  of  his  wife  and  daughter,  opened  a  variety  store 
in  the  city  of  Sparta.  He  first  came  to  Wisconsin  with  his  father 
and  f amil}^  in  1849  and  located  in  Dane  county,  but  soon  thereafter 
returned  to  his  native  state.  In  1858  he  again  came  to  AVisconsin 
and  settled  at  Sparta,  which  has  since  been  his  home.  He  states 
that  in  1851  Sparta  had  but  a  single  log  house  which  stood  where 
the  public  library  now  stands.  He  with  his  estimable  wife,  are 
members  of  the  First  Congregational  church.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  John  AY.  Lynn  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  while  she  is  a  member  of  the 
AV.  C.  T.  U.,  Congregational  Missionary  Society,  and  the  Ladies 
Auxiliary  G.  A.  R.,  and  the  Happy  Ten. 

On  October  16,  1911,  Air.  and  Airs.  AIcAVithey  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding,  and  entertained  100  guests  during  the  day 
and  evening.  They  were  remarried  by  Rev.  Harding  R.  Hogan 
at  2  :30  p.  m.,  under  practically  the  same  weather  conditions  as 
those  of  fifty  years  before.  Among  the  presents  was  a  gold-headed 
cane  to  ^Mr.  AIcAVithey  from  the  John  AA^  Linn  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

B.  W.  Mee,  who  now  owns  240  acres  of  choice  valley  land  in 
section  twenty-five,  township  seventeen,  one  west,  has  been  for 
years  one  of  the  most  extensive  real  estate  owners  in  Alonroe 
county,  where  he  was  born  November  7,  1864,  the  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Alargret  Alee,  natives  of  England  and  Scotland.  They  came 
to  America  in  1845,  and  first  located  in  Racine  county,  but  during 
the  year  1855  moved  to  Monroe  county  and  homesteaded  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Tomah,  now  a  part  of  our  subject's  present  farm, 
and  here  passed  their  lives.  The  father  died  in  1882.  He  was 
a  tailor  by  trade,  and  as  a  pioneer,  experienced  the  ups  and 
downs  of  those  days,  and  after  struggling  the  while  through  hard 
work  and  perseverance,  he  acquired  suificient  means  to  make 
their  last  days  comfortable  and  enjoyed  the  highest  esteem  of 
their  neighbors.  Airs.  Alee  was  born  in  St.  Andrews,  County  Fife, 
Scotland,  in  Jime,  1826,  and  died  at  her  home  in  Tomah  on 
Alarch  15,  1910.  Air.  Alee  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years  in  Tomah.  They  were 
devoted  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 


804  HISTORY  (JF  MOXROP]  COUNTY 

I).  AV.  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  neighborhood  up  to 
his  fifteentli  year,  lived  at  home  and  worked  on  the  farm.  Ilis 
father  died  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  on  Christmas 
day,  in  1888,  he  Avas  married  to  ]\Iiss  Emma  Roeder,  daughter  of 
August  and  Elizabeth  Roeder,  natives  of  Germany,  Avho  came 
to  America  in  1858  and  settled  in  Tomah,  where  the  father  died 
in  1893  and  the  mother  still  lives  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  ]\Ir. 
and  Mrs.  Mee  have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  living: 
Archie,  born  April  9,  1890,  and  Luella,  born  January  17,  1902. 

Their  farm  is  equipped  with  the  best  grade  of  horses,  cattle 
and  hogs,  and  in  connection  with  his  general  farming,  Mr.  j\Iee 
makes  a  specialty  of  dairying.  He  was  formerly  president  of 
the  Farmers'  Co-operative  Creamery  Company  for  four  years  and 
was  its  secretary  and  treasurer  for  some  time.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics. 

Oluf  C.  Melg'ard,  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  marble  and 
granite  monuments  at  Cashton,  Monroe  county.  Wis.,  was  born 
in  Coon  valley,  Vernon  county,  March  12,  1860,  and  is  the 
second  child  in  order  of  birth  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  six 
of  wliom  are  now  (1912)  living,  born  to  Carl  and  Bertha  (Knud- 
son)  Melgard.  The  father,  Carl  Melgard,  emigrated  from  Norway 
to  America  in  1850,  and  located  in  Coon  Prairie,  Vernon  county, 
when  approaching  middle  age,  and  found  employment  as  a  farm 
laborer,  which  occupation  he  followed  some  five  years.  In  1855 
he  married  and  purchased  a  tract  of  forty  acres  in  Vernon 
county.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker  by  trade  and 
in  a  small  way  was  engaged  in  making  furniture  at  his  home 
seven  miles  from  Cashton,  where  he  lived  for  forty  years.  At  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  years,  he  became  an  invalid,  and  in  1893 
moved  to  the  village  of  Cashton.  He  was  born  on  May  18,  1822, 
and  died  at  Cashton  in  1907.  He  possessed  a  good  education  and 
excellent  business  judgment;  a  man  of  prominence  and  influence 
in  his  community  and  his  advice  on  business  matters  being  often 
sought  by  the  early  Norwegian  settlers.  His  wife,  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  also  born  in  Norway,  in  1831,  and  is  still  (1912) 
living  at  an  advanced  age.  Both  she  and  her  husband  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Coon  Valley  Lutheran  church,  of  which  lie  was 
trustee. 

Oluf  C.  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Vernon 
county,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  came  to  Sparta  and 
served  an  apprenticeship  for  two  years  at  the  marble  ])usiness. 
He  then  moved  to  La  Crosse,  where  he  was  employed  for  two 
years  in  the  leading  marble  shop  of  the  city.     On  December  5. 


BIOGRAPHY  805 

1885,  he  eame  to  the  village  of  Cashton  and  embarked  in  the 
marble  business  on  his  own  account,  starting  in  a  small  way  with 
only  about  one  dozen  small  slab  stones.  His  business  has  grown 
to  large  proportions.  Mr.  Melgard  inherits  his  father's  business 
acumen,  and  by  close  attention  and  good  management,  he  has 
established  and  built  up  a  monument  business  second  to  none 
in  western  AVisconsin.  The  best  quality  of  Wausau  and  red 
granite  obtained  from  the  granite  quarries  in  Minnesota,  also 
Vermont  granite,  is  used  in  his  work,  and  the  trade  extends  over 
a  large  area  of  Wisconsin  and  other  states,  all  operations  being 
carried  on  under  the  name  of  0.  C.  Melgard.  Besides  the  home 
business  at  Cashton,  branch  houses  have  been  established  in  other 
places :  the  one  at  Sparta,  opened  under  the  management  of  Carl 
Melgard,  employs  three  skilled  workmen  and  three  traveling 
salesmen,  while  the  one  at  Galesville,  established  four  years  ago, 
is  doing  an  extensive  business  under  the  management  of  Hans 
Twesme.  Mr.  Melgard  is  one  of  the  solid  men  of  Cashton,  and  is 
popular  alike  in  business  and  social  circles.  In  politics  he  adheres 
to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  fraternally  belongs 
to  the  IModern  Woodmen  of  America,  while  religiously  he  and  his 
estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  In  addition 
to  his  marble  business,  Mr.  Melgard  owns  a  choice  forty  acre  tract 
two  miles  from  Cashton,  Avhile  his  home  is  one  of  the  most  modern 
and  commodious  in  the  village  of  Cashton.  In  January,  1884, 
]Mr.  Melgard  was  married  at  La  Crosse  to  Miss  Amelia  Larson, 
daughter  of  Gilbert  and  Caroline  Larson,  w^ho  also  came  from 
Norway  and  settled  at  Cashton.  Nine  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  IMelgard,  viz :  Eilert.  born  December  5,  1885 ; 
Carl,  l)orn  March  11,  1888;  Herbert,  born  June  3,  1890;  Anna, 
born  January  3,  1892;  Oscar,  born  August  4.  1894;  Ida,  born 
December  24.  1895;  Rosa,  born  May  30,  1899:  Howard,  born 
January  13.  1903.  and  Nina,  born  October  2,  1906. 

Emil  Mickelson,  who  resides  on  section  tw^enty-six,  Leon 
township,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Leon,  Monroe  county,  on  May 
5,  1874.  His  parents  were  Louis  and  Martha  (Gilbertson) 
Mickelson,  both  natives  of  Norway.  The  father  emigrated  to 
America  in  the  fifties  and  located  in  Cannon  valley,  Monroe 
county,  where  he  homesteaded  eighty  acres  of  government  land 
in  section  twenty-six,  Leon  township.  After  a  residence  of  one 
year  there,  he  married  and  continued  to  make  that  his  home. 
He  was  energetic  and  thrifty,  and  as  a  result  of  overwork,  he 
suffered  a  sunstroke  in  1874,  from  which  he  never  recovered,  and 
passed  away  in  1884.     They  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 


806  111  STORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

three  of  whom  are  now  living.  The  mother  now,  in  1912,  resides 
in  IMinnosota  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years.  The  father  was  a 
great  liil)le  student  and  a  member  of  the  Lutlieran  church . 

Emil  received  a  rather  limited  education  in  the  district  schools, 
assisting  with  the  work  on  the  farm.  lie  was  married  December 
17,  1806,  in  Leon  to  Miss  Dora  l^rooks,  daughter  of  F.  L.  Brooks, 
who  was  born  in  1850.  lie  Avas  twice  married,  first  to  ]\liss  Alice 
Waters,  by  whom  he  liad  three  children,  two  of  whom,  Dora, 
wife  of  our  subject,  and  Clifford  Brooks,  are  now  living.  The 
iiiothcT-  died  August  10.  1897,  and  he  was  married  for  the  second 
time  to  ]Mis  Ida  Alga.  To  this  union  was  born  six  children,  five 
of  whom  arc  now  (1912)  living,  viz:  Ilattie,  l)orn  August  10, 
1886;  Howard,  born  Octo])er  81,  1888;  Jessie,  born  February  29, 
1892;  Myrtle,  born  August  18.  1895,  and  Eva,  born  July  26, 
1898.  The  father  now  resides  in  South  Dakota.  Seth  Brooks, 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Miekelson,  came  from  New  York  state  in 
an  early  day  and  settled  in  the  Cannon  valley,  where  he  died 
in  1867.  To  JMr.  and  Mrs.  Miekelson  Imve  been  born  three 
children,  two  of  Avhom,  Louisa,  ])()rn  January  31,  1904,  and  Leslie, 
born  August  18,  1907,  are  living.  In  1901  ]\Ir.  IMickelson  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  166  acres  in  section  tAventy-six,  Leon 
toAvnship,  Avhere  he  has  since  made  his  home  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  dairying,  and  is  counted  among  the  thrifty  and 
progressive  farmers  of  Cannon  valley. 

Peter  E.  Mitby  is  another  one  of  Cashton's  representatiA^e 
business  men,  a  natiA^e  of  Norway:  he  Avas  born  at  Toten,  ]\Iarch 
20,  1858,  and  came  to  the  United  State,  landing  in  Xcav  York 
September  3,  1880.  lie  then  sel  out  for  the  Avest  aiul  came  direct 
to  Cashton,  Avhere  he  Avas  employed  in  various  lines  of  industry 
for  five  years.  By  hard  Avork  and  strict  economy,  he  saved  his 
earnings  ajid  eml)arked  in  the  saloon  l)usiness  in  1SS6,  and  sinud- 
taneously  began  the  l)nying  and  selling  of  grain.  In  that  year 
he  erected  the  l)uilding  in  Avhich  his  saloon  Avas  located,  and  in 
1888  built  his  grain  elevator  and  in  1889  erected  his  modern 
residence,  and  still  jjilcr  constructed  the  l)uilding  now  occujiied 
as  a  i-estaui-ant,  and  in  1S97  erected  a  ncAV  grain  elevator  Avhieh 
he  has  since  oavikmI  .-iikI  operated.  On  December.  5,  1886,  Mr. 
Mitby  Avas  united  in  marriage  Avith  ]\Iiss  Petrina  Fremstad.  Avho 
Avas  born  in  Venion  county.  They  have  an  interesting  family  of 
four  childi'eii.  vi/, :  Edna.  Lillian,  ^lyrtle  and  Chester. 

In  adilition  to  his  business  and  proi)erty  holdings  in  Caslitt»n, 
i\lr.  ]\Iitby  OAvns  a  farm  of  sixty  acres  just  oA'er  the  line  in  Vernon 
cininty.  and  owns  one-lialf  interest  in  the  Hotel  LcAvis  at  Sparta, 


BIOGRAPriY  807 

and  is  a  stueklioldcr  and  director  in  the  Caslitun  bank.  A  Kei)ub- 
lican  in  politics,  he  is  active  in  the  eonncils  of  his  party  and  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  betterment  of  the  connnunity  receive 
his  hearty  support.  He  is  a  high  minded,  public  spir-ited  man, 
surrounded  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends  who  regard  liim  as  one 
of  the  prosperous  and  influential  business  men  of  the  county. 
In  religious  faith  he  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

George  J.  Moen,  son  of  one  of  the  early  and  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  Portland  township,  was  born  here  on  June  19,  1874.  His 
father  was  Bernt  Johnson  IMoen,  a  native  of  Norway,  who  came  to 
America  in  1869  and  first  located  in  Sparta ;  he  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1842,  and  passed  away  on  March  12,  1909.  Mrs. 
Moen,  our  subject's  mother,  was  Miss  Carrie  Gustava  Rognstad, 
born  April  12,  1847,  and  they  were  married  on  July  16,  1872,  the 
same  j^ear  she  came  to  America.  For  several  years  Mr.  Moen 
worked  at  various  occupations,  and  by  close  application,  economy 
and  thrift,  he  saved  enough  to  purchase  a  tract  of  forty  acres  of 
practically  Avild  land,  which  he  cultivated  and  soon  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  and  purchasing  additional  land  from 
time  to  time,  until  at  his  death  he  owned  100  acres  of  fine  land 
near  the  village  of  Cashton.  Their  family  was  small,  our  subject 
and  Jorgen  A.  being  the  only  children.  They  were  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  Mr.  Moen  Vv'as  always  an  active  worker 
in  the  Republican  ranks,  ready  at  all  times  to  give  his  aid  towards 
the  best  interests  of  his  fellowmen,  and  his  death  was  mourned 
as  a  loss  to  his  community. 

George  J.  obtained  his  earh"  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  township  and  later  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Viroqua 
with  the  class  of  1896.  He  then  followed  the  vocation  of  teaching 
for  some  eight  years  near  Viroqua,  after  which  he  accepted  a 
position  with  the  Brown  Music  Company,  of  that  place,  remaining 
there  until  the  death  of  his  father;  he  then  took  up  the  manage- 
ment of  the  home  farm,  where  he  has  since  lived  with  his  mother. 
Has  been  organist  and  choir  leader  of  the  Immanuel  Lutheran 
church  since  1890. 

His  brother,  Jorgen,  was  born  December  11,  1877,  after  receiv- 
ing his  preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools,  took  a  one- 
year  course  at  the  St.  Olaf  College  at  Northfield,  Minn.,  and  from 
there  he  went  to  the  Valparaiso  University  and  spent  two  years 
in  the  law  department.  Spent  one  year  at  the  law  department  of 
Northwestern  University  of  Chicago.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1904  and  is  now  located  in  Viroqua,  conducting  a  successful 
law  practice  under  the  firm  name  of  Smith  &  Moen. 


808  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

John  Mohring"'-',  one  of  the  substantial  and  progressive  farmers 
of  La  Fayette  toAvnsliip,  was  horn  in  Germany,  May  24,  1862,  the 
son  of  Fred  and  Sopliia  Mohring,  both  of  whom  spent  their  lives 
in  Germany.  The  mother  died  when  John  was  six  years  of  age. 
He  is  one  of  a  family  of  tliree  children,  as  follows:  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  H.  Leeler,  and  resides  at  Hammond  Point,  N.  Y. ;  John, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Sophia.  John  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  country,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  began 
to  make  his  own  way  in  tlu^  \\()i'l(l.  His  first  employment  was  at 
farming  in  the  fatherland,  his  duties  consisting  of  stock  feeding 
and  teaming.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  \ipon  his  arrival  in  this  country,  he  located  at  Berry 
Mills,  La  Crosse  county.  Wis.,  where  he  remained  foi'  twenty 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Monroe  county  and  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  220  acres,  in  section  seventeen.  La  Fayette  township. 
He  has  improved  his  ])lace  with  substantial  buildings,  and  has 
brought  his  land  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  is  engaged  in 
general  farming,  stock  raising  and  dairying,  and  in  addition  to 
operating  his  own  farm,  he  rents  237  acres,  wdiieh  he  carries  on 
in  addition  to  his  own ;  and  in  his  operations  he  employs  modern 
and  up-to-date  methods,  and  his  nicely  located  farm  is  well 
stocked  with  a  good  grade  of  horses,  Durham  cattle,  sheep  and 
Poland-China  hogs. 

In  June,  1886,  Mr.  jMohring  was  married  to  Miss  ]Mary  Plate, 
daughter  of  Dedrick  Plate,  of  Germany.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  the  following  children :  Mary  is  the  wife  of  AVilliam  IMiller, 
of  La  Fayette ;  Dora  is  the  wife  of  Will  Kenyon,  of  La  Crosse ; 
William,  Henry,  Erne,  John  and  Ora,  all  at  home.  In  religious 
matters,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mohring.  wnth  their  family,  worship  at  tlie 
German  Lutheran  church  at  Sparta. 

Fred  J.  Mooney,  superintendent  of  the  ]\Ionroe  County  Insane 
Asylum  and  Poor  Farm,  is  a  product  of  Wisconsin,  liavin^'  ])een 
born  at  Tomali  June  10,  1867.  His  parents,  Edward  and  Ami 
(Fuller)  ]Moone\-,  were  natives  of  New  York  state,  and  early  in 
1865  they  came  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  at  Tomah.  He  followed 
the  occupation  of  millwritiht  and  head  saAver  in  the  mill,  and  in 
1871  turned  his  attention  to  farming  at  a  settlement  called 
Limerick.  He  Avas  a  successful,  hiuh  minded,  public  spirited  gen- 
tleman, and  took  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  county. 
He  served  as  chainn.-m  of  the  Tomah  township  board  for  five 
years,  and  in  ])olitics  a\;is  a  Democrat.  While  a  resident  of 
Cole's  valley  he  was  ai)pointed  sui^erintendent  of  \hc  ])oor,  a 
position  he  filh-d  from  1881  to  1888.     He  later  retired  from  ;ictive 


FRED   J.    MOONEY 


BIOGRAPHY  809 

duties,  and  made  his  home  at  Tomah,  where  he  died  in  1896  at 
the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  His  widow  and  our  subject  alone 
survive.  Fred  Mooney  had  one  brother,  Frank,  and  a  sister, 
Gertrude  by  name,  both  of  whom  were  older  than  he,  and  are 
both  deceased.  Ambros  Fuller,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  at  one  time  keeper  of  the  New  York  State  Prison 
at  Auburn.  The  Mooney  family  came  originally  from  Ireland, 
while  the  Fullers  were  from  New  York  state. 

Mr.  Fred  Mooney  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Tomah.  He  went  to  the 
city  of  Chicago,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  milk  business  from 
1892  to  1897.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  Tomah  and 
engaged  in  the  grocery  trade  until  1903,  when  he  retired  from 
business,  and  was  soon  thereafter  appointed  overseer  of  the  poor, 
under  Superintendent  C.  B.  Chamberlain,  and  held  that  position 
for  a  period  of  fourteen  months,  when  he  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  Monroe  County  Insane  Asylum  and  Poor  Farm  in 
1904,  and  has  been  reappointed  each  year  since,  and  is  now 
serving  his  ninth  term,  which  is  sufficient  evidence  of  his  fitness 
for  the  position.  The  farm  originally  contained  but  160  acres, 
but  in  1909  an  additional  120  acres  was  purchased,  making  the 
county  farm  now  280  acres,  with  the  finest  water  system  of  any 
institution  in  the  state.  Under  Mr.  Mooney 's  careful  manage- 
ment this  institution  has  been  made  self-sustaining,  and  for  the 
first  time  during  its  existence,  the  year  1911  showed  a  balance  in 
the  treasury  from  the  proceeds  of  the  farm  amounting  to  $2,300. 
A  complete  chapter  showing  the  progress  of  the  institution  under 
Mr.  Mooney 's  incumbency,  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
It  is  but  fitting  to  say,  that  Mr.  Mooney,  while  occupying  a  posi- 
tion of  prominence  in  the  county,  is  possessed  of  a  cheerful  dis- 
position, is  broad  minded  and  liberal  in  his  views,  and  these 
traits  have  endeared  him  to  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact.  His  splendid  record  as  the  head  of  the  greatest  institu- 
tion in  the  county,  aside  from  all  other  considerations,  will  cause 
him  to  long  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  useful  citizens  of 
Monroe  county. 

On  November  3,  1889,  Mr.  Mooney  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Ella  P.  Hill,  daughter  of  Oliver  M.  and  Sophia 
(Sprague)  Hill,  of  Tomah.  Mr.  Hill  was  for  many  years  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Tomah  township,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  representative  citizens  of  the  county.  He 
held  the  office  of  trustee  and  chairman  of  the  township  board,  was 
treasurer  of  this  town  and  for  several  years  was  president  of  the 


810  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUXTY 

Mouroe  CouDty  Agricultural  Society.  lie  was  boru  in  Cortland 
county,  New  York,  April  14,  1837,  and  died  July  12,  1911,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four  years.  Mrs.  Hill,  mother  of  jMrs.  Mooney, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Sophia  j\I.  Sprague,  lived  to  the  age  of 
seventy  years  and  died  October  18,  1909.  ]Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Hill  were 
both  natives  of  New  Y'ork  state,  and  resided  on  the  same  farm  in 
Tomah  township  for  forty-three  years.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents of  J\lrs.  ]\!ooney  were  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (JNlason)  Hill, 
natives  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  respectively.  The  ]Mason 
family  were  among  the  early  pioneers  of  New  England,  while 
Grandfather  Hill  was  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812.  They  came 
early  to  Illinois  and  settled  near  Elgin,  and  in  the  sixties  came  to 
Wisconsin.  He  died  iMarch  12,  1870,  aged  seventy-six  years.  His 
Avidow  survived  until  1883,  when  she  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years. 

Samuel  Sprague,  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Mooney,  was 
also  a  native  of  New  England,  and  died  in  1844.  His  wife,  Rachael 
Sprague.  died  in  1893  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years. 

Leonard  C.  Morse,  who  passed  away  January  12,  1909,  was  a 
leading  and  central  figure  in  the  business  and  social  activities  of 
the  city  of  Sparta,  and  one  of  the  representative  and  progressive 
men  of  IMonroe  county.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children 
and  was  born  in  Hanover,  N.  H.,  December  8,  1832.  He  came 
west  first  to  Ohio,  where  he  taught  school  in  Bloomington  for 
about  two  years,  and  later  came  to  AVisconsin,  arriving  at  Sparta 
in  1854.  Of  his  early  business  ventures  here,  the  one  most  con- 
spicuously remembered,  is  his  association  with  the  Letson 
Brothers  in  the  sash  and  door  factory,  now  owned  by  J.  AY.  Evans. 
He  was  a  young  man  then,  strong,  alert  and  vigorous,  and  early 
in  the  sixties  he  turned  again  to  the  west  and  pushed  out  into 
far  Idaho,  engaging  in  mining,  then  in  stock  raising  along  with 
a  partner.  In  this  business  he  achieved  success,  and  though  he 
and  his  associates  sustained  great  losses  by  prodigious  storms,  in 
which  most  of  their  cattle  perished,  they  eventually  came  out  with 
considerable  money.  He  was  some  thirteen  years  in  this  occupa- 
tion, with  headquarters  at  Salmon  City,  Idaho.  In  the  spring  of 
1884  he  sold  out  to  his  partner  and  returned  to  Sparta.  Here 
he  purchased  the  estate  then  called  the  Steere  farm,  just  north- 
west of  the  city,  and  built  up  the  Chalange  Stock  Farm,  as  he 
named  it,  making  it  the  pioneer  and  leading  dairy  and  stock  farm 
of  Monroe  county.  He  chose  the  Holstein-Friesian  breed  of  dairy 
cattle  and  developed  a  herd  second  to  very  few,  if  any.  in  Wis- 
consin.    It  was  his  pride  and  ambition  to  have  the  best,  and  he 


LEONARD    C.    MORSE 


BIOGRAPHY  811 


realized  it  to  a  marked  degree.  INlr.  ]\Iorse  was  twice  married,  in 
1861  to  Alvira  Crosby,  who  died  two  years  later,  they  having  no 
children ;  on  November  25,  1884,  he  was  again  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Carmichael,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Brower) 
Carmichael,  natives  of  Brodalbin,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  farmer  by 
oecnpation,  and  in  1856  came  Avest  to  Sparta,  where  both  father 
and  mother  died.  ]\Irs.  Morse  had  one  brother,  AVilliam  H. 
Carmichael,  who  died  near  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  during  the  Civil 
War.  He  was  postmaster  for  his  regiment,  and  died  from  an  acci- 
dent received  on  the  cars.  The  Carmichaels  were  of  Scotch 
ancestry,  while  the  Browers  were  of  Holland  descent.  Mrs.  Morse 
has  resided  on  her  present  farm  since  the  fall  of  1884.  During 
her  early  life  she  taught  school  near  Cateract,  in  IMonroe  county, 
and  was  engaged  in  this  work  at  the  time  of  the  big  Indian  scare. 
She  also  taught  at  Tomah  and  Leon.  She  was  employed  in  tho 
office  of  register  of  deeds  in  JNlonroe  county,  under  M.  A.  Thayer, 
in  the  old  courthouse,  and  held  that  position  for  thirteen  years. 
She  was  afterward  employed  at  clerical  work  in  the  office  of 
Tyler  &  Dickinson  for  six  years.  She  is  a  charater  member  of  the 
Good  Templars  lodge  at  Sparta,  and  the  Eastern  Star.  She  was  a 
devoted  wife  and  a  worthy  companion  and  helpmeet  of  her  noble 
husband,  and  is  universally  loved  and  honored  for  her  noble 
womanly  qualities  of  mind  and  heart. 

Mr.  Morse's  kindly  and  genial  temperment  made  him  friends 
with  all,  and  he  had  the  public  spirit  and  enterprise  which  gave 
him  leadership  in  all  circles  and  activities  in  which  he  engaged. 
He  w^as  a  loyal  jMason,  a  charter  member  of  Valley  Lodge  and  a 
prominent  member  of  all  four  of  the  Masonic  bodies  of  this  city — 
Blue  Lodge,  Chapter.  Commandery  and  Eastern  Star.  Though  not 
a  church  member,  he  was  identified  with  the  Congregational 
church  in  work  and  spirit,  and  ever  its  loyal  and  generous  sup- 
porter. He  was  an  enthusiast  in  music,  and  a  staunch  member 
and  at  one  time  president  of  the  Crescent  Glee  Club. 

The  largely  attended  funeral  services  were  held  at  his  late 
residence  Friday,  January  15,  1909,  Rev.  Pugh  conducting  the 
service  of  the  Congregational  church,  and  the  INIasonic  burial 
service  in  charge  of  Valley  Lodge,  No.  60.  Interment  being  made 
in  Woodlawn  cemetery. 

James  H.  Morton,  a  progressive  farmer  of  Wellington  town- 
ship, was  born  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  son  of  James 
H.  and  Alice  Morton,  both  natives  of  Canada.  In  1869  our  sub- 
ject came  to  the  United  States,  and  for  one  winter  worked  in  the 
lumber  woods  near  Grand  Rapids,  AVis.    He  then  went  to  Alerrill, 


812  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

this  slate,  and  was  employed  eight  years  in  the  Avoods,  and  was 
considered  an  export  at  logging.  He  came  to  Monroe  county  in 
1892,  and  on  September  26  of  that  year  was  married  at  Wilton  to 
Miss  ilargaret  Welch,  daughter  of  Patrick  Welch,  an  influential 
citizen  of  tliat  town.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  ^Morton,  throe  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz. :  William  P., 
born  April  15,  1896;  Bernard  E.,  born  November  16,  1902,  and 
Lizzie,  born  September  2,  1904. 

In  the  year  1900  Mr.  Morton  purchased  120  acres  of  land  in 
section  eight,  town  of  AVellington,  and  has  since  been  successfully 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying.  Since  purchasing  his 
farm  he  has  added  many  improvements ;  he  built  a  large  and  com- 
modious barn  in  1907,  and  has  improved  his  residence  and 
brought  the  land  to  a  higher  state  of  cultivation.  He  keeps  his 
place  well  equipped  with  modei'n  la])or  saving  machinery  and  well 
stocked  with  a  good  grade  of  horses  and  cattle.  In  politics 
Mr.  Morton  is  a  progressive  Republican  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  party. 

Arthur  G.  Moseley,  one  of  the  substantial  and  inllueutial  farm- 
ers of  New  Lyme  township,  Monroe  county,  Avas  born  in  Sparta 
on  what  is  now  known  as  the  county  poor  farm  or  alms  house, 
September  17.  1864.  His  parents.  Alonzo  and  Eunice  (Hunt) 
Moseley  Avere  natives  of  Franklinville.  Cattaraugus  county,  N.  Y. 
They  were  married  March  26,  1850,  and  came  to  IMonroe  county  in 
1852,  locating  in  Sparta  when  it  was  a  log  hut  village,  where  they 
lived  for  two  years  until  they  got  a  log  house  built  and  land 
cleared  and  broken,  upon  which  to  raise  some  crops,  the  father 
teaming  and  hauling  merchandise  in  the  meantime.  The  parents 
sold  the  farm  to  Peter  Webster  in  April,  1867,  and  moved  to 
Sparta.  Avhere  they  lived  until  the  fall  of  1873,  when  they  bought 
a  farm  in  tlie  Hill  settlement  in  New  Lyme  township,  where  the 
father  died  on  December  4.  1892.  The  mother.  Mrs.  Eunice 
(Hunt)  Moseley  is  now.  August  24,  1912,  still  living  and  enjoys 
excellent  health  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  having  lived  in 
Monroe  county  over  sixty  years,  longer  than  any  other  woman 
now  living  in  this  county. 

Arthur  (i.  Avas  educated  in  the  district  schools  ;ind  lias  spent 
his  entire  life  on  the  homestead  farm  of  560  acres,  Avhich  he  noAV 
owns.  He  is  one  of  the  successful.  i)ublic  spirited  men  of  his 
tOAvnsliip.  every  ready  to  lend  a  lu>li)ing  hand  to  evei-y  worthy 
cause  for  tlu'  intei-est  or  beltei-meiit  of  his  town  and  county.  He 
Avas  married  on  January  5.  1893,  to  Miss  Myrtle  Parmenter, 
daughter  of  Ethan  and  Eva    (Phelps)   Parmenter,  of  La  Crosse 


BIOGRAPHY  813 

county.  They  have  been  blessed  with  nine  children,  viz. :  Eunice, 
born  December  4,  1893;  Jennie  M.,  born  November  14,  1895; 
Gladys,  born  January  17,  1898;  Nina  J.,  born  April  29,  1900; 
Emma,  born  January  1,  1902;  Rose  L.,  born  June  11,  1904;  Lila  C, 
born  June  14,  1906;  John  II..  born  June  8,  1908,  and  Helen  K., 
born  August  4,  1911. 

Winand  MuUenberg,  a  successful  German  farmer  of  Jefferson 
township,  Monroe  county,  was  born  in  Stommel,  Germany,  on 
November  30, 1857,  the  son  of  Benedict  and  Anna  Mary  (Schmitz) 
MuUenberg,  who  came  with  him  to  America  in  1861,  when  Winand 
was  four  years  of  age,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship. The  father  was  born  in  1829  and  died  in  1910 ;  the  mother 
was  born  in  1828  and  died  in  1890. 

Benedict  MuUenberg  worked  for  a  time  as  a  farm  laborer 
during  and  after  his  school  days,  and  then  purchased  a  forty-acre 
tract  of  wild  land  to  Avhicli  he  added  from  time  to  time  until 
at  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  about  160  acres,  which  by  hard 
work  and  perseverance,  he  subdued  and  converted  into  a  highly 
productive  and  valuable  farm.  They  were  members  of  the  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  church  and  well  respected  in  their  neighborhood. 
Winand  attended  the  public  and  parochial  schools  until  he 
was  sixteen  and  obtained  a  good  education.  He  worked  on  a 
farm  and  was  steady  and  economical ;  on  June  26,  1883,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Kreuser,  daughter  of  Theodore  and 
Margaret  Kreuser,  both  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  MuUenberg 
have  had  six  children,  viz :  Benedict,  Theodore,  Anna,  Katie, 
John  and  Lizzie.  Mrs.  MuUenberg  died  on  February  12,  1898, 
and  two  years  later,  in  May,  Mr.  MuUenberg  was  married  in  La 
Crosse  county,  W^isconsin,  to  Miss  Susie  Andres,  and  they  have 
had  three  children,  Matt,  Margaret  and  Mary. 

After  his  first  marriage,  Mr.  MuUenberg  bought  160  acres  of 
land  in  Jefferson  township,  and  later  added  to  this  until  he  now 
owns  about  350  acres.  He  keeps  it  well  stocked  with  a  good 
grade  of  horses,  cattle,  hogs,  etc.,  and  uses  the  latest  methods  in 
conducting  it.  He  is  a  public  spirited  man  and  always  ready  to 
assist  in  furthering  the  development  of  his  town  and  county. 
He  served  eleven  terms  as  assessor  for  Jefferson  township  and 
also  as  supervisor.  He  has  been  president  of  the  Farmers' 
German  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  since  1898,  with  head 
offices  in  Norwalk,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  his  politics. 

Dennis  M.  Murphy'-',  who  resides  in  Lyons  valley,  Wells 
township.  Monroe  county,  was  born  in  the  tow^n  of  Wells,  April 
24,  1880,  and  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine  children — eight 


814  IIISTOK'V  OK  ."\IOXROK  CorNTY 

of  whom  arc  living,  l)orn  lo  .Inlm  and  .lulia  i  Jiurke)  Murphy,  botli 
natives  of  Ireland.  Tlic  fiitlu'i-  caiiic  to  America  in  ]854,  and  in 
1855  located  in  Lyons  valley,  Monroe  county,  where  he  home- 
steaded  120  acres  of  land  in  section  twenty-one,  Wells  townshij). 
Here  111'  established  the  family  home  and  successfully  euiJ^aged 
in  general  farming,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  18J)(j,  owned 
a  farm  of  200  acres.  He  Avas  thrifty  and  enterprising  and  was 
well  thought  of  in  his  comnnmilA-.  In  polities  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  in  religious  faith  himself  and  ]\[rs.  ]Murphy  were  members 
of  the  Catholic  church.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  a 
lady  of  many  domestic  virtues  and  enjoyed  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  her  friends  and  neighbors.    Her  dealli  occinrcd  in  1SS4. 

Dennis  ]\I.  s})eut  his  boyhood  on  the  home  faiiu  and  i-eeeived 
his  preliminary  education  in  the  district  schools,  which  was  sup- 
l)lemented  with  a  three  years'  course  at  the  Tomah  high  school. 
After  completing  his  education,  he  taught  two  years  in  Sheldon 
and  AVells  towiishii)s,  then  purchased  a  Jialf  interest  in  200  acres 
of  land  in  sections  sixteen  and  twenty-one,  AVells  township,  and 
still  later  purchased  a  farm  of  182  acres,  twenty-five  acres  of 
which  are  in  Leon  townshij)  and  the  ])alance  in  "Wells.  He  is 
a  prosperous  general  farmer  and  one  of  the  progressive  citizens 
of  the  town.  He  takes  a  keen  interest  in  all  public  matters 
and  any  movement  for  the  betterment  of  his  town  and  county 
receives  his  support.  In  politics  he  believes  in  the  jn-inciples  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  since  ]911  has  been  clerk  of  his  town. 
He  being  still  unmarried,  malces  his  home  with  a  In-other  in 
Lyons   valley. 

Anton  Nelson  i-esides  in  section  twenty.  Greenfield  township, 
successfully  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  boni  September  22. 
1849,  in  Denmark,  and  is  the  son  of  Nels  and  Dorothy  Nelson, 
both  natives  of  Denmaik.  His  father  Avas  a  farmer  by  occupation 
aiul  a  mason  l)y  trade  in  liis  native  country,  where  they  spent 
their  lives. 

Anton  is  the  second  child  of  a  family  of  two  sons  and  two 
daught(M-s.  He  attended  the  connnon  schools  of  his  native  land 
during  his  boyhood  and  served  the  usual  period  in  the  Danish 
army,  but  the  opi>ortunities  for  advancement  there  seemed  limited 
for  one  of  his  ambitious  tciii|)ci-aiiu'nt  and  he  decided  to  come 
to  America,  landing  liei-e  in  the  spring  of  1881.  He  came  direct 
to  Tomah  where  he  immediately  secured  employment  Avith  the 
Goodyear  Company  in  a  sawmill,  which  lasted  f(n'  four  years, 
after  Avhich  he  was  likewise  employed  at  Waterbury;  he  then 
retncned  to  T<imah  and  was  employed  foi-  four  yi^irs  in  the  car 


BIOGKAPlir  815 

sliops  of  t!it'  Cliicago.  ^iihvankcc  &  St.  Paul  Railway,  and  at  the 
end  of  this  time,  in  1890,  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  160 
acres  of  wild  land,  for  which  he  paid  ;t'800.  At  that  time  no 
culti\'ating'  had  l)een  done  and  very  little  of  the  land  had  Ix'cn 
cleared,  and  by  constant  hard  woi'k  and  pei-sistent  eit'orts,  ho 
succeeded  in  transforming  what  was  a  wilderness  into  one  of  the 
most  productive  farms  of  that  section  ;  he  erected  a  comfortable 
residence,  a  line  barn  and  made  other  improvements,  and  besides 
carrying  on  general  farming,  he  makes  a  specialty  of  raising 
Holstein  cattle.  He  is  alive  to  the  issues  of  the  day  and  is 
deeply  interested  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  county,  and  for 
seventeen  years  past  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board. 

In  April,  1882,  ]\Ir.  Nelson  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Minnie 
Hastrup,  a  native  of  Germany.  They  have  three  children,  viz : 
Anna,  who  lives  in  Arizona ;  IMinuie  is  the  Avife  of  Amil  Pokrand, 
of  Angelo,  and  Sarah,  who  lives  at  home. 

J C,  Nelson  is  another  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers 

of  JNIonroe  county,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  was  born  at  Omro,  on 
April  28.  1851,  the  son  of  John  and  Diena  (Mendel)  Nelson, 
natives  of  New  York  and  Canada  respectively.  John  Nelson, 
father  of  our  subject,  moved  from  the  Empire  state  to  Watertown, 
Wis.,  in  18 — .  After  remaining  here  for  a  time,  he,  in  1855  moved 
to  Monroe  county  with  his  family  and  settled  at  Jacksonville, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  milling  business,  operating  a  grist  mill 
for  some  three  years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  farming 
on  a  piece  of  rented  land,  and  soon  afterward  purchased  a 
sixty-acre  tract,  where  the  family  made  their  home  for  fifteen 
years.  Disposing  of  this  farm,  he  purchased  forty  acres  in 
Adrian  township  and  there  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1896.  He  was  a  thrifty,  hard-working  man  and  upright 
citizcji,  and  no  one  stood  higher  in  his  community  than  he.  In 
political  sentiment  a  Republican,  he  held  numerous  local  offices. 
He  served  as  town  clerk  for  two  years  and  was  also  treasurer 
of  his  township,  and  for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  for  three  years  justice  of  the  peace.  His  wife,  mother 
of  our  subject,  was  a  woman  of  many  domestic  virtues  and  whose 
fine  mental  endowments  made  her  a  favorite  among  her  large 
circle  of  friends.     She  died  in  1875. 

J ■ C.  Nelson  attended  the  district  schools  until  he  was 

eighteen  years  of  age  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  his  marriage, 
October  18,  1873,  at  Tomah,  to  Miss  Alma  Durhee,  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Emeline  Durhee.  one  of  ^Monroe  county's  most 
respected   pioneer   families,   they   having   come   to   AVisconsin    as 


816  lIISTOin'  OF  .MOXKOE  ('(JUXTY 

early  as  1856.  Two  children,  Lefa  and  Burr,  have  been  born  to 
-Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Nelson.  Soon  aftei-  his  marriage,  Mr.  Nelson 
I)nrchased  eighty  acres  of  land  from  his  father-in-law,  which 
he  has  since  added  to  until  now  he  owns  120  acres  of  choice 
land,  Avell  improved  with  a  commodious  dwelling  and  out- 
buildings. His  barn,  30  by  67  feet,  with  a  wing  16  by  60  feet, 
has  a  capacity  of  seventy  tons  of  hay,  seven  horses  and  forty 
head  of  cattle,  and  is  considered  among  the  best  in  the  county. 
He  carries  on  general  farming,  dairying  and  stock  raising  and  is 
a  public  spirited,  successful  and  enterprising  citizen,  extremely 
popular  with  his  large  circle  of  friends  in  the  county. 

Peter  E.  Nelson,  ex-mayor  and  successful  business  man  of 
Cashton,  and  a  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  ]\Ionroe  county,  was 
born  in  Norway  September  23,  1856.  He  remained  Avith  his 
parents  until  his  sixteenth  year,  obtaining  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  native  home,  and  being  enthused  with 
the  glowing  accounts  of  the  possibilities  for  j'oiiug  men  in 
America,  he  turned  towards  the  land  of  the  setting  sun  and 
arrived  in  the  United  States  June  16,  1873,  and  went  direct  to 
La  Crosse,  Wis.  After  remaining  there  for  a  short  time,  he  moved 
to  Chaseburg,  in  Vernon  county,  and  for  the  next  three  years 
attended  school  during  the  winter  months  and  worked  during  the 
summer  in  the  store  of  J.  AV.  Hoyt.  In  1876  he  returned  to 
La  Crosse  and  entered  the  Wallace  Business  College,  taking  a 
commercial  course  of  one  year,  upon  the  completion  of  which  he 
went  to  Viroqua  and  entered  the  mercantile  establishment  of 
J.  Henry  Tate  as  clerk,  where  he  received  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  business.  He  was  thrifty  and  economical  in  his  habits, 
and  with  the  money  saved  from  his  earnings,  he,  in  1879,  went  to 
Cashton  and  opened  a  general  store  on  his  own  account,  which  he 
successfully  managed  until  1883,  wdien  a  Mv.  Campbell  purchased 
an  interest  and  the  firm  name  became  Nelson  &  Campbell.  The 
l)usiness  was  carried  on  under  this  arrangement  until  1904,  when 
Mr.  Nelson  sold  his  renuiining  interest  to  his  partner  and  retired 
from  the  business.  During  the  year  1899  to  meet  the  demands 
of  their  constantly  increasing  trade,  ]\Ir.  Nelson  and  ]\Ir. 
Campbell  built  a  modern  two-story  brick  store  building  in  which 
their  business  was  carried  on. 

Politically  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  liis  party.  Tn  tlie  fall  of  1905  he  was 
appointed  ])y  President  Roosevelt  postmaster  of  Cashton,  suc- 
ceeding AFi'.  Barth,  and  at  this  time  ('1912)  is  still  holding  that 
position. 


BIOGRAPHY  817 

Mr.  Nelson  was  united  in  marriage  Jauiuuy  1,  1881,  with 
Miss  Caroline  Johnson,  Avho  was  born  in  Wisconsin  of  Norwegian 
parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  reside  in  their  modern  home,  which 
they  built  in  1884.  They  are  both  devoted  members  of  the 
United  Lutheran  church  and  contribute  liberally  to  its  support. 
Mr.  Nelson  stands  high  with  the  citizens  of  Monroe  county,  and 
his  excellent  judgment  has  given  him  the  well  deserved  position 
of  confidence  in  the  council  of  business  men,  while  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  dwells  no  man  commands  higher  esteem. 

George  M.  Newton,  member  of  the  firm  of  O.  I.  Newton's  Sons' 
Company,  of  Sparta,  was  born  here  on  August  21,  1870,  the  son 
of  Orin  I.  and  Emma  H.  (Mather)  Newton.  His  father,  who  was 
a  native  of  Vermont  state,  came  to  Monroe  county  in  1859,  when 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  early  became  identified  with 
the  paper  manufacturing  interests  throughout  the  state,  and  he 
established  the  Sparta  paper  mills,  which  was  a  flourishing 
industry  for  many  years.  He  also  became  largely  interested  in  the 
lumber  trade,  and  was  considered  one  of- the  most  enterprising  and 
prosperous  citizens  that  Sparta  ever  had.  His  death,  w^hich 
occurred  in  1895,  while  yet  a  comparatively  young  man,  his  age 
being  but  fifty-three,  was  mourned  by  the  people  of  his  community 
as  a  public  loss.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  a  woman 
of  noble  Christian  character  and  domestic  virtues,  being  a 
descendant  in  a  direct  line  of  the  renowned  Cotton  Mather.  Her 
death  occurred  at  her  home  in  Sparta  in  1872. 

George  M.  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Sparta 
and  at  the  "Wisconsin  State  University  at  Madison,  graduating 
with  the  class  in  engineering  of  1894.  He  early  became  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  Sparta  paper  mills,  and  in  1893  the  firm 
became  known  as  the  O.  I.  Newton's  Son's  Company.  This 
industry  continued  until  1901,  and  during  the  latter  years  of  its 
existence  was  under  the  personal  management  of  Mr.  Newton. 
The  firm  name  of  0.  I.  Newton's  Sons'  Company  is  still  continued 
in  other  lines  of  business,  however,  and  since  1901  Mr.  Newton 
has  been  manager  of  the  Electric  Light  &  Power  Company,  with 
two  plants  in  Sparta  and  one  at  Angelo.  Mr.  NeAvton  stands  high 
in  social  circles  of  Sparta,  and  is  a  member  of  the  IMasonic  order, 
a  Knight  Templar,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  a  man  who  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  both  in  a  business  way  and 
socially.  He  was  married  in  October,  1895,  to  Miss  May  Sage, 
daughter  of  I\Ir.  E.  E.  Sage,  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D. 


818  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Harry  M.  Newton,  vice  president  of  the  Citizens'  State  ]^ank 
of  Sparta,  a  native  of  this  city,  was  l)orn  ^lay  23,  1868.  Ilis 
parents  were  Oriii  1.  iiiid  Phiima  11.  (]\[ather)  Newton,  whose 
biographies  appear  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Raised  in  Sparta,  he 
attended  the  public  schools  and  high  school.  After  this  he 
entered  the  AVayland  Academy,  from  wliich  he  graduated  four 
years  later  with  the  class  of  1890,  and  immediately  thereafter 
entered  the  employ  of  his  father  in  the  clerical  department  of  the 
0.  I.  Newton  i)aper  mill,  and  after  serving  in  this  position  for 
four  years,  he  became  a  i)artner  in  the  business  and  the  firm  name 
changed  to  0.  T.  Newton's  Sons'  Company,  al  which  time,  in  1894, 
he  was  made  president  of  the  company  and  thus  continued  until 
the  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1901.  The  company  had  taken 
over  and  consolidated  the  paper  industry,  the  elect rii-  lighting 
plant,  the  flour  and  feed  mill  at  Angelo  and  the  Sparta  lumber 
yard.  ]Mr.  Newton  acted  as  president  of  the  consolidated  com- 
pany until  1901,  and  upon  disposing  of  his  interest  to  his  brother, 
George  ^L  Newton,  he  went  to  Enid,  Okla.,  in  1902.  and 
purchased  the  P^nid  electric  lighting  i)lant  of  that  place  and 
immediately  reorganized  the  compnay  and  changed  its  mime  to 
the  Enid  Electric  Light  &  Gas  Company,  Avhich  was  operated 
under  his  direction  for  about  om>  year.  lie  then  returned  to 
Sparta,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  been  a  stockholder  and 
director  in  the  Citizens'  Bank  of  Sparta  since  1907,  and  the  same 
year  was  chosen  as  vice  president,  in  which  capacity  he  is  still 
acting  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  tlie  satisfaction  of  his 
associates. 

On  November  28,  1895,  Mr.  Newton  was  uinted  in  iiiari-iage  to 
Miss  Eleanor  W.  Gary,  daughter  of  AV.  H.  Gary,  a  substantial 
and  prosperous  citizen  of  Croswell,  Alich.  They  have  had 
six  children;  those  living  are  Orin  I.,  George  M.,  Janet  C.  -lohn 
Theodore,  and  P^leanor  Emma  Newton. 

Air.  Newton  is  a  man  of  fine  social  qualities,  generous,  kind 
hearted  and  genial ;  is  domestic  in  his  tastes,  and  delights  in 
nothing  better  than  what  he  finds  in  his  home  and  family.  Tie 
is  a  member  of  the  Alasonic  fraterniay. 

Orin  I.  Newton.  After  an  illness  of  years,  Air.  Oiin  1.  Xcwton 
fell  into  his  final  sleep  on  Saturday,  Alarch  80,  at  6:30  p.  m. 

Air.  Newton  was  for  the  better  part  of  his  life  a  resident  of 
Sparta  and  for  twenty  yeai-s  or  more  was  a  leading  and  promi- 
nent figure  in  its  business  history.  He  was  born  in  Georgia,  A^t., 
in  Aucust.  1842.  his  father  dying  when  he  was  five  years  old, 
leaviim  a  widow  and  eitihl  children.     In  1860  the  familv  camo  to 


BIOGRAPHY  819 

Sparta,  Oriii  being  then  about  eighteen  years  old.  His  first  busi- 
ness experience  was  in  farming  in  company  with  his  younger 
•brother,  Fred,  in  the  valley  southeast  of  Sparta  in  the  summer 
of  1861,  and  he  also  taught  school  for  a  while.  Subsequently  he 
entered  the  store  of  Mr.  John  L.  Mather,  who  was  in  the  drug 
business  in  Sparta  at  that  time  and  he  managed  the  store  during 
one  season  while  Mr.  IMather  was  absent  prospecting  with  a  party 
of  gold  seekers  in  Utah.  After  the  latter 's  return  Mr,  Newton 
entered  into  partnership  with  him,  their  business  connection  con- 
tinuing until  Mr.  jNlather  sold  his  interest  to  0.  L.  Irwin,  and 
about  six  months  after  Mr.  Newton  bought  out  ]\Ir.  Irwin  and 
became  the  sole  owner  of  the  establishment. 

Mr.  Newton  became  the  owner  of  the  Sparta  paper  mill, 
so-called,  in  1871.  and  in  the  course  of  years  built  it  up  into  a 
strong  and  profitable  business  and  the  chief  manufacturing  inter- 
est in  the  cit3\  The  mill  was  originally  established  by  J.  L. 
Mather,  who  subsequently^  transferred  it  to  the  firm  of  Farnaham, 
Slmter  &  Co.,  and  its  early  history  was  one  of  considerable  vicissi- 
tude. Mr.  Newton  bought  it,  in  company  with  W.  E.  Briggs, 
but  soon  after  acquired  the  latter 's  interest,  and  by  hard  work 
got  it  on  a  paying  basis.  ]\Ir.  Newton  was  chiefly  identified  by 
the  paper  mills  which  have  so  long  borne  his  name,  but  this  busi- 
ness by  no  means  represents  the  extent  of  his  business  operations, 
which  have  been  extensive  and  varied.  He  managed  a  large  lum- 
bering business,  purchased  and  successfully  carried  on  a  flouring 
mill  at  Angelo,  built  and  operated  a  paper  pulp  mill  at 
Tomahawk;  in  connection  with  M.  A.  Thayer,  established  the 
electric  lighting  company  and  had  interests  in  other  enterprises. 

Mr.  Newton  was  a  man  of  marked  force,  energy  and  business 
sagacity  and  possessed  a  resolute  will  and  indomitable  courage. 
These  alone  enabled  him  to  combat  so  long  the  constantly  aggres- 
sive physical  ailment  from  Avhich  he  suffered,  and  in  the  face  of 
which  he  kept  up  the  management  of  his  affairs  till  long  past  the 
period  wdien  ordinary  men  would  have  succumbed.  Ill  health 
began  with  a  congestive  attack  as  long  ago  as  1875,  and  with  this 
began  a  pulmonary  trouble,  which,  after  long  years  of  stubborn 
contest,  finally  gained  the  mastery. 

Mr.  Newton  united  with  the  First  Baptist  church  in  1868  and 
was  one  of  its  most  prominent  members,  active  in  its  work  and 
generous  in  giving  to  its  support.  He  was  a  good  and  valuable 
citizen  in  all  relations  and  one  of  whom  the  city  OAves  much  of  its 
material  prosperity  as  well  as  moral  welfare. 

]\rr.  Newton  was  married  in  1867  to  ]\Iiss  Emma  ]Mather,  who 


820  IIISTUKV  OF  .MOXROK  LULNTY 

died  in  1873,  leaving  two  sons.  In  ISliS  he  was  again  married, 
his  present  wife  and  his  two  sons.  Harry  and  George,  surviving 
liini. 

Joseph  Nichols,  the  son  of  David  and  Eunice  (Mayfield) 
Nichols,  was  horn  .July  28.  1840.  in  New  York.  His  jiarents.  who 
were  also  natives  of  New  York  state,  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1834 
with  their  family,  and  settled  in  P^armers'  valley.  [Monroe  county. 
Here  the  eldest  brotlier  of  our  subject  ])urchased  eighty  acres  of 
Avild  l.ind.  which  was  improved  and  i)laced  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  In  that  early  day  the  hills  and  forests  were  abund- 
ant with  wild  i^anie  and  the  creeks  and  rivers  were  well  stocked 
with  fish,  of  which  the  father  toolc  advantage — his  chief  recrea- 
tion being  hunting  and  fishing.  The  father  died  in  1877  and  the 
mother  passed  away  in  1874. 

Joseph  was  the  niiith  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  aiul 
started  in  early  life  to  nuike  his  own  waj'  in  the  world;  he  was 
variously  employed  at  faini  work,  receiving  $7  per  month  for  his 
labor.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  in  1861  he  enlisted  in 
company  A.  third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  participated  in  many  engagements,  among  them 
being  the  l)attles  Big  North  Fork  Creek.  ^lo. ;  Clarendon.  Ark., 
Bull  Ci-eek.  White  Oak  Creek,  Jacksonport :  Osage  ^Mission.  Kan.; 
Clarkesville.  Ark. :  Lexington.  ]Mo..  Little  Blue  Creek,  Independ- 
ence. Big  Blue  ^line  Creek,  Newton  ia.  Dry  wood  and  Clear  Lake, 
and  received  his  hoiu)rable  discharge  Septendjcr  29,  1865,  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  Kan.,  and  returned  to  his  home,  where  he  again 
engaged  in  farming  on  a  i-entetl  farm  until  his  marriage  in  1867; 
he  went  to  Clark  county,  Wisconsin,  in  the  fall  of  1870  and  lumie- 
steaded  a  (|UHitei"  section  of  Government  land,  wliich  he  improved 
and  whci'e  he  made  his  home  luilil  1S77.  when  he  purchased  the 
farm  in  Wells  township,  where  he  now  I'csides.  The  farm  is  well 
improved,  witli  a  good  resideiu'c.  barn  and  outbuildings.  Tlii.^ 
has  been  his  home  for  the  jiast  thii-ty-five  yt>ars  and  is  one  of  the 
few  surviving  Civil  War  vetei'ans  residing  in  the  town  of  Wells. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Rej)ublican  and  upholds  the  ]irinciples  of  his 
party. 

He  was  niairii-d  .hnuuii-v  1.  lS(i7.  at  Sjjarta.  to  ^liss  Mtdissa 
French,  dauirhter  <>f  William  French,  also  a  native  of  New  ^'oi-k 
state,  and  who  in  an  early  day  located  in  Clark  county.  Wisconsin. 
Both  parents  of  Mi-s.  Nichols  are  deceased.  To  Mi-.  and  ^Irs. 
Nichols  have  been  born  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living. 
viz.:  Edward  H..  born  February  7.  1870-.  (Jertie  (i..  liorn  ^larch 
7,  1872:  Louis  11..  horn  Mai-(di  10,  1874;  Clara  A.,  boi-n  November 


BIOGRAPHY  821 

28,  187'):  .Johiiie  E.,  horn  October  (i,  1877;  ]Maud  1.,  hoiii  •January 
12.  1882:  Josephine  M..  ])oni  November  27,  1889,  and  Myrth-  K., 
born  January  9,  1893;  Odell  J.,  born  December  28,  18()7,  is 
deceased;  (Jertie  G.,  Louis  H.,  Clara  A.,  Maud  I.,  Josei)hine  M., 
Edward  II.  and  Johnie  E.  are  married. 

Robert  G.  Nicke,  dealer  in  agricultural  implements  at  Toniah, 
was  horn  in  Germany  October  5.  1875,  and  came  to  America  with 
his  father.  Gotlieb  Xicke.  and  his  family  of  five  children  in  1892. 
They  first  located  in  Chicago,  111.,  where  for  two  and  oneJialf 
years  the  father  worked  as  a  day  laborer.  In  the  fall  of  1895 
they  removed  to  ]\Ionroe  county.  AVisconsin,  and  purchased  forty 
acres  of  land  and  here  made  their  home  for  ten  years.  For  two 
and  oneJialf  years  Robert  and  his  father  operated  a  sawmill  with 
marked  success  near  Tomah.  In  190-4  Robert  G.  moved  into  the 
city  of  Tomah  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  which  he 
conducted  for  three  years.  Disposing  of  his  grocery,  he  pur- 
chased the  implement  business  from  Dan  Crowley,  and  has  since 
successfully  continued  in  that  line.  He  carries  a  large  stock  of 
all  kinds  of  farm  machinery,  including  gasoline  engines,  binders, 
twine,  pumps,  windmills,  spring  and  farm  wagons  and  carriages 
from  the  leading  manufacturers  of  the  country.  He  is  one  of 
Toniah 's  prosperous,  safe  and  reliable  business  men  and  promi- 
nent alike  in  business  and  social  circles.  In  politics  he  is  inde- 
pendent in  thought  and  action,  supporting  the  man  for  office 
whom  he  thinks  best  qualified  for  the  position  regardless  of  party 
affiliations. 

On  August  12.  1908.  at  Tomah,  Mr.  Nicke  w^as  united  in  mar- 
riage to  jMiss  Eda  ]Miller.  They  have  two  children,  Raymond 
and  John  Xicke. 

Abel  Benjamin  Naset,  manager  of  the  Sparta  Sash  and  Door 
Company,  one  of  Sj)arta's  younger  class  of  successful  business 
men,  is  a  native  son  of  Wisconsin,  being  born  in  Dane  county, 
March  20,  1880,  to  J.  J.  and  Anna  B.  (Johnson)  Naset,  natives 
of  Norway  and  Illinois,  respectively.  In  1844  Mr.  Naset  came  to 
Wisconsin  and  located  in  Dane  county,  where  he  successfully 
carried  on  farming  foi-  a  number  of  years.  He  is  the  youngest 
and  only  surviving  member  of  a  family  of  six  children — two  sons 
and  four  daughters,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Bloomer,  of  this 
state.  His  wife,  mother  of  Abel,  died  September  19,  1903,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-four  years. 

Mr.  Naset,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  youngest  of  a  fam- 
of  eight,  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  He,  with  his  brother, 
W.   0.    Naset,   are   associated   with   the   Sparta   Sash   and  Door 


822  HISTORY  OF  :\rOXROE  COUNTY 

C'uiii])aii\-.  Jiai.sL'd  uii  a  i'anii,  la-  received  his  educatiou  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  home  town,  in  the  Albion  Academy,  and  the 
Northern  Indiana  Normal  School.  He  early  gave  up  the  idea  of 
farming,  and  after  finishing  his  school  days,  set  out  to  learn  the 
woodworkers'  trade,  beginning  first  as  a  carpenter.  During  the 
years  1901-2,  he  was  in  "Winnebago  county,  Iowa,  and  the  year 
1903  he  spent  at  Bloomer,  Wis.,  working  a  portion  of  the  time  at 
the  carpenter's  trade.  From  1903  to  1907  he  was  successfully 
engaged  in  the  woodworker's  trade  and  contracting  at  Edgerton. 
The  year  1907  and  part  of  1908  was  spent  at  Eauclaire,  AYis., 
where  he  conducted  an  architectural  office.  On  jNIarch  30  in  the 
year  1908  he  came  to  Sparta,  and  purchasing  an  interest  in  the 
Sparta  Sash  and  Door  Manufacturing  Company,  assumed  the 
management  of  the  concern.  This  is  one  of  Sparta's  largest  insti- 
tutions, and  turns  out  a  high  grade  of  interior  and  exterior  finish- 
ings, as  demand  requires  from  a  wide  radius  of  territory. 

Mr.  Naset  was  married  April  30,  1907,  at  Cambridge,  AVis.,  to 
INIiss  Ilattie  ]May,  daughter  of  William  and  Kate  (^Nlechersmith) 
Koiislei".    IMr.  Kensler  died  in  October,  1910. 

August  H.  Noth,  one  of  the  influential  and  successful  farmers 
of  Wilton  township,  is  a  native  son  of  Monroe  county,  and  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Wilton.  August  10,  1869,  the  son  of  Fred  and 
Louisa  (Reke)  Noth.  The  father  Avas  born  in  the  state  of  Lippe, 
Germany,  March  6,  1839,  and  when  twenty  years  of  age  came  to 
America  and  first  located  at  New  Orleans  in  the  fall  of  1859. 
After  his  arrival  there  he  found  the  war  clouds  so  heavy  that  he 
moved  on  to  St.  Louis,  not  being  in  sympathy  with  the  Southern 
cause,  and  not  feeling  inclined  to  take  up  arms  against  the  Union. 
He  enlisted  at  St.  Louis,  INIo..  on  July  21,  1861,  in  company  E, 
second  Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  made  sergeant  and 
color  bearer  of  his  regiment,  and  served  until  honorably  dis- 
charged September  29,  1864.  In  1866  he  came  to  Monroe  county, 
and  with  his  father,  purchased  240  acres  of  land  in  sections  seven 
and  eight,  Wilton  township,  which  at  that  time  was  wild  land. 
He  endured  many  hardships  and  privations  as  a  pioneer,  but  by 
hard  work  and  perseverance  succeeded  in  subduing  the  land  and 
bringing  it  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation  and  jiroductiveness.  He 
was  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  the  county,  and  owned  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1890,  one  of  the  best  farms 
in  the  township.  He  was  honorable  in  all  his  dealings,  public 
spirited  and  genial,  and  any  worthy  cause  always  received  his 
support.  He  stood  high  in  his  community,  and  was  considered 
one  of  the  well-to-do  men  in  the  town.    Mrs.  Noth,  mother  of  our 


BIOGRAPHY  823 

subject,  who  was  a  kind  and  loving  mother  and  indulgent  wife, 
passed  away  October  27,  1881,  honored  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  her. 

August  H.  received  his  education  in  the  district  school,  which 
he  attended  up  to  his  twentieth  year,  helping  with  the  general 
farm  work  and  assisting  in  clearing  the  land  and  making  the 
improvements.  Since  the  death  of  his  father  he  has  had  charge 
of  the  farm,  which  he  has  continued  to  improve  and  bring  to  a 
higher  state  of  cultivation.  The  residence,  which  was  erected 
about  thirty  years  ago,  is  comfortable  and  well  constructed,  and 
his  barns,  one  of  which  is  30  x  56  feet,  and  other  outbuildings  are 
commodious  and  conveniently  arranged.  His  supply  of  pure 
water,  which  is  secured  from  a  deep  driven  well,  operated  by  a 
large  windmill,  furnishes  plenty  of  water  for  his  house  and  stock. 
In  his  farming  operations,  Mr.  Noth  uses  the  latest  up-to-date 
methods  and  his  place  is  well  supplied  with  modern  labor  saving 
machinery,  and  he  takes  pride  in  keeping  it  well  stocked  with  a 
good  grade  of  horses,  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs. 

On  October  26,  1898,  he  was  married  in  the  town  of  Ridgeville, 
to  Miss  Amelia  Kevit,  daughter  of  August  and  Arnstena  Kevit, 
pioneers,  and  highly  respected  settlers  of  Ridgeville  township. 
Mrs.  Noth  is  the  second  child  in  a  family  of  six  children,  five  of 
Avhom  are  now  living.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Noth,  viz. :  Neta,  born  January  27,  1900 ;  Raymond  "W., 
born  February  22,  1902 ;  Corliss  August,  born  July  11,  1905 ; 
Adalia  A.,  born  October  25,  1907,  and  Mildred  L.,  born  March  11, 
1911. 

Mr.  Noth  is  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  his  town,  and 
takes  an  interest  in  all  public  matters.  He  has  been  chairman  of 
the  town  board,  treasurer  of  the  Farmers'  IMutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company  and  a  director  of  the  school  board  for  fifteen  years.  He 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  Elgin  Creamery  Company,  of  Wilton,  and 
in  politics  a  progressive  Republican. 

Fred  W.  Noth,  chairman  of  the  board  of  Ridgeville  township, 
Monroe  county,  was  born  March  29,  1874,  in  the  town  of  Wilton, 
Wis.,  the  son  of  Fred  and  Louisa  (Reke)  Noth,  both  natives  of 
Germany.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1860  and  settled  in 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  lived  until  he  enlisted  in  the  second 
Missouri  Volunteer  Infantry.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  came 
with  his  father,  mother,  two  sisters  and  one  brother  to  Ridge- 
ville, AVilton  township,  and  settled  on  the  farm,  where  he  married 
and  where  he  lived  until  his  death.  His  first  wife  died  and  he 
remarried.    After  the  death  of  his  father,  our  subject  went  with 


824  HISTORY  OF  .MOXKOK  COIXTY 

his  stepinotlier  to  Ikt  farm  in  Kid.ireville,  which  he  leased  from 
her  and  took  t-are  of  her,  A.  II.  Xoth  gettin«r  the  home  farm. 
!Mr.  and  Mi's.  Xoth  raised  a  family  of  six  children,  five  of  whom 
are  now  (15)12)  livinu:.  P^'red  W.  l)ein<j:  the  fourth  child,  lie 
attended  the  district  schools  until  his  seventeenth  year,  and  at 
the  a^tfe  of  t  went  \ -two.  on  .luiie  2,  lSf>7.  he  was  married  to  !Miss 
Bertha  Kewit.  whose  parents  were  early  settlers  of  Ridgeville 
township.  They  have  two  children,  viz.:  ?]ldon,  born  July  20, 
1899.  and  Leona.  Ix.rn  February  27.  1902. 

Fred  W.  Xotii  accpiired  the  homestead  of  120  acres  in  sections 
ten  and  eleven.  Kidgeville  township,  by  purchase,  where  he  has 
since  resided:  the  mother  also  lived  here  until  1909.  when  she 
died.  He  is  a  nuiu  of  more  than  usual  thrift  and  ambition,  and 
the  wave  of  prosperity  which  he  has  enjoyed  for  the  past  few 
years  is  evidence  of  his  good  management  and  economical  meth- 
ods, lie  ii;is  increased  his  aci'eage  to  260  in  sections  ten,  eleven 
rUid  twenty-three,  enlarged  his  residence,  barns  and  other  out- 
buildings, until  he  noAv  has  one  of  the  most  spacious  and  commo- 
dious homes  in  ^Monroe  county,  and  besides  carrying  on  general 
farming,  he  makes  a  specialty  of  the  dairy  business.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  ])olitics  and  active  in  all  movements  i)ertaniing  to 
the  welfare  of  his  community.  In  1912  he  was  elected  chairman 
of  the  board  of  Ridgeville  township,  and  for  some  time  served  as 
supervisor.     lie  is  also  a  director  of  the  Farmers'  State  Bank. 

George  Novotny  is  one  of  the  prominent  Bohemian  citizens  of 
Ridgeville  township.  ^lonroe  county.  He  was  l)orn  in  Racine 
county.  Wisconsin,  on  ]\larch  11.  1859.  the  fifth  of  a  family  of  six 
children,  only  three  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  born  to 
Francis  and  Therisa  (IToudek)  Novotny,  both  natives  of  Bohemia. 
They  came  to  America  in  1852  and  located  in  Racine  county, 
where  they  j)urchased  forty  acres  of  wild  timber  land  and  imme- 
diately set  to  work  to  clear  and  cultivate  the  land,  and  after 
about  .seventeen  years  of  pioneer  experience,  they  disposed  of  this 
farm  aiul  moved  to  ]Moni-oe  county  in  1869  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  120  aci-es  in  section  twelve  in  the  township  of  Ridgeville.  which 
they  made  their  homestead  and  where  they  continued  to  exi)eri- 
ence  the  trials  and  liardshi|)s  of  pioneer  life.  Ten  years  later  the 
father  diet!,  and  his  wiiloAV  survived  until  1898.  ^Ir.  Xovotny  was 
married  twice:  his  first  marriage  was  with  ]\liss  Lydia  Tonuis. 
and  they  had  a  family  of  four  sons.  .Mrs.  Xovotny  died  in  1841. 
and  he  married  again  in  December.  1842,  the  second  Mrs.  Novotny 
being  the  mother  of  our  subject. 

George  was  always  the  mainstay  of  his  jiarents,  and  after  the 


BIOGKAl'llY  825 

death  of  his  tathci-  he  eoiitiiiucd  to  live  on  the  homestead  with 
his  inothcr  diirinu'  lier  lifctiiiie.  and  eventually  ;i('(iuii"ed  the  farm 
ill  his  own  riiilit.  Ilis  education  was  liinifed,  however,  to  the 
district  schools  of  his  iieighboi'hood  up  to  his  fourteenth  year, 
owing  to  his  farm  duties,  but  being  an  apt  pupil  and  wide  awake 
to  the  affairs  of  the  day,  his  practical  knowledge  soon  placed  him 
in  the  front  ranks  in  the  township  as  a  farmer  and  citizen.  He 
has  always  been  a  good  Republican  and  a  faithful  worker  for  the 
principles  of  tliat  party.  He  is  greatly  interested  in  and  favors 
every  enterprise  for  the  development  of  his  town  and  county. 

Mr.  George  Novotny  was  married  on  November  19,  1885,  in 
the  city  of  Racine.  AVis.,  to  Miss  Mary  Haman,  daughter  of  AntoJi 
and  Marianna  Haman.  who  were  also  natives  of  Bohemia,  and 
came  to  America  in  1865  and  settled  in  Racine  county,  where  her 
father  was  employed  in  a  sash  and  door  factory  for  some  twenty- 
five  years.  He  died  in  1891;  the  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years.  They  were  both  devoted  inembers  of  the 
Catholic  church.  They  had  a  family  of  three  children,  Mrs. 
Novotny  being  the  second  child. 

]\Ir.  and  INIrs.  Novotny  have  two  children:  Esther  M.,  born 
Octol)er  25.  1886.  married  August  28,  1912,  to  Mr.  Adolph  Noth, 
moved  to  ITnity,  Clark  county,  Wis.,  and  Gordon  G.,  born 
January  16.  1891. 

Nehemiah  Oakley,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  ]\Ionroo  county, 
Wisconsin,  foi-  forty-three  years,  is  an  active  and  useful  citizen 
and  has  done  his  full  share  in  developing  the  material  resources 
of  the  county  and  transforming  it  from  a  wilderness  to  its 
present  high  i)lace  among  the  rich  and  fruitful  counties  of  the 
state.  A  native  of  Montgomery  county.  New  York,  he  was  born 
August  19,  1884.  AYhen  he  was  three  years  old,  his  parents, 
Edward  and  Polly  (Wire)  Oakley,  who  Avere  also,  natives  of 
New  York  state,  moved  to  Ontario,  Canada,  and  there  spent  the 
balance  of  their  days.  Mr.  Oakley,  our  subject,  is  the  second 
child  and  mdy  surviving  member  of  his  family  of  brothers  and 
sisters;  the  others  were  Charity,  C^harles,  Alary  Elizabeth  and 
Phoebie  Jane. 

Nehemiah  attended  the  common  schools  of  Ontario,  Imt  the 
death  of  his  father  having  occun-ed  when  he  Avas  twelve  years  of 
age,  he  was  practically  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  and  his 
chances  for  advances  v/ere  limited.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he 
purchased  the  home  farm  from  his  stepfather,  and  in  that  year 
married  and  began  a  farmer's  life  in  earnest;  he  afterwards  sold 
this  farm,  however,  and  rented  a  farm  in  the  same  locality,  where 


826  HISTORY  OF  .UUXKUE  I'ULXTY 

he  remained  for  six  years.  Jii  1869  he  came  to  AVisconsin  and 
homesteaded  an  eighty-acre  tract  in  Monroe  county  near  Tunnel 
City,  to  which  he  subsequently  added  another  eighty  acres  in 
section  two,  (Jreenfield  township,  where  he  now  resides.  lie  was 
not  long  in  eleai'ing  the  first  eiti'hty  and  fifteen  acres  of  the  other, 
which  he  subdued  and  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
erected  a  good  class  of  buildings  and  added  all  the  needed 
a])i)liances  and  conveniences  of  an  iii)-to-date,  model  farm. 
p]nergetic,  enterprising  and  progressive,  he  takes  pride  in  his 
farm,  town  and  county.  Mr.  Oakley  is  one  of  the  representative 
and  intelligent  citizens  of  Greenfield  township  and  is  a  man  of 
general  worth  in  the  community;  he  has  been  chairman  of  his 
town  for  nine  terms  and  a  member  of  the  side  board ;  clerk  of 
the  school  district,  and  for  nineteen  consecutive  years  school 
treasurer. 

On  May  23,  1852,  Mr.  Oakley  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  II. 
Woodard,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Harriet  (Sisco)  Woodard,  who 
also  were  natives  of  the  Empire  state,  but  who  moved  to  Ontario, 
Canada,  and  later  to  ]\Iichigan,  where  both  died.  Mrs.  Oakley 
is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  survive,  viz. : 
Elvira  is  the  wife  of  William  Sisco,  and  resides  in  Michigan ; 
EdAvin,  also  of  Michigan:  Clifford  lives  in  Lincoln  township,  this 
county;  Sophia  married  Alfred  Quick,  of  ]\Iichigan  :  Flavilla  is  the 
wife  of  Andrew  Ililliker.  late  of  Tomah,  and  Sarah  is  the  wife  of 
AVellington  Schnell,  of  Michigan.  Those  deceased  are  Wilson, 
Anna,  Marietta,  Daniel  and  one  wlio  died  in  infancy. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oakley  are  Elveretta,  who 
married  Stowell  Brown,  of  Trout  Falls,  LaFayette  township; 
Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  John  Purdy,  of  Greenfield  township ; 
Wellington  lives  in  Oregon;  Oscar  resides  in  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington ;  Armina  is  the  wife  of  Hamlin  Griffin,  of  the  town  of 
Grant,  this  county,  and  Arcenith,  wife  of  Edwin  Purdy  of  Green- 
field. Those  deceased  are  Sarah  Jane,  who  married  Frank  Purdy: 
Alice;  Emma  and  three  who  died  in  infancy.  The  celebration  of 
the  golden  wedding  of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Oakley  was  an  event  long 
1o  be  remembered  by  their  wide  circle  of  friends, 

Mrs.  Jens  Oleson,  wife  of  Jens  Oleson,  deceased,  was  boi'ii  in 
Norway  December  7,  1860.  the  daugliter  of  Ilalvor  Bergerson. 
She  came  to  America  with  her  parents  from  Norway  in  1872. 
who,  after  their  arrival  in  this  country,  came  to  Monroe  county. 
Wisconsin,  and  located  on  a  (juarter  section  of  land  in  section 
sixteen,  Leon  township,  where  they  spent  their  lives.  The  father 
was  born  in  1810,  and  died  in  1!)02.     The  mother,  born  in  1810. 


Q 


J 


I— « 


BIOGRAPHY  827 

passed  away  in  1896.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  and 
the  father  was  a  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  keeping  his 
farm  well  stocked  with  a  good  grade  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs. 
He  was  a  man  of  noble  Christian  character,  and  he  and  his  wife 
were  honored  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  had  great 
influence  in  the  community. 

Mrs.  Oleson  was  married  March  12,  1878,  in  the  town  of  Leon, 
to  Mr,  Jens  Oleson,  who  was  born  in  Norway  October  26,  1853. 
When  five  years  of  age,  in  1858,  his  parents  came  to  America 
and  w^ere  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  Leon  valley.  The  father 
was  a  hard  working,  thrifty  farmer  and  owned  at  the  time  of  his 
death  320  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Oleson,  husband  of  our  subject, 
w^as  successful  in  his  operations  as  a  farmer,  and  his  farm  w^as 
highly  improved  by  cultivation  and  buildings,  and  the  modern 
residence  erected  in  1904,  with  the  commodious  outbuildings, 
make  theirs  one  of  the  up-to-date  country  homes  of  the  valley. 
He  w^as  kind-hearted  and  generous  and  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  having  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  ^vho 
knew  him.  He  died  May  7,  1904,  leaving  besides  his  estimable 
wife,  a  family  of  twelve  children,  as  follows :  Johanna,  born 
August  11,  1878;  Dora,  born  February  11,  1880;  Oscar,  born 
September  2,  1882;  Harold,  born  December  20,  1884;  Ida,  born 
February  18,  1887;  Augusta,  born  April  21,  1889;  Nora,  born 
January  6,  1892;  Olga,  born  June  17,  1894;  Joseph,  born  Sep- 
tember 2,  1896;  Leonard,  born  October  6,  1898,  and  Walter  and 
William,  twins,  born  February  23,  1902. 

Godfrey  Oswald,  of  Pleasant  valley,  was  born  in  Switzerland, 
May  11,  1854.  His  parents  were  Jacob  and  Anna  (Frey)  Oswald, 
both  natives  of  Switzerland.  They  came  to  America  with  a 
family  of  eight  children  and  located  at  Bangor,  La  Crosse  county, 
Wisconsin ;  after  a  residence  there  of  two  years  they  moved  to 
Salem,  and  afterwards,  in  1860,  came  to  Monroe  county  and  began 
the  life  of  farmers  on  160  acres  of  land,  which  the  father  home- 
steaded  in  the  Pleasant  valley,  and  where  they  spent  the  balance  of 
their  lives.  They  toiled  hard  in  the  honest  endeavor  to  build  them 
a  home  and  suffered  many  privations  at  first,  but  were  successful 
in  the  end,  passing  away  at  the  close  of  a  busy  and  well  spent 
life,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  them.  Mr.  Oswald 
Avas  born  in  1811  and  died  in  1883.  Mrs.  Oswald,  born  in  1816, 
passed  away  in  1885.  In  Switzerland  the  father  secured  a  liberal 
education  and  belonged  to  the  Lutheran  church,  but  after  com- 
ing to  America  was  never  identified  with  any  religious  denomina- 
tion.   Although  not  being  able  to  converse  fluently  in  the  English 


828  ITISTOKV  OK  MOXROK  COrXTY 

languaf^c,  lie  had  many  I'cinai'kalili'  ti'aits  in  his  character.  Ihat 
were  appreciated  and  admii-cd  hy  his  many  friends.  In  liorti- 
(•ultni-al  matters  he  t(H)k  a  (h'ci(h'd  interest,  and  durinu'  his 
lifetime  planted  two  api)le  inchards.  which  are  now  l)cariug 
prolitlcail.w  and  neai-l\'  every  yeai-  produce  liberal  returns,  and 
there  is  no  oi'chai-d  in  the  Plesant  \alley  that  will  sni'pass  them. 

Godfrey  Oswald  i-eceived  a  limited  (Mincalion,  hut  is  well 
posted  on  all  euri-ent  topics.  lie  has  made  fannintr  his  life  work, 
and  aftei-  the  d(»ath  of  his  father  was  made  administi-ator  of  his 
estate  and  sul)sequentl>'  ])urchascd  the  old  homestead.  .Mr. 
Oswald  is  a  man  of  thrift  and  aliility,  and  has  made  a  jrraiul 
success  of  farming;,  as  well  as  jjaining  and  retaining;  the  good  will 
of  his  fellow  men. 

He  was  married  July  4.  TSDO.  1o  ]\riss  Agnes  Flog,  whose 
parents  came  from  Germany.  Three  diildren  liax'e  been  born  to 
this  union,  vi/.. :  Kmma  Maggie.  Dorotha  K..  a  graduate  of  the 
Sparta  High  School  in  the  class  of  1911,  is  a  teacher,  and  George, 
who  is  living  at  home  Avith  his  parents. 

Nicholas  F.  Palen,  one  of  the  leading  iiumi  of  Spai'ta  in  his  line 
of  business,  that  of  a  plumber,  is  a  native  of  Caledonia.  l\liiiii.. 
where  ho  was  boi'ii  l)eceml)er  l'■^.  IST^^  His  parents.  Leopold  and 
Mary  (Hupert)  Palen  were  born  in  Luxemburg,  Germany,  and 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  the  (^arly  sixties.  Their  first 
stopping  place  after  reaching  this  country  was  at  Oubnqne.  Iowa, 
whei'e  they  remained  foi*  only  a  short  time  and  nu)ved  on  to 
^linnesota.  Avliere  "Sir.  Palen  entered  land  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, which  he  followed  nntil  about  four  >ears  previous  to  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1909.  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years.  He  was  a  thrifty,  pi-ogressive  and  successful  fai'iiier  an  '■ 
considei-ed  amonu  the  l)est  class  of  pioneers  of  his  comnninity. 
^Irs.  Palen.  his  widow,  si  ill  survives  and  makes  her  liome  at 
(^alech>nia.  Leo|)ol(|  Palen  was  one  of  a  famil\-  of  nine  children, 
all  of  whom  came  IVom  (lermany.  the  only  sui-viving  member  of 
that  familx-  being  Mrs.  Frances  Hurkhart.  wife  of  Jnlins  Purk- 
hai't.  of  L;i  ( 'i-osse.  Wis.  Prank-  llniiert.  the  matei-nal  graiul- 
father  of  oiii-  subject,  emigrated  1o  this  country  at  alxuit  the  same 
time  of  the  Taiens.  atul  settled  at  Duiuujue.  Iowa,  where  he  also 
engaged  in  farming.  Nicholas  is  the  fifth  child  of  a  family  of 
fourteen  childi-en.  (deven  of  whom  ai'e  now  (1912')  living.  They 
are  Frank  •!..  of  l)ubu<pie.  Iowa:  .\uua.  the  wife  of  Mat  Molitor. 
of  Adrian.  Minn.:  .Mai-y.  the  wife  of  H.  A.  Ilengel.  of  Winona. 
Minn.:  Frances,  widow  of  P.  M.  Fous.  of  Caladonia.  Mirni.: 
Nicholas    v..    the    subiect    of    this    sketch:    Jennie,    wife    of    •!.    P. 


BIOGRAPHY  829 

Gaspai'tl,  (if  Caladonia  :  lleiir\-,  who  resides  on  the  lionie  farm; 
Josephine,  wife  of  I\li-.  Ascott.  of  8t.  Paul,  iMinn.;  Eiiiil.  who 
resides  at  La  Crosse,  Wis.:  Luey,  wife  of  Nicholas  Koel,  of  Cala- 
donia  :  Joseph,  of  the  same  place,  and  three  who  died  in  infancy. 

Nicholas  Palen  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm,  attcndins.;-  tlie 
district  schools  in  winter  and  working  on  the  farm  in  summer, 
until  1892,  when  he  began  work  at  the  plumbers'  trade  at  Winona, 
]\Iinii.,  with  the  firm  of  II.  A.  Hengel  &  Co.  Having  thoronghly 
mastered  the  trade,  in  1898  he  came  to  Sparta  and  formed  a 
co-partnershij)  with  J.  II.  Hengel,  the  style  of  the  firm  being 
Hengel  &  Palen.  This  business  arrangement  was  successfully 
carried  on  for  five  years,  when  Mr.  Palen  purchased  his  partner's 
interest  and  has  since  continued  under  his  own  name  the  plumbing 
and  heating  business,  in  which  he  has  been  eminently  successful. 
He  has  been  at  his  present  location  for  nine  years;  is  the  leader 
in  his  line,  and  has  j^laced  the  i)lumbing  and  heating  apparatus 
in  all  the  best  residences  in  the  city,  as  well  as  in  several  public 
buildings,  and  also  the  buildings  at  the  state  farm. 

Mr.  Palen  was  married  September  2,  1901.  to  INIiss  Gertrude 
Walser,  of  Winona,  Minn.,  and  they  have  one  child,  Vernon  Wal- 
ser  Palen.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  ]\Iod- 
ern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Maccabees,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  all  matters  that  pertain  to  the  betterment  of  the 
locality  in  which  he  resides. 

Irvin  Nelson  Palmer,  who  has  been  identified  with  the  busi- 
ness life  of  Tomah  shu-v  1876,  is  a  native  of  Fond  du  Lac  county, 
Wisconsin,  born  December  22,  1848,  son  of  Nelson  H.  and  Almira 
(Taylor)  Palmer.  The  father  was  born  in  Connecticut  and 
raised  a  family  of  eleven  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living. 
He  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1840  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Fond  du 
Lac  county,  but  afterwards  moved  to  Adams  county,  later  going 
to  ]\Iichigan,  where  he  died  in  1868.  his  wife,  mother  of  Nelson, 
having  passed  away  in  1849. 

Our  subject  spent  his  early  manhood  on  a  farm,  receiving 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  Michigan.  He  taught  school  during 
the  winter  months  and  followed  farming  until  he  was  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age,  when  in  1876  he  came  to  Tomah,  and  pur- 
chasing the  store  of  J.  H.  Stewart,  he  entered  upon  the  career 
of  a  merchant,  which  he  has  followed  with  marked  success  up  to 
the  present  time.  His  stock  now  consists  of  books,  stationery, 
toys,  and  everything  found  in  a  first  class  up-to-date  variety, 
store.  In  connection  he  has  a  large  news  stand,  and  has  exclusive 
sale  of  all  the  Chicago.  INIilwaukee  and  La   Crosse  daily  papers. 


830  HISTORY  OF  .^lOXROE  COUNTY 

Mr.  Palmer  is  a  man  avIki  stands  high  in  the  business  and  social 
life  of  Tomah ;  he  is  an  active  member  in  the  IMasonic  order  and 
has  filled  .ill  the  chairs  of  the  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Rebeccas.  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and 
the  IModern  Woodmen  of  America ;  has  been  clerk  of  the  latter 
for  twenty-four  years  and  of  the  former  for  twenty  years.  In 
politics  he  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to 
the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Palmer  has  been  twice  married;  his  first  marriage  was  in 
187-4  with  ]\Iiss  Sallie  Talbot,  and  to  this  union  was  born  one 
daughter,  Lulu  M.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Paul  Austin.  After 
the  death  of  ]Mrs.  Palmer,  in  1887,  Mr.  Palmer  was  again  married, 
tills  time  to  Miss  Elizabeth  i\lieumber,  of  Augusta,  Wis.  She  is 
also  now  deceased. 

William  Potter  Palmer,  a  retired  business  man  of  Sparta,  ha.s 
been  identified  with  the  business  life  of  Sparta  for  half  a  century. 
He  was  born  in  Johnstown,  N.  Y.,  on  August  13,  1842.  and  Avhen 
fourteen  years  of  age,  in  1856,  he  came  to  Si)arta  with  his  parents, 
who  were  Hagerman  and  Mary  (Potter)  Palmer,  natives  of  New 
York  and  P^ngland  respectively.  Hagerman  Palmer,  father  of 
AVilliam,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Watervliet,  Albany  county. 
New  York.  November  14,  1815.  and  his  father,  David  Palmer, 
was  a  native  of  Dutche.ss  county.  On  November  28,  1839,  Hager- 
man Palmer  married  ]\Iiss  ]\lary  Potter,  who  died  August  27.  1894, 
mother  of  William.  The  earliest  American  ancestors  of  Mr. 
Palmer  came  from  England  to  America  in  the  Sixteenth  century. 
Three  brothers  emigrated  from  that  country  and  settled  in  the 
colony  of  Connecticut.  Numerous  descendants  of  these  brothers 
are  now  scattered  throughout  the  Union,  many  of  whom  have 
become  men  of  iiote.  among  them  tlic  late  and  avcU  known  Potter 
Palmer,  of  Chicago,  who  was  the  third  cousin  of  our  subject.  The 
maiden  name  of  Hagerman  Palmer's  mother  was  Catherine  Hager- 
man, a  native  of  Saratoga  county.  New  Y'ork.  The  parents  of 
Hagerman  Palmer  continued  to  reside  in  Albany  county.  New 
York,  until  their  death.  He  was  tiie  last  surviving  member  of  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  six  sons  and  seven  daughters.  In 
early  life  Mr.  Palmer  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage secured  employment  as  an  agent  for  James  Roy  &  Company, 
of  AVest  Troy,  N.  Y.,  manufacturers  of  broadcloth  and  shawls, 
and  later  he  engaged  in  merchandising.  In  1855  he  came  to 
Sparta  and  with  a  comi)any  of  capitalists  entered  on  land  war- 
rants about  6,000  acres  of  Imul.  the  greater  part  of  which  was 


BIOGRAPHY  831 

in  Monroe  county.  In  this  enterprise  Mr.  Palmer  liad  one-fourth 
interest.  In  April  of  the  following  year  (1856)  Mrs.  Palmer,  with 
the  rest  of  the  family,  joined  her  husband  in  their  new  home. 
For  fourteen  years  Mr.  Palmer  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
in  Sparta,  and  also  made  a  business  of  buying  and  selling  hops 
for  some  years,  with  headquarters  for  this  in  St.  Louis;  his  prin- 
cipal line  in  Sparta,  however,  has  been  real  estate. 

On  Thanksgiving  Day,  1889,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Palmer  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  at  their  beautiful  home,  entertaining  on  the 
occasion  about  360  guests. 

As  a  progressive  and  enterprising  business  man,  Mr.  Palmer 
was  a  success;  he  was  a  man  of  marked  individuality,  independent 
in  thought  and  action;  a  man  among  men,  whose  presence  was 
missed  by  his  wide  circle  of  friends  and  associates.  His  death 
occurred  on  September  12,  1905. 

William  Potter  Palmer,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  second 
child  of  a  family  of  eleven  children ;  the  others  are :  Carrie  P.  Lee, 
of  Oregon;  David  H.,  of  Oregon;  George  H.,  of  Sparta;  Emma 
W.  Dodge,  of  Sparta;  Henry  W.,  of  La  Crosse;  Mary,  wife  of 
E.  H.  Canfield,  resides  in  Sparta ;  John  V.,  who  died  July  11,  1911, 
and  Charles  E.,  Ellen  J.  and  Minnie  E.,  deceased. 

AA^illiam  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  entered  as  clerk 
the  drug  store  of  his  father,  which  business  finally  became  his 
chief  occupation  in  life.  At  that  time  the  firm  name  was  Condit 
&  Palmer,  later  Palmer  &  Rogers,  and  afterward  changed  to 
Palmer  &  Gage,  with  whom  he  was  employed  until  1875,  when  he 
embarked  in  the  drug  business  on  his  own  account,  which  he  suc- 
cessfully conducted  until  ]896;  at  this  time  Mr.  Fred  Gross  pur- 
chased a  half  interest,  who  afterwards,  associated  with  Mr. 
Shaller,  purchased  the  other  half  interest.  Mr.  Palmer  later  pur- 
chased a  bankrupt  stock  of  drugs  and,  as  a  member  of  the  Taylor 
Drug  Company,  continued  in  this  line  of  business  until  February 
19,  1907,  when  he  retired  from  all  active  business. 

During  his  long  and  busy  career,  Mr.  Palmer  has- filled  many 
positions  of  trust  and  honor.  From  1891  to  1898  he  Avas  vice- 
president  of  the  Bank  of  Sparta ;  he  early  served  as  village  treas- 
urer and  assessor  and  was  for  two  years  county  clerk.  He  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Sparta,  highly 
esteemed  by  a  host  of  friends  whom  he  has  gathered  around  him 
by  his  thorough  business  habits  and  social  qualities.  He  is  free 
from  all  ostentatious  pride,  is  genial  and  affable  in  his  manner, 
always  ready  to  bestow  a  favor,  to  speak  a  kind  word  or  do  a 


832  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROE  COUNTY 


% 


kiml  art.  and,  liciiii;  enterprising  tu  an  eminent  degree,  he  takes 
a  lively  interest  in  ail  measures  tending  to  the  welfare  and  pros- 
perity of  his  city  and  cnnnty. 

On  May  10,  186H.  Mr.  i'almcr  was  nnited  in  marriage  at  Sparta 
with  ]\Iiss  Esther  I\I..  daughter  of  Guy  and  family  (Richmond) 
Shaw,  natives  of  Genesee  count\-.  Xew  Yoi-]<.  who  came  to  Sparta 
when  jNIrs.  ]*almer  was  but  twelve  years  of  age.  The  parents  of 
Mrs.  Palmer  enjoyed  over  sixty  years  of  happy  married  life. 
:\lrs.  Shaw  was  born  February  iL'.  1812.  and  died  April  28.  1896. 
Mr.  Shaw  Avas  born  May  ;;!,  1812,  and  died  ]\Iarch  9,  1896.  Of 
four  children,  Mrs.  Palmer  is  the  youngest ;  the  others  are :  Cath- 
erine R.,  wife  of  W.  E.  Graves,  of  Sparta;  Horace,  died  ]\lay  12, 
1876.  and  Daniel,  who  died  January  27,  1876.  The  children  of 
i\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Palmer  are  Lelia  Roselle,  born  January'  28,  1870, 
married  W.  AV.  Taylor,  of  Stevens  Point.  AVis..  and  has  two  chil- 
dren. Palmer  AV.  Taylor,  born  September  17,  1900.  and  Gage  ]\Ic- 
Pherson  Taylor,  boi-n  January  10.  190-1.  The  other  child,  Guy  H. 
Palmer,  was  born  Alay  1.  1883.  is  superintendent  and  an  electrical 
engineer  of  ]\Iammoth  Springs,  Ark.  He  was  married,  January 
25.  1912.  to  Florence  Burnell,  of  IMedford.  Ore. 

William  F.  Parsons,  a  progressive  and  prosperous  farmer,  re- 
siding in  the  Big  Creek  A^'alley,  on  section  seven,  Sparta  township, 
is  a  native  son  of  IMonroe  county  and  was  born  at  Tomah.  the  son 
of  William  Barlow  and  Lucy  (Lockwood)  Parsons. 

AVilliam  Barlow  Parsons  was  born  at  Randolph.  A"t..  Alay  3, 
1824,  the  seventh  descendant  from  Deacon  C.  Bengem  Parsons  of 
the  ]\Iaytiower.  one  of  the  three  brothers  who  came  over  at  that 
time  (1620).  He  attended  school  in  IMassachusetts.  taught  in  the 
East,  came  to  Baraboo.  AVis..  about  1854,  where  he  met  his  wife 
and  was  married  in  1855.  INIr.  Parson  having  already  pre-empted 
land  in  LaGrange  township,  near  Tomah,  being  the  first  to  pre- 
empt land  in  that  i)art  of  the  county,  and  moved  to  tlic  farm  in 
the  spring  of  1855.  Mrs.  Parson's  parents,  Mr.  and  Airs.  Charles 
David  LoclvAvood.  came  from  Kingston.  Canada,  in  1854,  settled 
in  Baraboo,  where  Air.  Lockwood  bought  a  townsite.  but  the  town 
not  materializing,  they  located  in  Tunnel  City,  where  they  ran 
the  Lockwood  House  foi-  several  years,  afterwards  .settling  on  a 
little  farm  in  Ilopeville.  which  was  a  portion  of  the  Parsons  land. 
Air.  Parsons  Avas  school  township  superintendent  until  the  county 
of  IMonroe  was  organized  and  county  officers  elected.  He  was  for 
many  years  town  clerk  and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  united  in 
marriage  several  of  the  now  old  jx'ople  of  the  connnunity.  He 
was  always  interested   in   all   improvements  for  the  good  of  the 


BIOGRAPHY  HM 

county,  a  faithful  home  friend  to  man}'.  During  the  war  he  did 
his  duty  for  the  country  at  home,  aiding  those  in  need  by  h)aning 
money.  The  Parson's  home  was  always  a  hospitable  center,  where 
many  people  on  their  westward  journey  in  the  early  days  were 
given  assistance  and  good  cheer;  he  also  aided  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  county  by  locating  man}-  in  that  section.  He  taught  school 
for  several  terms,  many  of  those  who  came  under  his  instruction 
remembering  him  as  one  who  inspired  them  to  greater  effort  and 
ambition  for  a  place  of  usefulness  in  life.  He  was  one  of  the  few 
in  the  neighborhood  who  took  active  part  in  Sunday  school  and 
church  work,  and  was  a  leader  in  literary  societies,  spelling- 
schools,  etc. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parsons  lived  in  a  log  house,  the  first  one  built 
in  the  locality,  until  1866,  where  six  of  their  children  were  born. 
Lucinda  Parsons,  the  eldest,  being  the  first  white  child  born  in 
that  locality.  They  moved  to  Clear  Lake,  S.  D.,  in  1883-1884, 
and  were  pioneers  of  that  section.  They  settled  on  a  homestead 
near  town,  where  they  lived  until  a  short  time  before  their  demise. 
They  were  alwaj's,  honored  and  respected,  and  lived  without  re- 
proach, his  motto  being  "to  owe  no  man  aught  but  love  and  char- 
ity." Of  Mrs.  Parsons  could  truly  be  said:  "Her  children  grew 
up  calling  her  blessed."    Mr.  Parsons  survived  his  wife  one  j^ear. 

William  F.  Spent  his  early  life  on  the  homestead  farm  of  160 
acres  which  his  father  took  up  in  LaOrange  township  when  he 
came  to  Monroe  county  in  1854.  He  attended  the  public  school 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  went  to  the  pineries  of  northern 
Michigan  and  was  foreman  of  a  lumber  camp  for  some  time,  when 
he  went  to  western  Minnesota  and  purchased  160  acres  of  land, 
thence  to  Dakota,  where  he  homesteaded  160  acres.  After  proving 
up  on  this,  he  returned  to  the  Michigan  pineries  and  five  years 
later  disposed  of  his  Minnesota  land  and  returned  to  Monroe 
county  and  to  his  present  location  in  Sparta  township,  where,  in 
1902,  he  bought  his  farm  of  175  acres  from  John  Hutson,  which 
he  has  since  improved  by  the  addition  of  a  barn  40x90  feet,  silo 
14x35  feet,  milk  house  14x14  feet,  and  a  sorghum  mill.  His  dairy 
grades  are  the  Jerseys,  Holsteins  and  Duroc  Jersey  Red,  and, 
besides  his  stock  raising  and  dairying,  he  is  engaged  in  diversified 
farming  and  has  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  Big  Creek  Valley. 

In  1901  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jennie  Hutson, 
daughter  of  John  Hutson,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Sparta  town- 
ship. To  this  union  has  been  born  three  children,  viz. :  William 
Lloyd,  Wallace  Earl  and  Cecil  Paul.  Mr.  Parsons  is  a  member 
of  the  Sparta  Fruit  Growers'  Association.  Sparta  Fair  Association, 


834  IIISTOIJV  OK  .MONIJOK  (OrXTY 

the  ]\I(>d('iii  WuodiutMi  ill  America,  and  he  and  his  family  affiliate 
with  the  Bif;  Creek  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Erick  Peterson,  one  of  Ihc  very  first  settlers  of  Portland  town- 
ship, a  Mian  of  i)rogressive  ideas  and  a  snbstantial  citizen,  was 
born  in  Xdi-way.  February  IS,  1829,  the  son  of  Peter  and  ]\Iartha 
Erickson.  botli  natives  of  Norway.  Onr  subject  remained  in  his 
native  country  until  1851,  when,  with  his  wife  and  one  child,  he 
came  to  America,  and  for  a  time  was  located  at  Rochester,  Racine 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  fanning  mill  fac- 
tory. His  fathci'.  wlu»  alwM\s  lived  in  Norway,  was  a  milhvright, 
and  worked  a1  this  trade  as  well  as  that  of  carpenter.  lie  was 
a  man  of  excellent  judgment  and  the  father  of  eight  children, 
our  subject  l)eing  the  second  cliild;  seven  of  this  family  are  still 
(1912)  living.  The  parents  were  mendiers  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  prominent  in  their  community. 

In  1858  Erick  Peterson  located  in  the  town  of  Portland,  and 
for  a  time  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  builder.  In  1859 
he  purchased  240  acres  of  land  in  sections  six  and  twenty-five, 
and  afterwards  added  forty  acres  in  section  thirty-six.  After  a 
residence  here  of  nine  years,  he  mov(>d  to  the  town  of  Jefferson. 
]\lr.  Peterson  relates  that  when  he  first  located  in  the  town  of 
Portland  there  were  but  few  settlers,  and  no  settlement  from 
which  to  procure  supplies.  La  Crosse  being  the  nearest  trading 
point:  i\onr  at  that  time  was  ten  dollars  per  l)arrel,  and  othiM- 
things  in  proportion ;  the  country  was  l)ut  a  Avilderuess  inhabited 
by  Avild  game  and  Indians;  ])ear  and  deer  Avere  plentiful,  and 
]\lr.  Peterson  being  an  excellent  marksman,  lie  had  no  trouble  in 
supplying  his  family  Avith  venison,  which  was  their  ehief  means 
of  subsistence;  he  has  killed  many  bear  and  deer  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  relates  a  little  Hirilling  experience  of  a  day's  hunt 
for  deer  in  a  st)'ip  of  timbei-.  when,  after  sighting  the  game,  he  was 
attracted  by  a  noise  in  the  tree  tops,  and  upon  looking  up  saw  a 
large  panther  nuiking  ready  to  spring  upon  him :  he  quickly 
fired  a  lucky  shot  which  brought  the  panther  dead  at  his  feet. 
It  was  the  only  aninial  of  tliis  kind  he  ever  saw  in  Portland,  and 
the  hide  was  purchased  by  a  man  from  ^lilwaukee.  at  a  fancy 
])i"iee.  This  incident  niei-ely  touches  on  the  volume  of  interesting 
experiences  which  ^fr.  I'eterson  relates,  but  lack  of  space  pre- 
vents us  from  going  further  into  details. 

Vv.  Peterson,  possessed  with  that  energy'  and  thrift  com- 
mon to  his  people,  by  hai-d  work  and  persistent  energy,  cleared 
his  land  and  soon  1)rought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation  and  pro- 
ductiveness, and  now  values  it  at  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre. 


BIOGRAPHY  835 

after  experiencing  the  jn-ivations  and  hai'ilsliips  of  pioneer  life 
for  many  years,  and  now  holds  a  prominent  place  in  his  eom- 
nuniity.  He  has  been  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Republican 
party  and  for  years  has  served  liis  town  in  various  capacities, 
being  supervisor  for  one  year,  assessor  for  three  years,  and  many 
other  offices.  He  now  lives  in  practical  retirement  at  liis  tine 
home  on  the  farm  near  Cashton. 

He  was  married  in  Norway,  in  1851.  to  Miss  Olena  Oleson, 
daughter  of  Chris  and  Alena  Oleson,  she  being  one  of  a  family 
of  three  children.  ]\Ir.  and  ^Mrs.  Peterson  have  luul  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are  jiow  (1912)  living,  viz.:  Peter, 
born  February  7,  1853;  ^Martha,  born  February  9,  1855;  Edward, 
born  May  9,  1859;  Elizabeth,  born  April  17.  1861;  p:ilsworth, 
born  June  12,  1864,  and  Oscar,  l)orn  January  13,  1868. 

Ellsworth  Peterson,  Avho  was  his  father's  mainstay  on  the 
farm,  where  he  resided  until  he  w^as  tAventy-two  years  old,  was 
then  employed  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  for 
ten  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  home  farm  and  remained 
for  twelve  years.  On  March  20,  1886,  he  was  married,  in  the 
town  of  Portland,  to  ]Miss  Martha  Christian,  whose  parents  are 
both  deceased,  Mrs.  Peterson  being  the  only  living  member  of  a 
family  of  three  children.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellsworth  Peterson 
have  been  born  nine  children,  viz.:  Edwin,  Cleuse,  Emma,  Clara, 
Lewie,  AVillia,  Amanda,  Clarence  and  Tellman. 

Oscar  Peterson,  the  sou  of  0 J.  and  Christina   (Oleson) 

Peterson,  was  born  in  Norway,  September  30,  1867.  He  emigrated 
to  America,  preceding  his  parents,  who  also  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1892.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  now  living.  The  father,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years, 
and  his  mother,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  are  both  living 
in  Monroe  county.  Our  subject  began  his  career  as  a  cook  in  a 
restaurant,  and  by  thrift,  industry  and  economy  accumulated  his 
earnings,  and  then  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business.  In  1892 
he  opened  a  general  store  at  Melvina.  John  E.  Fremstad  after- 
ward entered  into  copartnership  with  him.  and  for  four  years 
the  business  was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Peterson  and 
Fremstad.  Mr.  Peterson  purchased  his  partner's  interest,  and 
since  that  time  has  conducted  the  business  by  himself,  and  uoav 
has  one  of  the  largest  general  stores  in  Monroe  county.  He  car- 
ries a  good  class  of  merchandise,  and  has  a  large  and  growing 
patronage,  and  by  his  honorable  and -upright  dealing  has  won 
the  confidence  of  his  patrons,  which  he  justly  merits.  In  1911 
Mr.  Peterson  purchased  the  old  Hunt  Mill,  Avhich  for  more  than 


836  HISTORY  OF  MOXKOE  COUNTY 

forty  vi'iU's  lias  Ijci-u  .siu'ccssI'iiHn'  i-iiii,  Ix'iiig:  first  ()})erate'd  by 
water  power,  then  steam,  which  has  finally  given  way  to  the  pop- 
ular gasoline  engine.  The  mill  is  Avell  equipped  with  modern 
machinery  and  is  operated  in  connection  with  his  store.  The  mill 
has  recently  been  remodeled  and  has  a  capacity  of  fifty  barrels  of 
flour  daily  and  three  hundred  sacks  of  feed,  and  Mr.  Peterson  is 
kept  busy  in  supplying  the  demands  of  his  customers. 

During  the  administration  of  President  McKinley,  Mr.  Peter- 
son was  api)()inted  postmaster  at  Melvina,  a  position,  with  the 
exception  of  a  brief  time,  he  has  since  continued  to  fill.  He  is 
Republican  in  politics,  and  for  over  thirty  years  has  been  a 
director  on  the  school  board,  and  for  two  years  has  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  fraternal  matters  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  AVoodmen  of  America. 

In  1892  ]\[r.  Peterson  was  married  to  ]Miss  ]\Iatilda  Anderson, 
daughter  of  John  Anderson,  of  Leon.  To  this  iniion  has  been 
born  nine  children,  viz.:  Elmer  R.,  born  January  IB,  189-1;  Oscar 
M.,  born  February  12,  1896 ;  JMabel  C,  born  May  2,  1897 ;  Ernest 
J.,  born  February  23,  1900;  Evelyn  C,  born  January  27,  1903; 
Joseph  L.,  born  October  5.  1905 ;  Clarence  A.,  born  December 
24,  1907 ;  Alice  R.,  born  January  23,  1910,  and  Julia  H.,  born 
March  20,  1912. 

Frank  Pier,  who  Avas  born  on  section  twelve,  Greenfield  town- 
ship. Monroe  county,  where  he  now  resides,  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Mary  (Schlichter)  Pier,  both  natives  of  Germany.  They  came 
to  America  in  early  life,  and  were  married  at  East  Troy,  Wis. 
Coming  west  to  "Wisconsin,  they  first  settled  in  Clark  county, 
near  Neilsville,  and  from  there  to  Monroe  county,  fully  a  half 
century  ago.  Arriving  here  and  finding  it  one  of  the  best  agri- 
cultural fields  in  the  West,  they  located  in  Greenfield  township, 
on  a  tract  of  320  acres  of  Avild  land,  forty  of  which  was  pre- 
empted from  the  Government,  and  here  he  established  a  home 
for  himself  and  family;  clearing  seventy  acres,  he  erected  build- 
ings and  brought  the  land  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  improving 
as  the  years  passed.  Here  the  parents  spent  their  lives,  the 
father  died  in  1904,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  the  mother 
passed  away  in  1910,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  They  were  both 
devoted  members  of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  church. 

Frank  first  saw  the  light  of  day  July  14,  1870,  and  is  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  three  are  now 
living,  viz. :  John  resides  on  a  farm  in  Greenfield  township, 
adjoining  that  of  our  subject ;  Mary  married  J.  J.  Kiefer  and 
lives  in  the  town  of  Greenfield :    and  Frank,  our  subject.     Those 


.M 


BIOGRAPHY  837 

deceased  are  Michael,  Anna,  Maggie  and  Peter.  Frank  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools,  assist- 
ing with  the  farm  work.  In  1897  he  came  into  possession  of  the 
homestead,  where  he  now  lives,  successfully  engaged  in  general 
farming.  He  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  popular  men  of  his 
town,  is  active  in  its  interests,  and  served  his  town  as  assessor  for 
the  term  of  1911  and  1912. 

He  was  married  October  18,  1898,  to  Miss  Lena  Burkart, 
daughter  of  Milo  Burkart,  of  Fairchild,  Wis. 

Carl  N.  Pierce,*  farmer  and  dairyman,  who  resides  on  section 
fifteen,  Sparta  township,  is  a  native  son  of  Wisconsin,  and  was 
born  in  Green  Lake  county,  near  Randolph  Center,  January  2, 
1879,  the  second  child  of  a  family  of  five  children  born  to  W.  H. 
and  Minnie  (Ruh)  Pierce.  Of  the  others,  William  is  deceased; 
Harry  lives  in  Oregon;  Alonzo  resides  in  Sparta,  and  Marie  is 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Brown,  of  Sparta  township.  The  parents 
emigrated  from  Germany  to  the  United  States  and  first  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Green  Lake  county,  but  subsequently  moved  to  Monroe 
county. 

Carl  N.  was  raised  on  the  farm  in  Adams  county,  Wisconsin, 
and  attended  the  common  schools.  He  came  to  Monroe  county 
with  his  parents  in  1893,  where  he  engaged  in  the  farm  work  and 
assisted  his  father  in  operating  the  Testor  Mill.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-two  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  on  the  Lawson 
farm  in  Sparta  township;  at  the  end  of  four  years  he  purchased 
110  acres  in  Leon  township,  which  he  sold  one  year  later  and 
returned  to  the  Lawson  farm,  which  he  continued  to  operate 
until  1909,  when  he  purchased  the  Kenyon  farm  of  119  acres, 
which  he  has  since  conducted,  and  on  February  1,  1912,  he  began 
operations  in  the  dairy  business,  conducting  the  same  from  the 
AV.  E.  Davis  farm. 

In  1901  Mr.  Pierce  was  united  in  marriage  with  JMiss  Agnes 
Guy,  daughter  of  William  N.  and  Isabella  (Nichol)  Guy,  whose 
sketch  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pierce  have  two  children,  viz. :  Earl  Guy  and  Agues  Ethel 
Pierce. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Pierce  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  and  the  Beavers. 

John  C.  Pingel,*  farmer,  section  twenty-seven,  Tomah  town- 
ship, ]\Ionroe  county,  Wisconsin,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wilton, 
April  11,  1871.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Beatrice  (Fisher)  Pin- 
gel,  natives  of  Germany.  John  Pingel  is  now  living  in  the  town 
of  Tomah,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 


838  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

John  C  attended  the  district  schools  up  to  his  sixteenth  year 
and  began  to  make  his  way  and  gain  a  livelihood  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  when  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand  at  twelve 
dollars  per  month,  and  continued  at  this  occupation  until  1894, 
when  he  was  employed  in  the  saw  mills  at  Ackley,  ^Minn.,  until 
1902,  when  he  came  to  Monroe  county,  and  purchased  180  acres 
of  land  in  sections  twenty-seven  and  thirty-four,  Tomah  town- 
ship, where  he  now  resides.  Since  his  purchase  he  has  added 
extensive  improvements  by  erecting  a  barn  :Ux60  feet  in  1911, 
and  has  put  the  land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  His  farm 
is  also  well  stocked  Mitli  a  fine  grade  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs. 

September  25,  1894,  Mr.  Pingel  was  united  in  marriage  with 
]\Iinnie  Ruuion,  in  Minnesota.  They  have  five  children,  viz.: 
Ida  H.,  John  F..  George  E.,  AValter  R.  and  Clara  S.  .Mr.  Pingel 
is  one  of  the  progressive  citizens  of  his  township  and  takes  an 
interest  in  all  public  matters  for  the  good  of  his  town  and  county. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  "World,  and  in  politics  is 
a  Republican. 

Albert  G.  Prescott,  secretary  and  numager  of  the  Greenfield 
Creamery  at  Tunnel  City,  JMonroe  county,  is  a  native  of  Farm- 
ington,  ]Maine,  where  he  was  born  August  19,  1864,  and  is  the 
only  son  and  eldest  child  in  a  family  of  two  children  born  to 
George  C.  and  Naomi  (AVhitney)  Prescott,  also  a  native  of  ]\Iaine. 
The  other,  Jennie,  is  the  Avife  of  G.  A.  Hackett,  and  resides  in 
La  Grange  township.  George  C.  Prescott.  father  of  our  subject, 
served  during  the  (  ivil  War  in  tlie  Fifth  Regiment  Main(^  Bat- 
tery; the  parents  came  to  JMonroe  county  in  18(i7,  wlieii  our  sub- 
ject was  three  years  of  age,  and  settled  in  La  Grange  township, 
where  the  father  died  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years. 

Albert  G.  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the  dis- 
trict school.  In  1888  he  was  employed  by  tlie  Chicago.  ^Milwau- 
kee  &  St.  Paul  railroad  in  Iowa  and  Soutli  Dakota.  After  a 
short  time  thus  spent,  he  returned  to  llie  liome  farm,  which  he 
successfully  carried  on  until  the  death  of  his  father.  Avhen  he 
became  the  owner,  and  which  he  continued  to  condiu-t  until 
1908,  when  he  assumed  his  present  duties  as  secretary  and  man- 
ager of  the  Greenfield  Creamery,  which  under  his  management 
lias  shown  an  increased  business  each  year.  The  members  of 
the  organization  are:  AVilliam  Gasper,  president;  George  Heser, 
vice-president;  A.  C  Prescott.  secretary  and  manager;  E.  C. 
Graham,  treasurer.  Tlie  l)()ard  of  directors  are:  Joseph  Zastouiiil, 
William    Ilines   and   T.    .1.    Rowan.       During   his  busy   life.   'Mv. 


BIOGRAPHY  839 

Prescott  has  found  time  outside  of  his  personal  affairs  to  serve 
as  clerk  of  his  town,  treasurer  and  member  of  the  town  bonrd. 
For  four  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  Company  K,  Third 
Regiment,  Wisconsin  National  Guard,  and  in  fraternal  riiatlers 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  \\'o()(liiiC]i 
of  America. 

On  April  3,  1889,  Mr.  Prescott  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
Hackett,  daughter  of  G.  0.  Hackett,  of  Plattville,  Wis.  To  them 
have  been  born  five  children,  viz. :  Florence  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Johson,  of  Greenfield  township,  and  Minnie  married  George  John- 
son, and  lives  in  Greenfield  township.  George  W.,  Claude  E., 
and  Dora  M.  reside  at  home. 

Irving  Price,*  son  of  Sanford  and  Phoebe  Price,  was  born  on 
September  7,  1850,  in  Washington  county,  New  York,  and  is  the 
only  child  living  of  a  family  of  two.  His  father  was  born  in 
1826,  and  died  in  1885 ;  his  mother  was  born  in  1831.  The  family 
came  to  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1853,  and  were  among  the 
early  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  after  living  there 
for  a  time,  they  decided  to  move  to  Columbia  county,  where 
the  opportunities  seemed  more  favorable,  and  where  he  sought 
employment  at  varied  occupations  for  several  years,  with  rea- 
sonably good  success.  He  was  a  bright  and  energetic  young  man 
and  through  his  faithful  efforts  and  close  application  to  work  it 
was  not  long  before  he  was  making  a  comfortable  livelihood  for 
his  family.  He  was  courageous  and  forceful  in  his  habits,  and 
where  duty  demanded  he  was  the  first  to  act.  In  1862  he  enlisted 
in  the  Eighth  Wisconsin  Battery,  which  he  followed  to  the  end 
of  the  war,  and  his  army  history  alone  would  make  an  interest- 
ing volume.  Among  the  many  encounters  in  which  he  partici- 
pated were  the  following :  battle  of  Bay  Springs,  August  2,  1862 ; 
battle  of  luka,  Miss.,  September  19,  1862 ;  battle  of  Chaften  Hills, 
October  8,  1862 ;  battle  of  Lancaster,  October  8,  1862 ;  battle  of 
Corinth,  November  3  and  4,  1862 ;  battle  of  Stone  River,  Decem- 
ber 30  and  31,  1862;  battle  of  Chickamauga,  September  19  and 
20,  1863 ;  battle  of  Mission  Ridge,  November  24,  1863,  and  battle 
of  Lookout  Mountain,  November  25,  1863.  After  obtaining  his 
discharge  in  1865,  he  returned  to  Dane  county  for  a  short  time, 
then  moved  to  Monroe  county  with  his  family  of  two  children, 
and  purchased  a  forty-acre  tract  of  land  in  section  thirty-two, 
which  was  his  homestead  until  his  death,  and  which  has  since 
been  conducted  by  our  subject,  who  lives  here  with  his  mother, 
who  is  now  (1912)  in  her  eighty-fifth  year,  and  the  quaint  little 


840  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

home  with  its  occupants  has  for  many  years  been  the  center  of 
attraction  for  a  large  circle  of  friends  who  hold  them  in  the 
hiirhest  esteem. 

Mr.  Price  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  all  matters  iicrtaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  community. 

Frank  F.  Prielipp.  To  the  younger  class  of  ])rogressive  farm- 
ers of  (jfreeuticld  township  belongs  Frank  Prielipp,  of  section 
thirteen.  A  native  of  ]\Iilwaukee,  AVis.,  he  was  born  November 
8,  1882,  the  son  of  Ferdinand  and  Louisa  (Albright)  Prielipp, 
natives  of  Germany.  They  emigrated  to  America  in  the  early 
80 's  and  engaged  in  farming,  first  on  an  eighty-acre  tract.  ))ut 
subsequently  moved  to  the  farm  of  120  acres,  which  our  subject 
now  conducts,  and  which  at  that  time  was  mostly  wild  land.  Tlu- 
father  establisluMl  the  family  home,  cleared  and  subdued  the  lai'.d, 
erected  buildings  and  engaged  in  general  farming,  at  which  he 
was  successful.  ]Mrs.  Prielipp,  mother  of  our  subject,  lived  to 
the  age  of  thirty-two  years,  and  died  in  1894. 

Frank  F.  attended  the  common  scliools  and  spent  his  boy- 
•hood  on  the  farm,  and  since  1900  has  had  full  management  of 
the  home  place,  and  in  1912  purchased  from  George  IT.  Dohle,  of 
section  seven,  La  Grange  toAvnship,  his  finely  improved  and  i)ro- 
ductive  farm  of  120  acres  which  he  works  in  connection  Avith  his 
old  homestead  farm.  ]Mr.  Prielipp  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  sis- 
ters and  brothers.  Of  the  others,  Lena  married  Levi  Ryckman 
and  resides  at  Rockford,  111.;  Fnnna  is  the  wife  of  Adolph  Sell, 
Greenfield  township;  T\Iartlia  is  the  wife  of  E.  Snowberry.  o(" 
Tunnel  City,  and  Otto  Prielii)p,  of  La  Grange  township. 

On  ]\Iareh  27,  190B,  ]\Ir.  Prielipj)  married  Aliss  .Julia  Heser. 
daughter  of  William  and  Cora  (Kenyon)  Heser,  of  Pleasant  Val- 
ley, Greenfield  toAvnship.  They  have  two  children,  viz.:  Ralph 
A.,  born  December  3.  1908,  and  Tiuella  L.,  born  January  22,  1911. 

Louis  Pollock  was  ])orn  on  a  farm  in  section  thirty-six,  Sparta 
townsliip.  where  he  now  resides,  November  30,  1871.  son  of  Julius 
and  ^linnie  (Secert)  Pollock,  natives  of  Germany,  who  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  in  the  late  sixties.  They  came  to  ]\Ionroe 
county,  Wisconsin,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  IfiO  acres,  where  our 
subject  now  resides,  from  Ilagerman  Palmer:  h(>re  he  lived  until 
1902.  when  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Sparta.  He  is  a  carpenter 
and  joiner  by  trade  and  at  times,  as  occasion  demanded,  followed 
his  trade  in  connection  with  his  farming  ojiei-ations.  Louis  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools,  and 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Sparta  assumed  the  management  of 
the  farm. 


BIOGRAPHY  841 

On  May  18,  1901,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  Lord,  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  and  Mary  (Sprague)  Lord,  of  Lafayette  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Lord  died  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pollock  have  five  children,  viz. :  Alvina  Alnora,  born 
October  18,  1902 ;  Carl  Alexander,  born  March  18,  1904 ;  Bertha 
May,  born  July  24,  1905 ;  Marie  Minnie,  born  April  30,  1907,  and 
August  Louis,  born  April  20,  1909. 

Jacob  L.  Poss  belongs  to  the  younger  class  of  successful  farm- 
ers of  Wells  township,  Monroe  county,  where  he  was  born  June 
10,  1878,  and  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  ten  children  born  to 
Henry  and  Louisa  (Johnson)  Poss.  The  father  was  born  in  the 
state  of  New  York  and  the  mother  in  Denmark.  The  parents  are 
both  living  in  the  town  of  Wells,  and  are  numbered  among  the 
most  progressive  people  of  that  section.  Jacob  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  neighborhood  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old: 
he  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-three,  employed  at  farm 
work,  and  afterwards  spent  four  years  in  Sparta,  engaged  in 
teaming.  Li  1909.  associated  with  his  brother,  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  320  acres  in  sections  twenty-five  and  twenty-six,  Leon 
township,  where  he  now  makes  his  home  with  his  sister.  He 
carries  on  general  farming  and  makes  a  specialty  of  breeding 
and  dealing  in  Holstein  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs.  Mr.  Poss 
adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  is  one  of 
the  wide-awake  young  farmers  of  Cannon  Valley. 

John  Purdy,  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  and  leading  citi- 
zens of  Pleasant  Valley,  Greenfield  township,  was  born  in  Middle- 
port,  N.  Y.,  August  11, 1854,  and  is  the  fourth  child  of  a  family  of 
six  children  born  to  Daniel  C.  and  Susan  (Savage)  Purdy,  natives 
of  New  York  state.  They  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1859,  wdien  our 
subject  was  five  years  old.  Soon  after  their  arrival  in  Sparta, 
they  moved  to  Greenfield  township,  where  they  located  and  set- 
tled on  three  forties  of  wild  land,  to  which  they  afterwards  made 
addition.  He  cleared  the  land  and  made  a  home  for  himself  and 
family,  and  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and 
there  the  parents  made  their  home  until  their  decease.  The 
father  died  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  and  the  mother 
passed  away  in  1884.  They  were  thrifty  and  energetic,  and 
considered  among  the  best  class  of  pioneer  settlers  and  held  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  them,  and  in  honor  of 
the  family  the  section  where  they  lived  was  named  ''Purdy  Val- 
ley." Of  their  other  children  besides  our  subject,  E.  A.  Purdy 
died  in  Purdy  Valley  in  April,  1911,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years;   Mary  resides  in  Tomah,  and  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Dixon; 


842  HISTORY  OF  .MOXHOP]  COUNTY 

Frank  also  resides  at  Tomah ;  J^iinna  married  Fred  Ileser,  of 
Greenfield,  and  Byron  is  also  a  resident  of  Greenfield. 

John  J.  Purdy,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  school  and  remained  at  home  assisting  with 
the  Avork  on  the  farm  until  lie  reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  when 
he  started  life  on  his  own  resources ;  he  first  rented  a  farm,  which 
he  carried  on  until  1876,  when  he  purchased  the  first  forty  acres 
of  his  present  farm,  to  which  he  added  until  now  he  has  one  of 
the  best  farms  of  100  acres,  where  he  lives,  to  be  found  in  the 
county.  He  has  also  purchased  forty  acres  in  Grant  township 
and  forty  acres  in  La  Grange.  AVhen  he  began  on  this  farm, 
the  greater  part  of  it  was  covered  with  heavy  timber,  which 
he  cleared,  subdued  and  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
erecting  a  commodious  residence  and  outbuildings,  and  has  made 
various  other  improvements  as  conditions  demanded.  He  keeps 
his  place  well  supplied  with  modern  equipments,  and  in  his  farm- 
ing operations  employs  the  most  up-to-date  methods.  ]\Ir.  Purdy 
comes  from  one  of  the  old  line  and  representative  families  of  the 
county,  and  is  considered  one  of  Monroe  county's  well-to-do  and 
most  influential  citizens.  In  all  public  matters  of  his  town  and 
county,  he  takes  a  prominent  part,  and  any  movement  for  the 
betterment  of  his  community  receives  his  hearty  support,  lie 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Side  board  for  two  years  and  assessor 
for  his  town  for  two  years. 

He  was  married  October  24,  1875.  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Oakley, 
accomplished  daughter  of  Nehemiah  and  Fannie  (Woodard) 
Oakley,  pioneers  and  influential  citizens  of  Greenfield  township, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Purdy  have  been  born  five  children,  viz.:  Adelbert.  who 
resides  in  the  tOAvn  of  La  Grange ;  Estella  is  the  wife  of  Albert 
Griffin,  of  Grant  township;  Lettie,  the  wife  of  Leslie  Hart,  who 
resides  in  the  town  of  Grant;  Milo  A.  lives  on  the  homestead 
farm,  and  Mabel  A.  lives  at  home.  Mrs.  Purdy  is  the  third  child 
of  a  famil.y  of  seven  children;  the  others  are:  Sarah,  deceased; 
Elveretta,  wife  of  Stowell  Brown  ;  Wellington,  of  Oregon  ;  Oscar, 
of  "Washington;  Mina,  the  wife  of  H.  Griffin,  of  Grant  town- 
ship, and  Arcenith,  wife  of  Edwin  Purdy.  of  Greenfield  townsliip. 

Thomas  Quinn,  one  of  ]\Ionroe  county's  prosperous  farmers 
and  liiglily  csteeiiied  citizens,  was  1)orn  in  County  IMaide.  Irc^land, 
in  1831.  His  parents  were  AVilliam  and  Betsey  (Waters'!  Quinn, 
who  lived  and  died  in  Ireland.  AVhen  seventeen  years  of  age, 
in  1848,  Thomas  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  after  his 
arrival  Avorked  six  years  on  a  farm  in  Cliester  county,  New  Y''ork. 


BIOGRAPHY  843 

At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  West,  working  for  six  months 
at  Dixon,  111.,  then  moved  to  AVaukesha  county,  Wisconsin,  and 
worked  on  a  farm  until  1861.  In  the  last  named  year  he  came  to 
Monroe  county,  and  settled  on  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section 
eight,  Wellington  township,  which  he  had  previously  purchased. 
This  land  he  cleared  and  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
and  improved  by  erecting  a  comfortable  residence,  good  barns 
and  other  farm  buildings,  making  it  one  of  the  good  farm  homes 
in  the  town.  He  has  added  to  his  original  purchase  from  time 
to  time,  until  he  now  has  160  acres  of  as  good  land  as  is  to  be 
found  in  the  township.  From  1861  to  1864  he  worked  for  a  lum- 
ber company,  getting  out  pine  logs,  which  he  rafted  down  the 
Kickapoo  river. 

In  1865  he  enlisted  in  the  Fifty-second  Wisconsin  Volunteer 
Infantry  and  served  on  the  frontier  until  his  regiment  was  mus- 
tered out.  He  was  a  brave  and  efficient  soldier,  and  served  with 
honor  to  himself  and  his  country. 

He  was  married  in  New  York  state  in  1853,  to  Miss  Jane 
Quirk,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  one  son  and  one  daughter, 
viz. :  Elizabeth  married  James  Barry,  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
the  same  township ;  they  had  six  children :  Thomas,  Ettie  Jane, 
Mary,  Theresa,  Josephine,  Ambrose,  Blanch  and  Sylvester.  AVill- 
iam  Quinn.  the  youngest,  married  Miss  Catherine  Daugherty, 
dalaghter  of  Eugene  and  Mary  (Gehan)  Daugherty.  Their  chil- 
dren are :  Raymond,  Arthur,  Barnard,  Thomas,  Earl  W.,  Edward 
A.  and  Erwin  J. 

After  many  years  of  faithful  devotion  to  her  husband  and 
children,  IMrs.  Thomas  Quinn  died,  November  5,  1892,  honored 
and  respected  by  all  who  knew  her.  Thomas  Quinn  is  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  Post  at  NcAvark,  Wis.,  and  has  always  taken 
a  keen  interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his 
county,  and  has  been  clerk  of  the  school  board.  Coming  to 
America  without  means,  he  has  by  honest  and  persistent  effort 
gained  a  place  among  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  Monroe  county. 

Louis  Radke,*  who  owns  one  of  the  best  160-acre  farms  in 
Wellington  township,  was  born  July  7,  1875,  in  La  Salle  county, 
Illinois,  the  son  of  Louis  and  Caroline  (Bartz)  Radke,  both 
natives  of  Germany.  Louis,  Sr.,  came  to  America  in  1872  and 
located  in  La  Salle  county,  where  he  was  married  and  worked 
for  about  eleven  years  in  the  zinc  factories,  and  in  1883  moved 
to  Wisconsin  and  bought  three  forty-acre  tracts  of  land  in  sec- 
tion nine,  in  the  township  of  Wellington,  which  was  made  the 
family  homestead,  and  where  IMr.  Radke  died  in  1910.    He  made 


iiU  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

inauy  iiuprovements  on  his  farm  after  he  bought  it :  a  new  resi- 
dence was  built  in  1891  and  a  barn  in  1900,  and,  with  the  other 
commodious  outbuildings  which  correspond,  makes  it  an  ideal 
country  home.  Mrs.  Radke,  his  widoAV,  is  still  living,  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  Mr.  Radke,  formerly  a  Democrat  in  politics,  was 
affiliated  with  the  Republican  party  during  the  latter  years  of 
his  life.  They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are 
now  living. 

Louis,  Jr.,  is  the  fourth  child.  ITe  attended  the  district  schools 
until  he  was  seventeen  and  always  lived  at  home  on  the  farm,  the 
mainstay  of  his  parents.  He  was  married  September  5,  1907,  in 
the  town  of  AVilton,  Monroe  county,  to  Miss  Anna  Schroder, 
daughter  of  John  and  Anna  Schroder.  She  is  the  fifth  of  a  family 
of  ten  children,  and  her  father  was  one  of  Ihe  early  German  set- 
tlers of  Monroe  county,  and  died  in  1911.  IMr.  and  Mrs.  Radke 
have  three  children :    Ila,  AYilmer  and  "Werner. 

Mr.  Radke  is  a  successful  general  farmer  and  a  good  lively 
citizen.  In  connection  with  his  farming,  he  has  a  fine  dairy 
l)usiness  and  keeps  his  farm  well  supplied  with  a  good  grade  of 
stock.  He  is  independent  in  his  politics,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  devoted  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

W H.    Randall,    a   native   of   ]\Ionrop    county,   AYisconsin, 

was  born  in  section  sixteen,  Tomah  township.  May  10,  1857.  He 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Watson)  Randall,  natives  of  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  America,  their  family  locating  near  Beloit. 
Wis.,  where  he  homesteaded  eighty  acres  of  land,  residing  there 
until  1855,  when  they  removed  to  Monroe  county,  locating  in  the 
town  of  Tomah,  where  the  father  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land,  to  which  was  later  added  forty  acres,  all  being  in  section 
sixteen.  Mr.  Randall,  father  of  our  subject,  made  this  his  per- 
manent home  until  his  death  in  1876.  His  widow,  mother  of  our 
subject,  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  John 
Randall  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  town  of  Tomah, 
Avhich  had  only  a  few  settlers  in  that  early  day,  which  was 
before  the  city  of  Tomah  Avas  started.  The  farm  which  he  by 
incessant  toil  brought  to  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  and  made 
into  a  valuable  home,  was  at  the  time  of  its  purchase  covered  with 
a  thick  growth  of  timber.  Mr.  Randall  was  a  sincere  Christian 
gentleman  and  a  consistent  and  faithful  member  of  the  Church 
of  England.  ^Irs.  Randall,  niotlnM-  of  our  subject,  is  a  Baptist  in 
religious  belief. 

W.  H.  is  the  onlv  son  in  a  family  of  four  children,  three  of 


BIOGRAPHY  845 

whom  are  living.  As  lie  greAv  to  manhood,  mueh  of  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  farm  devolved  upon  him,  and  he  performed  an 
important  part  in  the  clearing  and  grubbing  of  the  land  on  th(i 
homestead,  bringing  it  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  so  that  when 
Mr.  Randall  came  into  possession  of  this  farm  he  found  himself 
on  the  road  to  success,  conducting  a  lucrative  dairy  business, 
and  his  farm  is  now  well  stocked  with  good  horses  and  cattle, 
making  a  specialty  of  Poland-China  hogs.  The  farm  residence 
where  he  noAV  resides  was  built  in  1865,  and  the  barn  was  built 
in  1863.  Our  subject  has  held  the  office  of  town  clerk  for  two 
terms,  and  has  been  school  director  for  thirty-two  years.  He 
with  his  estimable  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

December  23,  1880,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eva 
Dewey,  daughter  of  N.  Dewey,  a  prominent  pioneer  citizen  of 
Ridgeville  township.  The  Dewey  family  came  from  Vermont  and 
settled  in  Ridgeville  township.  Mrs.  Randall  was  one  of  a  family 
of  three  children.  She  died  in  1890.  One  daughter  was  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Randall:  Grace  L.,  born  May  20,  1886.  She  was 
educated  in  the  district  school  and  is  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1904,  Tomah  High  School.  Mr.  Randall  affiliates  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  was  a  director  in  the  old  Tunnel  City  Creamery 
and  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers'  Co-operative  Creamerj-  of 
Tomah. 

Fred  C.  Rath  is  one  of  the  pioneers  and  prosperous  and  thrifty 
farmers  of  Little  Falls  township.  He  was  born  at  Hoboken, 
N.  J.,  October  8,  1855,  the  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Blindt) 
Rath,  natives  of  Germany.  In  1860,  when  our  subject  was  five 
years  of  age.  his  parents  came  west  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  in 
Little  Falls  township,  Monroe  county,  and  were  among  the  early 
and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  that  town.  During  the 
Civil  War  the  father  enlisted  and  served  with  distinction  until 
his  death  in  1864,  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  leaving  his  widow,  mother 
of  our  subject,  with  a  family  of  six  children.  Fred  was  engaged 
in  the  milling  business  in  Minnesota  until  he  married,  then 
returned  to  the  old  homestead,  and  later  purchased  another  farm, 
which  made  him  an  extensive  wheat  farm,  and  has  since  followed 
the  raising  of  wheat  and  stock. 

On  October  4,  1879,  Mr.  Rath  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  Risser,  daughter  of  Andreas  and  Salome  Risser, 
well-to-do  citizens  of  Wisconsin.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rath  have 
been  born  three  children :  they  are  Pearl  M.,  Russell  R.,  and 
Floyd  C.  Rath. 


846  TIISTOKV  OK  ."\I()XK(M^  (OrXTY 

Frank  J.  Rehberg,  jiropri.-tor  of  \\w  IIi<ilil;iii(l  dairy  farm  in 
section  thirty-six,  Greeufield  townsiiip.  Monroe  county,  one  of  the 
most  progressixT  fai'incrs  of  liis  lowii  and  comity,  was  born  in 
Adrian  township.  ()ctol)(*r  29.  18Tl'.  His  jiarents.  Egidius,  native 
of  Germany,  and  Agnes  (Zastoui)il )  Kehberg,  a  native  of  Austria, 
came  to  America,  and  the  fatliei"  settk^d  first  at  Xeilsville.  AVis., 
thence  came  to  ^loni-oc  connty  and  located  in  Adrian  townshiji. 
where  lie  married  and  continued  to  reside  until  Xovember,  1!I1U; 
they  then  moved  to  the  city  of  Tomah.  where  they  have  since 
lived.  They  ai-e  the  parents  of  nine  childi'en.  viz.:  Fi-ank.  Otto. 
Agnes.  William.  Anna.  -loseph.  John,  all  residents  of  Monroe 
county,  and  two  who  died   in   infancy. 

Ki'atd<  -1.  was  reared  on  the  home  faiMii.  speiidiiii.;  his  hoylnxxi 
attending  the  district  school  and  h<di)ing  with  the  farm  woi'k.  lie 
i-emained  at  home  until  he  icaehed  the  age  of  twenty-two.  then 
started  out  for  himself,  lie  tii-st  purchased  a  team,  and  for  (Uie 
year  was  engaged  in  hauling  milk  for  Bernard  Di'owatzky.  and 
continued  in  that  occnj)ation  for  three  seasons,  then  married  and 
juirehased  a  farm  in  Ridgeville  township,  which  he  carried  on  for 
two  years,  at  the  same  time  hauling  cream,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  lie  was  employed  b\'  the  Elgin  Creamery  Com])any  and  for 
four  years  operated  creameries  for  them  at  various  points;  he  next 
rented  a  farm  in  Adrian  township.  whi(di  he  conducted  for  twt> 
years,  and  in  lil(l4  jnirchased  his  ])resent  farm  of  100  acres  in 
Greenfield  township,  which  he  has  since  carried  on  successfully. 
The  plac(^  is  well  improxcd  Avith  up-to-date  buildings,  and  the  soil 
is  in  a  high  stale  of  culti\ation :  he  has  cleared  fifteen  acres  since 
he  owned  it.  and  in  1908  erected  a  modern  residence  and  in  1910 
e(piii»iied  it  with  additional  modern  appliances;  in  1909  he  built 
his  silo  and  hen  house  and  (Established  a  .system  of  water  works. 
The  bai'ii  is  thirty  by  sixty  feet,  with  sixteen-foot  posts  and  sits  on 
a  wall  of  (piarry  slone.  ]\lr.  Kefibei-g  malves  a  si)eeialty  of  Jersey 
cattle,  and  by  his  daily  record  is  al)le  to  tell  what  each  cow  jiro- 
duces  in  money  value,  and  with  his  milk  .sejiarator.  ])in"e  watei* 
and  modern  inventions,  togetlier  with  the  advantages  of  the  agri- 
cultural course  he  pursued  at  the  I'niversity  of  Wisc(Uisiii.  he  is 
able  to  firing  about  results  from  scientific  nu^thods  in  keejiing 
with  liis  day  and  age. 

In  addition  to  his  farming  operations.  .Mr.  l\ehbei"g  takes  a 
connnendable  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  C(uinty.  Tie 
has  been  school  direetoi-  in  A<lrian  township,  road  supervisor, 
treasurer  of  the  scliool  district  aiul  school  <  lerk.  lie  was  married. 
October  29.  1S9(;.  to  Miss  ]\Iarv  Drowatzkv.  daughter  of  Bernard 


BIOGKAPllY  847 

and  Kniestiiie  (Kurst)  I)i'()\va1zk\ ,  iialivcs  of  (Jcfinany  and  resi- 
dents of  Toniali.  They  came  to  America  more  than  fifty  years 
ago  and  were  among'  the  early  sellh'rs  of  Monroe  county.  Mr. 
and  IMrs.  Hehberg'  have  a  family  of  four  children,  viz.:  Alva  E., 
Harold  C,  Raymond  Ij.  and  Arthur  T.  .Mrs.  Hehberg  is  a  former 
well  known  teacher  in  ^lonroe  county,  and  is  the  seventh  child 
in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  fourteen  children,  eleven  of  whom 
are  now  living  (1912),  as  follows:  Ernest  AV..  a  resident  of  Wich- 
ita. Kan. ;  Frank  0.,  of  Tomah ;  Anna  B.,  wife  of  George  Davis, 
of  Elroy,  Wis. ;  Charles  B.,  cashier  of  the  Tomah  State  Bank;  Ida, 
wife  of  L.  J.  Fingle,  Tomah  township;  jMinnie  L.,  wife  of  H.  J. 
Coleman,  Omak,  Wash. ;  Dora  F..  a  teacher  in  Oregon ;  Bertha  D., 
a  teacher  at  Tomah;  Rosa  D.,  teacher  in  Washington,  and  Ella  S., 
teacher  in  Tomah.  In  religious  faith,  both  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Rehberg 
are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  of  Tomah. 

John  W.  Reich,*  a  representative  German  of  ]\Ionroe  county, 
who  resides  on  his  farm  in  section  twenty-live.  Greenfield  toAvn- 
sliip,  was  born  in  Prussia.  December  7,  1841.  His  parents,  Fred- 
erick and  Dorothy  (Riek)  Reich,  were  also  natives  of  Prussia. 
Avhere  the  father  spent  his  life.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, afterward  came  to  Tunnel  City  to  live  with  her  son.  In 
the  year  1868.  ^Ir.  Reich  came  to  JMonroe  county  and  established 
himself  in  a  blacksmith  shop,  and,  after  following  his  trade  for 
ten  years,  in  1878  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  seventy-five 
acres,  which  is  noAv  conducted  by  his  son.  Albert  I.  Reich.  The 
land  has  l)eeu  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  is  well 
improved  with  a  good  and  substantial  class  of  l)uildings,  all  of 
which  have  been  built  since  he  purchased  the  farm. 

]\Ir.  Reich  is  one  of  the  successful  men  of  his  county;  has 
always  been  honorable  and  upright  in  his  dealings,  and  enjoys 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  citizens  generally.  He  has  al- 
ways taken  an  activ(^  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  t(nvn.  has  been 
a  member  of  the  town  lioard,  a  member  of  the  school  board,  treas- 
urer of  the  town  and  justice  of  the  peace.  He  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  and  the  ]Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Coming  to  ]\Ionroe  county  in  an  early  day.  Mr.  Reich  has  seen 
and  done  his  full  share  in  developing  it  from  a  comparative  wil- 
derness to  a  place  among  the  l)anner  counties  of  the  state.  He 
relates  many  interesting  incidents  I'ldative  to  the  stirring  scenes 
in  and  around  Tunnel  City,  when  the  Indians  were  much  more  in 
evidence  than  the  whites,  and  when  the  actual  settlement  of  the 
county  began  on  the  arrival  of  the  railroad.  He  was  married  in 
1871  to  ^liss  Henrietta  Bver,  also  a  native  of  German  v.  and  thev 


848  JIISTOHV   OK   .MOXKOK  COTXTY 

lifivc  had  three  childreu.  viz.:  Amandus  lives  in  LaGraiige  tuwn- 
sliip:  AllxTt  I.  I'esides  on  the  liome  farm  with  his  father,  and 
Alexander  lives  in  jMontana.  Albert  I.  JJcich  has  served  seven 
terms  as  elerk  of  the  township.  He  enlisted  as  private  in  Com- 
pany K.  Third  Retrinient  AViseonsin  Volnnteers.  in  1898,  and  served 
with  his  7-eyinuMit  in  Porto  Kieo  during  the  Si)anisli-Ameriean  war. 

John  Rhyme  was  brought  up  to  the  life  of  a  farmer  boy  by  his 
father  and.  like  Ihe  majority  of  sons,  has  followed  in  his  father's 
footsteps  and  is  now  the  successful  manager  of  his  fine  farm  of 
215  acres  situated  in  section  fifteen,  Sparta  township.  On  this 
place  is  a  model  residence  equipped  with  many  modern  conven- 
iences. Ilis  barn,  stables  and  other  outbuildings  are  also  well  con- 
.strueted  and  in  good  condition.  Ilis  farm  is  well  stocked  with  a 
good  grade  of  horses  and  Durham  cattle.  On  October  9,  1865. 
]Mr.  Rhyme  was  born  in  Bloomfield  township,  AValworth  county, 
Wisconsin,  to  Henry  and  jNIiiniie  (Vussler)  Rhyme,  both  natives 
of  Germany,  and  who  after  marriage  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1862  and  settled  in  Walworth  county,  where  for  two  j^ears  the 
father  was  employed  at  farm  work.  He  afterwards  removed  to 
La  Crosse  county  with  his  family,  and  there  purchased  a  farm  in 
Farmington  township,  where  he  resided  until  February,  1905. 
when  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Sparta,  which  has  since  been  the 
family  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhyme  reared  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, viz.:  John,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Eliza,  wife  of  Theo- 
dore Pfatt',  lives  in  Burns  townshij).  La  Crosse  county;  Bessie  is 
the  wife  of  Chri.st  Johnson,  of  Bangor,  Wis. ;  Emma  is  the  wife  of 
George  Jones,  of  La  Crosse  county;  Clara  is  the  wife  of  Julius 
Johnson  and  resides  in  Sparta  township,  where  ]\Ir.  Johnson  is 
engaged  in  farming;  IMary  married  Ernest  Cissna.  of  Watonwon 
county,  Minnesota ;  Fred,  of  Sparta  ;  Augusta  is  the  wife  of  Leslie 
Hall,  and  Frank,  of  Watonwon  county,  Minnesota. 

John  attended  the  common  school  of  Farmington,  La  Crosse 
county,  and  acquired  sufficient  education  to  fit  him  for  the  prac- 
tical duties  of  life,  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  near  Farm- 
ington until  Fel)ruary  15.  1898.  when  he  bought  his  present  farm, 
which  is  known  as  the  Rowley  farm,  from  Lucas  Herrman.  For 
the  three  years  last  past.  Mr.  Rhyme  was  a  resident  of  Sparta, 
having  rented  his  farm,  hut  (hiring  the  early  spring  of  1912  he 
decided  to  return  to  active  farm  w(U'k.  and  since  then  has  lived 
on  his  home  place.  During  the  years  1910  and  1911  he  was  over- 
seer of  tlic  township  in  cutting  down  ridges  and  improving  the 
highways,  and  nnu'h  work  in  tliis  line  is  due  to  his  good  manage- 
ment.    His  intclJiucnce.  inteiirity  and  many  otlier  estimable  (piali- 


BIOGRAPHY  849 

ties  have  acquired  for  him  a  jioinilarity  not  derived  from  any 
fictitious  circumstances  but  a  permanent  and  spontaneous  tribute 
to  his  merit,  and  he  numbers  amcm^'  liis  friends  the  best  people  of 
the  county. 

Bessie  Herrman,  the  amiable  and  cultured  daunhter  of  Will- 
iam Herrman,  of  Burr  Oak,  Wis.,  became  his  Avife  December  10, 
1890,  and  they  have  one  son.,  Ralph  John  Rhyme. 

Edward  C.  Rice,  who  has  been  a  successful  farmer  of  Wilton 
township,  was  born  June  8,  1862,  in  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin, 
the  son  of  Patrick  and  Mary  (Nash)  Rice,  both  natives  of  Ireland. 
Patrick  came  to  America  in  1854  and  remained  for  a  short  time 
in  New  York,  then  moved  to  Walworth  county,  this  state,  and 
located  in  Troy  Center,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  about 
one  year,  and  then,  loading  his  whole  personal  paraphernalia  into 
a  wagon  drawn  by  an  ox  team,  he  started  for  IMonroe  county, 
traveling  over  stony  hills  and  rough  roads  until  he  reached  W^ilton 
township,  and  there  purchased  an  eighty-acre  tract  of  wild  land 
and  immediately  set  to  work  to  clear  and  improve  it.  This  was 
in  section  twenty,  and  he  later  added  another  eighty  acres  in  sec- 
tion twenty-one,  which  was  their  home  until  1890,  then  moved 
to  Tomah  and  made  their  home  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They 
were  married  in  1857  and  had  a  family  of  seven  children.  Mrs. 
Rice  died  in  1903,  and  her  husband  on  July  15,  1911.  They  were 
highly  respected  people  and  valuable  citizens  to  the  community. 

Edward  C.  was  the  second  child  and  obtained  a  good  common 
school  education,  attending  school  until  he  was  sixteen.  He 
bought  a  farm  of  195  acres  in  section  thirty-two.  Wilton  township, 
where  he  lived  about  three  years,  and  then  bought  160  acres  m 
section  seventeen  of  Wilton  township,  which  he  still  owns,  lived 
here  ten  years  and  then  bought  a  home  in  the  village  of  Wilton 
in  1911,  their  present  residence. 

Mr.  Rice  was  a  bright  and  prosperous  farmer  and  a  good 
Democrat.  He  is  at  present  buyer  for  the  Farmers'  Live  Stock 
Association  of  Wilton,  has  been  chairman  of  the  town  board,  was 
supervisor  for  three  years  and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board 
for  a  long  time.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  Farmers'  Creamery 
Association. 

Mrs.  Rice  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living.  She  was  a  successful  teacher  for  several  years  in 
Monroe  county  schools,  being  a  graduate  of  Wilton  high  school. 
Her  father,  James  Kerrigan,  came  from  Ireland  in  the  sixties  and 
was  married  in  1867  to  Margaret  Fitzgerald.  They  were  highly 
respected  people  and  lived  in  AVilton  at  the  time  of  his  death  in 


850  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

1905.  Her  mother  is  still  living.  The  farm  they  owned,  in  sec- 
tion twenty-nine.  Wilton  township,  contained  200  acres  of  land. 
They  were  devoted  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and  in  politics 
Mr.  Korriyan  was  a  Democrat. 

David  R.  Richards,  of  section  twelve.  Little  Falls  township, 
]\Ic>nroe  county,  AVisconsin.  was  born  April  24,  1860,  and  reared 
here  on  the  old  homestead  which  he  now  owns,  and  where  he  has 
always  resided.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  (Will- 
iams) Richards,  both  natives  of  Wales,  and  who  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  ]\Iarcli  !».  1842.  They  settled  near  Waukesha.  Wis., 
and  in  1854  came  to  Little  FmIIs  township  ;iii<l  hci-c  made  tlicii- 
home  and  reared  their  family.  They  ciulured  all  the  hardships 
which  the  new  settler  usually  undei-goes  in  undertaking  to  subdue 
and  fit  a  new  country  and  place  it  in  a  finished  condition,  which 
that  part  of  the  country  is  at  this  time.  They  lived  to  reap  the 
reward  of  their  labors  and  enjoy  the  comfort  of  a  prosperous  and 
happy  home.  Thomas  Richards  ended  his  life's  work  on  February 
27,  1897,  and  the  mother  passed  away  on  March  20,  1885, 
Their  other  children  besides  oui-  subject  were:  Roger:  Anna,  is 
the  widow  of  John  Evans,  of  Madison,  AVis.,  and  has  two  daugh- 
ters, Gertrude  and  Alice,  and  one  son,  AVilfred;  John  H.  mar- 
ried Maggie  Davis  and  lives  in  Tiangford,  ^Marshall  county,  South 
Dakota.  Their  children  are:  Amelia,  Margery.  Alma  and 
Kendrick.     Thomas  AV.  died  aged  twenty-two. 

David  R.  received  his  education  in  Ihc  district  schools  of  his 
neighborhood,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  assumed  control 
of  the  home  farm.  As  a  young  man,  he  helped  to  clear  the  land 
and  since  that  time  has  made  many  improvements  in  the  residence 
and  outbuildings  and  brought  the  land  to  a  hiuh  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. His  farm  of  530  acres  is  well  stocked  with  good  horses  and 
short-horned  cattle,  and.  with  the  ami)le  supply  of  modern  machin- 
ery and  the  improved  methods  employed  by  him  in  its  operation, 
makes  his  one  of  the  up-to-date  country  homes  of  the  county. 

Air.  Richads  is  a  stroiii:  believer  in  the  cause  of  temperance 
and  is  always  interested  in  any  movement  tending  toward  the 
betterment  of  the  community  in  general.  In  1894-5  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  and  has  l)een  re-elected 
until  he  is  now  serving  his  eighth  term.  He  has  been  clerk  of 
the  school  district  for  twenty-one  yea  is.  and  during  the  past  year 
has  devoted  much  time  in  the  interest  of  township  improvements. 
As  chairman  of  the  town  ])oard.  ^Nlr.  Richards  was  the  promoter 
of  the  sclieme  to  cut  down  the  Cataract  and  Winters  Ridire.  which 


BIOGRAPHY  851 

for  many  years  has  proven  the  dread  of  every  man  wlio  had 
occasion  to  travel  over  it.  From  the  pioneer  days  to  the  present, 
there  have  been  numerous  efforts  made  to  have  this  ridge  cut 
down,  but  none  were  crowned  with  success  until  Mr.  Richards 
became  interested  in  the  enterprise,  put  his  shoulder  to  the  wheel 
and,  by  private  subscription,  raised  about  $1,500  with  which  he, 
assisted  by  August  Schlaver,  accomplished  the  object  for  which 
others  had  been  wishing  for  fifty  years,  building  an  entire  new 
road  and  establishing  a  uniform  grade  of  10  per  cent  as  against 
18  per  cent  on  the  old  road. 

On  March  24.  1887,  Mr.  Richards  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Hannah  E.  Cody,  daughter  of  Daniel  W.  and  Alvira  S. 
(Tompkins)  Cody,  natives  of  central  New  York.-  Mrs.  Richards' 
ancestry  dates  back  to  the  Puritans  who  came  over  in  the  May- 
flower. When  she  was  five  years  of  age,  she  moved  with  her 
parents  to  Illinois,  and  seven  years  later  came  to  Wisconsin  and 
settled  at  Cataract,  in  Monroe  county.  Her  father,  Daniel  W. 
Cody,  was  the  first  stage  driver  from  Cataract  to  Black  River 
Falls,  and  for  twenty  years  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  rural 
free  delivery  he  carried  the  United  States  mail  between  Sparta 
and  Cataract.  He  was  also  engaged  in  farming,  owning  200  acres 
adjoining  the  village  of  Cataract.  Mrs.  Richards  has  one  brother, 
Orville  S.  Cody,  of  Cataract.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richards  have  been 
born  four  children :  Forrest  0.,  born  March  4,  1890,  graduate  of 
Sparta  high  school  class  of  1909,  also  a  graduate  of  the  agricul- 
tural department  of  the  Wisconsin  State  University;  Edna  R., 
born  August  16,  1893,  graduate  of  Sparta  high  school  class  of 
1911,  and  now  attending  Downer  College,  Milwaukee;  Annie  E., 
born  November  2,  1899,  and  Erma  I.,  born  November  23,  1903. 

In  social  affairs  ]Mr.  Richards  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

Thomas  Richards,  deceased,  pioneer  of  Little  Falls  township, 
was  born  in  Wales,  June  16,  1817,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Price)  Richards.  His  father  died  when  he  was  an  infant  of  nine 
months.  His  mother  lived  to  be  fifty-two  years  old.  Thomas,  Jr., 
was  reared  by  his  maternal  grandparents,  who  were  well-to-do 
farmers;  he  early  became  accustomed  to  various  branches  of  agri- 
culture and  the  labor  necessary  to  be  performed.  His  education 
was  received  in  the  select  schools  of  the  country.  After  he 
reached  maturity  he  worked  in  the  coal  mines  three  or  four  years, 
but  finally  determined  to  emigrate  to  America.  In  1842  he  sailed 
from  Liverpool  for  New  York,  and  was  at  sea  twenty-nine  days. 


852  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

After  arriviiio'  at  jxuL  lit-  coniinucd  his  journey  to  Canada,  where 
he  remained  for  two  months,  thence  came  to  Wisconsin  and  settled 
in  Waukesha  county  and  en^jaged  in  farming.  When  the  gold 
fever  of  1849  swe})t  the  country,  the  attraction  became  irresistible 
and  he  started  for  the  I'acitie  (H»ast.  -Joining  some  friends,  he 
went  hy  team  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  tlicnce  by  river  to  New  Orleans; 
thence  he  sailed  for  Panama,  crossed  the  Isthnuis,  walking  twenty 
miles  of  the  distance,  and  saih'd  from  tlie  western  coast  for  San 
Francisco:  this  voyage  consumed  forty-nine  days.  They  landed 
at  San  l^'r;ineisco.  jnid  Mr.  Richards  went  at  once  to  Sacramento, 
then  to  the  American  river;  there  he  engaged  in  mining  for  the 
precious  ore.  but  did  not  renuiin  long.  He  Avent  into  the  moun- 
tains for  two  months,  but  still  fortune  did  not  smile  u])on  him, 
and  his  next  point  was  Trinity  river;  there  he  met  with  fair  suc- 
cess. After  two  and  one-half  years  spent  in  the  golden  state.  ^Ir. 
Richards  returned  to  Wisconsin.  On  the  coast  of  South  America 
he  was  wrecked  ;ind  had  to  wait  ten  weeks  to  get  a  boat  bound 
for  the  ITnited  States.  He  landed  in  Ncav  Orleans,  came  by  boat 
to  Cincinnati  and  thence  by  rail  to  Chicago.  These  three  years 
were  filled  with  various  experiences,  such  as  will  pro])ably  never 
be  repeated  in  tlie  history  of  the  country,  and  in  reviewing  them 
they  appear  in  the  distance  more  as  a  romance  than  as  the  stern 
reality  they  were  to  the  "forty-niners." 

!Mr.  Richards  moved  to  ]Monroe  county  in  1854  and  settled  in 
Little  Falls  township  on  a  ti-act  of  wild  land,  where  he  devoted 
his  time  and  energies  to  agriculture  and  was  the  pioneer  cheese 
maker  of  ^Monroe  county:  he  made  a  specialty  of  the  dairy  busi- 
ness, Avhieh  he  carried  on  with  gi'eat  profit.  The  old  farm  of  \Mr. 
Eichards  contained  250  acres,  and  he  later  invested  in  other  lands 
and  became  the  OAVner  of  between  five  and  six  hundred  acres  of 
Monroe  county's  choicest  soil. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  ,\-eai-s,  ^Ir.  Richards  was  married  to 
]\Iiss  Catherine  Williams,  a  daughter  of  Roger  and  Magdalene 
Williams,  and  oi'  this  union  were  born  tive  children,  viz.:  T.  W., 
Roger  H..  Anna.  David  and  .John  H.  ]Mr.  Richards  represented 
the  jieople  of  his  township  in  various  local  offices,  and  discharged 
his  duties  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public.  He  affiliated  with  tlie 
Republican  part\-  and  was  an  ardent  sujijiorter  of  prohiliifion. 
His  long  and  useful  life  broughl  liiin  the  respect  and  admiration 
of  his  fellow  citizens,  a  recoi'd  wliirli  is  its  own  conimeiitai-y.  He 
died  Februai-y  27.  1807.  at  the  age  of  eighty  years;  ]\Irs.  Richards 
passed  away  JMarch  20.  1885,  dee]ily  mounu^d  liy  hov  family  and 
friends. 


THOMAS   RICHARDS 


! 


BIOGRAPHY  853 

Clyde  C.  Richardson*  i-aiiks  a]iion<i-  the  .younyei'  class  oi'  suc- 
cessful fanners  of  jMonroe  conuty,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  born 
on  February  4,  1878.  to  Joel  F.  and  Martha  (Keith)  Richardson, 
both  natives  of  Ohio.  The  father,  before  his  marriage,  came  on 
a  ])rospecting  tour  to  the  Leon  Valley  and  after  a  lime  returned 
to  his  home,  was  married  and  came  back  to  Monroe  county  and 
located  in  the  Leon  Valley,  where  his  grandfather  had  preceded 
him  and  located  some  years  before  on  a  farm  of  150  acres,  on 
which  lie  resided  mitil  it  was  purchased  by  Joel  F.  He  was  kind- 
hearted  and  generous  and  held  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
who  knew  him.  His  death  occurred  in  1884;  his  widow,  mother 
of  o\ir  subject,  still  survives  (1912)  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years. 

Clyde  C,  one  of  a  family  of  live  children,  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm,  where  he  remained  until  he  reached  his  majority. 
He  attended  the  district  schools  until  he  was  eighteen,  assisting 
in  the  farm  work,  and  afterward  spent  one  year  in  the  Sparta 
high  school.  When  he  became  of  age,  he  and  his  brother  pur- 
chased the  old  homestead,  which  they  divided  equally  and  worked 
with  success,  and  our  subject  now,  while  yet  a  young  man,  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  successful  and  influential  farmers  of  Leon. 
He  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  his  specialty 
being  hogs,  and  is  quite  extensively  engaged  in  dairying. 

On  July  11.  19C8,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Hogen,  and 
they  have  two  children.  Merlin,  born  April  20.  1909,  and  Vadis, 
born  November  20,  1910. 

Eli  A.  Richardson,  secretary  and  maliager  of  the  Fruit 
Growers'  Association  of  Sparta,  is  the  seventh  of  a  family  of  nine 
children.  tiv(^  sons  and  four  daughters — six  of  w^hom  are  now  liv- 
ing— born  to  E.  B.  and  Sylvia  (Sweat)  Richardson,  natives  of 
Vermont  and  Ohio  respectively.  During  the  year  of  1852  they 
came  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Burns  township.  La 
Crosse  county,  and  there  reared  their  family  and  passed  their 
lives.  They  were  thrifty,  progressive  people  and  ranked  among 
the  leading  pioneers  of  that  community.    Both  are  now  deceased. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  born  in  Burns  township,  La  Crosse  county, 
on  December  20,  1858.  and,  being  reared  on  a  farm,  his  experience 
was  the  same  as  that  of  most  boys,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  and  helping  with  the  farm  work,  where  he  spent 
his  early  days.  In  1879  he  went  to  Colorado  and  lived  at  Lead- 
ville,  in  that  state,  during  the  great  strike ;  from  there  he  moved 
to  New  Mexico,  where  he  remained  for  a  time,  his  entire  western 
trip  covering  a  period  of  five  years,  then  returned  to  Wisconsin 
and  again  took  up  the  farming  business  in  La  Crosse  county,  fol- 


854  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

lowing  it  for  three  years,  wheuce  he  removed  to  Sparta  in  1889 
and  engaged  in  the  sale  of  small  fruits,  which  he  still  continues, 
and  is  now  considered  one  of  Sparta's  most  progressive  and  sub- 
stantial citizens. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  Sparta  Fruit 
Growers'  Association  (incorporated),  which  was  organized  in  ]\Iay, 
1896,  with  I.  S.  Fisher  president,  W.  II.  Ilauchett  vice  president, 
T.  M.  Bowler  secretary  and  C.  G.  Hettman  treasurer.  The  asso- 
ciation now  has  a  membership  of  300  and  is  instrumental  in  pro- 
moting the  interests  of  the  farmers  and  fruit  growers  of  IMonroe 
county.  The  extensive  business  of  the  organization  is  operated 
from  their  large  jobbing  house  at  Sparta  under  the  general  man- 
agement of  Mr.  Richardson,  and  gives  a  ready  market  for  every- 
thing in  the  line  of  farmers'  produce,  which  includes  nearly  all 
the  products  of  the  count}'  which  are  handled  even  in  carload  lots 
from  various  localities. 

Besides  his  exceptional  business  (lualifications.  i\Ir.  Richardson 
is  a  man  of  fine  social  qualities,  kind-hearted  and  genial,  and  popu- 
lar in  the  circles  in  which  he  moves.  He  is  domestic  in  his  tastes 
and  craves  no  greater  delight  than  he  finds  in  his  home  and  fam- 
ily. He  is  identified  with  numerous  fraternal  and  social  organiza- 
tions, being  a  member  and  Past  Master  of  Valley  Lodge,  No.  60. 
.Free  and  Accepted  JMasons,  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pj'thias 
and  the  Fraternal  Union.  For  four  years  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  city  council  and  was  two  years  president  of  that  body. 

On  November  II,  1886,  Mr.  Richardson  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elmina  Gilfillan,  daughter  of  Stephen  Gilfillan,  one  of 
the  influential  citizens  of  Burns  township  in  La  Crosse  county. 
Their  children  are  Pearl  E.  and  Sylvia  I.  Richardson. 

William  Richgruber.  Among  the  wideawake  and  progressive 
farmers  of  Pleasant  Valley  is  he  whose  name  heads  this  biography. 
Born  in  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  November  3,  1853.  to  George  and 
Mary  (Halebery)  Richgruber,  he  attended  the  common  schools  in 
his  native  town,  and  in  1879  came  to  America,  first  locating  in 
Chicago,  111.,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  stationary  engineer  in 
a  glue  factory.  He  remained  there  for  some  time,  then  came  to 
Monroe  county  and  purchased  200  acres  of  land  in  Pleasant  Val- 
ley, four  and  one  half  miles  from  the  village  of  Leon,  where  he 
has  since  remained  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming.  His 
place  is  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation  and  improved  with  sub- 
stantial buildings.  lie  employs  modern  methods  in  his  farmin" 
operations,  and  from  his  twenty  head  of  milch  cows  does  a  profit- 


BIOGRAPHY  855 

able  dairy  business.     He  is  considered  one  of  the  substantial  men 
of  his  locality  and  is  public-spirited  and  enterprising. 

He  was  married  January  3,  1881,  to  Miss  Matilda  Sorensen 
and  they  have  an  interesting  family  of  seven  children,  viz. :  Albert, 
born  October  7,  1882 ;  William,  born  October  17,  1883 ;  Agnes, 
born  February  2,  1886 ;  Mathida,  born  September  23,  1888 ;  Anna, 
born  October  5,  1892 ;  Martin,  born  December  19,  1895,  and  Mabel, 
born  March  1,  1898. 

George  H.  Robertson,  ex-county  superintendent  of  schools,  is 
a  native  son  of  Monroe  county,  and  was  born  August  11,  1868, 
son  of  Methven  and  Euphema  (Cassels)  Robertson,  pioneers  of 
Monroe  county.  The  father  was  born  in  Fifeshire,  Scotland, 
March  24,  1823,  a  son  of  John  and  Christina  (Methven)  Robert- 
son, and  came  to  America  in  1842,  settling  in  Massachusetts,  where 
he  was  joined  by  his  father  and  family  in  1845.  In  1857  they 
came  to  Wisconsin  and  located  on  a  farm  of  240  acres  of  land  in 
sections  twenty-six  and  twenty-seven,  town  of  Tomah,  which  the 
father  purchased  from  John  Hinemau,  and  the  following  year 
bought  eighty  acres  from  Samuel  McClure  in  section  twenty-seven. 
They  erected  a  log  cabin,  twenty-four  by  sixteen  feet,  and  in  this 
made  their  home  until  1871,  when  Mr.  Robertson,  father  of  our 
subject,  built  a  residence  twenty-two  by  twenty-eight  feet,  with  a 
Aving  twenty-four  by  twenty-eight  feet,  and  later  an  addition  six- 
teen by  twenty-four  feet  and  twelve  by  twenty-four  feet.  His 
father,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  which 
he  followed  until  coming  to  Wisconsin,  and  was  then  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death  in  the  spring  of  1880,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years. 

Methven  Robertson  received  a  limited  education  and  was  em- 
ployed in  the  woolen  mills  until  coming  to  his  farm  in  Wisconsin. 
He  owned  200  acres  of  well  improved  land,  well  stocked  with 
Jersey  cattle,  horses  and  hogs.  September  1,  1864,  he  enlisted 
in  the  Civil  War  in  Company  K,  Forty-third  Regiment,  Wisconsin 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Johnson- 
ville  and  Nashville,  and  was  discharged  June  24,  1865. 

He  was  married,  in  1846,  to  Euphema  Cassels,  who  was  born 
in  Scotland  in  1828  and  died  in  the  spring  of  1880.  They  had 
fourteen  children,  five  of  whom  survive :  Methven,  David,  George, 
Robert  and  Mary.     The  father  died  in  1899. 

George  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  district  school 
and  the  Tomah  high  school,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  the 
class  of  1895.  Before  attending  high  school,  he  taught  school  six 
winters.     After  finishing  high  school  he  became  principal  of  the 


856  HISTORY  OF  MOXHOK  COrXTY 

(Jleiulale  selioul  one  year  and  of  the  Kendall  school  two  years. 
In  Xoveiiihci-.  I!)(l2.  he  was  elected  county  superintendent,  serving 
until  ItiOT.  In  18!)!>.  in  connection  with  his  brother-in-law,  David 
S.  Moore,  lie  built  the  (JbMidale  Hour  aiul  feed  mill,  which  was 
operated  under  tlie  firm  iwiiiie  of  Rol)ertson  &  ]\Ioore;  Mr.  Robert- 
son, later  ])uicli;isini;  the  interest  of  Mr.  ^loore,  carried  on  the 
business  uiuler  the  name  of  George  II.  Robertson  Company,  under 
whose  management  the  business  prospered.  .Mr.  Robertson  has 
recently  sold  the  milling  business  to  A.  -I.  ("lark,  but  remains  as 
its  manager.  ^Ir.  Robertson  was  manager  six  years,  manager  and 
treasurer  two  years  and  managei-  and  secretary  one  year  of  the 
(llendale  Co-operative  Creamery  Association.  In  1912  he  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  town  of  Glendale,  and  is  also  clerk  of  the 
Glendale  graded  school. 

In  fraternal  matters  lie  is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  G.  T.  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge.  Of  the  latter  he  is  a  past  chancellor. 
He  was  married  August  11.  1896.  at  Glendale,  to  Miss  Sadie  A. 
Moore,  youngest  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  ^loore.  natives  of 
Connecticut  and  Vermont.  Mrs.  Robertson  is  a  highly  educated 
and  cultured  lady,  and  a  former  teacher.  One  daughter  has  been 
born  to  this  union.  Laverne.  born  August  17,  1897,  is  now  the 
second  year  in  hiiili  school  at  Kendall. 

Richard  H.  Rogers,  who  for  nearly  thirty  years  was  a  jiromi- 
nent  and  successful  citizen  of  ]\Ionroe  county,  was  born  iu  Sara- 
toga county.  Xi'w  York.  October  13,  1809.  His  father,  Jeremiah 
Rogers,  was  a  native  of  Xew  York  state,  and  at  tlie  age  of  sixteen 
years  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  AVar  of  the  Revolution,  serving 
until  the  end  of  that  struggle.  The  mother  of  Richard  II..  whose 
maiden  name  was  Phoebe  Hart,  was  also  a  native  of  Xew  York 
state.  AVhen  our  subject  was  but  seven  years  of  age.  lie  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Seneca  county,  that  state,  where  they  remained 
some  twelve  years,  thence  moved  to  Huron  county.  Ohio.  Avhere 
they  spent  the  balance  of  their  lives;  the  father  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years,  and  the  mother  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 
Jeremiah  Rogers  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  in  politics  was 
a  staunch  supporter  of  the  Jacksonian  principles. 

Richard  IT.  Rogers,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father, 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  which  vocation  he  followed  until 
he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  whence  he  turned  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  made  a  specialty  of  breeding  fine 
sheep.  He  was  successful,  and  became  widely  known  as  an 
authority  upon  all  subjects  pertaining  to  the  breeding  and  care 
of  sheep.     In  1869  he  sold  his  farm   in   Erie  county.   Ohio,  and 


RICHARD    H.    ROGERS 


JilOURAPUY  857 

cninc  West  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  in  lAlonroe  eouuty.  He  ])iii'- 
ehased  fi-oiu  S.  Holbrook  a  1i-ac1  of  seventy-five  acres  of  land 
of  as  fertile  soil  as  lies  wiliiin  the  coujity.  lie  raised  some  (ine 
speeiinens  of  registered  stock,  including  sheep  and  cattle;  fi-oui 
one  ewe,  Aveighing  sixty-five  |)ounds,  he  sheared  twenty-fonr  and 
a  half  pounds  of  wool,  a  record  rarely  equaled,  and  almost  never 
excelled;  his  cattle  were  of  high  grade  and  full  blooded.  Tin- 
buildings  on  the  place  are  neat  and  substantial,  arranged  for 
comfort  and  convenience. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  Mr.  Rogers  married,  in  Krie 
county,  Ohio,  IVIiss  Lucy  Tucker,  a  daughter  of  II.  Tucker.  By 
this  marriage  two  children  were  born:  Richard  H.  and  Lucy 
In  1860  Mr.  Rogers  was  united  in  marriage  with  Rebecca  Smith, 
daughter  of  P^lisha  and  Julia  Ann  (Ashton)  Smith,  of  Guernsey 
county.  Ohio,  and  who  came  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  six  miles 
south  of  Viroqua,  in  Vernon  county,  where  the  father  engaged 
in  shoemaking  and  farming.  He  was  born  on  February  27,  1811, 
and  died  February  4,  1879.  Julia  Ann  Smith,  daughter  of  William 
and  Mary  Ashton,  was  born  December  11,  1817,  and  died  in  Ver- 
non county  in  1887.  They  had  two  sons  who  participated  in  the 
Civil  War:  William  S.,  of  the  Third  W^isconsin  Cavalry,  and 
Harrison,  of  the  Eighteenth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry. 

Mr.  Rogers  died  January  17,  1895,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five 
years,  and  left,  besides  his  widow,  two  sons:  V.  Grant  and  John 
Murray.  On  January  16,  190-1,  Mrs.  Rogers  married  George 
Bradley,  and  for  more  than  fifty  years  has  lived  in  her  present 
home  on  section  ten,  in  Sparta  township. 

Ernst  Rogge,  a  lifelong  resident  of  Monroe  county,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Oakdale,  January  16,  1867,  the  son  of  Henry 
and  Johanna  (Resler)  Rogge,  natives  of  Germany  and  Austria, 
respectively.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1856,  and  first 
located  at  Milwaukee,  Was.,  where  he  was  emiJoyed  as  a  laborer 
for  a  time,  and  later  moved  to  Columbus.  When  the  Civil  War 
broke  out  he  (^ilisted  in  Company  D,  Sixteenth  Regiment,  Wis- 
consin Volunteers,  on  October  7,  1861,  and  was  transferred  to 
Company  E,  same  regiment.  November  1,  1862,  and  ^^^stered  out 
of  service  July  12,  18(i5.  having  served  his  country  for  three 
years,  nine  months  and  five  days.  Among  the  battles  in  whicli 
he  participated  were  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Corinth  and  Atlanta. 
He  was  a  brave  and  gallant  soldier,  and  was  twice  wounded, 
once  severely  while  in  the  front  ranks  at  Atlanta,  Ga.  After  his 
discharge  he  returned  to  Colundius,  where  he  was  married  the 
following  year,  and  moved  to  Oakdale  townshii).     Here  he  pur- 


858  IllJSTUKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

chased  ninety  acres  of  land,  to  wliieh  he  added  from  time  to  time 
until  he  acquired  about  220  acres.  He  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  toAvnship,  and  there  made  his  home  until  1903,  then 
moved  to  Tomali  and  passed  the  remaiuder  of  liis  life;  he  died 
on  May  18,  1911,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  eleven  montlis 
and  twenty-nine  days.  The  mother  still  (1912)  survives  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  years.  They  reared  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom — three  sons  and  five  daughters — are  living. 
He  was  a  thrifty  and  progressive  farmer  and  lived  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  many  years  of  toil  and  hardships  in  converting  a  tract 
of  wilderness  into  the  beantiful  home  he  left. 

Krnst  attended  the  district  scliools  until  he  was  sixteen  years 
old.  and  remained  at  home  assisting  in  the  management  <»f  tlie 
farm  until  he  was  twenty-seven.  In  1894  lie  was  married,  in  the 
town  of  Tomah,  to  Miss  Amelia  Pingel,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Mrs.  Pingel.  ]\Irs.  Rogge  passed  away  the  same  year  of  her  mar- 
riage, and  in  1898  ]\lr.  Rogge  again  married,  this  time  to  ]\Irs. 
Anna  Ott,  daughter  of  John  and  Mrs.  Hintz,  of  Oakdale.  They 
have  three  children,  A'iz. :  Irene,  Emma  and  Ernest.  Mrs.  Rogge 
is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  four  girls  and  one  boy.  Iler 
parents  came  from  Germany  to  AYankesha  county  in  1853,  and 
moved  to  Monroe  county  in  1858. 

In  189-1  ]\Ir.  Rogge  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  section 
twenty,  Wilton  township,  which  has  since  been  his  home.  He 
made  many  improvements,  built  a  substantial  barn  in  1900, 
and  a  modern  residence  the  following  year,  and  the  highly  culti- 
vated state  of  his  land  makes  his  farm  one  of  the  most  fertile 
and  productive  in  the  Slaten  Creek  valley.  Two  excellent  wells 
operated  by  a  wind  engine  supply  his  residence  and  barn  with 
pure  water,  and  in  addition  to  general  farming  he  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  dairying.  He  is  independent  in  his  political  opinions 
and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  township.  He 
served  two  years  as  town  treasurer,  was  chairman  of  the  town 
board  for  three  years,  and  in  February,  1912.  was  elected  ])resi- 
dent  of  the  Farmers'  Creamery  Association.  Himself  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

William  F.  Rogge,  of  Oakdale  township,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Johanna  (Resler)  Rogge,  and  was  born  in  Monroe  county.  AVis- 
consin,  on  August  4,  1879.  He  obtained  a  good  education  in  the 
district  schools,  attending  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
and  lived  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-three.  On  June  3.  1903, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Henrietta  Giesler,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  ]\Iatilda  Giesler.     ]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Rogge  have  had  four  chil- 


BIOGRAPHY  859 

dreii,  three  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  viz.:  Agnes  May,  boru 
November  1,  1904;  Glacia  Matilda,  born  February  20,  1908,  and 
Norma  Louretta,  born  July  6,  1910. 

After  their  marriage,  Mr.  Rogge  purchased  a  farm  of  260 
acres  in  sections  nineteen  and  twenty  in  the  town  of  Oakdale, 
which  he  has  since  continued  to  improve  and  beautify  until  it 
is  one  of  the  ideal  country  homes  in  IMonroe  county.  The  soil 
is  highly  productive  and  the  water  supply  comes  from  natural 
springs  in  the  hillside.  They  have  a  comfortable  residence  and 
commodious  outbuildings,  and  in  connection  with  his  general 
farming  he  carries  on  a  profitable  dairy  business,  and  the  place 
is  well  stocked  with  the  best  breed  of  cattle,  horses,  hogs,  etc. 
He  is  thoroughly  up  to  date  with  his  farming  methods  and  is  a 
man  of  good  .judgment  in  other  lines  of  business.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Oakdale  Creamery  Association,  is  inde- 
pendent in  politics,  and  uses  his  own  best  judgment  when  he 
votes.  He  is  interested  in  the  atfairs  of  his  town  and  county 
and  favors  all  movements  for  their  further  development. 

William  Rondorf  resides  on  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Jeffer- 
son township,  where  he  was  born  November  18,  1866,  the  son 
of  Hilarius  and  Anna  Maria  (Schell)  Rondorf,  both  natives  of 
Germany.  The  father  w^as  born  in  Bergheim,  a  village  in  the 
district  of  Siegburg,  Germany,  December  23,  1828,  and  was  the 
first  one  of  that  name  to  emigrate  to  America.  The  mother  was 
born  July  2S,  1830;  they  were  married  May  18,  1851,  in  Berg- 
heim, Germany,  and  lived  with  his  father  until  he  died  in  1854. 
On  April  27,  1854,  they  left  Antwerp  on  the  sailing  vessel  "Leo- 
pold I,"  bound  for  New  York.  On  their  arrival  here  they  came 
to  Dane  county,  "Wisconsin,  where  they  became  homeless  and 
moneyless.  Meeting  a  felloy  countryman  who  sympathized  with 
them,  they  were  offered  the  hospitality  of  his  home  on  the  farm, 
where  the  father  labored  in  the  field  and  the  mother  in  the  house. 
Here  they  made  their  home  until  they  had  earned  and  saved  suffi- 
cient means  with  which  to  purchase  a  small  farm  of  eighty  acres 
in  Jefferson  township,  Monroe  county,  the  farm  being  purchased 
June  1,  1860.  They  started  from  Dane  county  wdth  an  ox  team, 
and  after  two  days  and  nights  on  the  road  they  reached  their 
future  home  in  the  then  new  country.  They  built  a  small  house, 
which  has  since  been  enlarged  and  improved.  On  February  19, 
1865,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Forty-sixth  Regiment,  AYiscon- 
sin  Volunteers ;  the  regiment  was  then  stationed  at  Athens,  Ala. 
At  the  early  close  of  the  war,  he  was  discharged  September  27, 
1865,  returning  hom.e  October  12,  the  same  year.     Mr.  Rondorf 


860  IITSTOKV  OK  .MO.XHOK  CO  IN  TV 

luul  received  ii  liberal  ('(lucatioii  in  liis  native  eountry.  was  a 
liberal  reader,  and  was  posted  on  all  eiureiit  events  of  the  day. 
He  was  ecoiioniieal  and  thrifty,  honorable  and  upright  in  all  liis 
dealings,  of  a  genial  social  disposition,  and  made  many  warm 
friends.  He  was  interested  in  all  1ownslii|>  matters,  and  held 
many  minor  offices.  He  was  assessor,  clerk  and  treasurer  of  his 
town  several  years,  and  a  member  of  the  ]\Iasonic  lodge,  and  in 
politics  a  Democrat.  He  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  aic  n<iw  living  (]912).  He  had  one  daughter  and  five  sons, 
viz.:  Elizabeth,  born  June  Ki.  1852.  in  Hergheim.  (lermany,  now 
lives  at  Si.  Joseph.  La  Crosse  count  \.  Wis.;  .|ose|)h.  born  August 
16.  1855,  in  Roxbury,  Dane  couiit\".  Wis.,  i-esides  neai-  Xeillsville, 
AVis..  Avhere  he  is  engaged  in  farming;  Henr\.  horn  October  26. 
1858,  in  Perry,  Dane  county.  Wis.,  is  engaged  in  farming  near 
St.  Hilaire.  Minn.;  Hilarius,  born  Februai-y  2'i.  1S62.  in  the  town 
of  Jeflfersoii.  this  state,  is  engaged  in  tlie  laundry  business  at  Sta- 
ples. ]\linn.:  William,  born  November  18.  1861).  in  the  town  of 
Jetferson  ;  .Mathias,  born  ]May  4,  1870.  in  the  town  of  Jel¥er.son, 
resides  near  Neillsville,  engaged  in  farming.  He  lived  to  the  age 
of  sixty-two  years,  and  died  -laiinaiy  10.  1891.  The  death  of  the 
mother  occurred  :March  22.  1890. 

AVilliam  received  his  education  in  the  connnon  schools,  which 
he  attended  until  his  eighteenth  year,  and  lived  with  his  father 
until  he  died.  He  was  married  October  23,  1891,  at  St.  Clary's 
church,  to  ]Miss  Elizabeth  Schmitz.  ]Mr.  Rondorf  is  one  of  the 
progressive  and  up-to-date  farnuM-s  of  his  town,  and  keeps  his 
farm  of  200  acres  in  section  sixteen  well  supplied  with  good 
horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  He  is  successful  in  his  operations,  is  a 
Progressive  Republican  in  politics,  and  he  and  bis  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  elnireh. 

Ephraim  G.  Root,  who.  aftei-  a  i-esidence  in  ^Monroe  cou)ity 
of  fifty-five  years,  died  on  January  12.  1912.  was  boi-n  in  the 
state  of  New  York  in  1834.  He  came  to  Wisconsin,  locating  in 
IMonroe  county  in  1857,  and  Avas  anu)ng  the  earliest  settlers;  he 
has  lived  here  almost  continuously  since  that  time.  During  the 
gold  excitement  in  1859,  he  was  one  of  a  jiarty  from  this  vicinity 
to  make  the  trip  to  Pike's  Peak,  and  subsequently  returning  to 
]\ronroe  county,  lie  was  married  to  ^Miss  Ann  Parkei-.  daughter  of 
•fohn  and  -ludith  i  Hicks)  Parker,  and  immediately  settled  on  the 
farm  in  Pleasant  Valley,  Greenfield  township,  where  they  resided 
until  his  death.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife  and  two  adopted 
children.  William  H.  Root  and  ^Irs.  Ella  Hatch,  all  of  whom 
reside  at  Tomah.  and  one  sistei'  wlio  lives  in  Towa.  two  brothers 


BIOGKAPIIY  861 

in  California.  AVlien  Mr.  Hoot  came  to  Greenfield  tovvnshi]).  the 
country  was  in  a  wild  state,  with  few  settlers,  and  the  privations 
and  hardships  experienced  were  many;  bnt,  like  inosl  of  the 
hardy  pioneers,  he  overcame  all  obstacles  and  prospered  in  Ihe 
end.  AVhen  he  first  located  on  his  farm,  he  lived  in  a  tctit  uiilil 
his  buildings  could  be  erected;  he  cleared  eighty  acres,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  engaged  in  farming.  He  stood  high 
in  the  esteem  of  his  neighbors,  was  energetic  and  progressive,  a 
kind  neighbor  and  good  citizen,  interested  in  the  affairs  of  his 
community,  and  was  a  man  of  genuine  worth. 

William  H.  Root,  the  adopted  son  of  Ephraim  G.  Root,  was 
born  in  the  Adirondack  mountains,  in  Warren  county,  New  York, 
on  October  3.  1864,  and  Gen.  Ethan  Allen  was  his  great- 
great-uncle.  He  was  adopted  at  the  age  of  two  years.  lie 
remained  on  the  home  farm  in  Greenfield  township  until  1892, 
when  he  removed  to  Tomali  and  engaged  in  tlie  mm-cantile  luisi- 
ness,  and  since  1901  has  been  employed  in  the  rural  mail  service. 
During  the  war  with  Spain,  Mr.  Root  served  in  Company  K, 
Third  Regiment,  AVisconsin  Volunteers,  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  having  been  with  his  regiment  in  Porto  Rico.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  AVoodmen  of 
the  AVorld,  and  the  Mystic  Workers  of  the  World. 

On  November  3,  1885,  ]\Ir.  Root  was  married  to  Miss  Dora 
A^andervort,  daughter  of  J.  B.  and  Anna  (Mclntyre)  Vandervort, 
of  Tomah.  They  were  natives  of  New  York  state,  and  on  coming 
to  Wisconsin  first  located  at  Oconomowoc,  but  later  moved  to 
La  Grange  township,  ]\lonroe  county.  To  Air.  and  Airs.  Root  have 
been  born  four  children,  viz. :  Helen  married  D.  R.  Richmond, 
of  Grundy  Center,  Iowa,  and  Vivian,  who  lives  at  home.  Those 
deceased  are  Elsia  and  Janet  E. 

John  T.  Scantleton,  general  merchant  of  Cataract,  Alonroe 
county,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  and  was  born  at  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  January  22,  1855.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Bedelia 
(Thomas)  Scantleton,  natives  of  Ireland.  They  came  to  New 
York  before  marriage,  and  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
but  one  year  old  they  removed  to  Chicago,  where  they  remained 
until  they  came  to  Alonroe  county,  in  the  early  fifties,  and  the 
father  engaged  in  the  milling  Imsiness  at  Sparta,  where  he  eon- 
ducted  the  AlcClure  mill.  It  was  in  1874  that  lie  located  in  Cata- 
ract, and  in  company  with  John  Aloffat  continutMl  in  the  milling 
business  until  their  plant  was  destroyed  b.y  fire.  At  that  time 
our  subject,  in  company  with  his  father,  purchased  Air.  Aloffat 's 
interest  in  the  business,  and  together  they  reconstrueted  the  plant 


862  HISTORY  OF  :\IOXROE  oorxTY 

and  successfully  continued  the  business  until  their  buildings  were 
again  destroyed  by  fire  in  lOll.  Mr.  Scantleton,  father  of  our 
subject,  (li('(l  ill  ^hiicli.  1!)10,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years, 
and  his  widow,  motlier  of  J\Ir.  John  Scantleton,  passed  away  in 
May,  1911,  at  the  age  of  seven-seven  years. 

John  Scantleton,  our  subject,  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of 
five  cliildren,  two  of  whom  are  now  living,  the  subject  and  one 
sister,  Theressa,  wife  of  John  H.  Levis,  of  Black  River  P^'alls,  AYis. 
Mr.  Scantleton  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Sparta, 
and  early  found  employment  in  the  mill  with  his  father  and  con- 
tinued at  that  occupation  for  two  years  after  coming  to  Cataract. 
In  3877  lie  ])urchased  the  general  store  he  now  conducts,  from 
J.  H.  Rathl)un,  which  he  successfully  carried  on  until  3888,  when 
he  sold  the  business  to  Frank  INIartin  and  moved  to  ]\Iillston, 
"Wis.,  where  for  eighteen  months  he  Avas  engaged  in  the  same  line 
of  business.  Returning  to  Cataract  at  the  end  of  tluit  time,  he 
purchased  liis  former  business,  and  has  since  continued  in  general 
merchandising. 

In  3875  ]\Ir.  Scantleton  was  united  in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss 
Emma  Martin,  daughter  of  John  and  Anna  Martin,  early  settlers 
in  Lafayette  township.  Two  children  were  born  to  this  union: 
Gracie,  deceased,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Scantleton 
died  in  1884,  and  in  1885  he  was  married  to  Miss  Susie  ]\Iartin, 
sister  of  his  first  wife.  They  had  one  son,  John  M.,  now  a  student 
at  the  Chicago  Medical  College.  Mr.  Scantleton  has  been  actively 
identified  Avitli  his  township,  and  for  several  years  served  as 
treasurer,  and  during  the  Cleveland  administration  was  post- 
master at  Cataract.    He  is  a  lover  of  sports  and  fine  horses. 

Joseph  Schaitel,  who  resides  on  his  farm  in  section  twenty, 
Wells  township,  is  the  son  of  Michael  and  Antimia  (Webber) 
Schaitel,  and  was  ])orn  in  the  town  of  AYells,  IMonroe  county. 
Wis.,  March  27,  38()4.  His  parents  emigrated  to  America  from 
Germany  in  1851,  and  upon  arriving  in  this  country  Avent  to 
Indiana,  where  they  lived  one  year,  then  moved  to  ]\Ionroe 
county,  where  the  father  homesteaded  and  purchased  400  acres 
of  land  in  AYells  township.  He  moved  to  !I\Ionroe  county  with  a 
yoke  of  oxen,  and  was  six  months  on  his  journey.  Here  he 
established  the  family  home  and  reared  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, our  subject  being  the  fifth  in  ord(M"  of  birth.  He  was  a 
successful  general  farmer  and  always  kept  the  farm  well  stocked 
with  good  horses  and  sheep.  He  was  well  thought  of  in  his 
community,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  the  aflfairs  of  his 
town.     He  Avas  supervisor  of  liis  town   and   for  two  years  Avas 


BIOGRAPHY  863 

school  clerk.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  and  died  in 
1898.  His  widow,  mother  of  onr  subject,  survives  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years. 

Joseph  Sehaitel  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  attended  the 
district  school.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  he  left  the 
home  farm  and  for  six  years  was  engaged  in  the  saloon  business 
at  Melvina.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time,  he  returned  to  the 
farm  and  purchased  260  acres  of  the  old  homestead,  where  he 
now  lives  in  a  comfortable  home.  Since  purchasing  the  place,  he 
has  added  a  new  barn,  30x50  feet,  and  substantial  outbuildings, 
including  a  silo,  erected  in  1911.  He  now  wants  to  go  into  regis- 
tered stock,  his  choice  being  Holsteiu  cattle ;  he  has  a  fine  herd 
started  now.  He  also  wishes  to  raise  Percheron  horses.  He  has 
a  fine  drove  of  sheep  and  fine  hogs. 

On  May  6,  1895,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Tenna  Leibel,  daugh- 
ter of  Wenszel  and  Frances  Leibel.  Seven  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Sehaitel,  six  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living, 
viz. :  Paul,  Johnnie,  Robert,  Joseph,  Francis  and  Carlton.  INIr. 
Sehaitel  is  numbered  among  the  successful  and  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  his  town,  and  is  a  public-spirited  and  influential  citizen. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leibel,  parents  of  ]Vlrs.  Sehaitel,  emigrated  to 
America  from  Germany,  and  after  arriving  in  this  country  located 
at  Norwalk,  and  after  about  one  year  Mr.  Leibel  was  employed 
at  Tunnel  No.  3,  and  continued  at  this  work  until  he  injured  his 
eyesight,  after  which  he  moved  to  the  town  of  Jefferson,  where 
he  established  the  family  homestead,  and  purchased  160  acres  of 
land  and  reared  a  family  of  nine  children,  as  follows :  Mrs.  Anna 
Bridenbach,  of  Eagle,  AVis. ;  Rudolph,  of  La  Crosse,  Wis. ;  John, 
on  the  homestead  farm;  Mrs.  Mary  V.  Ruden,  at  Cashton;  IMrs. 
Sehaitel ;  Mrs.  Frances  Hornung,  of  Baraboo,  AYis..  and  Kather- 
ine  Leibel,  of  Seattle,  Wash.,  and  tAvo  deceased.  The  father  was 
a  successful  and  hard-working  farmer.  He  lived  to  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  and  died  May  12,  1887.  His  widow,  mother  of  ]\lrs. 
Sehaitel,  survives  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven,  ;ind  since  1901  lins 
been  an  invalid. 

Paul  Schaller,  of  the  firm  of  Gross  &  SehalbM-,  prominent  drug 
firm  of  Sparta,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Gahler)  Schaller, 
born  on  June  17,  1867.  His  parents  emigrated  to  this  country 
from  Germany  when  they  Avere  both  about  seven  years  of  age, 
with  their  parents,  and  both  families  settled  in  Dodge  county, 
W^isconsin.  Mr.  Schaller,  father  of  Paul,  came  to  Sparta  in  the 
early  fifties,  and  was  one  of  tlie  pioneers  of  that  section,  and 


864  IITS^I'ORY  OF  MONROE  (  OUXTY 

Sparta's  earliest  cabinetmaker.  He  still  resides  in  Sparta.  ]\Irs. 
Schaller  passed  awa.y  at  the  age  of  foity-one  years. 

Paul  Schaller  is  the  youngest  child  of  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren. The  others  are:  Nina,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  T.  Sarles,  of  Sparta; 
Mary,  wife  of  J.  IT.  Fernevhough.  of  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D. :  Henry 
F.  AV..  of  AVatertown,  S.  D..  and  AVendell,  deceased. 

.Mr.  Schaller  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy,  graduating  fi-om  tiie  latter 
with  the  class  of  1891,  receiving  a  thorough  course  of  six  years, 
and  began  his  business  career  as  clerk  for  Crane  &  McClure,  at 
Sparta,  wliich  position  lie  held  for  six  years,  and  then  engaged 
with  T.  IT.  Spencer,  of  La  Crosse,  for  a  time.  ITe  then  went  to 
Madison  and  spent  one  year,  and  in  is!),')  came  to  Sparta  and 
purchased  the  interest  of  AV.  P.  Palmer  in  the  drug  business  with 
I\Ir.  Gross,  since  which  time  the  firm  has  lieen  Gross  &  Schaller. 

In  1897  i\Ir.  Schaller  married  ]\liss  lirittomarte  AVoodward, 
daughter  of  Jolm  AVoodward,  of  Platteville,  AVis. 

P.  W.  Schmitz,*  a  native  of  IMonroe  connty,  was  born  on  the 
old  homestead  April  10.  1877.  the  son  of  William  and  Sophia 
(]\Iickels)  Schmit/..  The  father  was  l)orn  in  Germany,  August  12. 
1841,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1S.")8.  His  father. 
Henrj^  Schmitz,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  located  in  the  town 
of  AA'ells.  in  Alonroe  county,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in 
sections  eighteen,  seven  and  eight,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 
AVilliam  Schmitz,  father  of  P.  AV.,  was  the  oldest  child  of  a  family 
of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  now  living.  ITe  was  twice 
married  and  by  his  first  Avife,  Katherine  ^lickels.  had  two  cliildren. 
By  his  second  wife,  Sophia  ATickels,  he  had  ten  children,  tiic  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  being  the  fifth  child  in  order  of  birth.  The 
father  was  a  highly  respected  citizen  and  prominent  in  his  com- 
munity. ITe  was  chairman  of  the  town  l)oard.  assessor  for  four 
years,  supervisor  and  for  several  years  a  director  on  the  school 
board.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  owned  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  190").  288  acres  of  land  in  AA'ells  town- 
ship. His  widow.  Sophia  ^lickels.  Avho  was  born  Juiu»  27.  1847.  is 
now  living  with  her  son  in  Alonroe  county. 

P.  AV.  had  the  advantages  of  a  limited  schooling,  attending 
the  district  school  until  his  twelfth  yeai-.  He  remained  on  the 
home  I'ariii.  assisting  in  tilling  the  soil,  nntil  October  22.  lilOl. 
when  he  married  ]Miss  Agnes  Schmitz,  a  daughter  of  Peter 
Schmitz.  of  St.  Joseph's  Ridge,  and  a  native  of  (iermany.  Her 
fathei-  died  in  1883.  and  tlie  motlier  survives  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  vears.      .\ftei'  his  marriage  oni'  subject  started  nut  for  himself 


BIOGKAPIIY  865 

and  is  now  known  as  a  successful  farmer  and  one  of  the  progres- 
sive citizens  of  the  town  of  Wells.  To  >Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Schniit/  have 
been  born  four  children,  viz.:  Elizabeth,  born  December  6,  1902; 
Frank,  born  IMarch  10,  1904;  Sophia,  born  March  4,  1905,  and 
Geniveva,  liorn  October  31,  1909. 

August  Schlaver,*  who  departed  this  life  Tuesday,  December 
5,  1911.  and  who  had  prepared  to  enjoy  a  long  life  of  continued 
usefulness,  was  attacked  by  a  fatal  malady  and,  although  he  made 
a  good  fight  and  was  determined  to  the  last  that  he  would  over- 
come its  remorseless  attacks,  the  final  call  came  just  as  he  was 
making  plans  to  go  to  Colorado  for  the  winter,  in  the  hope  that 
the  climate  might  aid  him  in  his  fight  for  life.  He  was  born  in 
the  province  of  Posen,  Germany,  December  3,  1863,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  with  his  parents  in  1870.  The  family  settled  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Otto  Schlaver,  and  there  August  grew  to 
manhood.  He  attended  the  Hogue  district  school  and  remained 
on  the  home  farm  until  his  marriage,  when  he  located  in  Burns 
township,  La  Crosse  county,  on  a  rented  farm,  which  he  conducted 
for  five  years,  when  he  purchased  160  acres  in  Sparta  township, 
to  which  he  later  added  100  acres.  The  improvements  at  that 
time  were  unsuited  for  a  man  with  the  progressive  disposition  of 
Mr.  Schlaver,  and  under  his  careful  management  he  had  erected 
all  the  buildings  now  on  the  farm,  consisting  of  a  commodious 
dwelling,  large  and  substantial  barn,  silo  and  other  outbuildings. 
He  was  never  satisfied  unless  working  to  improve  the  farm.  He 
w^as  a  high-minded,  public-spirited  gentleman,  kind  and  generous 
and  ever  mindful  of  the  comforts  of  his  family.  He  was  alive  to 
the  interests  of  the  community  and  active  in  public  matters.  He 
was  interested  in  the  Kockland  Creamery,  of  w4iich  he  was  at  one 
time  manager.  The  roads  of  the  town  of  Sparta,  together  with 
the  inspiration  and  example  they  created  and  set  for  Monroe 
county  and  vicinity,  will  stand  as  a  sturdy  lasting  monument  to 
him  who  was  the  moving  spirit  in  their  construction.  He  was  a 
pioneer  in  this  movement  for  good  roads,  and  the  vitality  and 
effort,  the  time  and  money  he  put  into  this  work,  cannot  be  esti- 
mated. As  chairman  of  his  town,  an  office  he  held  for  five  years, 
to  the  time  of  his  demise,  being  a  member  of  the  side  board  for 
years  prior  to  that  time,  his  work  was  very  ef^cient  and  note- 
worthy, but  it  is  particularly  by  his  road  improvements  that  he 
will  be  remembered. 

Mr.  Schlaver  was  united  in  marriage  April  17.  1887.  with  Miss 
Augusta  Richert,  daughter  of  Frederich  and  Louisa  (May)  Rich- 
ert,  of  Sparta.     They  were  born  near  Berlin.  Prussia,  and  came 


866  IlISTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

to  America  wIumi  Mrs.  Schlaver  was  but  three  years  of  age.  In 
1868  they  settled  in  Spfirln.  where  the  fatlier  for  ;i  time  was  em- 
ployed in  the  pnpei-  mills  of  O.  I.  Ncwioii  Sons  ("omp.iiiy.  and 
where  he  rcnui iiii'd  iiiilil  ;i  sliorl  time  hci'ore  his  death,  when  he 
Weill  1(1  li\('  willi  .Mi's.  Selda\'ei'.  where  he  died.  Mrs.  Schlaver's 
mother  is  also  deceased,  both  he  and  she  liviii'.;-  to  the  a»;e  of 
seventy  rour  \ears.  .Mrs.  Setila\er  is  the  niiitli  child  of  a  family 
of  ten  children.  Those  besides  .Mi's.  Selila\er  who  are  now  liviiiL!' 
are:  Louisa,  the  wife  of  lli'i'iiian  ^'ankee.  .Mary.  Fred.  Auj^ust 
and  William.  Those  deceased  are:  .Minnie,  ('arl.  Cai-rie.  and  one 
A\lio  died  in  infancy.  To  ^li-.  and  Mi's.  Scddaver  were  horn  Hve 
chiidi-eii:  Klla.  a  graduate  of  the  Sparta  hiuii  school,  has  l)eeu 
eiijiaii'ed  in  teachitm'  foi-  the  past  six  years:  Laura  and  Theodore, 
Avho  I'eside  at   home,  and   Lillian  and   .\r1lnir,  who  are  deceased. 

Otto  Schlaver,"  one  of  the  eiiter|)risinu'  farmers  of  Sparta 
township,  is  a  native  of  (Jei'maii\'  and  was  horn  Maivdi  28,  1870, 
son  of  Auiiiist  and  Henrietta  (Leek)  Schlaver.  When  Otto  was 
hut  a  few  weeks  old  his  jiareiits.  in  the  sjirin.u'  of  1870,  came  to 
the  United  States.  Upon  tlieir  ari-ival  in  this  country  they  came 
to  Wisconsin  and  settled  in  ^lonroe  county  on  the  farm  in  section 
nineteen,  Sparta  townshij),  where  our  subject  now  resides.  He 
was  a  man  of  iicnial  temi)eraiiieiit.  kind  hearted  and  lil)ei-<d.  and 
was  held  in  hi^h  esteem  by  his  many  friends.  He  died  April  5, 
1902.  at  the  a,ee  of  sixty-nine  years.  ]\lrs.  Schlaver.  mother  of 
Otto,  still  survives  and  enjoys  liood  health  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  xcars.  .lohii  Schlaver.  patei-iial  uraiidfather  of  oui-  subject, 
came  fi-om  «;eriiian.\-  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Sjiarta 
township  ;ibout  isri2.  on  a  lar^e  tract  of  i^ovcrnment  land,  owninji: 
;it  one  time  what  now  comi)rises  the  farms  (d'  (ttto  Schlaver, 
Leonai-d  Ilei-bst  aiul  Mrs.  August  Schlaver.  -Jr..  and  here  made  his 
home  until  ids  decease.  His  wife,  ui-aiulniother  of  (^tto.  lived  to 
the  ri|)e  aiiv  of  nim^y-two  \-ears.  ('harles  Sclila\-er.  half  brother 
(d'  .ViiLiiist  S(dila\('r.  Sr..  is  still  a  resident  of  Sparta  township. 
There  were  live  children  in  tlie  family  of  .Viiuust  Schlaver.  Sr.. 
three  dautlhters  and  two  sons:  .Viiuiist.  who  is  now  deceased: 
Otto:  .\ii>:usta.  the  wife  (d' -lohn  Ilui)pler.  of  S]>;ir1;>  :  Hiiima.  wife 
ot  H'red  Sunday,  of  Leon  townshi]).  and  I'ertlia  is  the  wife  of  Con 
Koehler.  of   Krskine.  Minn. 

On  February  17,  ]W:\.  Mi-.  Otto  Schlaver  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Khyme.  ilaughtir  of  .\ugust  Ixhyme.  of  Hurr  Oak.  La  Crosse 
roniity:  the\-  have  three  childi-en.  Fdiia  Iv.  Clarence  O.  and  Lester 
\.  The  |»areiits  (d'  .Mrs.  Scddaver  were  aiiioiii;  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  La  Crosse  count  w  and  in  these  early  days  there  were  no  means 


BIOGRAPHY  867 

(tf  travel  except  by  tlie  overlaiul  route,  and  the  Hliyuie  ramily 
niaile  their  way  to  La  Crosse  county  l)y  ox  team.  Since  Mr. 
Schlaver  became  owner  df  his  ])resent  farm  lie  has  made  many 
imjirovements,  remodeled  his  outbuildings,  added  an  ui)-to-date 
windmill  improved  his  daii'y  stables  by  adding  new  stanchions 
and  cow  stalls.  In  lilOT  he  built  a  modern  residence.  e(piipi)ed 
with  up-to-date  appliances,  and  during  the  year  1912  a  cement 
silo  was  erected.  !Mr.  Schlaver  is  thoroughly  progressive  in  his 
farming  methods,  public-spirited,  and  takes  a  lively  interest  in 
public  atfairs.  A  Democrat  in  political  view,  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  and  the  Lutheran  church,  and  from  11)00  to  1906 
was  a  member  of  Company  L.  Wisconsin  National  Guard. 

Henry  F.  Schroeder,  county  surveyor  of  ]Monroe  county,  Wis- 
consin, ranks  among  the  younger  class  of  enterprising,  energetic 
and  progressive  business  men  of  the  county.  He  was  born  in 
Iroquois  county.  Illinois,  January  1,  1873,  the  son  of  Albert  and 
j\Iary  (Bakker)  Schroeder.  natives  of  Germany  and  Holland  re- 
spectively. The  parents  came  to  the  United  States  in  1861  and 
settled  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  the  father  was  employed  for 
three  years  in  the  Austin  gunpowder  mill ;  they  afterwards  moved 
to  oMonroe  county,  and  in  1867  settled  on  a  farm  in  section  eight- 
een, Oakdale  township,  which  the  father  homesteaded.  and  where 
h(^  lived  until  his  fathci-'s  death,  which  occurred  in  1880.  His 
father  Avas  the  father  of  fcuir  boys  and  one  daughter — Albert, 
Robert  and  a  sister  being  the  only  survivors. 

Henry  F.  Schroeder  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the 
common  schools,  which  was  supplemented  by  a  course  of  study  at 
the  Dixon.  111..  Normal  School.  After  completing  his  course  in 
engineering  and  surveying,  he  returned  to  JMonroe  county,  and  in 
1896  became  deputy  surveyor  of  the  county,  which  position  he 
held  for  six  years.  In  1910  he  was  elected  county  surveyor,  with 
headcpiarters  at  Tomah.  He  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  community,  and,  besides  being  thorough  in  the  arts 
of  his  profession,  he  is  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  live  miles  south- 
west of  Tomah. 

Robert  F.  Schroeder,  the  popular  and  well  known  coal  dealer 
of  Tomah.  Wis.,  is  the  youngest  child  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living.  The  others  are  Emily 
and  Albert.  Eobert  F.  was  born  in  Germany,  April  10,  1854,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  Ottawa,  Canada,  where  they  resided  for 
about  three  years,  and  then  moved  to  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio, 
with  a  family  of  four  sons.  On  account  of  failing  health  of  the 
father,  it  was  necessary  for  the  boys  to  assist  in  supporting  tln^ 


868  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXROE  COFXTY 

family  and  they  all  secured  ciiipNtyiKciit  with  the  Austin  Powder 
Company  at  Cleveland.  Here  they  remained  for  some  four  years 
and  then  moved  to  Wisconsin,  settling;  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of 
Oakdale.  Avliich  the  fatlicr  homesteaded  and  with  tlie  aid  of  his 
sons  soon  subdued  and  made  into  a  iikhIcI  farm.  Here  the  parents 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  death  of  the  father  occur- 
ring in  1879  and  that  of  the  mother  in  VJOi.  They  were  thrifty, 
energetic  people  and  prominent  in  their  community.  He  was  con- 
sidered one  of  jMonroe  county's  substantial  citizens,  and  while 
engaged  in  farming  paid  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the  raising 
of  sheep,  at  which  he  was  successful.  He  was  a  devoted  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church  and  contributed  liberally  of  his  means  to 
its  support. 

Robert  F.  received  a  limited  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Ohio,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  started  to  learn  the  black- 
smith's trade,  and  after  coming  to  Tomali  was  apprenticed  to 
David  Jones  for  three  years.  Mastering  the  trade  in  all  its 
l)ranches,  he  was  employed  by  others  on  a  salary  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account.  By  close  appli- 
cation and  by  honorable  and  fair  dealing,  he  soon  acquired  the 
reputation  of  turning  <»u1  the  best  work  of  any  blacksmith  in  that 
locality.  He  gained  a  large  patronage  and  successfully  carried  on 
this  line  of  business  until  1906,  when  he  embarked  in  the  coal  and 
wood  trade,  in  which  he  has  been  equally  successful;  he  handles 
all  kinds  of  hard  and  soft  coal  and  his  business  has  steadily  in- 
creased until  his  sales  amount  to  something  more  than  sixty  cars 
,  per  year. 

Fraternally  ^Ir.  Sehroeder  is  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  has  filled  all  the  chairs  in  the  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  ]\Iodevn  Woodmen  of  America.  Polit- 
ically he  formerly  was  an  adherent  to  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  now  is  independent  in  thought  and  action.  He 
has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to 
his  city  and  county  and  has  filled  numerous  public  offices.  He 
served  as  alderman  for  five  terms  and  was  mayor  of  the  city  of 
Tomah  for  two  terms. 

On  January  19,  1877.  .Mr.  Sehroedei-  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Hulda  W.  Ziebell.  of  Watertown,  Wis.  Of  three  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Sehroeder,  two — Osar  R.  and  Grace  M. — 
are  living. 

Charles  H.  Schulte  was  ])oiii  in  tb.e  town  of  AVells,  Monroe 
county,  January  16,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  Anton  and  Elizabeth 
(Stute)    Schulte,   both   of  whom   are   natives  of  Germany.     The 


BIOGRAPHY  869 

father  eaiue  to  Auierica  in  1850,  and  the  mother,  accompanied  l)y 
her  parents  and  one  brother,  came  in  1854.  Upon  arriving  in  this 
country,  they  located  and  remained  for  a  time  in  Waukesha 
county,  AA^isconsin,  where  the  father  of  our  sul)ject  had  pur- 
chased fifty-one  acres  of  land,  and  where  he  resided  for  four- 
teen years.  The  family  after^vards  moved  to  Monroe  county  and 
for  five  years  resided  in  the  town  of  Ridgeville,  whence  they 
moved  to  Wells  township,  where  the  father  purchased  240  acres 
of  land  in  sections  one,  two  and  eleven,  and  here  they  have  since 
resided.  Both  the  father  and  mother  were  born  in  1831,  and  are 
now  retired  from  active  labor  and  make  their  home  with  our  sub- 
ject, Charles  H.  The  paternal  grandfather  died  in  1874  and  the 
grandmother  in  1876.  The  parents  have  been  residents  of  Mon- 
roe county  for  many  years,  and  during  this  time  they  have  been 
considered  among  the  most  progressive  and  influential  citizens  of 
the  township.  Mr.  Schulte  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has 
always  taken  an  active  interest  in  matters  pertaining  to  his  town 
and  county.  W^hen  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany A,  Seventeenth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  in  1861,  and  after  serv- 
ing ten  months,  was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  dis- 
ability, returned  home  and  resumed  his  farming  operations. 

Charles  H.  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  four  of  whom 
are  noAV  (1912)  living.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  attending  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  and  has 
always  lived  on  the  home  farm,  which  he  now  owns,  and  carries 
on  general  farming  and  dairying.  He  uses  the  most  up-to-date 
methods  in  his  operations  and  is  one  of  the  wide-awake  and 
progressive  men  in  his  township.  Although  formerly  a  staunch 
Democrat  in  political  views,  he  is  now  independent  and  supports 
whatever  appeals  to  his  best  .iudgment  in  matters  of  public 
importance.  He  occupies  a  prominent  place  in  the  affairs  of 
his  town  and  county,  and  for  five  years  has  been  chairman  of  the 
town  board  and  supervisor  for  two  years ;  he  has  been  a  director 
of  the  German  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Norwalk  for 
many  years,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Norwalk  Tele- 
phone Company,  of  Norwalk,  which  was  incorporated  on  June  11, 
1907,  and  is  now  its  secretary. 

He  was  married  on  May  28,  1907,  in  Richland  county,  Wis- 
consin, to  ]Miss  Ellen  Cruise,  daughter  of  Bernard  Cruise,  early 
settlers  and  prominent  citizens  of  Richland  county. 

Adolph  H.  Schultz,  prominent  alike  as  a  farmer  and  citizen  of 
Monroe  county,  resides  in  section  fourteen,  Adrian  township, 
where  he  was  born  July  18,  1871,  and  is  the  fifth  child  of  a  family 


870  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

of  seven  children  born  to  Carl  and  Mary  (Baunigarten)  Schultz, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  Of  the  others,  George  resides  in 
Tomah  ;  Fi-ed  lives  in  ^linneapolis,  ]\Iinn;  Otto  lives  at  AVinona, 
]\Iinn.;  Dcna,  who  is  deceased,  married  Edward  Baumgarten; 
Herman  also  resides  in  ^Minneapolis,  and  ]\Iary  is  the  wife  of 
^Villiam  Lenz.  of  Tomah.  Tlie  jiarents  came  to  AVisconsin  in  an 
early  day  and  were  married  at  Columbns,  this  state,  fifty-three 
years  ago.  They  came  to  ]Monroe  county  and  settled  on  eighty 
acres  of  wild  land  in  Adrian  township,  where  they  estal>lished  the 
family  home,  and  to  which  they  subsequently  added  another 
eighty  acres,  making  the  farm  contain  160  acres.  Here  they 
built  a  log  house  and  barn  and  set  to  work  to  subdue  and  improve 
the  land,  and  by  hard  work  and  perseverance  succeeded  in  trans- 
forming it  from  a  practical  wilderness  to  one  of  the  choicest 
farms  in  the  county  for  productiveness.  In  1878  a  new  and 
commodious  frame  residence  was  erected  and  other  valuable 
improvements  were  made,  and  ]\Ir.  Schultz  was  considered  one 
of  the  most  successful  farmers  of  his  township,  and  was  always 
ready  to  assist  in  any  movement  towards  the  general  development 
of  the  county.  He  was  genial,  kind-hearted,  and  was  held  in  the 
highest  esteem.  On  April  19,  1900.  he  passed  away,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-nine  years.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  still 
survives  (1912)  and  resides  in  the  city  of  Tomah. 

Ad()li)li  H.  was  reared  on  tiic  lidiue  farm  aiul  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools,  and  since  boyhood  has  devoted 
his  entire  attention  to  farming,  lieginning  on  his  own  resources 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  He  rented  and  carried  on  the  home 
farm  for  five  years  previous  to  its  purchase  in  1902.  since  which 
time  he  has  continued  to  nuike  improvements  and  has  brought  the 
land  to  its  present  high  state  of  cultivation,  taking  great  pride 
in  making  his  one  of  the  most  attractive  farm  homes  in  Adrian 
townshiji.  In  1908  he  built  a  modern  residence  with  u]i-to-date 
fittings  and  furnishings,  and  in  1912  constructed  a  large  and  com- 
modious l)ai'!i.  which  contains  all  the  late  ajipliaiu'cs  used  in 
carrying  on  a  model  dairy  business;  it  has  patent  stanchions, 
concrete  floors,  the  latest  feed  devices,  waterworks  system,  silo. 
Other  buildings  are  granary,  sheep  barns,  etc.,  etc.  His  farm  is 
well  stocked  with  good  horses.  Holstein  cattle  and  Oxford  sheep. 

Besides  his  farming  opei-ations,  ]Mr.  Schultz  is  kcjit  busy  look- 
ing after  his  other  business  interests  throughout  the  county.  He 
is  a  director  of  the  Farmers'  and  ^lerchants'  Bank  of  Tomah.  a 
director  of  the  Tonuih  Co-operative  Creamery  Company,  a  director 


BIOGRAPHY  871 

of  the  Tomah  Mutual  Town  Farm  Insurance  Company,  and  has 
served  both  as  treasurer  and  assessor  of  his  town. 

On  November  17,  1897,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Biekel, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Bartel)  Biekel,  of  Tomali.  Mrs, 
Biekel  died  in  1906.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schultz  have  been  born 
four  children,  viz. :  Lueile  Violet,  Mildred  Dorothy,  Carl  John 
and  Helen  Marie  Schultz. 

Henry  W.  Schultz,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  where  he 
resides,  in  section  thirteen,  Adrian  township,  June  13,  1867,  is  a 
son  and  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children  born  to  John  and  Mary 
(Bartels)  Schultz.  Of  the  others,  John  F.  is  deceased  in  1908 ; 
William  H.  lives  in  Tomah ;  Dr.  C.  L.  lives  in  Clark  county,  Wis- 
consin; Mary  is  the  wife  of  George  Henry,  of  Tomah;  Carrie  is 
the  wdfe  of  William  Henry,  Taylor,  N.  D. ;  George  died  in  1910, 
and  Ida  is  the  wife  of  William  Schultz,  of  Adrian  township.  The 
parents  emigrated  from  Germany  to  the  United  States  in  1858, 
and  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Adrian  township,  where 
they  lived  on  section  thirteen;  the  original  farm  contained  120 
acres.  Their  first  residence  and  barn  was  made  of  logs,  which 
were  afterwards  replaced  with  more  pretentious  buildings,  as 
circumstances  demanded.  Mr.  Schultz  was  a  sturdy  and  ambi-. 
tious  man,  and  won  his  way  to  success  through  the  pioneer  strug- 
gle, and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  June  1, 
1898,  in  his  eighty-first  year,  held  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
the  community.  His  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  who  died  in 
1894,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  was  highly  respected  and 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  her. 

Henry  W.  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  homestead  farm,  of  which 
he  came  into  possession  in  1898,  since  which  time  he  has  made 
many  improvements;  the  farm  residence,  which  was  built  forty- 
nine  years  ago,  has  been  remodeled  and  the  land  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  productiveness.  He  attended  the  district  school 
when  a  boy,  and  is  now  counted  among  the  industrious  and 
worthy  citizens  of  his  township. 

On  February  2,  1898,  Mr.  Schultz  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes 

Rehberg,  daughter  of  E and  Agnes  (Zastoupil)  Rehberg,  of 

Adrian  township.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to  them,  viz. : 
Eunice,  Kenneth,  Leonard,  Clarence  and  Allen,  twins,  and  Claude 
and  Arthur,  twins,  both  deceased. 

Lewis  J.  Schultz,  one  of  the  representative  and  influential 
farmers  of  Adrian  township,  ]\Ionroe  county,  lives  on  section 
twenty-seven,  and  is  the  owner  of  400  acres  in  Cole's  Valley.   He 


872  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

is  a  native  of  Monroe  county,  born  in  Adrian,  February  15,  1865, 
and  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  nine  children  born  to  Lewis  J.  and 
Reka  (Jense)  Schultz,  both  natives  of  Germany.  When  a  young 
man,  the  father  came  to  this  country  and  first  located  on  a  tract 
of  wild  land  in  Ridgeville  township,  and  soon  after  locating  here 
he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  in  the  eastern  part  of  that  township, 
which  he  afterwards  sold  and  purchased  one  forty  and  home- 
steaded  another  forty  in  section  ten,  which  he  improved  and 
there  nuule  his  home  for  twenty  years,  then  moved  to  Tomah, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1009,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  years.  He  was  enterprising  and  thrifty  and  generally 
made  a  success  of  his  undertakings  and  enjoyed  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  community.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject, 
who  still  (1912)  survives,  makes  her  home  in  llie  city  of  Tomah, 
esteemed  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acriuaintances.  Of 
their  other  children  living.  Albert  resides  in  Outagamie  county. 
"Wisconsin;  Emil  lives  at  Russell,  this  state,  and  Frank  is  in 
Adrian  townshi]).  Those  deceased  are  Dora,  Adolph.  .Alatie, 
Gustaf  and  Emma. 

Lewis  J.,  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
and  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools;  he  remained 
at  home  until  he  reached  his  majority,  and  then  rented  a  farm 
in  Adrian  township  and  began  farming  for  himself.  He  was  a 
success  at  it  from  the  start,  and  later  purchased  his  father's  farm 
in  section  ten.  wliicli  he  carried  on  for  two  years,  then  turned  it 
over  to  a  renter  and  went  to  Chicago,  111.,  and  remained  one  year; 
came  back  to  his  farm  and  conducted  it  himself  until  1896.  then 
moved  to  Tomah  and  rented  the  AVilliam  Lee  farm,  and  at  the  end 
of  four  years,  in  1900,  he  purchased  what  Avas  known  as  the  Tal- 
bot farm,  in  Adrian  township,  and  tAvo  years  later  bought  the 
Herman  AVestphal  farm,  which  he  has  since  conducted,  and  where 
he  now  resides.  He  has  recently  built  a  large  modern  barn  with 
the  latest  modei-ii  devices  and  a  silo,  and  has  also  added  one 
thousand  rods  of  woven  wire  fencing.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
l)rogressive  and  up-to-date  farmers  of  bis  town,  and  uses  the 
most  modern  methods  in  his  farming  operations. 

On  :\Iay  8,  1890.  Mr.  Schultz  was  married  to  :\Hss  Dora  Seflow. 
daughter  of  Henry  and  ^lary  (Zahrite)  Seflow.  prominent  citi- 
zens of  Kirby,  Lincoln  township,  where  they  now  reside.  Mrs. 
Schultz  is  the  third  child  of  a  family  of  ten  children :  the  others 
are:  Henry,  of  Lincoln  townshij) :  ^lary  is  the  wife  of  Alexander 
Randall,  of  Marshfield,  Wis.;  Anna  married  George  "W'arnke  and 
resides  in  Chicago;    Emma  is  the  wife  of  William  Schick:    ^lin- 


LEWIS  J.  SCHULTZ 


BIOGRAPHY  873 

nie  the  wife  of  Christ  Bock,  of  Chicago ;  Augusta  married  Rich- 
ard Erickson,  of  Chicago,  and  Julia  is  now  j\Irs.  John  Clay,  of 
Lincoln  township.    Those  deceased  are  Elizabeth  and  William. 

Six  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schultz.  Those 
living  are:  Elva  L.,  Ernest  F.,  and  Dorothy  L.  Schultz.  Three 
are  deceased,  viz. :  Raymond  W.,  Clarence  F.  and  one  who  died 
in  infancy. 

William  H.  Schultz,  dealer  in  flour,  feed  and  millstnff  at 
Tomah,  Wis.,  was  born  at  Ilotsvelt,  Germany,  August  6,  1853, 
the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Bartels)  Schultz,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  parents  and  two  brothers — John  F.  and  Charles — in 
1858 ;  they  located  at  Jacksonville,  Wis.,  and  purchased  120  acres 
of  wild  land  and  immediately  set  to  w^ork  to  establish  the  family 
home,  subdue  and  cultivate  the  land.  By  hard  work,  thrift  and 
economy,  his  farm  was  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
productiveness  with  substantial  buildings  and  other  improve- 
ments, and  here  they  lived  the  balance  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Schultz 
made  a  specialty  of  raising  the  best  grades  of  grain  for  the  market 
and  was  a  recognized  leader  of  his  community.  He  died  in  1906, 
and  the  death  of  his  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  occurred  in 
1903.  They  Avere  the  parents  of  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are 
now  living.  The  father  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  contributed  liberally  to  its  support. 

William  H.  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  acquired  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  up  to  his  eighteenth  year.  He  left  the  home 
of  his  parents  when  he  was  twenty,  and  for  the  three  succeeding 
years  was  employed  at  farm  work.  He  then  went  to  Humbird, 
Clark  county,  and  here  served  an  appreticeship  of  three  years  as 
a  millwright,  and  after  acquiring  a  good  kiiowledge  of  the  mill- 
ing business,  he  went  to  Red  AA^ing,  Alinn.,  and  secured  employ- 
ment in  the  La  Grange  flour  mill.  In  1871  he  came  to  Tomah, 
and  taking  charge  of  the  Barnes-Doxtader  flouring  mills,  success- 
fully managed  the  business  for  eleven  years,  when  he  leased  the 
property  from  that  firm  and  conducted  the  business  on  his  own 
account  with  gratifying  success  until  1888,  when  he  purchased 
the  Blackman  feed  mill,  which  he  remodeled  and  made  into  a 
modern  flour  mill,  and  has  since  done  a  flourishing  business  in 
retailing  flour  and  feed. 

On  January  1,  1877,  Mr.  Schultz  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Dena  Nelson,  daughter  of  one  of  Monroe  county's  most 
respected  pioneer  citizens.  Mrs.  Schultz'  parents  were  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry,  and  located  in  this  county  in  1854.  They  had  a 
family  of  four  children.     Of  three  children  born  to  Air.  and  Mrs. 


874  HISTORY  OF  .AIOXKOE  COUNTY 

Schultz,  two  are  now  iiviug,  viz.:  Fred  D.,  born  July  2,  1878, 
and  Goldie  M.,  born  July  30,  1892. 

A  Republican  in  his  political  views,  Mr.  Schultz  has  been 
lionored  with  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  and 
has  on  many  occasions  been  nominated  and  elected  to  offices  of 
trust  and  responsibility.  He  was  elected  and  served  as  alderman 
of  the  city  council,  has  held  the  office  of  mayor  of  the  city,  and 
for  two  3^ears  was  city  treasurer.  He  is  a  man  of  pleasing  social 
qualities,  genial,  kind  and  broad-minded,  and  takes  the  keenest 
interest  in  whatever  relates  to  the  material  and  moral  l)etterment 
of  his  city.  He  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
^Modern  AVoodmen  of  America,  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Melchor  Schwarz  is  another  one  of  the  younger  class  of  wide- 
awake and  successful  farmers  in  ]\Ionroe  county.  A  native  of 
Wisconsin,  he  was  born  in  Dane  county,  ^May  26,  1884,  son  of 
Anton  and  Helen  (Mack)  SchAvarz.  The  father  was  born  in 
Bavaria,  Germany,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Sauk  county, 
Wisconsin.  His  father  came  to  America  in  1852  and  located  in 
Dane  county,  where  he  rented  a  farm,  married  and  reared  a 
famih'.  In  1892  he  moved  his  family  to  Monroe  county  and  pur- 
chased 200  acres  of  land  on  Summit  ridge.  Wells  township,  which 
he  afterwards  sold  to  a  son,  Avho  in  turn  sold  to  our  subject,  the 
third  child  in  a  family  of  five  boys  and  three  girls.  After  dis- 
posing of  the  home  farm,  the  father  moved  to  Sauk  City,  Wis., 
Avhere  he  now  lives  in  retirement. 

Alelchor  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm,  attending 
the  district  school  and  assisting  in  the  farm  work  until  he 
reached  his  majority.  He  took  a  commercial  course  in  the  l)usi- 
ness  college  at  Madison,  and  becoming  efficient  in  bookkeeping, 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Schlitz  Brewing  Company  from  1906 
to  1908.  His  health  failing  by  too  close  confinement,  he  went  to 
Colorado,  1)ut  after  a  short  time  he  returned  to  ]\Ionroe  county 
and  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  made 
many  improvements,  including  a  large  cement  silo,  and  has  the 
land  under  a  good  state  of  ctiltivation.  He  is  largely  interested 
in  stock,  raising  alfalfa,  and  is  a  successful  breeder  and  raiser  of 
pure-bred  Guernsey  cattle  and  Percheron  horses,  which  he  raises 
for  the  market.  He  recently  sold  two  Guernsey  calves  for  $125 
each,  and  in  addition  to  these,  he  keeps  a  good  Ilamiltonian 
driving  team. 

]\Ir.  Schwarz  was  married  at  ]\Iadison,  Wis.,  November  3.  1909. 
to  Miss  IMartha  Bauml)ach.  datighter  of  Henry  Baumbach,  whose 
parents  are  now  both  deceased.     To  ]\Ir.  and  ^Irs.  Schwarz  have 


BIOGRAPHY  875 

been  born  two  eliiklreii,  viz.:  Norl)ert,  l)oru  December  ].0,  J!J10, 
and  Margaret,  born  April  2'A,  1912. 

Theodore  A.  Serrurier,  of  Wilton,  was  born  at  xMelboiirne.  Aus- 
tralia. April  5.  1858.  a  son  of  Theodore  and  Johanna  (Schmidt) 
Serrurier.  natives  of  France  and  (lermany  respectively.  The  par- 
ents came  to  the  United  States  in  1867.  with  a  family  of  eight 
children,  and  located  first  in  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  and  banking  business,  and  at  the  end  of  seven'  years  re- 
moved to  New  Lisbon.  AYis..  and  emharhed  in  the  hotel  business, 
conducting  what  was  known  as  the  Commercial  House.  This 
business  the  father  continued  until  1896,  at  which  time  he  died. 
The  mother  died  in  1906.  They  had  a  family  of  sixteen  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  living.  The  father  received  a  liberal  education 
in  his  native  country  and  previous  to  coming  to  America  spent 
eleven  years  in  Australia,  in  gold  mining  and  the  hotel  business. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of  the  ^Masonic  Lodge,  and  polit- 
ically a  Republican,  but  later  in  life  a  Democrat. 

Theodore  attended  the  public  schools  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  for  three  years  was  a  clerk  in  a  general  store 
at  New  Lisbon,  and  from  1877  to  1880  w^as  in  the  employ  of  H. 
Shultz  &  Son  at  Toraah:  from  1880  to  1883  he  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising at  Tomah,  and  in  the  last  named  year  came  to  Wilton 
and  purchased  160  acres  of  land  in  Wilton  township  and  engaged 
in  farming  until  1887;  disposing  of  his  farm  he  moved  to  the 
village  of  Wilton  and  managed  a  general  store  for  T.  L.  Martin. 
He  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Wilton  by  President  Cleveland 
in  1893,  which  position  he  resigned  in  1895.  He  then  engaged  in 
the  hardware  business  for  C.  Hett.  where  he  remained  until  he 
retired  from  active  business. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  in  1908  was  the  unsuccessful 
candidate  for  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court.  He  is  now  (1912)  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  the  General  Assembly.  Fraternally  Mr.  Ser- 
rurier is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America. 

He  was  married  November  -t,  1883,  in  Wilton,  to  Miss  Helen 
Platner.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  this  union :  Richard 
S.,  born  August  14,  1884:  Kate  L.,  born  October  30,  1885,  and 
Edith  A.,  born  Septeinber  1,  1887.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Serrurier  reside 
in  their  tine  modern  residence  erected  in  the  village  of  Wilton 
in  1899. 

Charles  Sholes,  a  native  son  of  Wisconsin,  was  born  in  Jack- 
son county,  February  23,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  William  A.  and 
Ellen  (Marvin)  Sholes,  both  natives  of  New  York.    When  a  young 


876  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

mail,  llic  fallici"  caiiic  to  .Jarkson  cHUUily  aJid  lor  a  tiiiK'  worked 
in  tile  liiiiihcr  woods:  lie  later  purchased  160  acres  of  wild  land, 
whieli  1)\'  hai-(l  work  ;iiid  industry  lie  improved  and  brought  to  a 
good  state  of  cull  i\  at  ion.  After  a  residence  of  twenty  years  on 
this  i)lace.  lie  disposed  of  the  land  and  bouf-ht  a  farm  of  200  acres 
near  Melrose,  in  .]a(]<son  county,  where  he  resided  for  fifteen 
years,  then  moved  into  the  town  and  has  since  lived  in  retirement. 
Of  a  family  of  eleven  children  l)oi-ii  to  them,  nine  are  now  (1912) 
living,  viz.:  Cassius,  William,  Arba  and  llarley.  all  married  in  jNIin- 
nesota;  Ella,  now  Mrs.  E.  J.  Ilitf.  in  ^linneapolis ;  Libbie  (.Mrs.  G. 
Thiele),  of  Minnesota;  May  Bell  (:\Irs.  Peter  Simpson)  and  Stella, 
in  Melrose,  and  Charles,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  near  Sparta. 
Mr.  Slioles,  Sr.,  was  a  successful  farmer  and  a  man  of  influence 
in  liis  commuiiily  and  is  now  enjoyinii'  the  fruits  of  his  many 
years  of  toil.  The  ancestors  of  both  father  and  mother  are  traced 
to  England. 

Charles  was  brought  up  on  the  home  farm  and,  until  he  was 
eighteen,  attended  the  district  schools  and  assisted  in  the  farm 
work.  xVfter  he  became  twenty-two  he.  was  eni])loyed  in  the  lum- 
ber woods  and  on  the  river  until  he  was  married,  then  moved  to 
Black  River  Falls,  this  state,  and  lived  there  for  tAvelve  years, 
M'hen  he  assumed  the  management  of  the  Spaulding  stock  farm 
near  Black  River  Falls  and  remained  for  seven  years.  In  1901 
they  moved  to  Melrose  and,  after  a  residence  there  for  two  years, 
moved  to  IMonroe  county  and  purchased  the  Kilts  farm  in  Sparta 
township,  three  miles  from  the  city  of  Sparta,  and  here  they  still 
reside.  The  farm  is  improved  w'ith  good  buildings  and  cultivation, 
and  ]\lr.  Sholes  is  considered  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  the 
township,  and  employs  the  most  up-to-date  methods  in  his  farm- 
ing operations.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political  sentiment  and  at 
this  time  supports  the  princi])les  advocated  by  Senator  LaFollette. 
He  is  a  member  of  llie  Modern  AVoodmen  of  America. 

In  1888  Mr.  Sholes  was  married,  at  North  Bend.  Jackson 
county.  Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Estella  Sims,  daughter  of  AV.  S.  and 
Olive  Sims,  jiioneers  of  Jackson  county  and  well  to  do  and  highly 
respected  citizens.  They  were  the  parents  of  tive  chiUlren.  of 
whom  three  are  lixing.  viz.:  Estella.  now  Airs.  Sholes:  (Jeorge  D., 
and  ?]dna.  wlu»  married  F.  J.  Dostal  and  resides  in  Alinnesota. 
The  ancestors  of  Airs.  Sholes  are  traceable  to  France  on  the  mater- 
nal side,  while  the  jiaternal  grandfather  was  from  Scotland.  To 
Air.  and  Airs.  Sholes  have  ])een  horn  six  children,  four  of  whom 
are   now    (1912)    living,   viz.:   Charles   Franklin,   born    Se|)tember 


BIOGRAPHY  877 

26,  1889;  Elma,  born  Ani>-iist  25,  1894;  Lloyd  W.,  born  September 
11,  1898.  and  Lilah  I\Ia.v,  born  September  lU,  1903. 

Charles  E.  Simpson,  only  son  of  Gustavus  and  Mary  E.  (Kemp) 
Simpson,  -was  born  at  Havana,  111.,  November  20.  1862.  His  par- 
ents were  natives  of  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  Avhere  they  remained  nntil 
18-19.  when,  during  the  gold  excitement  in  California,  they  joined 
the  ranks  of  the  westAvard  traveler,  and  started  overland  for  the 
tield  of  promised  riches.  Arriving  at  Havana,  111.,  after  a  long 
and  tiresome  trip,  they  gave  up  the  undertaking  and  located 
there,  where  Mr.  Simpson  embarked  in  the  hardware  business. 
Disposing  of  his  interests  in  Havana  in  1865,  he  came  to  Sparta, 
Wis.,  and  again  opened  a  hardware  store  and  was  one  of  the  first 
men  to  engage  in  this  line  of  business  in  the  village.  He  con- 
ducted a  successful  business  from  the  start,  which  he  followed 
for  the  remainder  of  his  active  life. 

As  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen  and  business  man, 
Mr.  Simpson  ranked  among  the  first.  He  was  a  man  of  marked 
individuality,  independent  in  thought  and  action  and  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  the  early  upbuilding  of  the  town  selected  for  his 
future  home.  He  was  at  one  time  village  assessor  and  later  was 
an  alderman  in  the  city  council  for  his  ward,  and  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  born  in  1830 
and  died  in  1897.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  1832,  in  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  and  came  west,  with  her  parents,  to 
Havana,  111.,  in  1840,  where  she  was  reared  and  educated.  She 
was  possessed  of  remarkable  energy  and  thoroughly  domestic  in 
her  ways,  and  sought  no  g-reater  pleasure  than  she  found  in  her 
home  and  family.  She  died  in  1901  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years. 
Charles  E.  Simpson  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and  the  Sparta  high  school,  and  when  still  a  .young  man  he  entered 
the  hardware  store  with  his  father  and  received  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  business,  and  in  1896  he  embarked  in  the  same  line 
of  business  on  his  own  account,  in  which  he  has  since  been  emi- 
nently successful,  and  at  this  time  (1912)  conducts  the  leading 
hardware  store  in  Sparta. 

On  Angust  8,  1886.  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hortense  Smith, 
daughter  of  D.  H.  Smith,  of  Sparta.  They  have  four  children, 
viz. :  David  G..  Grace  PL,  Paul  and  Eloise  Simpson. 

Samuel  Sizer,  a  prominent  and  substantial  farmer  of  section 
eleven.  Adrian  township,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  town.  A 
native  of  England,  he  was  born  at  Cambridgeshire,  November  1, 
1847,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Sophia  (Laton)  Sizer.  also  natives 
of  England  and  of  English  parentage.    The  same  year  our  subject 


878  HISTORY  OF  MONROE   COrXTV 

\v;is  1kii-ii.  in  1S47.  his  pni-ciits  ('ini<rrated  to  the  I'liilcd  States  and 
first  located  in  W'.ilwoi't li  (Mtiinty.  Wisconsin,  and.  after  a  resi- 
dence there  t»f  .seven  years,  tliey  came  to  Moiii'oe  county  and 
located  on  what  is  known  as  the  ■liidfie,'"  in  Ailrian  township, 
on  KiO  acres  of  i;o\-erninent  land,  established  the  family  home  and 
there  sjient  the  balance  of  their  active  life.  Sui'viviny  the  hard- 
shii)s  and  privations  of  the  ])ioneer  and  transfoi'min<:'  tlieir  wild 
land  into  a  well  cultivatecl  fai-ni  with  comfortable  l)nildings,  they 
lived  to  en.io\'  tlu'  fruits  ol  llieir  toil  for  many  years;  he  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-foui-  and  his  widow  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years. 
Of  this  family  thei'e  survixcs.  besides  our  subject,  one  daugliter, 
Sophia,  now  Mrs.  Albert  'riioinpson.  of  Sparta. 

Samuel  Sizer  eai-ly  attended  the  district  schools  aiul  i-eiiiained 
on  the  homestead  assistin<:  in  tlie  farm  work  until  he  was  twenty- 
four,  when  lie  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  was 
wild  excepting  fifteen  acres.  He  erected  the  first  l)uiidings,  which 
are  still  standing  on  a  rise  of  ground  a  shoi-f  distance  north  of  his 
jiresent  I'esidenee.  From  the  first  payment  of  -tnd  (Ui  this  land  he 
has.  by  hard  work  and  persistent  efi'oi'ts.  won  liis  way  to  success 
and  now  has  one  of  the  most  comfortable  and  commodious  homes 
in  the  county  and  liis  land  is  in  a  high  state  of  productiveness. 
Besides  his  inodet  n  residence  erected  in  1899.  he  built  a  large  anil 
substantial  barn  in  1893.  lie  was  married  in  1871  to  ]Miss  Lydia 
Burroughs,  a  native  of  Chautaucpia  county.  New  York,  and  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Samuel  and  Xaomia  (Faidkner)  Burroughs,  natives 
of  the  same  county.  The  father  came  to  ^Vilton  township  and 
was  one  <»f  the  fii-st  settlers  on  the  (dd  stage  i-oad  from  New  Lisbon 
to  Sparta,  and  in  this  home  they  spent  their  lives.  The  children 
of  ]\h'.  and  Mrs.  Sizer  are:  Edmund,  of  Adrian;  Edith,  wife  of 
Frank  Speiisley.  of  Adrian  township,  and  Mary,  the  wife  of  Iler- 
beil   (larnee.  of  ]\Iiiuieapolis.  j\Iinn. 

EdiiMUid.  the  son.  who  with  his  father  conducts  the  home  farm, 
was  on  Decemliei-  14,  l!)l(l.  united  in  marriage  with  ^liss  ]\Iaggie 
T)arnut/.ei-.  of  Sparta,  daughtei-  of  Casper  and  Eva  (Flich) 
Darnut/ei'.  and  they  have  one  child — Clara  P^va  Si/er. 

]\Ir.  Si/ei'.  our  subject,  vividly  recalls  the  hardships  experi- 
enced in  the  early  days,  when  he.  as  a  boy  in  the  wilds  of  the  then 
new  could  ry.  used  to  carry  urist  on  horseback  from  the  Ridge  to 
the  .Jacksonville  mill,  a  distance  of  eight  miles.  It  is  due  to  such 
a  class  of  pioneers  as  ai'e  here  foinul  that  the  townshij)  contains 
so  many  fertile  spots.  ]\lr.  Sizer  has  always  taken  a  keen  intfM'cst 
in  the  growth  and  di'velopment  of  the  town  as  well  as  in  public 
affairs,  and  has  been  a  mend)ei'  of  the  board  of  supervisoi's  three 


BIOOKAPHY  879 

tenus.     Both  ]\Ir.   and   Mi-s.  Sizci-  ai-e  members  of  tlie   .Methodist 
Kpiscojtal  church. 

Mrs.  Cecilia  Slayton,  a  lady  of  refineinent.  was  horn  -Inly  2, 
1847.  ill  Norway.  Her  father.  Mans  Ericlvsoii,  emigrated  from 
Norway  to  America  in  lSf)2  with  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  of 
whom  are  now  livinii'.  The  family  si^ttled  in  La  Crosse  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  tlie  father  worked  one  year  for  his  brother, 
then  for  two  years  engaged  in  farming  on  liis  own  account  on  a 
rented  farm.  At  the  exi)iration  of  that  time,  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  thai  counly  and  there  inade  his  home  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1!)()4.  ]Mrs.  Erickson,  mother  of  our 
subject,  still  survives  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years. 
The  father  was  an  influential  and  highly  respected  citizen,  and 
a  devoted  member  of  tlie  Reformed  Lutheran  churcli.  as  is  also 
the  mother. 

Our  subject  was  married  to  ^Morey  Oscar  Slayton  at  Winona, 
^linn.,  March  20,  1872.  To  this  union  five  children  were  born, 
viz.:  Elsie,  born  September  15,  1873;  JMinnie,  born  January  19, 
1877:  Howard,  horn  -July  4,  1879:  Sadie.  l)orn  -lune  !),  1885,  and 
Charles,  born  ( )ctol)er  16,  1887.  ^Ir.  Slayton  was  horn  July  2, 
1889.  His  father  came  from  Vermont  to  Ohio  and  tluMice  to  Wis- 
consin and  located  at  Sheboygan,  and  after  a  time  came  to  Monroe 
county  and  settled  in  the  Leon  valley,  purchasing  what  is  now 
kiutwu  as  the  old  Alsworth  farm,  which  he  afterwards  sold,  and 
i-emoved  to  Red  River,  ^linn..  where  he  resided  at  the  time  of  the 
Indian  massacre.  Owing  to  the  hostilities  of  the  Indians,  he  was 
compelled  to  leave  that  place  and  return  to  the  Leon  valley, 
where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  and  made  his  home  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  After  his  death.  Avhich  occurred 
^lay  6,  1902.  his  son.  ]Mervey  0.,  came  into  possession  of  tlie  farm, 
which  is  adjacent  to  the  village  of  Leon,  and  the  residence  was 
converted  into  a  hotel  which  is  now  kept  by  Howard  Slayton,  son 
of  our  subject,  who  married  a  daughter  of  W.  W.  Link,  now  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  citizens  of  Leon  valley. 

iMrs.  Howard  Slayton  is  now"  the  popular  i)ostmistress  of  Leon. 
]Mr.  Slayton.  thic  husband  of  our  subject,  was  a  carpenter  and 
joiiier  hy  trade  and  constructed  several  of  the  liuildings  in  the 
village  of  Leon.  He  was  active,  aggressive,  public-spirited,  and 
devoted  to  his  family,  home  and  county;  a  man  thoroughly  trust- 
worthy, reliable  and  upright  in  all  his  dealings.  A  shoi't  time 
after  his  death.  ^Irs.  Slayton  erected  a  handsome  modern  resi- 
dence at  the  side  of  the  hotel,  where  she  now  resides  with  her 
family,  surrounded  bv  a   host   of  friends. 


880  illSTOKY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Charles  William  Smith,  a  resident  of  section  twenty-eight, 
Lafayette  township,  JMonroe  eonnty,  Wisconsin,  is  a  native  of 
Sntton,  Broino  comity,  Canada  East,  and  was  born  December  18, 
I860,  one  of  a  family  of  three  children  born  to  Roswell  and  Lydia 
(Adams)  Smitli.  natives  of  Canada  and  Vermont,  respectively. 
The  others  are :  Nellie  E.,  wife  of  William  ^lorse,  of  AVinnetka, 
111.,  and  Alonzo  R.,  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  Baraboo, 
Wis.  Roswell  Smith  was  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (AVinches- 
ter)  Smith,  and  was  born  •luiie  22.  IH'.i'.i,  at  Sntton.  Canada  East. 
He  was  raised  in  the  Dominion  and  there  received  his  education, 
and  became  familiar  witli  the  details  and  management  of  a 
large  stock  farm.  In  1855  he  came  to  Wisconsin  and  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  Lafayette  townsinp,  in  iMonroe  county,  and 
was  elected  one  of  the  officers.  lie  remained  here  eighteen 
montlis,  then  returned  to  Canada,  where  he  resided  until  1868, 
then  came  back  to  ]\Ionroe  county,  and  purchastnl  145  acres  of 
land  in  section  twenty-eight,  Lafayette  township,  forty  acres 
being  in  oak  timber.  This  farm  is  considered  one  of  the  best  in 
Monroe  county,  and  a  brook  of  pure  water,  which  has  but  recently 
been  stocked  with  trout,  runs  through  the  place  and  adds  mate- 
rially to  its  value.  Here  Roswell  Smith  conducted  his  stock 
farm  and  made  his  home  until  his  death.  Februai-y  27,  1912,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years. 

William  Smith  was  a  son  of  John  Smith,  a  native  of  Scotland; 
he  was  paymaster-general  of  the  English  army,  and  received  a 
grant  of  land  from  the  government,  consisting  of  400  acres 
located  at  Sutton,  Canada.  The  mother  was  born  at  Plainfield, 
Mass.,  and  belonged  to  an  old  and  highly  respected  family.  They 
had  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters.  William  Smith 
was  an  early  settler  in  Monroe  county,  and  located  on  land  across 
the  highway  from  his  son  Roswell.  Avhere  he  lived  until  his  death 
in  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  Sarah  Winchester,  his 
wife,  and  gi-andmother  of  Ciiarles  W.,  Avho  was  also  a  native  of 
Canada,  died  in  1880.  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  ]Mrs. 
Smith,  mother  of  our  subject,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lydia 
Adams,  was  born  January  25,  1842.  a  daughter  of  Charles  Stewart 
and  Sarah  (Reynolds)  Adams,  both  natives  of  Vermont.  Charles 
Stewart  Adams  was  a  son  of  Darius  and  Hannah  (Rouse)  Adams. 
The  Adams  family  were  originally  from  ^lassachusetts,  and  the 
Rouse  family  were  of  German  extraction.  I\lrs.  Smith,  who  still 
resides  on  the  homestead  farm,  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren ;    the   others  are:     Eliza,   who   married    David   Gunther,   of 


BIOGRAPHY  881 

Canada,  is  deceased;  Caroline,  deceased;  Darius  resides  in  Can- 
ada, and  Lorenzo  is  a  resident  of  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D. 

Roswell  Smith  was  a  member  of  Valley  Lodge,  No.  60,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  was  a  member  of  that  body  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  lie  was  a  man  of  good  business  qualifica- 
tions, kind-hearted  and  generous,  and  gave  liberally  of  his  means 
to  charitable  and  all  worthy  causes  that  appealed  to  him. 

Charles  AV.  Smith  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
home  town  and  at  the  La  Crosse  Business  College.  He  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm,  and  early  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and 
joiner.  During  the  years  1883-84  he  worked  at  his  trade  at  Sioux 
Falls,  S.  D.,  with  his  uncle,  L.  D.  Adams,  and  two  years  later 
returned  to  the  home  farm  and  remained  until  1887,  when  he 
went  to  West  Superior,  Wis.,  and  continued  at  his  trade  with 
J.  W.  Hinckley,  remaining  there  six  years.  From  that  time  to 
1896  he  followed  his  trade  at  St.  Paul  and  Sparta,  and  in  January 
of  that  year  returned  to  the  home  farm,  which  since  1897  he 
has  successfully  conducted ;  he  has  rebuilt  the  barns  and  out- 
buildings, made  an  addition  to  the  residence,  and  otherwise 
improved  the  place.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
dairying,  and  keeps  the  farm  w^ell  stocked  with  grade  Durham 
cattle.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and 
county,  and  is  now  serving  as  town  clerk,  an  office  he  first  occu- 
pied in  1881,  and  again  in  1901.  He  was  town  treasurer  in  1905-6 
and  7,  and  has  also  been  one  of  the  health  otficers  of  his  town. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the 
Beavers. 

On  December  22,  1896,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Edith  Schultz,  daughter  of  John  and  Sophia  (Hildebrandt) 
Schultz,  natives  of  Germany.  After  coming  to  the  United  States 
her  parents  first  located  at  Elgin,  111.,  where,  after  making 
a  good  start  in  life  they  lost  their  all  by  the  failure  of  banks  in 
that  place.  Nothing  daunted,  they  started  anew,  and  by  hard 
work  and  economy  saved  their  earnings,  and  later  came  to 
Monroe  county,  and  located  near  Trout  Falls,  in  Lafayette  town- 
ship, where  they  resided  for  forty-five  years.  The  father  died 
in  1900  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  The  mother  survives  and 
lives  in  Angelo  township  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  They 
raised  a  family  of  nine  children,  viz :  Anna,  married  a  Mr. 
Cooper ;  Fred,  deceased ;  Eva,  who  married  John  Faulkner,  is 
deceased;  AA^Uiam  lives  at  Olympia,  Washington;  Sophia  and 
Mary  are  deceased;  Caroline,  wife  of  August  Riewert,  deceased, 
lives  with  her  mother  in  Angelo ;   Edith,   now  the  wife   of  our 


882  HISTORY  OF  :\IONROE  COUNTY 

subject,  and  John,  wlio  is  assistant  auditor  of  the  Great  Northern 
Railway,  resides  at  Brainard,  Minn. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  been  born  four  eliildren :  ]\Iarie, 
Nellie,  Harold  and  Mabel  Smith. 

Emil  C.  Sonnenburg',  w  ho  resides  on  his  farm  of  140  acres  in 
section  nine,  LaGrange  township,  started  life  with  nothing  but 
liis  native  ability,  and  lias  won  liis  way  by  liard  work  and  per- 
sistent efforts,  and  is  counted  among  tlie  iirogressive  citizens 
of  the  county.  He  was  born  at  Tunnel  City,  ^Monroe  county,  June 
26,  1877,  the  son  of  Fred  and  Hcrtlia  (Tessman)  Sonnen])urg, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  They  came  to  America  before  their 
marriage  and  were  among  the  prominent  early  settlers  of  INIonroe 
county,  and  endured  their  sliai-c  of  hardships  incident  1o  i)iuneer 
life  and  the  upl)uilding  of  tlie  Icality  where  they  settled.  In 
1874,  Mr.  Sounenburg,  Sr.,  settled  on  a  farm  near  Tunnel  City, 
Avhere  he  continued  to  live  luilil  1008.  when  he  removed  to  the 
city  of  Tomah,  where  he  now  resides.  His  wife,  mother  of  our 
subject,  passed  away  in  1910,  at  the  early  age  of  fifty-nine  years, 
and  was  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  her.  They  reared 
a  family  of  eight  ehildren,  five  of  whom  are  living;  Emil,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  oldest.  The  others  are  Agnes, 
widow  of  Louis  Kirst,  lives  in  Minnesota;  Fred  is  on  the  home 
farm  near  Tunnel  City;  Bertha  is  now  Mrs.  John  Lackelt,  of 
Tomah  township,  and  Martha. 

Emil  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  Avas  reared 
on  the  home  farm,  and  while  variously  employed,  retained  this  as 
his  home,  to  which  he  devoted  nnieh  time  and  attention,  until 
1903,  when  he  purchased  his  i)rescnt  farm.  In  1908,  he  built 
a  comfortable  and  commodious  house  and  has  added  other  needed 
improvements.  Besides  carrying  on  general  farming,  he  makes  a 
specialty  of  breeding  and  raising  Guernsey  cattle. 

On  September  2,  1908.  he  was  married  to  ]Miss  Emma  Kohl, 
daughter  of  August  and  Henrietta  (Heinz)  Kohl,  of  LaGrange 
township;  they  have  two  interesting  cliildren;  viz.:  Ella  Bertha 
Henrietta  and  Edna  ]\Iay.  In  religious  faith  ]Mr.  and  jMrs.  Son- 
nen])urg  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  of  Tomah. 

Fred  P.  Sonnenburg,  one  of  the  hustling  young  farmers  of 
Greenfield  township,  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  who  resides  in 
sections  twenty-three  and  twenty-four,  is  a  native  of  this  town, 
where  he  w^as  born  July  27,  1882,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight 
children  born  to  Fred  A.  and  Bertha  (Tessman)  Sonnenburg; 
of  the  others  four  are  now  (1912)  living,  viz.:  Emil.  wlio  is  a 
farmer  and  resides  on  section  nine,  LaGrange  township;  Agnes 


BIOGRAPHY  883 

lives  in  Minnesota,  and  is  the  widow  of  Louis  Kirst;  Bertha 
married  John  Lackelt,  and  lives  in  Tomah  townsliip,  and  Martha. 
The  parents  emigrated  from  Germany  to  the  United  States  in  the 
early  seventies,  and  one  year  after  arriving  in  this  country,  they 
located  on  a  120-acre  tract  in  Greenfield  township,  and  later  on 
purchased  an  eighty-acre  tract  in  the  same  town,  which  is  now 
owned  by  our  subject.  The  farm  at  that  time  was  wild  timbered 
land  with  only  three  or  four  acres  broken.  Being  possessed  of 
that  energy  and  thrift  characteristic  of  the  German  race,  the 
father  went  diligently  to  work  to  clear,  subdue  and  improve  the 
farm,  and  establish  the  family  home.  The  privations  and  hard- 
ships were  many,  but  by  persistent  efforts  were  overcome,  and 
the  land  made  to  blossom  like  the  rose.  A  new  residence  was 
erected  in  1888  and  the  barn  in  1895,  since  which  time  a  granery, 
water  mill  and  other  improvements  have  been  added.  The  farm 
is  now  one  of  productiveness  due  largely  to  the  efforts  of  our 
subject,  who  is  an  energetic  and  deserving  young  man  who 
believes  iu  faithful  toil  and  reaps  the  reward  of  honest  labor. 
In  1909  the  father  retired  to  the  city  of  Tomah,  wiiere  the 
mother  died  on  February  3,  1910  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years. 

Fred  P.  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  attending  the  district 
schools  and  assisting  in  the  farm  work ;  he  has  always  lived  on 
this  place  and  after  the  removal  of  his  father  to  Tomah  in  1909, 
purchased  the  farm  which  he  is  now  successfully  carrying  on, 
using  up-to-date  methods  in  his  operations.  On  October  27,  1909, 
Mr.  Sonnenburg  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Boettcher,  daughter 
of  August  Boettcher,  of  Lincoln  township,  this  county.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Dahla  Leona,  born  October  21,  1911. 

A  member  of  the  St.  Paul  Lutheran  church  located  at  Tomah, 
"Wis.,  and  also  of  the  Lutheran  Aid  Association. 

Samuel  M.  Steele,  a  progressive  farmer  who  resides  in  section 
twenty,  Byron  township,  was  born  in  Wyoming  county.  New  York, 
December  21,  1863,  the  son  of  James  <ind  ]\Iary  Ann  (Fuller) 
Steele,  both  natives  of  New  York  state,  and  for  many  years  resi- 
dents of  Java  township,  Wyoming  county,  where  the  father  still 
resides  and  owns  a  farm  of  200  acres.  His  wife,  mother  of  our 
subject,  died  in  1877  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years.  This  branch 
of  the  Steele  family  was  descended  from  an  old  and  prominent 
New  Englaud  family.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children ; 
those  besides  our  subject  are  James  A.,  of  Byron  township,  this 
county ;  Emmett  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  Wyoming  county, 
New  York :  Lyn  is  the  wife  of  ]Merton  Barber,  of  Java  Village, 


884  IllSTOHY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

AVyoniing  county.  X.  Y..  and  Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Wooley, 
of  the  same  place. 

Samuel  ^1.  attended  the  di.strict  .school  of  his  home  town,  and 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  came  west  to  ^Michigan,  and  a  year 
later  came  to  Wisconsin  and  was  first  employed  in  the  lumber 
woods  for  some  time,  after  which  he  purchased  a  forty-acre  tract 
of  wild  land  in  section  eighteen,  Byron  township.  ^Monroe  county, 
to  which  he  added  from  time  to  time  until  lie  owned  2-40  acres,  a 
jiart  of  which  he  subsequently  sold,  and  since  ]\Iarch.  1899.  has 
been  the  owner  of  his  present  farm,  consisting  of  120  acres:  this 
farm  was  previously  owned  by  the  late  C.  A.  Crawford,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  the  town  of  Byron  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  who  settled  there  some  forty  years  ago.  Since  purchasing 
the  farm.  ]\Ir.  Steele  has  made  many  improvements;  built  a  resi- 
dence, and  in  1912  erected  a  barn,  32  x  56  feet  with  basement, 
and  has  the  land  in  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  lie  takes  an  active 
part  in  townshij)  and  county  affairs  and  has  served  as  town  clerk 
for  tAvo  terms,  chairman  of  the  town  board  for  six  years  and  treas- 
urer for  several  terms.  He  was  married  November  27.  1890.  to 
]\Iiss  ]Minnie  A.  Root,  daughter  of  Oren  A.  and  Alvira  (Wood) 
Root,  of  Byron  township. 

The  children  of  ^Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Steele  are  ]\Iiles  L.,  Watson  E., 
Winfield  S..  Clift'ord  J..  Nellie  B..  :\Iernie  ]\I.  and  Ralph  E.  Steele. 

George  P.  Stevens,  a  representative  citizen  and  farmer  of  sec- 
tion twelve,  Adrian  toAvnship,  was  born  in  AVashington  county, 
Wisconsin,  July  5,  1851.  and  the  fourth  child  of  a  family  of  six 
children  ])orn  to  George  P.  and  Emily  (Shove)  Stevens,  natives 
of  New  York  and  Connecticut,  respectively,  of  the  others, 
Caroline  N.  married  Joseph  Turner,  and  is  now  deceased,  her 
death  having  occurred  in  1912:  Alice  A.  is  the  widow  of  Henry 
Burlingame:  Nancy,  who  was  ]\Irs.  C.  E.  Bell,  is  deceased: 
Oliver  B.  resides  at  Riverside,  Calif.,  and  Chester  H.  lives  at 
Tomah.  The  ancestors  on  the  Stevens  side  were  originally  from 
England,  while  on  the  mother's  side  they  were  Scotch  origin. 
The  parents  came  to  Wisconsin  in  the  forties  and  first  located  in 
Waukesha  county,  and  in  1856  moved  to  ^Monroe  county  and 
settled  oil  a  f;inn  in  Adi'ian  township,  wliere  tlie  father  died  in 
1866  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years,  when  our  subject  was  in  his 
fourteenth  yeai-.  Tlic  d(»ath  of  llic  mother  occurred  in  1865  at 
the  age  of  fifty  years. 

George  P.  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  and 
spent  his  boyhood  on  the  homestead  farm,  where  he  now  resides 
aiul   whicli   came   into   his  jiossessioii    in    1875.     Air.   Stevens  has 


GEORGE   P.   STEVENS 


BIOGRAPHY  885 

resided  in  Adrian  township  during  his  whole  lifetime,  and  has 
taken  great  pride  in  improving  and  making  his  farm  of  145  acres 
one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  He  remodeled  and  made  an  ui)-to- 
date  residence  with  modern  conveniences  in  1911,  constructed  a 
barn  in  1905,  which,  with  his  other  outbuildings  and  the  highly 
cultivated  condition  of  his  land,  makes  an  ideal  country  home. 
In  public  affairs  Mr.  Stevens  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest ;  he 
has  represented  his  district  in  the  state  legislature  two  terms, 
1903  and  1905,  and  as  a  member  of  the  railway  commission  made 
himself  prominent  before  the  people,  and  was  county  treasurer  for 
two  terms.  He  is  now  serving  his  second,  consecutive  term  as 
chairman  of  the  town  board,  an  office  he  has  previously  held  for 
several  terms.  He  has  also  been  treasurer  of  his  town  and  is  one 
of  the  most  popular  public  spirited  citizens  on  the  east  side  of 
the  county. 

In  1875  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  E.  Jackson,  daughter  of 
W.  W.  Jackson,  of  Adrian  township.  The  fruits  of  this  union  are 
four  children,  viz.:  Harold  L..  of  Chicago;  Grace,  deceased; 
Ruth  A.,  Avife  of  J.  G.  Kemp,  of  Vancouver,  British  Columbia,  and 
Leonard  J.,  who  lives  in  Chicago,  where  he  is  employed  at  con- 
tracting work. 

Louis  Storkel*.  That  intelligent  "hustling"  pays,  is  weli 
exemplitied  by  the  success  scored  by  Louis  Storkel.  the  well 
known  florist  of  Tomah.  Mr.  Storkel  was  born  in  Weilburg, 
Germany,  on  June  23,  1860,  to  Philip  and  Johanna  (Gras)  Storkel, 
both  natives  of  Germany,  and  the  parents  of  nine  children — seven 
sons  and  two  daughters.  He  was  a  strong  disciplinarian  and 
required  each  of  the  boys  to  learn  some  trade.  He  died  in 
Germany  in  1901.  The  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one  years. 

Louis  received  his  education  in  his  native  country  and  there 
learned  the  florist  trade.  He  came  to  America  and  located  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  Avorked  at  his  trade  for  a  time,  and  deciding 
to  try  his  fortune  in  the  West,  he  came  to  Milwaukee  in  1884. 
Not  finding  this  city  suitable  for  the  business  in  which  he  Avished 
to  engage,  hoAvever,  he  came  to  Tomah,  arriving  here  Avith  just 
17  cents  in  his  pocket.  He  felt  that  success  Avas  before  him  and  he 
was  equal  to  the  task  of  carving  out  for  himself  more  than  a  bare 
livelihood.  He  secured  employment  as  a  laborer,  Avhich  occupa- 
tion he  folloAved  for  eight  years.  Determined  to  succeed  in  the 
country  of  his  adoption,  he  brought  to  bear  that  indomitable 
poAA^er  of  Avill  common  to  his  German  ancestors,  and  Avith  the 
desire  uppermost  in  his  mind  to  become  a  landed  proprietor  in  this 


886  HISTORY  OF  .AIONROE  COUNTY 

country,  he  succeeded  by  thrift,  economy  and  industry  in  saving 
his  earnings  with  which  he  purchased  thirty-five  acres  of  land 
adjoining  the  city  of  Tomah,  and  erecting  thereon  a  small  green 
house,  started  in  business  at  his  trade.  He  prospered  from  tho 
beginning,  and  soon  enlarged  his  first  building  to  a  large  green- 
house containing  8,000  square  feet  of  glass.  His  business  con- 
tinued to  prosper  and  he  began  to  increase  his  land  holdings  and 
expand  his  facilities  until  he  now  owns  120  acres  of  choice  land  on 
which  he  raises  large  quantities  of  small  fruits  and  vegetables,  his 
annual  sales  amounting  to  thousands  of  dollars.  In  the  year  1910 
he  realized  $-1,000  from  the  sale  of  strawberries  and  other  small 
fruits ;  in  addition,  he  raised  large  quantities  of  tomatoes,  cabbage 
and  celery.  He  supplies  the  home  market  besides  shipping  in 
carload  lots  to  other  markets.  His  nursery  stock  is  the  finest  in 
the  county  and  his  place  is  called  "the  Tomah  green  house  and 
fruit  farm,"  and  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  state  of 
Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Storkel  is  a  member  of  the  park  board  of  Tomah,  and  the 
flowers,  evergreens  and  shrubbery  growing  along  the  boulevards 
have  been  planted,  managed  and  superintended  solely  by  him.  He 
takes  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  is  always  ready  to 
lend  his  moral  influence  and  financial  aid  to  any  worthy  enter- 
prise tending  to  the  betterment  of  his  community,  and  withal  he  is 
a  high-minded,  public  spirited  citizen.  He  contributes  largely  to 
the  leading  magazines  published  in  the  interest  of  his  line  of 
business. 

On  March  9,  1881,  Mr.  Storkel  was  married  to  Miss  ^linnie 
Man.  Their  six  children  are  Herman,  Lena,  Anna,  Louis,  Adolpli 
and  Louisa,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Charles  Stratman,  a  Avell-to-do  farmer  of  AYellington  township. 
Monroe  county,  came  here  in  1890  and  bought  his  farm  of  240 
acres  in  sections  ten  and  fifteen,  which  he  has  since  made  one  of 
the  ideal  homesteads  in  the  county.  His  residence,  barns  and 
other  outbuildings  lend  a  prosperous  appearance  to  his  farm,  and 
his  water  is  supplied  by  a  hydi-aulic  engine  from  natural  springs 
on  the  place.  His  methods  of  farming  are  thoroughly  up  to  date — 
and,  in  short,  he  is  a  progressive  farmer.  He  is  the  son  of 
Arnt  and  Louisa  (Neadfelt)  Stratman,  both  natives  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  America  sometime  in  the  forties,  with  a  family  of 
four  children,  and  located  in  AYest  Salem,  La  Crosse  county.  Wis., 
where  they  bought  160  acres  of  land  in  1867.  The  father  started 
in  life  with  no  means  save  his  native  ability  to  earn  a  livelihood 
by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  and  he  worked  for  a  long  time  as  a  day 


BIOGRAPHY  887 

laborer,  and  by  his  close  application  and  economical  management, 
he  saved  sufficient  money  to  purchase  his  farm,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1909,  was  a  successful  farmer  with 
a  comfortable  home  and  many  friends.  They  were  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  Mrs.  Stratman  is  still  living  at  "West 
Salem  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  They  had  a  family  of 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  (1912)  living. 

Charles  was  the  youngest  of  the  family,  and  was  born  on 
March  28,  1876,  in  West  Salem,  Wis.  He  attended  the  district 
schools  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old  and  lived  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-one.  His  first  venture  on  his  own  resources  was  on  a 
rented  farm,  which  he  worked  for  one  year,  and  on  December  15, 
1898,  he  was  married  at  West  Salem  to  Miss  Dora  Wehrs,  one  of  a 
family  of  five  children.  Her  father  was  a  stone  mason  by  trade 
and  came  from  Germany  to  La  Crosse  county,  Wisconsin,  in  an 
early  day. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stratman  have  a  family  of  four  children: 
Edna  P.,  Harry  C,  Walter  W.  and  Ethel  A. 

Will  F.  Strozinsky  is  a  native  of  Wilton  township,  Monroe 
county,  Wisconsin,  and  was  born  June  9,  1870,  the  second  child 
in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine  children,  born  to  Charles  and 
Anna  (Rainsaur)  Strozinsky.  The  father  was  born  in  Prussia  and 
the  mother  in  Austria.  The  father  came  to  America  while  yet  a 
young  man,  in  the  early  fifties,  and  located  in  Dorset  Ridge,  town 
of  Wilton,  where  he  worked  as  a  day  laborer  until  his  marriage. 
He  homesteaded  a  farm  of  160  acres,  where  he  lived  three  years, 
then  moved  to  Cold  Spring  valley,  where  he  purchased  120  acres 
in  section  fourteen,  and  there  lived  until  he  died  in  1891.  When 
he  first  settled  on  his  farms  they  were  in  a  wild  state,  which 
required  much  energy  and  labor  to  subdue,  and  in  connection 
with  his  farming  operations,  he  operated  a  thrashing  machine  for 
eighteen  years.  He  was  a  kind  hearted,  genial  and  public  spirited 
and  had  a  wide  acquaintance  over  the  county.  He  was  jovial  and 
a  great  lover  of  song,  but  rather  unfortunate  in  business,  leaving 
at  the  time  of  his  death  many  obligations,  which  were  assumed 
and  paid  in  full  by  his  sons.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  now 
living  in  Tomah  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church,  as  was  her  husband. 

AA^ill  F.  attended  the  public  school  until  he  was  eighteen,  and 
early  began  life  for  himself.  At  the  beginning  of  his  career  he 
worked  seven  months  during  the  fi.rst  summer  for  one  man,  receiv- 
ing for  the  full  time  $115.  He  worked  five  more  summers,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  an  aggressive  and  hard  Avorking  man, 


888  HISTORY  OF  MOXKOE  COUNTY 

whose  efforts  have  been  crowned  \vi1li  success.  In  1897  he  bought 
a  farm  of  120  acres  in  section  twenty-three,  town  of  Wilton,  where 
he  now  resides,  successfully  cngnffcd  in  ijcneral  fanning  and 
breeding  and  raising  full  blooded  Jlolstein  cattle.  He  operates 
an  extensive  dairy  and  sells  his  cream  to  the  Wilton  Co-operative 
Creamery  Association. 

]\lr.  Sli'oziiisky  has  Ixmmi  Iwicc  ma I'l-icd,  lirst  to  ]\Iiss  Bertha 
Wolkow.  who  died  wilhoiit  issue  in  l!i().").  On  April  28,  1907,  he 
married  his  second  wife  at  Dorset  Ridge,  in  Wilton  township.  Miss 
>\Iiiinie  Hukat/,  by  whom  he  has  three  chihiren,  Clarence  IL,  born 
November  20.  1908;  Edwin  K..  Iioni  Decembei-  27.  1909,  and  Earl 
A.,  born  December  19,  1911.  In  religious  affiliations.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Strozinsky  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  Avhile  in  politics 
he  is  actixc  in  llie  affairs  of  the  Re])ublican  party. 

John  J.  Sullivan",  freight  agent.  Chicago,  .Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  Railroad  Company,  is  a  native  of  Norfolk,  Conn.,  where 
he  was  born  on  DeccMidiei-  25.  1861.  and  is  the  oldest  of  a  family 
of  six  children,  viz. :  John  J.,  Kate  (deceased).  Mary,  ]Murt,  Nellie 
and  Daniel  (deceased),  who  were  born  to  Daniel  and  ]Mary 
(Stack)  Sullivan,  who  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  the  United 
States  when  young,  settling  first  in  Connecticut,  where  the  father 
found  employment  in  a  foundry.  ,  After  remaining  here  for  a  short 
time,  he  came  to  Sparta,  where  he  found  employment  with  the 
Chicago.  ]\Iilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  Company  as  section  fore- 
man, which  position  he  retained  for  the  balance  of  his  active  life. 
His  death  oceurretl  in  January.  1907.  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
yeai's.  His  widow.  ]iiother  of  our  subject,  is  still  a  resident  of 
Sparta,  and  enjoys  the  affection  and  esleeni  of  her  large  circle  of 
friends. 

Mr.  Sullivan,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  thorough 
education  in  the  publir  and  high  schools  of  Spai'ta.  ami  while  still 
a  boy  di'o\-e  the  <leli\-ei'>'  wa<z'()ii  f(U'  the  Amei'ican  Ex|)ress 
Company.  His  lirst  experience  in  i-aili-oad  woi-k  was  obtained 
in  the  Ifeiglit  and  basgage  departnu'iit  at  the  local  sta- 
tion in  S|)arta.  ]Mr.  Sulli\an  l)eai's  the  distinction  of 
beiiiLi  one  of  the  employees  in  the  freight  (le]tartnuMit  of  the 
Chica.G'o.  ^lilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  at  Sparta  who  has  seen 
contimial  service  in  Ibis  line  since  18S1.  beini;  the  longest  in  the 
employ  of  any  man  coniuH'ted  with  llie  I'oad  at  this  ])lace. 

In  coin])any  with  ]\lr.  D.  C.  Hope,  ]\lr.  Sullivan  established  the 
fii'st  cold  storaye  ])lant  at  Sparta,  and  after  four  years'  successful 
operation.  i)urcliased  the  interests  of  ]Mr.  Hope,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued the  business  successfully,  nuiking  a  snecialty  of  buying  and 


BIOGRAPHY  889 

wholesaling'  oti^s.  Iviuippcd  with  a  modern  cohl  slora^c  \VMre- 
house,  he  is  in  tlie  market  at  all  times,  and  in  season  hnys  all  the 
egg's  to  be  had  in  his  htcality.  paying  the  highest  cash  price  I'or 
them. 

]Mr.  Snllivaii  is  a  man  of  sterling  character,  exem[)lai'y  in  his 
habits  and  a  leading  spirit  in  matters  that  come  within  the  scope 
of  his  influence,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  questions  per- 
taining to  the  betterment  of  his  city  and  county,  lie  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Catholic  Knights  of  Wisconsin 
and  the  Fraternal  Union.  He  has  been  alderman  of  the  third 
ward  for  t"\vo  years. 

On  June  21,  1893,  ]\lr.  Sullivan  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  liouise  Miller,  daughter  of  Casper  Miller,  a  pioneer  and 
prominent  citizen  of  La  Crosse.  Their  children  are  Samuel 
Casper;  Charles  B.  and  John  J..  Jr. 

Thomas  Sullivan,  soldier  and  farmer,  was  born  in  1848  in 
^Michigan,  the  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Nancy  (Friley)  Sullivan,  both 
natives  of  Ireland.  The  father  came  to  America  in  an  early  da> , 
and  to  Wisconsin  when  Thomas  was  two  years  old.  He  enlisted 
in  Juneau  county,  in  Company  C.  Nineteenth  Wisconsin  Volunteer 
Infantry.  William  H.  Blyton's  regiment,  and  served  until  honor- 
ably discharged  for  disability.  Returning  to  Wisconsin,  he  pur- 
chased 160  acres  of  land  in  section  tvrenty-tw^o,  Sheldon  township, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1864.  Ilis  wife,  mother  of  our 
subject,  passed  away  during  the  same  year.  They  experienced  the 
privations  and  hardships  of  pioneer  life  in  the  then  new^  country, 
but  by  hard  work  and  perseverance  subdued  the  soil,  and  became 
known  as  one  of  the  well-to-do  and  most  highly  respected  farmers 
of  their  towmship. 

Thomas  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  while  yet  a 
young  man,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Forty- 
fourth  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Tlis  regiment  w^as  in  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland, under  General  Thomas,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Johnsonville,  Duck  River,  Franklin.  Tenn..  and  Nashville.  He 
was  honorably  discharged  at  Paducah.  Ky..  July  2.  186;").  Return- 
ing to  Wisconsin,  he  acquired  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Sheldoii 
township,  IMonroe  county,  where  he  now  resides,  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farmino'.  He  is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  his  town. 
and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  ciutununity  in  which 
he  resides. 

He  was  married  in  June.  1867.  at  St.  ^Mary's,  to  ^liss  Catherine 
Onalphy,   daughter   of   a    proinintMit    ^lonroe   c(MUity   family.      In 


«9U  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

politics,  ]\Ir.  Sullivan  is  a  staunch  believer  in  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party. 

Levings  N.  Sweet,  a  prominent  early  settler  of  Lincon  town- 
ship, Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  a  resident  of  section  twenty- 
nine,  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  was  born  at  Ilinesburg, 
Chittenden  county,  in  that  state,  May  13,  1837.  Ilis  parents, 
Ezekiel  and  Cleora  (Mack)  Sweet  were  also  natives  of  Vermont 
of  English  extraction.  They  later  settled  in  Madrid  township,  St. 
Lawrence  county.  New  Y^ork,  where  they  spent  the  balance  of 
their  lives.  Our  subject  is  the  seventh  child  of  a  family  of  nine 
children  and  the  only  surviving  member.  The  otiiers  were  James 
M.,  Henry  0.,  Sarah,  who  was  the  wife  of  D.  A.  Olan;  Charles, 
Enu'ry  A.,  Mary  A.,  Augustus,  and  Norman  E.  Sweet.  Mr.  Sweet, 
our  subject,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Potsdam 
Academy,  and  remained  at  home  ujitil  twenty  years  of  age,  when 
he  came  to  "Wisconsin,  first  stopping  at  Milwaukee,  where  he  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  Milwaukee  and  Prairie  du  Chien  Railroad. 
At  the  end  of  eight  months  he  went  to  Iowa  and  engaged  in 
teaching  school.  After  two  seasons  he  returned  to  AVisconsin, 
and  for  one  year  farmed  in  Waukesha  county.  In  July,  1860, 
he  came  to  Monroe  county,  and  opened  a  farm  for  his  brother 
near  Tomah,  in  Lincoln,  now  LaGrange  township.  He  cultivated 
the  soil  and  improved  the  place  continuously  for  twelve  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  to  his  present  location  and 
])ought  three  forties,  which  was  for  the  most  part  wild  land.  He 
took  possession  in  1871,  and  erected  suitable  buildings  and  has 
since  engaged  in  general  farming  and  raising  of  live  stock. 
Mr.  Sweet  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  early 
organization  of  his  township,  and  has  represented  the  people 
officially  on  several  occasions,  and  was  the  first  to  aid  in  the 
erection  of  the  Kirby  LTnion  church.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
Tomah  Lodge,  No.  132,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  since  the  early  sixties. 

January  28,  1862,  Mr.  Sweet  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Sarah  Howard,  a  native  of  Milwauke,  Wis.,  where  she  was 
born  April  5,  1845.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Harry  B.  and  Avilla 
(Webber)  Howard,  natives  of  Ohio.  Four  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  viz.:  Emory  A.,  who  died  June  28,  1910,  at  the  age  of 
forty-eight  years;  Warren  H..  of  Portland,  Ore.;  Arthur  L.,  of 
Lincoln  township,  aiul  Lottie  C..  wife  of  ]\rett  Rose,  of  Tiiiicolu 
jowiisliip. 

Arthur  L.  Sweet,  oiu^  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  ^lonroe 
county,  who  resides  in  section  twenty-nine.  Lincoln  township, 
was  born  near  Tomah,  in  LaGrange  township,  June  9,  1868.    He 


BIOGRAPHY  B91 

is  a  son  of  Levings  N.  and  Sarah  (Howard)  Sweet,  of  Lincoln 
township,.  Mr.  Sw^eet  attended  the  district  school  and  remained 
on  the  homestead  farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
when  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  120  acres,  whicli  at  that 
time  was  only  partly  improved.  He  erected  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence, large  and  commodious  barns  and  outbuildings,  and  made 
other  improvements,  besides  bringing  the  soil  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  In  addition  to  general  farming  he  carries  on  an 
extensive  dairy  business,  and  has  a  fine  herd  of  Holstein  cattle. 
In  fraternal  matters,  Mr.  Sweet  is  a  member  of  Tomah  Lodge,  No. 
132,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.    He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Union  church. 

On  December  14,  1892,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mabel  A.  Payne, 
daughter  of  H.  S.  and  Beulah  E.  (Bisbee)  Payne,  of  Sparta.  Mrs. 
Sweet  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  three  children.  The  others  are 
Clarence  H.,  who  resides  in  the  state  of  Washington,  and  Leo  H., 
of  North  Dakota. 

Norman  E.  Sweet,  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  highly 
respected  citizens  of  LaGrange  township,  was  born  in  Hinesburg, 
Vt.  His  parents,  Ezekiel  and  Cleora  (Mack)  Sweet,  were  natives 
of  Vermont,  from  whence  they  moved  to  St.  Lawrence  county, 
New  York,  when  our  subject  was  two  years  old,  and  there  died. 
Norman  E.  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eight  boys  and  three 
girls,  all  of  Avhom  are  now  deceased  excepting  Levings  N.  Sweet, 
of  Lincoln  township,  this  county.  Mr.  Sweet  came  to  Monroe 
county  with  his  two  brothers;  Emery  J.  purchased  300  acres  of 
land  from  the  government,  in  LaGrange  township,  whicli  at  that 
time  formed  a  part  of  Lincoln,  and  L.  N.  and  N.  E.  Sweet  pur- 
chased an  interest  later.  In  1874  our  subject  sold  his  interest  in 
this  land  and  moved  to  section  nine,  LaGrange  township,  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  120  acres ;  the  residence  having  been  burned 
in  February  of  that  year,  a  new  one  was  immediately  erected, 
which  is  still  in  use  by  his  widow  and  son,  Edgar  C.  Sweet. 
In  1904  a  modern  barn  was  built  and  many  valuable  and  lasting 
improvements  have  been  made.  A  pioneer  in  that  section,  Mr. 
Sweet  took  an  active  part  in  transforming  Monroe  county  from 
a  wild  state  to  one  of  the  highly  cultivated  farms  and  good  homes. 
He  took  an  active  interest  in  local  matters  and  was  known  as 
one  of  Monroe  county's  public  spirited  and  high  minded  citizens, 
and  his  death,  which  occurred  December  27,  1893,  was  mourned 
as  a  great  public  loss. 

On  April  15,  1864,  Mr.  Sweet  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Diana  Barkley,  a  native  of  Upper  Canada,  and  a  daughter  of 


892  lllSTOIvV  OF  .M')Xlx()E  COUNTY 

llciiry  I',  iiiid  {'jilliL'i'inc  (Sliavcr)  Barklcy.  also  natives  of  Canatla, 
wliere  they  .si)t'iit  their  lives.  ]\Irs.  Sweet  is  1lu'  sixtli  child  in 
order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine  children;  those  living  are: 
Gordon,  who  lives  in  Ontario;  ^Iar<iafet,  AVinehestei-.  Ontario; 
(icor^c.  of  AVaddinnfton.  X.  Y..  and  Klizahelh.  -who  resides  in 
^Manitoba.  Those  deceast'd  are  Amos  ami  J^aney,  Kliza  ami 
Alniira.  ]Mrs.  Sweet  is  a  lady  of  noble  character,  possessed  of 
womanly  virtues  and  a  fador  for  good  in  her  community.  To 
]\rr.  and  Mrs.  Sweet  were  born  three  childi-cii.  viz. :  ("an-ie  nuirricd 
Edwin  .1.  Vandervort,  and  resides  in  the  town  of  Tomah:  Kdgar 
Charles  lives  on  the  home  r;iriii.  and  Jessie  Irene  is  tln'  wife  of 
1).   C.    l*ni-dy,  of  LaOrange  township. 

fJohn  Peter  Hai-kley,  paternal  grandfathei'  of  Mi's.  Sweet, 
was  a  native  of  Schoharie  county.  New  York,  and  lived  to  the  age 
of  seventy-five  years;  his  widow.  Delliah  (Sperbeck)  Barklcy.  who 
lived  to  be  107  years  of  age,  died  in  1867.  John  P.  Bai-klcy. 
his  sister,  and  two  children  were  onee  cai)1in-ed  by  the  Indians 
and  held  for  ransom;  one  child,  born  while  in  cai)ti\ity.  was 
never  returned  to  its  parents  by  the  Indians,  they  claiming  they 
would  make  'Jieap  big  chief"  of  him  some  day.  The  maternal 
grandfathei-  of  Mrs.  Sweet  was  JMiehael  Shaver,  a  native  of 
Canada;  he  married  IMiss  Jane  Baker,  and  both  lived  to  be  eighty 
years  old.  Tln^  first  spring  after  ^Ir.  and  ]\lrs.  Sweet  to(dv  up  their 
residence  on  the  i)resent  homestead,  they  had  some  annoying 
experiences  with  the  Indians;  Red  Eagle  came  to  the  house  one 
day  and  demanded  admittance,  and  when  refused  on  aci-oiiiit  of 
his  intoxicated  condition,  immediately  took  his  hatchet  and 
proceeded  to  batter  down  the  door.  lie  was  captured  and  taken 
to  Tonuih,  "where  he  was  tined  jj^ll  and  made  to  pay  for 
the  dooi".  AYhile  ]\lr.  Sweet  and  others  were  at  the  trial,  Mrs. 
Sweet  remained  at  home,  and  very  soon  after  their  dejiarture, 
the  house  was  snrronnded  by  Indians  making  search  foi-  the 
unruly  one;  among  them  was  Artitdioke,  Good  Bear  and  others, 
and  after  being  made  to  understand  the  situation,  and  where  the 
other  Indian  was.  they  withdrew.  An  Indian  trail  ran  across 
this  farm  and  it  Avas  no  unconnuon  thing  to  see  as  man.\  as  tw(^nty- 
five  Imlians  at  one  time,  and  three  ai'e  now  bnried  near  the  barn. 

Edgar  C.  Sweet,  proprietor  of  East  View  farm,  in  section 
nine,  LaGrange  township,  where  he  was  born  June  IS.  187(i.  and 
has  always  lived,  is  a  Ixdiever  in  up-to-date  methods  in  dairying 
and  general  farming.  He  received  his  education  in  the  district 
school,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father,  assnmed  the  active 
nmnagement  of  the  farm,  and  besides  general  farming  and  dairy- 


BIOCJRAPIIY  893 

ing,  lie  is  successful  breeder  of  Guernsey  cattle,  Percherou  horses, 
Poland  China  hogs  and  Prown  Leghorn  chickens.  Mr.  Sweet 
takes  a  commendable  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  township, 
and  has  held  the  otRce  of  treasur-er.  In  December,  3897,  he  was 
married  to  Lliss  Jennie  Carter,  daughtin-  of  Arnold  and  -lane 
(Wilson)  Carter,  natives  of  New  York.  They  have  one  child, 
Doris  M.  Sweet,  born  June  13,  1906. 

Truman  R.  Talbot,  county  clerk  of  Monroe  county,  is  a  native 
of  the  "Badger  state"  and  was  born  of  English  ancestry,  on  a 
farm  near  Whitewater,  AA'is.,  January  14,  1857,  son  of  Robert  A. 
and  Ann  (King)  Talbot,  natives  of  Cambridgeshire,  England. 
They  came  to  Rock  county,  this  state,  after  marriage  in  1849, 
where  they  engaged  in  farming  until  the  spring  of  1863,  when 
they  located  in  section  thirty-four,  Adrian  township,  IMonroe 
county,  on  a  160-acre  tract  of  wild  land,  the  only  building  being 
a  small  log  house,  which  was  used  for  a  home,  and  as  time  and 
circumstances  demanded,  log  stables  were  built  and  later  modern 
buildings  were  constructed  and  the  land  brought  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  It  was  here  that  they  made  their  home  until 
1888,  when  they  removed  to  Tomah.  where  they  resided  until 
their  death.  He  passed  away  in  1891,  and  his  wife,  the  mother 
of  our  subject,  survived  until  1905,  when  she  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one  years.  ]Mr.  Talbot,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  serving  near  the  close  as  a  private  in 
Company  A,  Fifty-second  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteers.  He 
was  counted  among  the  prominent  pioneers  of  Adrian  township, 
and  a  man  whose  moral  influence  counted  for  much  in  his  com- 
nmnity.  He  was  prominent  in  religious  and  church  work,  being 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Ridgeville  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Mr.  Talbot,  the  subject,  is  the  fifth  child  of  a  family  of  eight 
children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters.  The  others  are  :  Emma, 
wife  of  Francis  Burroughs,  of  Beloit,  AVis. ;  Sallie,  wife  of 
I.  N.  Palmer,  of  Tomah — she  is  now  deceased;  Fred  K.,  of  Tomah; 
Ella,  deceased,  wdio  was  the  wdfe  of  the  late  L.  R.  Cole;  Lottie, 
deceased;  J.  E.,  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa;  and  Millie,  wife  of  Harry 
Euckhausen,  of  Sparta. 

Mr.  Talbot  attended  the  public  schools  of  Adrian  township, 
and  the  Tomah  graded  schools,  and  began  for  himself  on  the 
homestead  farm  in  1880,  and  was  a  resident  of  Adrian  township 
until  his  election  to  his  present  office.  He  taught  school  for 
several  terms  in  his  home  neighborhood  during  the  winter  season, 
attending   to   his   farm   duties   during   the   summer   season,   and 


894  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

during  his  residence  there  served  as  treasurer  of  his  township  for 
two  years.  Politically  Mr.  Talbot  is  a  Republican  staunch  and 
true.  He  Avas  first  considered  as  the  most  available  member  of 
the  party  as  a  candidate  for  county  clerk  in  1906,  and  was  elected 
to  that  office  by  a  large  majority.  His  efficiency  was  again 
demonstrated  in  1908,  by  his  renomination  and  election,  and 
again  in  1910  by  a  large  and  popular  vote,  reflecting  great  credit 
upon  himself  and  giving  entire  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 
Mr.  Talbot  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  citizens,  a  man  of  strict 
integrity  of  character,  a  supporter  of  all  worthy  enterprises,  and 
makes  every  effort  to  advance  the  best  interests  of  Monroe  county. 
Socially  Mr.  Talbot  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

In  1881.  the  subject  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma 
Seibold,  daughter  of  George  and  Armenia  (Knapp)  Seibold,  of 
Ridgeville  township.  They  have  three  children :  Harry  R.,  con- 
ductor on  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway,  with 
headquarters  at  Sioux  City,  Iowa;  Ray  G.,  mechanical  engineer 
with  Fairbanks  &  Morse  at  Beloit,  AYis.,  and  INIabd  A.  Talbot, 
Sparta. 

Robert  John  Taylor,  the  well-known  and  popular  druggist 
of  Sparta,  comes  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  He  was  born  at 
Coleraine,  Ireland,  April  10,  1874,  and  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  who  first  settled  in  Jackson  county,  "Wisconsin,  and  later, 
about  twenty-five  years  ago.  moved  to  Sparta,  where  Robert 
received  his  education  in  the  public  and  high  schools.  His  first 
venture  in  business  life  was  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  drug  store 
of  Edward  Crane,  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  after 
two  years'  service  M-ith  Mr.  Crane,  he  entered  the  store  of  F,  N. 
Newton,  and  remained  in  his  employ  for  eight  years,  where  he 
mastered  pharmacy  in  all  its  branches.  In  1907  Mr.  Taylor  pur- 
chased the  drug  business  of  John  "\Y.  Palmer,  and  has  since, 
under  the  firm  name  of  the  Taylor  Drug  Company,  success- 
fully conducted  the  ])usiness,  increasing  the  stock  and  otherwise 
enlarging  the  facilities  to  meet  the  growing  demands.  A  leader 
in  his  line,  he  conducts  a  modern  and  up-to-date  drug  store,  as 
his  many  friends  will  attest. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
a  Knight  Templar,  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
I\Iodern  AYoodmen  of  America.  He  was  married  on  ]\Iay  19,  1909, 
to  Miss  Lenna  Waring,  daughter  of  E.  I.  AYaring,  of  Sparta. 

Mr.  Taylor  is  the  son  of  AYilliam  and  ^Margaret  (McPherson) 
Tavlor,    who    were    married    at    Bdrngh.    Ireland,    over    half    a 


BIOGRAPHY  895 

century  ago,  where  a  family  of  seven  children  were  born  as 
follows :  Anna  Jane,  wife  of  Thomas  Hunter,  of  Superior,  Wis. ; 
Martha  P.,  wife  of  Edward  Moe,  of  same  place ;  Samuel  Semple, 
a  lumberman  of  Missoula,  Mont. ;  AVilliam  "W.,  druggist,  of 
Stevens  Point;  Dr.  David  A.,  of  Bangor;  Robert  John,  our  sub- 
ject, and  Margaret,  of  Sparta. 

William  Taylor,  father  of  Robert,  was  a  native  of  Coleraine, 
Ireland,  and  after  coming  to  America,  engaged  in  farming  as  his 
principal  occupation.  He  died  in  Sparta  on  November  12,  1908, 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  was  the  son  of  William  Taylor, 
born  on  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar,  and  who  fought  in  the  battle  of 
Waterloo  in  Napoleon's  army,  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  our  subject's 
mother,  still  retains  the  medal  tendered  to  him  at  the  time  of 
his  discharge  by  Queen  Victoria  which  bears  the  date  of  1793- 
1814. 

Robert  McPherson,  maternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Taylor,  was 
the  fourth  child  of  a  family  of  seven  children ;  the  others  were 
John,  James,  Samuel,  Thomas,  Adam  and  Joseph.  Mrs.  Taylor, 
mother  of  Robert  J.,  resides  in  Sparta,  well  preserved  for  one  of 
her  years,  and  blessed  with  an  abundance  of  womanly  virtues 
which  merits  the  highest  esteem  in  which  she  is  held.  She  is 
now  eighty-three  years  old. 

Fred  W.  Teall,  is  a  prominent  citizen  of  Sparta,  and  a  leader 
in  his  special  line,  that  of  gardener.  He  was  born  at  Geneva,  in 
the  state  of  New  York,  on  March  31,  1859,  and  is  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  three  children  born  to  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Allsop)  Teall,  natives  of  New  York  and  England  respectively. 
James,  the  father  of  subject,  followed  the  occupation  of  tile  and 
brick  making,  and  was  for  several  years  manager  of  the  Geneva 
Tile  Works.  He  introduced  the  first  machine-made  tile  into  the 
United  States  from  Scotland.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Teall  spent  their 
lives  in  New  York  state,  where  Mr.  Teall  died  in  1904  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years,  and  his  widow  passed  away  in 
1906  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  Their  sons,  Edward  S.  and 
Fred  W.,  are  the  only  surviving  members  of  the  family ;  the  other 
child  was  Anna  Teall. 

Mr.  Teall,  our  subject,  received  his  education  in  the  public 
and  Union  schools  of  Geneva,  and  began  business  life  in  a 
nursery.  In  1884  he  came  to  Sparta  and  entered  the  employ  of 
T.  B.  Tyler,  as  superintendent  of  his  stock  farm,  which  was  then 
stocked  with  Pole-Angus  herds,  and  at  that  time  was  the  most 
extensive  stock  farm  in  Sparta  township.  At  the  end  of  six  years 
he  embarked  in  the  business  of  gardening  and  the  raising  of 


896  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

small  fruits,  which  he  continued  for  some  eighteen  years,  and 
since  then  he  has  devoted  his  entire  time  and  energy  to  garden- 
ing exclusively.  His  ten-acre  tract  has  been  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  is  one  of  the  most  productive  spots  in 
Monroe  county,  furnishing  the  wholesale  market  of  Sparta  with 
various  kinds  of  seasonable  garden  truck.  The  year  of  1011  was 
a  most  prosperous  and  eventful  one  for  Mr.  Teall,  as  the  success 
attained  made  it  possible  for  him  to  erect  a  beautiful  bungalow 
residence  for  himself  at  number  511  Jefferson  avenue.  The 
building  is  thoroughly  modern  in  every  way,  finished  in  old 
mission,  with  a  perfect  hot  water  heating  system,  making  it  one 
of  the  model  homes  in  the  city. 

On  April  1,  1879,  Mr.  Teall  married  Miss  Fannie  E.  Cromwell, 
daughter  of  Edwin  and  Julia  (Tyler)  Cromwell,  and  their  five 
children  are  named  respectively :  Robert  J.,  who  resides  in  Cali- 
fornia;  Annie,  wife  of  Rev.  T.  B.  Thompson,  and  resides  in 
Rockford,  111.;  Julia  P^lizabeth,  and  Thomas  T.  Teall,  civil 
engineer  and  county  superintendent  of  highAvays,  Sparta. 

Robert  J.  graduated  from  Beloit  College  at  the  age  of  twenty. 
Annie  and  Julia  Elizabeth  are  also  graduates  of  the  same  college, 
and  Tliomas  T..  engineering  course,  State  University  of  AVisconsin. 

John  Teasdale,  who  was  esteemed  alike  for  his  sterling  worth 
as  a  man,  and  the  public  spirit,  enterprise  and  tenacity  of  purpose 
which  made  him  an  important  factor  in  the  building  up  and 
development  of  a  rich  and  prosperous  portion  of  the  state  of 
Wisconsin,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  on  February  9,  1829, 
and  died  at  his  residence  in  Sparta,  February  9.  1911.  just 
eighty-tAvo  years  later,  the  final  summons  reaching  him  on  his 
birthday.  Many  times  during  the  last  few  weeks  of  his  life, 
while  confined  to  his  bed  Avith  his  life  and  strength  fast  ebbing 
aAAay,  did  he  ask  his  son  HoAvard  hoAV  many  days  it  Avas  until  the 
ninth  of  February,  it  being  his  one  great  desire  to  live  until 
his  eighty-second  birthday,  and  in  this  instance  as  all  through 
life,  his  determination  accomplished  the  desired  end. 

Mr.  Teasdale  left  his  native  land  in  February,  1850.  and 
settled  first  in  JohnstoAvn,  N.  Y.,  and  Avhile  a  resident  of  that 
state  he  met  ]\Iiss  Sarah  Seymour,  Avhom  he  Avedded  at  GloA'crs- 
A'ille,  in  1854,  and  Avho  for  more  than  half  a  century  assisted  him 
to  meet  and  conquer  the  adversities  of  pioneer  life,  and  to  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  their  industry,  she  having  died  in  this  city  July  20, 
1895.  The  year  folloAving  their  marriage,  Mr.  Teasdale  took  his 
young  bride,  and  animated  Avith  the  same  spirit  Avhicli  has  caused 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  others  to  brave  the  hardships  of  pioneer 


JOHN   TEASDALE 


BIOGRAPHY  897 

life,  he  headed  toward  the  "hmd  of  the  setting  sun,"  settling 
in  Janesville,  Wis.,  in  1855,  the  following  year  moving  to  Reeds- 
burg,  and  in  the  spring  of  1857,  he  arrived  in  the  little  village 
of  Sparta,  near  and  in  which  place  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
was  destined  to  be  spent.  Being  a  carpenter  and  joiner  he 
immediately  commenced  contracting,  one  of  the  first  jobs  he 
secured  being  the  construction  of  the  Jackson  store  building, 
afterwards  occupied  by  Rufus  S.  Dodge  for  many  years,  and  now 
known  as  the  Jackson  building,  occupied  as  a  blacksmith  shop 
by  Mr.  West.  He  also  constructed  the  Dan  Potter  and  Z.  K. 
Jewett  residences,  both  of  which  are  still  standing.  During  this 
time  he  built  the  first  schoolhouse  in  the  Blackburn  district, 
north  of  this  city.  This  building  he  contracted  for  $400.  To 
show  what  conditions  were  at  that  time,  he  found  on  completion 
of  this  work  that  the  town  warrants  Avhich  he  accepted  for  pay 
could  only  be  sold  for  30  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  this  amount 
he  had  to  accept,  as  the  money  was  needed.  This  left  him  with  a 
number  of  unpaid  bills  on  his  hands,  among  them  one  for  $20 
for  hardware,  which  had  been  furnished  by  AV alter  Allen.  Mr. 
Allen  persistently  endeavored  to  collect  the  bill,  visiting  Mr. 
Teasdale,  who  at  this  time  was  on  the  farm  where  the  brick 
house  now  stands.  Finally  he  found  Mr.  Teasdale  and  his  wife 
wallowing  around  in  the  wet  marsh  one  cold  fall  day,  endeavoring 
to  get  sufficient  hay  to  winter  their  only  cow.  Allen  again 
insisted  on  his  pay,  and  Mr.  Teasdale  told  him  that  all  he  had  was 
that  one  cow,  and  that  if  Allen  would  take  that  and  leave  him 
alone,  he  was  welcome  to  it.  This  he  refused,  also  a  watch  which 
was  offered  him.  The  next  year  Mr.  Teasdale  raised  275  bushels 
of  wheat,  which  he  sold  to  John  Moffatt,  under  contract  for 
85  cents  per  bushel,  but  before  the  delivery  was  completed  the 
price  of  wheat  had  dropped  to  74  cents,  and  never  again  reached 
the  85-cent  mark  until  after  the  war. 

Mr.  Teasdale  moved  on  the  farm  north  of  this  city,  where  the 
brick  house  now  stands,  in  1859,  and  succeeded  there  in  accumu- 
lating 1,000  acres  of  land.  His  life  was  a  busy  one  from  the 
beginning,  and  as  a  result  of  his  hard  work,  energy  and  perse- 
verance, the  brick  house  and  other  substantial  buildings  were 
erected  by  him,  and  he  was  considered  among  the  most  desirable 
and  prominent  citizens  of  his  community.  He  became  interested 
in  the  promotion  of  a  cheese  factory  when  the  dairy  business  in 
Monroe  county  was  in  its  infancy,  and  in  this  venture  lost 
heavily.  He  also  was  a  heavy  loser  in  indorsing  notes  for  his 
friends,  and  through  these  unfortunate  ventures  he  was  forced 


898  HISTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

tu  disj)()se  of  llie  original  farm  in  oi'dcr  to  save  himself  from 
financial  rnin,  and  he  then  inoveti  on  In  the  I'omeroy  farm,  Avhieh 
he  had  acquired.  There  he  remained  iinlil  1884,  when  he  moved 
into  this  city.  Dnring  most  of  his  life  here,  he  resided  in  the 
residence  whei'c  tlic  new  ('atholic  chnrcli  now  stands,  lia\iiig 
sold   llial    piopiTty   to   llic  ('atliolics  a   few  years  ago. 

Nearly  llic  ciilire  rural  telcjihone  system  out  of  this  city  has 
been  laid  imdcf  the  difccj ion  of  Mi-.  Tcasdale,  and  for  many 
years  he  and  his  old  horse  aixl  llic  ""  Democrat"  wagon  were  a 
familial'  sight  along  the  telephone  lines. 

There  were  three  sons  born  to  .Mi-,  and  .Mrs.  Tcasdale,  vi/. : 
Frank,  who  died  in  1870,  and  IIoAvard  and  -loseph,  both  of  Avhom 
survive  and  are  residents  of  this  city. 

During  llic  latter  part  of  Mr.  Teasdalc's  life,  he  Avas  badly 
crii)|)lcd  with  rheumatism,  the  result  ol'  exposure  of  the  early 
years,  hut  e\-en  this  was  not  suflicieut  to  pi-cvent  him  from  taking 
an  active  interest  in  every  enterprise  arouiul  him. 

The  deceased  Avas  a  member  of  the  IMasonic  order  and  also 
of  the  I\Iethodist  Episcopal  clnireh  in  which  for  many  years  he 
Avas  an  active  Avorker. 

Mrs.  Jeddie  Thurston,  Avife  of  the  late  Adelbert  D.  Thurston, 
of  Leon  toAvuship,  Avas  born  June  1,  1865,  in  the  toAA'u  of  Wells, 
]Monroe  county,  "Wis.,  and  is  a  (biughter  of  Henry  and  ]\Iary 
Nichols,  prosperous  and  influential  citizens  of  that  toAvn.  AVlien 
seA'enteen  years  of  age.  in  1882,  she  Avas  united  in  marriage  Avith 
]\Ir.  A.  D.  Thurston,  and  to  them  Aver<'  born  four  children,  all 
of  Avhom  are  noAV  (1912^  living,  viz.:  ]\linnie  H.,  liorn  November 
2,  1884;  Leah,  born  July  14.  188(i:  AVilliam  IT.,  born  October 
8,  1892,  and  Hazel,  born  December  ti,  1898. 

]\Ir.  A.  D.  Thurston,  deceased,  Avas  born  in  the  toAvnship  of 
LaPayette,  Monroe  county,  March  22,  1864;  his  father,  AVilliam 
Thurston,  was  one  of  the  eai'ly  and  most  I'cspected  residents  of 
Farmer's  valley  in  Wells  townsliiji.  Mr.  Tliui'stou  si>ent  his 
boyhood  days  on  the  homestead  rami,  attending  the  disti'ict  school 
and  assisting  in  the  farm  Avork.  lie  was  wide  awake  and  thrifty, 
and  soon  after  reaching  maidiood,  acquireil  a  good  farm  in  Leon 
tOAvnship  Avher(^  he  lived  until  his  death,  February  4,  1910.  and 
Avas  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  was 
kjiOAvii  as  a  successful  farmei-.  ;i  moi-al  and  upright  citizen,  and 
a  man  dcA^oted  to  his  lionie  and  fiiniily.  He  Avas  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

AVilliam  H.,  since  the  death  of  his  falhei-.  has  had  the  manage- 
ment of  the  homestead  faruK 


BIOGRAPHY  839 

Charles  Todd,  vice  presideiil  oi'  the  State  ]3ank  of  WiliDii.  was 
boni  near  Homer,  Cortland  eouiity,  X.  Y..  Septeinlx'i-  :5().  ls;}7.  to 
Cliarles  and  ]Mai-ie  (  W'illiaius)  Todd,  on  the  same  I'anii  \vhe)-e  ins 
father  was  Itorn.  and  died  in  1838  at  the  age  of  1hiii\-six  \-ear.-'. 
His  wi(h)\v.  mother  jf  our  subject,  survived  until  1S74  and  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-tive  years.  Charles  Todd.  Si-.,  was  a  son  of 
Dan  Todd,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who,  in  17U4,  came  up  the 
Tioughnioga  river  in  a  canoe  and  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Cortland  county.  lie  died  in  1842  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
His  wife,  paternal  grandmother  of  our  subject,  was  Sarah  Foot, 
w^ho  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy  years  and  died  in  1845.  The 
maternal  grandfather  of  Charles  Todd  was  Thonuis  Williams, 
whose  wife's  maiden  name  was  Olive  Blodgett ;  they  were  natives 
of  Massachusetts.  luiAing  l)een  liorn  near  Springfield,  that  state: 
he  was  the  son  of  Ambrose  Williams  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight :  her  death  occurred  in  1860.  and  tradition  claims  that  his 
great  great  grandfather  was  a  passenger  on  the  ^Mayflower. 

Charles  Todd,  Jr..  was  raised  on  a  farm  whicli  was  sold  when 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Union  Army  on  Ai)ril  24.  1861.  in 
Company  D.  Twelfth  Regiment.  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  nuistered  into  the  service  at  Elmira  "Slay  12.  and  his 
regiment  was  immediately  ti'ausferred  to  Washington,  D.  C.  He 
participated  in  the  skii-mish  at  Blackburn  Ford.  July  18.  1861.  and 
was  also  in  sevei-al  of  tlie  important  engagements  in  Virginia, 
.ncludinu'  the  l)a1tle  of  l^ull  Run.  He  served  with  distinction 
Throughout  his  term  of  enlistment  and  received  hif^  honorable  dis- 
charge at  Elmira  in  May.  1863.  After  returning  to  his  home  in 
Homer  he  was  employed  for  a  time  at  general  carpenter  work, 
and  in  1868  came  to  Wisconsin,  locating  in  Sauk  county,  where  he 
remained  three  years,  until  1871.  when  he  was  employed  by  the 
Chicago  ct  Northwestern  Railroad  in  construction  work.  Since 
the  spring  of  1873,  Avhen  he  first  came  to  "Wilton,  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  ]Monroe  county,  he  was  first  em])loyed  by  the 
Chicago  (fc  Northwestern  Raih'oad  at  tunnel  No.  1.  and  for  the 
next  three  years  followed  the  occupation  of  railroad  building, 
taking  part  in  gr.-iding  and  track  laying.  His  next  employment 
was  with  ]Moll  &  O'Brien,  with  whom  he  remained  three  years, 
when  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  section  nineteen, 
Wilton  township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  from  1883  to 
1890.  He  then  received  from  Gov.  George  R.  Peek  an  appoint- 
ment as  messenger  at  the  state  capitol  at  jMadison,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  four  years.  He  then  returned  to  Monroe  county  an<i 
located  in  the  village  of  Wilton,  which  has  since  been  his  home. 


900  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

where  he  lives  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  know 
him.  He  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  almost  continuously 
since  1876,  and  for  several  terms  as  clerk  of  the  township.  In 
1903  he  became  vice  president  of  the  Wilton  State  Bank,  in  which 
capacity  he  is  still  engaged. 

Mr.  Todd  is  a  man  of  large,  wholesome  public  spirit  and  tense 
patriotism.  Every  movement  that  has  for  its  motive  and  impulse 
the  advancement  of  the  city  or  county,  is  assured  in  advance  of 
his  hearty  assistance  and  support ;  his  energy  and  sagacity,  which 
he  is  always  willing  to  supplement  in  a  financial  way,  have  been 
the  dominating  influence  of  many  a  profitable  project;  his  is  a 
strong  character,  and  one  that  by  reason  of  its  power  and  mag- 
netism could  not  fail  to  be  of  effect  in  molding  the  thought  and 
trend  of  the  community  of  which  it  formed  an  integral  factor. 

On  December  23,  1858,  Mr.  Todd  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Beck,  daughter  of  William  P.  Beck,  a  substantial 
citizen  of  Homer,  N.  Y.  She  was  born  in  1840  and  died  in  1903, 
leaving,  besides  her  husband,  two  children,  viz. :  Mary  C,  the 
widow  of  Imla  Kellogg,  and  William  E.  Todd. 

Herbert  B.  Tuttle,  of  section  eleven,  LaGrange  township,  who 
manages  and  carries  on  the  430-acre  farm  of  Riley,  Hart 
&  Warren,  known  as  the  "Bonnie  View"  farm,  was  born  in 
Baraboo,  Wis..  September  23,  1850,  the  son  of  Albert  G.  and 
Elizabeth  (Clark)  Tuttle,  natives  of  Connecticut,  who  came  to 
Wisconsin  in  1846.  The  father  first  stopped  at  Madison,  then 
Avent  to  Portage  Avith  a  stock  of  goods  and  opened  the  first  store 
at  that  place  for  Nat  Dean.  He  afterward  returned  to  Con- 
necticut, entering  into  copartnership  with  David  ]\Iunson.  He 
returned  to  Wisconsin  and  Baraboo  in  1848  and  opened  the  first 
store  there.  In  1853  he  purchased  a  farm  near  Baraboo,  at  that 
time  being  a  leading  horticulturist  of  the  state,  for  which  he 
secured  many  state  premiums  as  a  producer  of  Russian  apple 
trees.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  State  Horticultural 
Society,  and  a  prominent  man  of  affairs.  He  died  in  LaGrange 
township  in  1908  in  his  ninety-first  year.  His  wife,  mother  of  our 
subject,  died  at  Baraboo  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz. :  Albert,  deceased ; 
Herbert  B.,  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Merritt  I.,  born  in  1854,  and 
lives  in  Montana,  and  Edward  K.,  of  Jackson  county,  AVisconsin, 
was  born  in  1857. 

Herbert  B.  had  all  the  advantages  of  the  district  schools  and 
was  raised  on  a  farm.  In  1876  he  came  to  Monroe  county  and 
located  in  Scott  town.ship.  where  for  ten  years  he  carried  on  a 


BIOGRAPHY  901 

200-aere  erauberry  luarsli,  from  which  the  yield  ran  as  hi^h  as 
400  to  500  barrels  a  season.  In  188G  he  was  burned  out  and  then 
moved  to  Bear  Bluff  township,  in  Jackson  county,  Avhere  he 
engaged  in  cranberring  for  eleven  years.  In  185)7  he  returned  to 
Monroe  county  and  took  charge  of  the  Purdy  cranberry  marsh, 
near  Valley  Junction.  After  three  years  he  moved  to  his  present 
location  and  has  since  had  charge  of  the  "Bonnie  View"  farm. 
On  this  place  there  is  twenty-seven  acres  of  a  cranberry  marsh, 
with  room  for  110  more. 

Mr.  Tuttle  was  married  in  November,  1876,  to  Miss  Laura  C. 
Daniels,  daughter  of  Luther  Daniels,  of  Baraboo,  Wis.  She  was 
born  in  1860  and  died  in  1899,  leaving,  besides  her  husband,  a 
family  of  four  children,  as  follows :  Genevieve,  now  Mrs.  Louis 
Armstrong,  of  Brooklyn,  Wis. ;  Ilallie,  Mrs.  Burt  Warrener,  of 
]Madison ;  Arthur  E.  and  Hester  A.  live  at  home.  Mr.  Tuttle  mar- 
ried the  second  time  June  20,  1902,  Miss  Eva  Cattle,  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Louisa  (]\liller)  Cattle,  of  Juneau  county,  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Tuttle  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Bear  Bluff  township, 
in  Jackson  county,  and  served  as  clerk  of  the  town  while  a  resi- 
dent there.  In  fraternal  matters  he  is  a  member  of  the  IMasonic 
order.  The  Tuttle  family  were  originally  from  England  and 
Mr.  Tuttle  can  trace  his  ancestors  in  a  direct  line  back  to  William 
the  Conquerer.  Two  brothers  w^ere  the  first  to  represent  the 
Tuttle  family  in  this  country,  one,  John  Tuttle,  member  of  New 
Haven  colony,  owned  the  original  farm  where  Yale  College  is  now 
located.    The  Clark  family  came  from  Connecticut. 

Capt.  William  H.  VanAntwerp,  of  Sparta,  comes  from  one  of 
Monroe  county's  pioneer  families  and  was  born  December  3,  1869, 
the  son  of  Henry  and  ]\Iary  (Loonier)  VanAntwerp,  natives  of 
New  York  and  ^Massachusetts,  respectively.  Both  the  VanAnt- 
werps  and  Loomers  came  from  prominent  Llolland  ancestors. 
Henry  VanAntwerp  came  to  INIonroe  county,  Wisconsin,  with  his 
father,  William,  in  1851.  and  settled  in  Sparta  when  the  town 
was  new  and  but  a  village.  William  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade 
and  located  in  a  small  building  on  Beaver  creek.  He  took  a  promi- 
nent part  in  polities  and  court  affairs,  and  took  a  lively  interest 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  betterment  of  his  city  and  county. 
He  died  in  1877.  Henry  Van  Antwerp,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
engaged  in  commercial  trade  in  Sparta  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
died  August  3,  1899,  leaving  his  widow,  who  died  November  4, 
1911,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 

William  H.  VanAntwerp  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  four 
children,  he,  with  his  sister,  INIinnie,  wife  of  P.  J.  McBride.  of 


902  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

I'urtage,  Wis..  IxMug  llie  only  ones  surviviny;  Lewis  and  Jessie, 
Avife  of  A.  J.  Ilanton,  of  ^Minnesota,  are  deceased.  lie  was  reared 
oil  u  fiirni  and  received  liis  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Sparta.  Starting'  out  in  life,  he  early  learned  the  painters'  and 
decorators'  trade,  which  he  followed  for  some  time  and  later 
engaged  in  the  laundry  business,  and  still  later  in  the  restaurant 
and  other  lines.  lie  is  a  Republican  in  political  opinions  and  a 
eonsjiieuous  work'er  in  the  ranks  of  his  jiarty ;  he  has  also  for  years 
been  prominent  in  military  atfairs.  tirst  serving  as  private  and 
later  as  captain  of  Ihe  Wisconsin  Xatioiial  Guards.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  his  present  wife  in  1902. 

Cornellms  Vandervoort,  retired  rainier  of  Tomah.  a  native  of 
Schoharie  counly.  New  York  state,  was  l)()ni  31  ay  3,  1833.  His 
parents  were  James  R.  and  Mar}'  (Baker)  Vandervoort.  also 
natives  of  New  York,  coming  to  Buffalo  in  1844,  they  one  year 
later  continued  their  journey  westward,  locating  with  their  family 
of  eleven  children  in  AVau.keslia,  Wis.,  and  after  three  years 
removed  to  Oconomowoc,  and  there  purchased  a  farm  on  which 
he  lived  for  ten  years.  It  Avas  in  1852.  during  the  gold  excitement 
in  California,  that  our  subject  left  the  parental  roof  and  joined 
the  successful  army  of  gold  diggers,  and  during  his  stay  there 
sent  enough  money  to  his  father  to  pay  in  full  for  the  farm  that 
he  had  bought  at  Oconomowoc.  James  R..  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  tirst  married  to  ]Miss  Mcliitire  in  the  slate  of  New  York, 
and  tell  chihlreii  were  horn  to  them.  ti\'e  of  whom  are  now  living. 
His  second  marriage  occurred  ^Nlarch  14.  1880.  with  ]\Iiss  Mary 
]\Ioon.  In  eai'ly  life  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpentei-  and 
became  an  exp(U't  mechanic,  and  one  of  the  best  hewers  of  timber 
to  be  found  in  the  country.  He  was  a  man  highly  resjiected  in 
the  communitN'.  a  sincere  Christian  gentleman  and  in  religious 
affiliations  a  IMethodist.  He  Avas  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  He 
diefl  January  4.  1881. 

•lohii  \'aiidervoort.  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War  undei-  Washington. 

("ornellius  attended  the  district  school  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age.  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  in  1852.  he  started  over- 
land with  his  l)rotlier-in-laAV  and  his  family  for  the  gold  fields  in 
California,  making  the  trij)  with  an  ox  team,  reaching  their  desti- 
nation at  the  end  of  si.\  months.  Their  liryl  stop  in  tlu'  (it)l(len 
state  lieiiig  forty-five  miles  from  Sacramento.  They  resumed  their 
j(»ui'ney  fui'ther.  where  they  engaged  in  Iheir  search  f(U'  the  golden 
metal,  .\fter  one  year  they  went  to  a  point  on  the  Vuba  river, 
where  the  subject  was  taken  ill  with  fever,  resulting  in  a  [)hysical 


BIOGRAPHY  903 

breakdown,  and  l)eeoming  homesick,  he  abandoned  f'lirtliof  mining 
explorations  and  re+nrned  to  Wisconsin,  making  the  trip  by  the 
way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  arriving  in  New  York  City  after 
a  twenty-three  days'  trip,  in  1855,  after  an  absence  of  three  years. 
Arriving  at  Oconomowoc,  Wis.,  his  former  home,  he  bought  two 
forty-acre  tracts  of  bind  on  each  side  of  his  father's  farm  and 
there  resided  for  about  six  years.  In  the  l)egiiniing  of  the  sixties 
he  moved  with  his  family  to  ]\Ionroe  county  and  bought  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  LaCxrange  township,  adding  to  this  until  he  acquired 
210  acres  in  the  township,  where  he  resided  for  some  thirty  years, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Tomah, 
M'here  he  owns  a  neat  and  comfortable  residence,  besides  other 
valuable  city  property.  JMr.  Vandervoort  has  been  a  successful 
general  farmer,  and  ran  the  first  steam  thrasher  in  jMonroe  county, 
and  carried  on  that  business  for  eight  years.  While  conducting 
his  farming  interests  he  was  ever  successful  in  the  raising  of  grain 
and  grass  crops,  to  which  he  gave  special  attention,  as  well  as  the 
raising  of  cattle  and  hogs  and  the  dairy  business.  After  bestow- 
ing largely  the  real  estate  he  has  acquired  to  his  children,  he  still 
retains  a  sufficient  amount  of  the  world's  goods  to  keep  him  in 
comfort  during  his  declining  years. 

Mr.  Vandervoort  was  united  in  marriage  with  ]\liss  Julia  Ann 
Gitman  in  1856.  Six  children  were  born  to  this  union,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.:  W.  E.,  born  August  12,  1858;  J.  L.,  born 
July  9,  1860;  Jacob,  born  October  19,  1862;  Alfred,  July  20,  1865. 
Mrs.  Vandervoort  is  deceased.  IMr.  Vandervoort  is  a  member  of 
the  INIethodist  church,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  G.  A.  R. 
In  August,  186-1:,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Fifty-first  Regiment 
Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry  and  served  until  the  end  of  the 
Avar. 

Frank  E,  Vandervort,  of  section  eight,  LaGrange  township,  is 
one  of  the  wide  awake  natives  of  Wisconsin,  and  was  born  in 
LaGrange  township  September  6,  1867,  son  of  Isaac,  who  was  born 
in  Schoharia  county.  New  York,  September  9,  1834,  and  Laura 
(Foss)  Vandervort,  a  native  of  Vermont.  Isaac  Vandervort  was 
nine  years  old  Avhen  his  parents  moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  settled 
in  AVaukesha.  which  was  then  known  as  Prairieville.  Two  years 
later  they  moved  to  Merton  and  thence  to  Summit  Center.  Avhere 
they  remained  two  years.  Isaac  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when 
he  and  his  brother  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  near 
OconomoAvoc,  which  they  opened,  improved  and  added  to  until 
they  had  one  of  the  best  farms  in  that  section.  Here  ]Mr.  Vander- 
vort lived  until  1860.     When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  offered 


904  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

his  services  to  his  country,  but  Avas  twice  rejected.  On  his  third 
application,  however,  he  was  accepted,  and  in  1864  assigned  to 
Company  I,  First  Heavy  Artillery,  and  served  one  year.  In  1866 
he  came  to  Monroe  county  and  for  many  years  was  known  as  one 
of  ]\Ionroe  county's  most  public  spirited  and  thrifty  farmers.  In 
1859  he  married  ]\Iiss  Laura  A.  Foss,  avIio  died  at  1he  age  of  forty- 
four  years  in  1885.  In  1887  he  maiiicd  for  his  second  wife  Naomi 
Hoag,  a  native  of  jMonroe  county.  New  York.  James  R.  Vander- 
vort  and  Mary  (Baker)  Vandervort.  grandparents  of  our  subject, 
were  also  natives  of  the  Empire  state;  they  also  came  to  ^Moiii-oc 
county  in  1866,  where  they  passed  the  last  days  of  their  lives,  lb- 
died  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years  and  she  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  a  soldier  in  the  War 
of  1812.  The  Vandervorts  came  from  old  and  respected  New 
England  ancestry.  The  death  of  Isaac  Vandervort  occurred 
September  3,  1912. 

Frank  E.,  is  the  third  child  in  order  of  birth  in  a  fannly  of 
eight  children:  the  others  are  Edward  J.,  of  Tomah  township; 
George,  of  Vilas  count\',  Wisconsin ;  ]Mary,  wife  of  John  Trapp.  of 
Tomah;  Ody,  of  LaGrange  township;  Roy  lives  at  Osseo.  Wis.; 
Alvin  J.  and  Lulu  B.  ]Mr.  Vandervort  attended  the  tlistrict 
schools  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  the  age  of  twenty- 
one,  when  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  In  the  fall  of 
1898  he  moved  to  his  present  farm  of  110  acres,  which  at  that  time 
was  all  1inil)ei-ed  land  but  twelve  aci'cs:  he  has  since  cleared  Ihe 
balance,  made  many  improvements  and  bi-onght  the  land  to  a  good 
state  of  cultivation.  In  1898  he  erected  a  small  frame  house 
which  he  occupied  until  1905.  when  he  built  a  commodious  and 
modern  brick  residence.  His  barn,  erected  in  1899,  was  enlarged 
in  1912,  and  a  fiiu'  stone  basement  added,  and  in  the  same  year  a 
silo  Avas  built.  ^Ir.  Vandervort  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  Monroe  county,  and  takes  a  commendal)le 
interest  in  affairs  of  his  town,  as  well  as  in  the  county.  lie  has 
represented  his  townslii])  on  tln^  side  board  and  is  a  nuMuber  of 
1lie  ^lodern  Woodmen  of  Amei'ica. 

He  w^as  mai-ried  on  December  25,  1888,  to  ^liss  Li'ltie  Woodard, 
a  native  of  Watertown.  N.  Y..  and  daughter  of  Wilson  and  Delia 
(Taft)  Woodard,  of  Tunnel  City,  Monroe  county.  They  came  to 
Wisconsin  when  i\Irs.  Vandervort  Avas  one  year  old.  and  settled  in 
Greenfield  township,  where  they  eontiinied  to  make  their  home 
until  their  death.  They  Avere  the  parents  of  seven  children,  viz.: 
Lettie,  noAv  Mrs.  Vandervort ;  Anna  E.,  Avife  of  Byron  Johnson,  of 
Tunnel  City;  1).  T.,  of  Riverside,  Calif.:  Tillie,  Avho  Avas  the  Avife 


BIOGRAPHY  905 

of  Frank  Johnson,  died  in  October,  1908,  aged  forty  years;  Delia, 
wife  of  Henry  IMorse,  of  Warren ;  Kittie,  wife  of  Odie  Purdy, 
LaGrange  township,  and  Wilson  D.,  of  Greenfield  township. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vandervort  have  been  born  three  children, 
viz. :    Laura,  Leon  AV.,  and  Frank  W.  Vandervort. 

Rollie  Vandervort,  a  native  of  LaGrange  township,  Monroe 
county,  who  resides  on  his  farm  of  ninety-three  acres  in  sections 
twenty  and  twentj^-one,  this  township,  was  born  in  Pleasant 
valley,  March  25,  1886,  son  of  Alvin  J.  and  Lottie  (Cooms) 
Vandervort,  natives  of  Oconomowoe  and  Baraboo,  Wis.,  respect- 
ively. They  came  to  IMonroe  county  in  an  early  day,  and  at  that 
time  much  of  the  township  consisted  of  wild  land  covered  with 
stumps,  with  no  wagon  road.  In  1883,  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  the  father  married  and  located  in  Pleasant  vallej^,  and  for 
several  years  was  employed  in  the  ]\IcKanna  logging  camp  and 
later  settled  in  Tomah.  where  he  built  a  home,  which  lie  later 
traded  for  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  resides.  He  was  born 
in  1862  and  died  in  1898,  aged  thirty-six  years.  His  Avife,  mother 
of  our  subject,  who  also  was  born  in  1862,  survived  until  1905, 
when  she  passed  away  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years.  Besides 
our  subject,  they  had  one  daughter,  Eva,  who  resides  at  Tomah 
and  is  unmarried. 

In  1908  Mr.  Vandervort  married  Miss  Mattie  Griggs,  daughter 
of  Clarence  and  Carrie  (Griswold)  Griggs,  of  LaGrange  township. 
They  have  two  children.  Dales  James,  born  November  1.  1909, 
and  Helen  L.,  born  October  18,  1911.  ]\Ir.  Vandervort  is  a  member 
of  the  Mystic  Workers,  and  is  one  of  the  solid  young  men  of 
pleasing  personality  of  his  township.  He  is  fair  and  square  in  all 
his  dealings,  and  promises  to  be  one  of  the  leading  citizens. 

Lawrence  E.  van  Loon,  a  successful  farmer  of  section  twenty- 
eight,  LaGrange  toAvnship,  was  born  in  Holland,  June  27,  1840, 
son  of  Everhardus  and  Binke  (LaFleur)  van  Loon,  natives  of 
Holland.  The  father  died  when  our  subject  was  eight  years  old, 
and  a  short  time  thereafter  the  mother  came  to  America  with 
her  family  of  five  sons,  as  follows :  Lawrence  E. ;  John,  who  is  a 
resident  of  La  Crosse  county ;  Rinnert,  deceased ;  Elbertus,  of  La 
Crosse  county,  and  Paul,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.  The  mother  lived 
to  the  age  of  forty-six  years  and  died  in  1860.  The  father,  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  a  government  official  of  the  province  of 
Friesland,  which  was  a  life  position. 

Lawrence  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  his  education 
in  the  district  schools,  and  during  his  youth  was  employed  as  a 
farm  hand.     At  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  in  1861:,  he  pur- 


906  HISTORY  OF  lAIONROE  COUNTY 

chased  a  farm  at  La  ( •I'L'sci'nt,  ]\linii.,  wlicre  lie  resided  and 
engaged  iu  farming  on  his  OAvn  account  until  1880,  at  which  time 
he  removed  to  the  city  of  La  Crosse,  AVis.,  and  in  1882  came  to 
LaGrange  township,  Monroe  county,  and  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  forty  acres  known  as  the  "Bostwiclv  farm,"  where  he 
has  since  resided,  devoting  himself  to  the  culture  of  small  fruits, 
and  finding  in  the  quiet  and  independence  of  his  home  and  farm 
life  congenial  employment.  He  is  known  as  one  of  the  substan- 
tial citizens  of  LaGrange  township.  In  fraternal  matters  ]Mr. 
van  Loom  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  for  0A='er  forty 
j^ears,  and  with  his  wife  affiliates  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

In  I860  ]\Ir.  van  Loon  was  united  in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss 
Albertje  Tuininga,  daughter  of  John  Tuininga,  of  La  Crescent, 
Minn.  The  cliildren  of  this  union  are  Edward,  of  Danville,  111. ; 
Trjaitje,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Albert  Ran,  and  Reed,  who 
resides  in  Montana.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  in  1890  at 
the  age  of  forty-two  years,  and  JNIr.  van  Loom  was  married  again, 
this  time  to  Miss  Emelie  Damerow,  daughter  of  Gottlieb  and 
Louisa  Damerow,  of  Jacksonville,  "Wis.  Of  this  marriage  there 
has  been  four  children,  viz.:  Mamie,  Wesley,  who  died  in  1910 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years ;  Ida  L.,  and  Neil,  all  of  whom  reside 
at  home  with  their  parents. 

William  H.  Verken,  one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  Monroe 
county,  Avhere  he  was  born  July  16,  1861,  the  son  of  Lawrence 
and  Catherine  Verken,  the  former  a  native  of  Prussia  and  the 
latter  of  Germany.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1856,  and 
settled  at  St.  Mary's  in  the  town  of  Jefferson  in  ]Monroe 
county,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer,  receiving  .$8  per 
month  for  the  first  year.  In  1858  he  was  married  to  ]\lrs. 
Catherine  Delp,  who  emigrated  to  America  in  an  early  day  and 
located  at  Mansfield,  Ohio,  where  she  married  Mr.  P.  Delp,  who, 
during  the  gold  excitement  in  1849,  went  to  California.  After  a 
sliort  time  he  returned  to  the  East,  and  died  in  1851.  They  had 
three  children,  one  of  whom,  Mrs.  Catherine  (Delp)  Spricli, 
survives  and  lives  in  Milwaukee.  Previous  to  his  marriage  ]\Ir. 
Delp  had  taken  a  homestead  in  the  town  of  Sheldon,  whither 
the  family  moved  after  his  death,  carrying  all  their  (>f¥ects  in 
a  wagon  drawn  Ijy  oxen.  There  were  no  roads  at  that  time  l)ut 
Indian  trails,  and  the  mother  was  compelled  in  pioneer  fashiop 
to  take  up  the  ax  and  cut  down  tind)er  in  order  to  open  a  I'oad 
tor  the  wagon.  j\Iany  times  did  she  have  to  resort  to  this  Ix^fore 
she  reached  the  land  wliidi  was  to  Ix'  licr  future  home,  whei'c  slie 


BIOGRAPHY  ■  907 

reared  her  family.  It  was  on  this  lioniestead  where  our  subject 
was  born  and  Avhere  he  now  resides.  After  marriage  Mr.  Verken 
cleared  up  110  acres  of  this  wild  land  and  converted  it  into  one 
of  the  best  farms  in  Sheldon  township.  In  those  early  days  deer 
and  all  kinds  of  wild  game  were  abundant.  Mr.  Verken,  father 
of  "William  H.,  acquired  KiO  acres  of  land  in  Sheldon  township, 
Avhicli  he  afterwards  sold.  He  stood  high  as  a  man.  and  was 
upright  in  all  his  dealings,  a  successful  farmer  and  sheep  raiser, 
having  at  times  as  high  as  500  head.  He  also  kept  a  good  grade 
of  horses  and  cattle,  but  he  derived  his  best  revenue  from  selling 
wheat  and  other  grains.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
held  the  office  of  supervisor  and  director  of  the  school  board. 
He  died  in  1911,  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church,  as  was  his 
wife. 

William  II.  attended  the  district  scliools  and  remained  at 
home.  He  was  the  only  son  and  the  mainstay  of  his  father.  He 
Avas  married  April  3,  1884,  at  Madison,  Wis.,  to  IMiss  Carrie 
Detrich,  and  they  had  six  children,  of  which  three  are  living: 
Abner  E.,  born  January  21,  1892;  IMelvin  L.,  born  February  27, 
1894,  and  Miss  Violet  C,  born  June  16,  1897.  Mrs.  Verken  was 
educated  at  ^Madison,  Wis.,  where  her  father  for  many  years  was 
a  leading  merchant.  She  is  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  seven. 
The  family  went  to  California  in  IMay.  1884,  where  they  now" 
reside.  Besides  her  devotion  to  her  liome  and  family  she  is  a 
leader  in  social  matters,  and  is  deeply  interested  in  church  work. 
For  many  years  she  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school, 
and  the  missionary  society  finds  her  one  of  the  most  zealous 
workers.  Mrs.  C.  Verken  has  been  corresponding  secretary  of 
the  Home  Mission  Society  for  a  number  of  years. 

Mr.  Verken  is  one  of  the  public  spirited  men  of  his  town 
and  besides  general  farming,  conducts  an  extensive  dairy  on 
his  160-acre  farm  in  section  thirty-one,  and  has  made  many 
improvements.  Erected  a  modern  residence  in  1900,  and  barn 
in  3908.  His  farm  is  ecjuipped  with  up-to-date  appliances,  and 
his  three  large  trout  ponds  are  well  stocked  with  plenty  of 
speckled  trout,  while  his  two  springs  furnish  an  abundaiuM^  of 
Avater  for  his  house  and  barn.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Leo  Vieth,  one  of  the  successful  and  influential  farmers  of 
Ridgeville  township,  was  born  in  ]\Ionroe  county,  AVisconsin, 
April  1,  1865,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Emstena  (Noth)  Vieth,  both 
natives  of  Germany.  The  father  emigrated  to  America  in  1848, 
and  first  settled  in  Walworth  county,  this  state.  He  later 
came  to  ]\Ionroe  county,   and  acquired  a  farm   of  200  acres  in 


908  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Ridgevillr,  and  was  uue  oi'  tliu  early  settlers  of  that  tuwu,  where 
he  experienced  the  privations  and  hardships  incident  to  pioneer 
life.  lie  was  a  progressive  farmer,  an  honorable,  npriglit  and 
liigh  iiiiiidrd  cili/cii.  and  occupied  a  prominciil  place  in  the 
section  in  which  he  lived.  He  died  in  1897  and  the  mother 
passed  away  in  1882,  honored  and  respected  by  all  wdio  knew 
them.  Tliey  reared  a  family  of  nine  cliildren,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living. 

Leo  received  his  education  in  the  pul)li(;  scIkiuIs,  whicji  lie 
attended  up  to  his  eighteenth  year,  and  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  as  long  as  they  lived.  After  the  death  of  his  father, 
he  acquired  the  old  homestead  in  sections  fourteen  and  twenty- 
three,  Ridgeville  township,  in  Avhich  lie  had  taken  an  active  part 
to  improve.  He  was  his  father's  mainstay,  and  for  years  ])re- 
ceding  his  father's  death,  had  the  active  management  of  tlie 
farm.  Since  coming  into  possession  of  the  homestead  he  has  made 
many  improvements  by  bringing  the  land  to  a  higher  state  of. 
cultivation,  erecting  buildings,  etc.,  amounting  to  over  .1^8,000. 
He  is  one  of  Monroe  county's  successful  and  up-to-date  farmers 
and  a  man  who  stands  high  in  his  community.  He  takes  a  prom- 
inent and  active  part  in  the  aft'airs  of  the  county,  is  strictly 
upright  and  honorable  in  his  dealing  with  his  fellow-men.  and 
holds  the  confidence  of  the  people,  In  1901  he  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  sheriff  of  the  county,  a  position  he  held  for  two  years, 
discharging  the  duties  of  the  ofHce  fairly  and  imi)artially.  He  is 
now  (1912)  the  nominee  of  the  Repu])lican  party  for  the  same 
office,  and  as  the  nomination  is  considered  as  good  as  election, 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  j\Ir.  Vieth  will  be  the  next  sheriff  of  Monroe 
county.  He  was  chairman  of  the  town  of  Ridgeville  for  twelve 
years. 

In  fraternal  matters,  Mr.  Yieth  is  a  mend)er  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He 
w^as  one  of  the  promoters  and  organizers  of  the  Monroe  County 
Cyclone  Insurance  Company  (incorporated),  Avhich  began  busi- 
ness in  1911,  and  the  company  now  has  over  300  policies  in  foi-ce 
and  their  business  is  extending  rapidly.  He  is  also  a  diiv^ctor 
in  the  German  IMutual  Fire  Insurance  Company. 

Henry  G.  Vincenz  is  one  of  the  hustling  young  farmers  of 
Ridgeville  township,  jMonroe  county,  where  he  was  born  February 
12,  1876,  and  raised.  He  is  the  son  of  Frederick  A.  and  Carrie 
W.  (Mausch)  Vincenz:  his  father  was  a  native  of  Saxony, 
Germany,  and  his  moHiei-  was  born  in  Jeffei'son  county,  Wis- 
consin.   The  father  came  to  America  sonu'  time  during  the  fifties 


BIOGRAPHY  909 

and  located  iii  Jefferson  county,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
laborer  for  some  time;  in  1860  he  moved  to  Leon  township,  in 
Monroe  county,  where  he  also  worked  at  farming,  until  about  the 
time  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  and  he  enlisted  in  Company  K, 
Third  Regiment  Wisconsin,  June,  1860.  After  serving  three 
years,  he  returned  to  Monroe  county  and  again  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1867  he  was  married  in  Jefferson  county,  and  they 
had  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Henry, 
our  subject,  being  the  sixth  child.  In  1887  Mr.  Vincenz  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  180  acres  in  sections  four  and  nine  in  the 
township  of  Ridgeviile,  which  was  soon  converted  by  them  into 
an  ideal  family  homestead,  where  they  lived  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Mr.  Vincenz  died  in  1900,  and  Mrs.  Vincenz  in  1883. 
They  were  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  them,  and  con- 
sidered among  the  leading  farmers  of  the  township.  They  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  Henry  G.  inherited  the  greater 
part  of  the  homestead  farm,  to  w^hich  he  afterward  added  a 
twenty-acre  tract  adjoining,  so  that  his  farm  now  contains  about 
140  acres  and  is  a  fine  piece  of  ground.  His  residence  is  modern, 
and  Mr.  Vincenz  lives  here  with  his  sister.  Miss  Paulina.  Mr, 
Vincenz  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  at 
Norwalk,  Wis.,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  large  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances. 

Mr.  Vincenz  is  at  the  present  time  a  member  of  the  Farmers' 
Equity,  a  stockholder  of  the  Norwalk  Independent  Telephone 
Company;  also  a  stockholder  of  the  Farmers'  Creamery  Company 
at  Norwalk,  and  a  director  of  school  district  number  four.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  his  politics,  and  is  active  in  all  matters  Avhich 
point  towards  the  development  of  his  town  and  county. 

Levi  Wallace,  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  Sheldon 
township,  is  the  son  of  John  and  Harriet  (Otter)  Wallace,  and 
was  born  in  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  October  20,  1839.  His 
father  was  born  in  1811,  and  lived  for  over  forty  years  in  Morgan 
county,  Ohio.  His  mother  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1813. 
They  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  ten  of  whom,  six  sons 
and  four  daughters,  are  now  living,  our  subject  being  the  fourth 
child  in  order  of  birth.  The  parents  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1882, 
locating  in  the  town  of  Sheldon,  and  were  among  the  prominent 
settlers  of  that  section.  They  followed  the  lives  of  farmers  and 
were  among  the  well-to-do  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  the 
town.  There  they  spent  the  last  days  of  their  lives,  and  died 
honored  and  esteemed  by  the  whole  community.     The  death  of 


!M(;  lilSToKV   OK   AIONKOK   C'OlXTY 

the  Jallicr  occiinvd  in  1S!)(),  ;ii.(l  tluil  ol'  the  iiiotlicr  in  1898.  On 
llic  |);it('i'nal  side,  .Mr.  W'jillacc  traces  liis  anccslry  to  Scot  hind. 
liis  grandfather  AN'allacc  liaving  conic  I'l-dni  thai  cnnnli-y  to 
America  in  a  very  early  day. 

Ijcvi  Wallai-c  i'ccci\-c<l  his  I'ducation  in  llir  pnhlic  schools,  and 
when  yet  a  yoiui^-  man  came  to  AViseousiu  in  Fei)i'uary.  iSli.").  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one^  years  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself 
on  a  I'cided  farm,  which  lie  o|)<'rated  for  some  fonr  years. 
and  llien  spent  a  short  linn'  in  the  West.  Keturning  to  Wis- 
consin, he  li\('d  in  \'ernon  county  until  387!).  then  came  ])ae]<  1o 
iMonroe  coiinty.  am!  in  the  fall  of  that  year  |)nn-liased  a  farm 
of  200  acres  in  section  t"\Venty-two,  Sheldon  towjishii),  where  he 
has  siin-e  resided,  lie  snhseqiiently  added  forty  acres  to  his 
original  purchase,  and  has  matle  many  impi'ox-enicuts.  In  1887 
he  erected  a  conmnxlious  residein-e.  and  in  1S!)4  built  a  well- 
constructed  harn.  Starting  out  in  life  pooi-.  and  with  onl\'  his 
hands,  hi'ains  and  iionndless  energy,  he  nu't  with  many  luirdships 
and  pi'ivation  at  liist.  which  he  met  with  indonuiitahle  courage 
and  o\('rcann'.  and  in  the  end  gaiiu-d  success,  and  is  to-day  one 
of  the  inlhienlial  and  successful  general  farmers  in  ^lonroe 
county.  Besides  his  farming  operations  he  has  l)ecn  identified 
■with  many  pu])lic  enterprises,  hotli  in  a  business  and  representa- 
tive way.  aiul  by  his  honoralile  dealings  and  upright  manly 
character  has  attained  to  a  position  of  ])roniinence.  In  all 
matters  which  he  considers  for  the  good  of  his  town  and  county, 
he  lends  his  co-operation  and  support.  In  ISSO.  he  wes  elected 
ehaii'man  of  the  town  board,  a  position  he  held  for  ten  yc^ars, 
and  for  a  period  of  live  years  was  assessor  of  the  town,  ami  for 
eighteen  years  has  been  ti-ensurer  of  his  school  district.  1I(>  also 
held  many  important  offices  while  a  resident  of  Veriu)n  county. 
As  a  nuMuber  of  the  legislature  for  four  years,  prior  to  188").  he 
was  t)i-ominently  identified  with  nnn-h  imimi'tant  h^gislation.  and 
tilled  the  position  Avith  honor  to  himself  antl  the  satisfaction  of 
his  constituents.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  pi-esident  of 
the  first  creauH'ry  operated  in  the  town  of  Sheldon,  and  is  now 
connected  in  an  official  wa\'  with  the  Farnuu's'  Creamery  of  the 
sanu'  town.  Mr.  Wallace  has  been  an  e\tensi\'e  dealci'  in  ami 
shipper  of  live  stock,  having  begun  his  oiteratiuns  in  this  li?ie  in 
1868.  lie  has  l)een  the  general  nuinager  and  luiyer  for  the 
Western   Livestock  Association  for  more  than  twenty-five  years. 

]\Ir.  Wallace  has  been  twice  married.  First,  in  18r)f).  to  Miss 
TTattie  Dalton,  of  Vernon  county,  by  whom  he  had  four  children, 
two  of  Avhom  are  now  living,  viz.:  ]\Iinnie,  wife  of  C.  AV.  Harmon, 


of  Mrgiiiia.  ]Miiii]..  and  .Mai-ian  ()..  of  I>cac!i.  X.  I).  Tin-  first 
]Mrs.  Wallace  died  in  ISSO.  and  he  married  for  his  second  wil'c 
Miss  (  ivillia  J.  Applenian,  who  was  the  eiohtli  child  in  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  ai-c  now  (]!)12)  livinji'.  viz.: 
Elizaheth,  wife  of  Ilenrv  ^mith.  of  I. a  l'\)r»:,e,  Wis.;  P^va,  wife 
of  Jefferson  Perkins;  ]\latilda  ("..  wife  of  Jolm  Edirar:  Ueorge 
and  Phillip,  all  of  Vernon  county.  AVisconsin  :  ;ind  Mrs.  Wallace. 
Her  father  was  horn  in  182."),  and  died  April  Ki,  ISDo.  Her 
mother  was  horn  in  1880,  and  died  November  29,  1868.  They 
were  among  the  prominent  and  very  early  settlers  of  Vernon 
connty.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  AVallace  have  been  born  six  children, 
viz.:  Lena  C,  born  December  21,  1879;  Albert  A.,  born  January 
5,  1882;  George  R.,  born  Febrnary  20,  LS88;  Susan  11..  born 
November  3,  1885;  Harrison  M.,  born  February  5,  1889;  and 
Millie  Flo,  born  October  6,  1890. 

In  fraternal  matters  ]Mr.  AVallace  is  a  mend)cr  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  tilled  all  the  chairs  of 
the  order.  Politically.  ]Mr.  AVallace  is  a  Progressive  Republican 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  ol'  the  party. 

George  H.  Warren,  whose  death  occurred  at  Tomah.  Wis.. 
Octol)cr.  1911.  was  a  leader  in  the  commercial  life  of  Tomah  and 
an  illustrious  example  of  that  type  of  enterprising  intelligence  and 
successful  business  men  which  has  given  that  prosperous  and 
growing  city  the  advanced  station  it  Indds  among  the  cities  of 
]\Ionroe  county.  He  was  a  native  of  Rutland  county,  A'ermont,  born 
December  14,  1887.  and  was  a  son  of  John  H.  antl  Lida 
(McGregor)  AVarren.  3Ir.  AVai-rcn  was  in  the  best  sense  a  thor- 
ough and  practical  business  man.  whose  clear-cut.  honorable  meth- 
ods, skillful  management  of  affairs  and  sterling  manliness  in  all 
his  varied  relations  made  him  a  leader  among  his  associates,  and 
a  force  of  good  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  His  life  was 
clear,  his  motives  ]uire  and  uo  (>ne  could  come  within  the  I'ange 
and  sphere  of  his  iiifluence  without  recognizing  the  force  of  his 
strong  jiersonality  and  integi-ity.  elements  of  character  which  had 
nnich  to  do  with  securing  to  him  the  high  jdace  h(>  held  in  busi- 
ness and  commercial  circles,  as  well  as  in  his  social  and  othei-  rela- 
tions. For  forty  years  Mr.  AVarren  was  continuously  and  closely 
identified  with  the  financial  interests  of  Tomah.  and  his  mcmoi-y 
is  cherished  and  kept  in  grateful  remend)i-ance  for  the  important 
part  he  played  in  the  material  development  of  both  the  institutions 
witli  which  he  was  so  closely  connected  and  the  city  in  which  he 
lived  and  loved.  His  father.  John  IT.  Wari'eii.  was  a  nati\e  ol' 
Scotland,  and  by  trade  a  carpenter  and  conti'actor.     Tie  came  to 


U12  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

Wisconsin  from  western  New  York  in  the  early  fifties,  with  a 
family  of  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz. :  John  F.,  George  H., 
Charles  II.  and  Laviene,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Stoiighton, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  as  carpenter  and  builder,  and  for  ten 
years  was  engaged  in  the  retail  luml)er  business.  In  1868  he 
moved  to  Tomah,  where  he  also  engaged  in  tlie  lumber  trade, 
which  he  followed  up  to  the  time  of  joining  his  son,  Charles  II.,  at 
Shenandoah.  la.,  a  short  time  before  his  death,  Avhen  he  returned 
to  Tomah  and  made  his  home  with  George  H.  He  was  a  great 
Bible  student,  popular  and  well  known  in  business  and  social 
circles;  of  kind  disposition  and  considerate  of  those  near  and 
dear  to  him.  In  his  early  years  he  took  deep  interest  in  music, 
took  instructions  at  Boston  and  became  a  noted  singer  and  taught 
vocal  music  in  his  native  state,  and  also  after  coming  to  Wisconsin. 
Was  a  member  of  the  Boston  Glee  Club.  Ilis  death  occurred  in 
1892. 

George  II.  AVarren  received  a  limited  education,  attending  the 
common  schools  until  he  became  twelve  years  of  age.  He  lived 
under  the  paternal  roof  until  the  age  of  nineteen  and  worked  at 
the  carpenter  trade  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-two.  He 
began  his  long  and  prosperous  career  as  night  operator  in  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad,  and  for 
twenty-three  years  was  employed  as  night  operator  and  billing 
clerk,  and  was  then  employed  as  station  agent  at  Tomah,  Wis., 
hy  the  same  company  for  some  twelve  years.  In  1871  he  asso- 
ciated with  his  younger  brother,  Charles  H.,  secured  a  contract 
from  the  railroad  company  to  furnish  railroad  ties.  They  fur- 
nished all  the  ties  used  by  the  company  for  the  roadbed  between 
Chicago  and  ]\Iilwaukee;  they  then  became  purchasing  agents  for 
the  company,  which  position  was  held  for  fifteen  years.  When  the 
Chicago,  jNIilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  road  purchased  the  Wisconsin 
Valley  road,  Charles  H.  was  made  superintendent,  with  offices  at 
Tomah,  Wis.,  and  continued  to  fill  that  position  until  promoted  to 
superintendency  of  Shenandoah  (Iowa)  branch.  Retiring  from 
the  railroad  business,  Mr.  Warren  purchased  the  lumber  interests 
of  his  father  at  Tomah,  and  for  six  years  successfully  conducted 
that  business.  In  1888  he  organized  the  Warren  Bank  of  Tomah, 
with  John  II.  as  president  and  George  II.  as  vice  president  and 
Winfield  W.  as  cashier.  With  a  capital  of  .^10.000  the  bank  began 
business  and  has  had  deposits  of  over  half  a  million  dollars.  Up  to 
the  present  time  the  stock  has  been  owned  and  controlled  by  the 
Warrens  and  has  always  been  considered  one  of  the  soundest  insti- 
tutions in  tilt'  founly.     He  was  prominent   in  Masonic  circles  antl 


lUOGRAPHY  913 

had  attained  to  the  degree  of  Kiiidit  Temi)hu'.  In  i)olities  he  was 
a  Cleveland  Democrat. 

On  February  26,  1860,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Helen 
M.  Stoughton,  who  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a  daughter  of 
George  Stoughton,  wlu^se  bi-otlicr  was  the  founder  of  Stoughton. 
To  this  union  was  born  one  son,  AA'infiold  W..  now  prosidcnl  of 
the  AYarrens'  bank. 

Mr.  "Warren  passed  away  in  tlie  full  strength  oL"  his  mental 
vigor,  and  though  his  going  was  universally  felt  to  be  a  public 
loss  and  by  those  near  to  him  as  a  loss  that  nothing  can  fully 
repair.  It  is  to  them  and  to  all  a  source  of  consolation  to  know 
that  he  left  the  enduring  influence  of  a  good  life  and  the  lasting 
lieritage  of  an  honored  name. 

Franklin  Webb,  a  highly  respected  farmer  and  resident  of 
Wellington  township,  inirchased  his  farm  of  160  acres  in  sections 
twenty-two  and  fifteen  in  1876,  Avhich  has  since  been  liis  home. 
He  was  born  on  December  11,  1835,  in  New  York  state,  the  son 
of  Napthali  and  Hannah  (Hall)  Webb.  The  Webb  family 
descended  from  three  brothers  of  that  name  who  came  to  America 
from  England  in  an  early  day,  and  the  grandfather  of  Franklin, 
(Libeous)  Webb,  settled  in  Connecticut  and  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Napthali  Webb  was  born  in  Connecticut 
and  was  one  of  a  family  of  five  children.  They  moved  from  there 
to  Oswego  county.  New  York,  where  they  lived  until  some  time 
during  the  fifties,  when  Napthali,  with  his  family  of  four  children, 
moved  to  Jefferson  county,  Wisconsii],  and  lived  there  until  his 
death  at  the  age  of  ninety-four.  He  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  Jefferson  county,  who  passed  through  the  trials  and  privations 
of  the  early  days  and  did  much  toward  the  development  of  his 
tOAvn.  He  raised  a  family  of  fourteen  children,  seven  of  Avhom 
are  living. 

Franklin  Webb  is  the  tenth  child ;  his  brother,  William  Webb, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  serving  in  the  Twenty-ninth  Wis- 
consin Infantry  until  the  close.  Franklin  lived  with  his  parents 
and  worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  forty-one.  He  was  married 
on  August  16,  1857,  in  Jefferson  county,  Wisconsin,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Crout,  and  moved  to  the  town  of  Wellington,  in  Monroe 
county  in  1876.  He  had  purchased  his  farm  there  in  1873,  and 
has  since  been  a  successful  general  farmer  and  a  most  valuable 
citizen  to  his  neighborhood.  His  laud  was  unimproved  when  he 
bought  it,  and  with  the  many  years  of  hard  work  and  economical 
perseverance,  he  brought  it  to  its  present  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  made  it  one  of  the  ideal  country  homes  of  the  township. 


914  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTr 

His  method  of  farmintr  and  his  business  dealings  witli  liis  neigh- 
bors won  for  him  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 
Both  he  and  ]\Irs.  AVel)b  are  members  of  the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal 
cluirch.  lie  is  now  j-ctired  from  active  life  on  account  of  poor 
eyesight,  and  his  son.  Iliram,  a  l)riglit  and  thi-ifty  farmei-. 
manages  the  farm. 

]Mr.  and  IMrs.  AVebb  liavc  a  family  of  five  cliildi-en.  all  ol'  whom 
were  born  in  -fcfferson  county,  viz.:  ('larcnce  F..  born  June  20, 
1858:  (leorge  W..  boin  September  10,  1850;  Jcri-y  W..  born 
January  4,  18(i]  ;  IliiMui  L..  hoiii  Januar.v  :'.  1863,  and  KImer  M.. 
born  November  20.  18(j7.  .Mi-s.  ^V('bl)  was  one  of  a  fainil\-  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  llii-cc  boys  and  two  girls  are  now  living. 
She  was  born  at  Martin.  Ohio.  January  20.  1840.  Her  father. 
Nicholas  Crout.  who  was  born  in  France,  emigrated  from  the  state 
of  Ohio  to  Walworth  count.y,  Wisconsin,  in  1843.  antl  in  1848 
moved  to  Jeflferson  county,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  120  acres. 
He  afterwards  moved  to  (.'alifornia.  where  he  died  in  1888.  Ilei- 
mother.  Catherine  Talbot,  was  born  in  Germany  and  died  in  Jeffei'- 
soii  ei)iuit\  ill  1865  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years.  They  were 
memlters  of  the  Freewill  liaptist  church. 

Thomas  Welch,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Wellington  township, 
was  born  .May  6.  1857.  to  Patrick  and  Elizabeth  (Quirk)  Weicii. 
natives  of  Ireland.  The  father  came  to  America  in  early  life  and 
first  located  in  New  York,  where  lie  woi-ked  as  a  laborer  for  some 
time,  and  Avhere  he  was  married  and  raised  a  family  of  six  ehil- 
dren.  In  the  fall  of  1864.  the  father,  with  his  family,  came  to 
Monroe  county,  AVisconsin.  and  settled  in  1lie  Black  valley,  in 
Wellitiiilou  Inwnshi]).  where  he  homesteaded  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  section  eight,  lo  wliieli  he  subsequently  added,  until  a1  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  October  5.  1908.  he  owned  120  acres. 
He  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  Black  valley,  and  the  wild  land 
which  he  acrpiired.  M'as  by  hard  work  and  ])ei-severance.  converted 
into  a  valuable  and  productive  farm,  lie  was  honorable  and 
upright  in  all  his  dealings  antl  gained  many  friends,  which  he 
retained.  In  religious  affiliations  he  and  his  wife,  who  died  in 
1904,  Avei'c  devoted  members  of  the  Ciitliolie  ehufcli. 

Thomas  received  his  education  in  the  pul)lie  schools,  which  he 
attended  until  his  seventeenth  year,  .ind  made  his  home  with  his 
parents,  though  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen  he  started  in  life  I'nr 
himself,  receiving  $10  per  month  as  a  farm  laborer,  whicii  occupa- 
tion he  followed  foi"  several  years  l)efore  buying  a  farm  of  his 
own.  In  1S92  he  was  mari'ied  to  Aliss  Catherine  Egan.  daughter 
of  Peter  Egan.  of  Wellington  township,  who  came  with  his  familv 


BIOGRAPHY  915 

to  Monroe  coimty  in  1859,  where  he  i)iii'ehaseil  liOU  acres  of  wikl 
laud  in  the  town  of  Wellinijton.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wei  eh  have 
been  born  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  now  li\iii^-.  viz.: 
Mary  p].,  born  May  25,  1894;  Catherine,  hoi-ii  Kehniary  2,  189G; 
Thomas,  born  October  10.  1898;  Agnes,  l)orn  Jannary  25,  1900; 
Donald,  born  July  10,  1904,  and  James,  born  February  5,  1908. 

Prior  to  his  marriage  IMr.  Welch  had  acquired  seventy-four 
acres  of  land  in  section  eight,  AVellington  township,  to  which  he 
has  since  added  forty  acres,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  114  acres  of 
choice  land.  He  is  a  successful  farmer  and  keeps  his  place  w^ell 
stocked  with  horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  He  has  made  many  valuable 
improvements ;  built  his  residence  in  1904,  and  erected  a  large  and 
commodious  barn,  32  x  54  feet,  with  other  substantial  outbuild- 
ings. Tw^o  deep  wells  and  a  fine  spring  of  running  water,  furnish 
his  house  and  barn  with  an  abundant  suppl}^  at  all  seasons.  Besides 
being  successful  in  farming,  Mr.  Welch  is  a  public  spirited  and 
influential  citizen,  and  for  eighteen  years  has  been  elerk  of  the 
school  board. 

Simon  J.  Wells,  one  of  the  prosperous  and  influential  farmers 
of  Wells  township,  is  a  native  son  of  Monroe  county.  Wisconsin, 
and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wells  January  11.  1858.  His  parents 
were  James  and  ]\Iinerva  (Cline)  AYells.  natives  of  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania,  respectively.  The  father  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1853, 
and  for  five  years  followed  the  occupation  of  sheep  and  horse 
drover.  He  made  his  home  in  !l\Ionroe  and  La  Crosse  counties, 
until  his  marriage  in  La  Crosse  county,  about  1857.  He  was  a  man 
of  energy  and  thrift,  and  became  the  owner  of  380  acres  of  land. 
He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  made  a  specialty  of  raising  Oxford 
sheep,  cattle  and  hogs.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  town  and 
county  matters,  and  for  tw^o  years  was  chairman  of  the  town 
board  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  and  in  politics  a 
Democrat.  He  lived  a  long  and  useful  life,  his  death  occurring  in 
1904.  Wells  township  was  named  in  his  honor,  and  is  a  fitting- 
compliment  to  a  worthy  pioneer  and  citizen.  His  wife,  mother 
of  our  subject,  still  (1912)  survives,  and  is  a  resident  of  Sparta. 

Simon  J.  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm,  and  during  his  boy- 
hood attended  the  district  schools  and  assisted  in  the  farm  work. 
He  remained  on  the  homestead  with  his  parents  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  tw^enty-eight  years.  He  has  follow^ed  farming  during 
his  whole  life;  has  been  generally  successful  in  his  undertakings 
and  is  knowai  as  one  of  the  prosperous,  public  spirited  citizens  of 
IMonroe  count}',  and  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his 


916  lll.STUiiY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

commuuity,  received  his  hearty  support.  In  politics  he  affiliates 
with  the  Democratic  part3^ 

The  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Wells  occurred  ou  May  27,  1886,  to  ]\Iiss 
Clara  Lee,  daughter  of  Peter  Lee.  Six  children  have  been  born 
to  them.  viz. :    Frances,  Fern,  Lee.  Myrtle,  James  and  ]\Iyra  AVells. 

Will  N.  Wells  was  born  in  the  town  of  (Greenwood,  Oceana 
county,  ^licli.,  February  3,  1865.  He  is  the  son  of  Kufus  Frank 
Wells  and  Fannie  Fortune  Wells,  both  descendants  of  Revolu- 
tionary families,  which  settled  in  Ncav  York  and  Pennsylvania  at 
an  early  day. 

]\Ir.  Wells  came  to  Michigan  Avith  his  parents  when  that  state 
was  a  territory,  being  pioneers  there  and  also  in  Wisconsin.  Rufus 
Wells  was  a  car])enter  by  trade  and  helped  to  build  many  of  the 
earlier  houses  in  Hlack  River  Falls  during  the  fifties:  failing 
health  forced  him  to  abandon  the  trade  and  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  1870.  which  he  followed  until  his  death. 

AVill  N.  came  to  Ilumbird  with  his  parents,  where  his  father 
opened  a  pioneer  hardware  store  in  1870.  AVas  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  that  place,  going  to  Dakota  with  his  father  in 
1878  and  being  pioneer  settlers  at  Gary.  His  father  died  at  Gary 
the  following  year,  when  subject  of  this  sketch  Avas  attending 
school  at  Ilumbird  ;  he  went  tn  Xeillsville  in  1880  and  luul  one  year 
in  the  high  school.  Financial  circumstances  compelled  him  to 
abandon  school  and  he  entered  the  printing  office  of  the  Clark 
County  Courier,  at  Xeillsville.  to  learn  the  trade.  The  remainder 
of  his  education  Avas  acquired  in  the  '"school  of  experience''  and 
he  graduated  from  a  country  printing  office.  In  1884  he  purchased 
a  half  interest  in  the  Neillsville  Times,  selling  out  six  months 
later;  and  until  1890  he  followed  the  occupation  of  journeyman 
printer.  Avorking  in  many  of  the  large  cities  of  the  country. 

Tn  December.  1890.  he  returned  to  Black  River  Falls.  AVis., 
and  leased  the  Jackson  County  Journal.  Avhich  he  conducted  for 
two  years.  On  September  11,  1891.  he  Avas  married  to  ]Miss 
^Margaret  Kerrigan,  daughter  of  ]\lr.  and  ^Ir.s.  William  Kerrigan, 
of  Sparta,  the  latter  being  pioneer  settlers  of  that  phu-e. 

In  December,  1892,  he  gave  up  the  lease  of  the  Journal  and  in 
January.  lSi>;5.  Avas  I'lected  engrossing  clerk  in  the  state  senate 
at  Aladison. 

In  September.  1908.  Avas  appointed  depnly  collector  of  internal 
revemie  for  the  La  Crosse  division,  comprising  ten  counties  of 
Avestern  Wisconsin,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  June  1.  1900. 
Upon  receiving  the  appointnienl  to  that  position  he  moved  Avitli 
his    family    to    Spjirta    in    Februai-y.    1894.    Avhere    he    has    since 


BIOGRAPHY  ill  7 

resided.  Since  leaving  the  internal  revenue  service  he  has  l)een 
engaued  in  the  business  of  stationery  dealer  for  sevi'ii  ncji  rs.  jiiid 
foi-  the  past  four  years  one  of  the  proprietors  and  editor  of  the 
]\lonroL'  County  Democrat. 

rie  served  three  >'ears  <is  ahlciiiinii  jiiid  Iwo  .vc.-irs  as  super- 
visor of  the  thii-(l  wai'd  of  the  city  of  Spai'ta  and  tlii-ee  xcars  as 
its  jiiayor.  diu'iii".'  \\lii('h  time  many  muiiieipal  impro\'emeiits  were 
inau,uiifat(Ml.  Ilis  laiiiily  consists  of  li\-e  eliildi'eii.  tlii'ee  girls  and 
two  boys.  l)eiiiu'  ai  eoiding  to  age,  Coi'a,  I'jditli.  Koljeii.  IJufiis  and 
JNIargaret. 

Herman  V/endorf,  one  of  the  pi'oniinent  (jlernian  farmers  of 
Ridgeville  township.  .Monroe  county,  was  born  December  2."^  1882. 
in  Dodge  eon)ity.  Wisconsin,  the  son  of  August  and  ^lai-y 
(Springborn)  Wendorf.  both  natives  of  Germany.  His  father 
came  to  America  some  time  diii-ing  the  fifties  and  fii-st  located  in 
Milwaukee,  where  he  was  nmrried.  and  sliortly  afterward  moved 
to  Dodge  county.  They  were  [)rominent  and  thrifty  fanners,  and 
lost  no  time  in  working  their  way  to  comfortable  eii-eumstances. 
and  are  now  living  in  i)ractical  retirement  as  the  I'esult  of  tlieii- 
early  years  of  toil  and  perseverance  and  are  considered  among 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  township.  The  father  is  now  (1912) 
sixty-five  years  of  age  and  tlie  mother  is  sixty-two.  Both  are 
mend)ers  of  the  Lutheran  church.  They  raised  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Herman  was  the  fifth  child  of  the  family  and  lived  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty-one:  he  attended  the  district  scliool  until  he 
was  fifteen  years  old  and  then  took  a  thorough  business  course 
in  the  Iloifman  College  at  Milwaukee.  Wis.,  after  which  he 
embarked  in  the  saloon  business  in  Wilton.  IMonroe  county,  and 
conducted  this  for  about  one  year.  This  enterprise,  however, 
proved  too  slow  for  his  ambitious  nature  and  he  decided  to  make 
a  trip  through  the  West  in  search  of  his  fortune,  and  he  went  to 
North  Dakota,  but  after  a  short  visit  through  that  part  of  the 
country  he  returned  to  Wilton,  and  Avith  his  two  brothers,  pur- 
chased a  200-acre  tract  of  land  in  section  sixteen,  Ridgeville  town- 
ship, which  they  conducted  together  successfully.  Herman  after- 
ward purchased  the  interests  of  both  the  others,  which  he  still 
owns  and  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  married  on  March 
25,  IflOS.  to  Miss  Freda  Schultz,  daughter  of  AYilliam  and  IMinnie 
Schultz,  who  came  to  ]Monroe  county  in  an  early  day. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wendorf  have  tAVO  children,  viz.:  Gilmore.  born 
December  18,  1910.  and  Barbara,  born  March  31.  1912.  Their 
home  is  ideal  in  every  respect,  and  is  well  equipped  with  stock 


918  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

and  tilt'  lU'ct'ssary  machinery  for  tlie  .successful  operation  of  the 
farin,  making  it  one  of  the  finest  country  homes  in  the  county. 
Mr.  Wendorf  has  a  splendid  dairy  business  in  connection,  with 
twenty-nine  head  of  fine  milch  cows,  from  which  he  realizes  a 
substantial  revenue  in  the  sale  of  milk  to  the  creamery;  he  also 
has  a  large  herd  of  the  best  breed  of  hogs,  some  of  which  are 
always  ready  for  the  market.  AVliile  Mr.  AVendorf  is  classed 
among  the  younger  farmers,  he  is  nevertheless  a  hustling  leader 
in  those  ranks,  and  casts  his  vote  regularly  for  the  Republican 
candidates;  has  always  been  active  in  the  interests  of  that  party. 
Both  ho  and  IMrs.  Wendorf  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Herman  A.  Westphal,  owner  and  proprietor  of  a  fine  160-acre 
farm  in  section  twenty-seven,  Adrian  township,  is  a  native  son 
of  Monroe  county,  born  August  3,  1869,  and  is  one  of  a  family 
of  ten  children  born  to  Gotlieb  and  Amelia  (Marquardt)  AVest- 
phal,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  others  are  Augusta,  wife  of 
Adolph  Sommerfield,  of  Tomah  township;  Adeline,  wife  of  Fred 
Damrow,  of  Adrian  township ;  Albertena,  wife  of  AYilliam  Bak- 
house,  of  the  town  of  Adrian;  William,  of  Adrian;  Amelia,  wife 
of  "William  Matthews,  of  Tomah  township;  August,  of  Adrian; 
Emma,  married  William  Rieke,  and  resides  in  Adrian;  Albert 
lives  on  the  homestead  farm,  and  Alvina,  now  Mrs.  John  Rehberg, 
lives  in  Adrian  township. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  came  to  America  nearlj^  fifty  years 
ago,  and  first  located  at  Tomah,  where  they  remained  a  short 
time,  and  finallj'  settled  on  a  farm  in  section  thirty,  Adrian 
township,  and  there  made  their  home  until  1897,  when  they 
moved  to  the  city  of  Tomah,  where  they  have  since  lived. 

Herman  A.  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  and 
remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old, 
and  then  began  to  depend  upon  his  own  resources  for  a  livelihood. 
In  1891  he  purchased  his  present  farm,  which  he  has  since 
improved  and  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has 
cleared  some  twelve  acres,  built  a  large  barn  in  1903,  and  a 
modern  house  in  1904,  together  with  granary  and  other  outbuild- 
ings, besides  making  A-arious  other  improvements.  In  April,  1891. 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  Schroeder,  of  Richland  Center,  AVis., 
and  one  daughter,  Iluldah.  born  February  14,  1892,  was  the  only 
child  of  this  union.  Mrs.  Westphal  passed  away  in  1896,  and  IMr. 
Westphal  married  for  the  second  time  in  1897,  Miss  Emma 
Keller,  of  Wilton  township,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born 
two  children,  viz.:  Elna  B.,  born  August  18,  1899.  and  Hffrry, 
born  December  16,  1906. 


BIOGRAPHY  919 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  AA^estpluil  are  uieiiibers  of  the  Gennaii  Lutheran 
church  of  Ridgeville. 

Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Whiting='=,  who  resides  on  section  five,  Leon 
township,  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  and  was  born  at  Kenosha, 
June  26,  1844.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  C.  and  Lucy  (Lease) 
Whiting,  both  natives  of  England.  They  came  with  their  parents 
in  an  early  day  to  America  and  located  for  a  time  in  New  York 
state,  and  afterwards  the  family  moved  to  Libertyville,  111.,  where 
Mr.  Whiting  kept  the  Temperance  House,  which  he  afterwards 
sold  and  engaged  in  blacksmithing,  later  removing  to  Kenosha 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  Mrs.  Whiting,  our  subject,  was  born. 
She  is  of  a  family  of  five  children,  three  sons  and  two  d'aughters, 
she  being  the  only  surviving  member.  The  brothers  were  all 
teachers. 

Mrs.  Whiting  has  been  twice  married,  and  both  husbands 
served  three  years  in  the  Civil  War,  and  by  the  first  marriage 
she  had  two  children,  Charles  W.  and  Ida.  By  her  second 
marriage  she  also  has  two  children,  Albert  M.  and  Lulu  May. 
Mrs.  AVhiting  is  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  refinement,  and  has 
always  been  devoted  to  her  home  and  family.  She  has  resided  on 
her  present  farm  in  Leon  since  1897. 

Henry  J.  Willgrubs,  son  of  Heye  and  Frederica  (Wildhagn) 
Willgrubs,  was  born  September  9,  1859,  in  Madison,  Wis.  His 
parents  came  from  Germany,  the  father  in  1855,  first  located  in 
Madison,  where  he  worked  as  a  teamster  for  some  time;  he  was 
born  on  January  9,  1819,  married  in  1858,  and  died  in  1894.  The 
mother  was  born  September  1,  1830.  They  had  a  family  of  four 
children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living,  Henry  J.  and  George  M., 
who  is  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  resides  in  Madison.  In  1861 
the  father  moved  to  Brush  Creek  valley  in  Monroe  county,  and 
w^ith  his  brothers,  Jibbe  and  Menke  Willgrubs,  bought  160  acres 
of  wild  land  in  section  thirty-six,  Jefferson  township,  and  here 
experienced  the  ups  and  downs  of  pioneer  life,  with  few  neigh- 
bors and  far  apart;  but,  as  the  years  passed,  they  became 
successful  farmers.  Heye  Willgrubs  subsequently  bought  the 
share  of  his  two  brothers  in  the  farm,  and  two  years  before  his 
death  left  the  homestead  in  charge  of  our  subject,  who  is  now 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  this  section. 

One  of  the  hardships  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  section  of 
the  country  was  the  marketing  of  grain  and  other  farm  products. 
They  had  to  be  hauled  or  driven  over  the  then  poorly  constructed 
roads,  across  the  hills  forming  the  divide  between  the  headwaters 
of  the  La  Crosse  and  the  Kickapoo  rivers,  twenty-two  miles,  to 


920  IIFSTORY  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

Sparta,  then  the  nearest  railruatl  town.  Jt  usually  required  tAVO 
days  to  make  the  round  trip. 

IleiH-y  ff.  AVillgrubs  attended  tlic  district  schools  until  he  was 
fV)Ui'teen  years  old,  then  took  a  course  at  Xorwalk  school,  and 
later  attended  |iii\  ale  school  al  .Madison,  taking  a  thorough  course 
in  luisiness  and  ixiok-keeping.  lie  lixcd  at  home  Avith  his  parents, 
continuing  llie  iiiaiiagemeni  id'  the  ianu  uidil  he  was  thirty-one 
years  old;  he  was  married  on  April  22,  J8t)l,  to  Miss  Frieda 
I\Iaier.  daughlci-  of  .lohn  and  Teressia  ]\[aier,  also  natives  of 
(Jermaiiy.  ]\lr.  and  ,Mrs.  Willgi-ugs  now  have  a  family  of  three 
children,  \  iz. :  Alhei't  F.,  horn  .May  1.'),  1S!)2;  Krnest  Theodore, 
born  August  10,  ]894,  and  Flsie  T.,  born  :\Iarch  20,  1900. 

Besides  general  laindng,  ^\v.  Willgrnbs  conducts  one  of  the 
best  dairies  in  the  country:  he  has  held  the  office  of  town  clerk 
for  eleven  terms  and  is  a    Democrat  in  polities. 

Jib  T.  WillgTubs'',  who  ranks  among  the  substantial  farmers 
of  Hig  Creek  valley,  Avas  born  in  Brush  Creek  valley  near  Cashton. 
I\lonroe  county,  AVis..  INlarch  IG.  1862.  His  father,  George  L. 
AVillgrubs,  was  born  at  TIanover,  Germany,  and  came  early  in  the 
fifties  to  the  United  States  and  located  at  Lotli,  Dane  county, 
AVis.,  where  for  three  years  he  followed  the  trade  of  blacksmith, 
and  then  removed  to  AlOnroe  county.  The  mother  of  .Mi-.  Will- 
gi'ubs.  whose  maiden  name  was  Minnie  Snyder,  was  born  at 
]\Iecklenlmrg,  Germany,  and  after  coming  to  this  country  settled 
in  Alonroe  county,  Avliei-e  she  married  George  L.  Willgrubs. 
Upon  arriving  in  this  county,  Mr.  AVillgrubs  purchased  a  farm 
of  172  acres  in  Bush  Creek  valley,  which  he  cleared  and  improved 
Avith  a  good  class  of  buildincs,  and  brought  the  soil  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation. 

Jib  T.  AVillgrubs  was  i-eared  on  the  lioiiic  farn:  and  attended 
the  district  schools,  and  assisted  Avith  ihe  farm  work  unlil  he 
reached  his  majority,  Avhen  he  purchased  132  acres  of  the  home- 
stead farm  from  his  fathei-  and  started  farming  on  his  OAvn 
account.  TIm'  oilier  forty  acres  the  father  i-eserved,  upon  Avhich 
he  erected  ncAV  buildings,  and  Avhere  he  made  his  home  until  his 
death  on  September  30.  1!)()7.  at  the  age  of  seventy-on(>  years. 
Aftei-  Ihe  death  of  her  husband,  .Mrs.  Willgrubs  disj)Osed  of  the 
farm  and  removed  to  the  city  of  Sparta.  Avhere  she  noAV  resides. 
They  had  a  fannly  of  nine  childi-en:  John,  lives  at  Cashton; 
Jib  T..  subject  of  this  sketch;  Ellen.  Avife  of  Walter  Parks; 
.\nna,  Avife  of  Christ  Ganunerdinger,  of  Hustle,  Juneau  county; 
Nettie,  AvidoAV  of  Thomas  AFui-pliy.  of  Sparta,  and  Bertha  is  the 
wife  of  Allen  Schutt.  and  resides  in  Alihvaukee.     Those  deceased 


lMO(iKAPTTY  921 

are  Margaret.  \\lu»  died  ;il  the  age  of  two  years:  llmi-y  died  in 
infaney,  and  Charles  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years. 

j\Jr.  ^Villgi'uhs  was  nuii-ricd  on  September  27.  IS!),').  ;it  Home, 
Wis.,  to  ]\liss  Kose  Frohmader,  daughter  of  .lohn  niid  Mary 
(Boruhimer)  Froliniader.  Ilei-  parents  moved  Irdiii  Rome.  -Jeffer- 
son eonnty.  to  ("lifton  townsiiip,  .Monroe  eounty,  in  1872,  where 
the  father  died  in  1907  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  His 
widow,  mother  of  Mi's.  Willgrubs,  survives,  and  lives  in  tlie  city 
of  Sparta.  To  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Jib  T.  AVillgrubs  have  been  horn 
three  children :  Leonard  G.,  Everett  J.,  and  Enniee  M.  In  1908. 
Mr.  Willgrubs  removed  to  Sparta  townshi})  and  purcliased  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  section  eighteen  in  the  Big  Creek  \alley,  to 
which  he  added  by  purchase  until  he  now  has  one  himdrcd  jiiid 
thirty  acres  of  higldy  cultivated  land.  Mr.  \Viligrul)s  is  one 
of  the  public  spirited  and  influential  farmers  of  jMonroe  county, 
and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town  and  county. 
For  four  years  he  was  chairman  of  the  Jeft'erson  town  l)t)ai'd, 
treasurer  of  the  school  district  for  seventeen  years,  and  for 
several  years  overseer  of  highways.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Sparta  toAvn  board,  a  member  of  the  Sparta  Fruit  Growers' 
Association,  director  and  treasurer  of  the  ]\Inlnal  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  and  in  polities  a  Republican. 

William  U.  Willgrubs  is  another  one  of  the  prosperous  and 
influential  farmers  of  the  Big  Creek  valley.  He  is  the  son  of 
Menke  and  Anna  (Baker)  AA^illgrubs,  and  was  born  in  Algona. 
low^a,  June  26,  1869.  His  father  came  to  the  Ignited  States  from 
Germany,  and  first  located  in  AVisconsin  in  the  early  fifties, 
where  he  made  a  start  in  life  and  returned  to  Germany  for  his 
parents,  with  whom  he  later  returned  to  Amcu'ica.  ]\Irs.  AVill- 
grubs,  mother  of  our  subject.  Avas  a  native  of  "Wisconsin,  having 
been  born  in  Waukesha  count.y.  After  returning  to  America 
Avitli  liis  parents,  the  father  of  ]Mr.  AVillgruI)s  went  to  Towa,  and 
remained  there  until  1872,  whence  they  removed  to  ^lonroe 
county.  AA^isconsin,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Sparta  township, 
where  they  remained  for  se\-en  years,  when  the  father  purchased 
the  farm  in  section  eighteen,  this  towaashi]i.  which  is  now  owned 
by  AVilliam.  and  Avhich  he  successfully  cari-ied  on  for  eiyhteen 
years.  He  then  removed  to  the  city  of  Sparta,  where  he  lives  in 
practical  retirement,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  long  years  of  toil. 
i\Irs.  AA'illgrubs.  mother  of  our  subject,  died  when  William  was 
nine  years  old.  ^Ir.  AA^illgrubs  is  the  second  child  of  a  family  of 
four  children.  The  others  are  George,  who  lives  in  Spnrta  :  Ida. 
formerlv  the  Avife  of  D.  L.  Powell,  is  deeeascnl :  and  .Xettie.  who 


!)22  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

(Hod  at  the  age  of  four  years.  ^Villialn,  our  subject,  obtained 
his  education  in  the  district  school  and  assisted  in  the  "work  on 
tlie  farm  until  the  fall  of  1890,  when  he  purchased  the  same 
from  his  father.  He  has  since  made  many  improvements  on  the 
place,  among  these  being  his  modern  residence,  "which  "was  erected 
in  1903,  and  has  many  up-to-date  appliances,  such  as  hot  and 
cold  water,  etc.  In  1911  a  new  and  commodious  barn,  36  by  48 
feet,  with  twenty-foot  post,  was  erected,  besides  which  there  is 
a  fine  silo  and  other  improvements.  ]\Ir.  "Willgi'ubs  uses  modern 
methods  in  his  farming,  and  his  is  one  of  the  model  country 
homes  in  Monroe  county. 

On  June  10,  1891,  ]\Ir.  AVillgrubs  Avas  united  in  marriage  witli 
]\Iiss  Ida  B.  Hutson,  daughter  of  John  Ilutson,  of  Sparta  town- 
ship. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  AVillgrubs  have  been  born  five  children : 
Ralph  v.,  AVilbert  J.,  Harold,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Francis  D., 
and  Dorothy  Mary  Ann.  Mr.  AVillgrubs  is  one  of  the  enterprising 
public  spirited  citizens  of  the  county,  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  public  affairs.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  his  town  one  term, 
highway  commissioner  one  term  and  for  thirteen  years  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  In  religious  faith  and  fellowship  Mr.  AYill- 
grubs  and  his  family  affiliate  with  the  Big  Creek  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

George  Williams,  who  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  Wells 
township,  was  born  at  Kilbourn  City,  Wis.,  April  14,  1864,  son  of 
Casper  and  Elizabeth  (Craig)  Williams,  natives  of  Germany. 
Some  time  in  the  fifties  the  parents,  with  one  child,  emigrated  to 
America  and  located  at  Grand  Rapids,  Wis.  After  a  residence 
there  of  two  years,  they  moved  to  Kilbourn  City  and  there 
remained  ten  years,  whence  they  went  to  Bangor,  La  Crosse 
county,  making  the  trip  from  Kilbourn  with  an  ox  team,  one  cow 
and  two  pigs,  which  followed  the  wagon  all  the  way  to  La  Crosse 
countj'.  For  fourteen  years  the  father  was  engaged  in  rafting  on 
the  Wisconsin  and  Mississippi  rivers.  He  homesteaded  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  La  Crosse  county  at  a  time  when  there  were  no  rail- 
roads, and  he  would  often  carry  a  sack  of  flour  on  his  back,  weigh- 
ing 150  pounds,  from  I^a  Crosse  to  his  claim.  They  experienced  all 
the  trials  and  hardships  of  pioneer  life  in  a  new  country,  and  later 
purchased  a  farm  in  Burns  township.  La  Crosse  county,  and  there 
lived  until  the  father's  death  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  The 
mother  died  in  1902.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children.  In 
religious  belief  they  were  Lutherans,  and  the  father  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

George  Williams,  who  was  the  fifth  child  in  order  of  birth. 


BIOGRAPHY  .  923 

attended  the  district  schools  and  remained  on  the  home  farm 
assisting-  with  the  farm  work  nntil  he  was  twenty-one.  He  then 
went  to  Sonth  Dakota  and  spent  one  year.  Returning  to  Wis- 
consin, he  purchased  the  George  King  farm  of  167  acres,  in  section 
eleven,  Wells  township,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  has  made 
valuable  and  lasting  improvements  to  the  house,  barns  and  other 
buildings,  and  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  and 
influential  general  farmers  and  dairymen  of  his  town.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  as  treasurer  of  the  school  district 
for  three  years. 

He  was  married  at  Cataract,  Wis.,  to  Miss  Helen  Stetzer, 
daughter  of  August  Stetzer,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  La  Crosse 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  are  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
viz. :  Gertrude,  Robert  W.,  Lloyd,  Harold,  Vera,  Ralph  and 
George  Williams. 

Robert  Williams,  one  of  the  model  farmers  of  ]\Ionroe  county, 
who  resides  on  section  nine,  Little  Falls  township,  was  born  at 
Grand  Rapids,  Wis.,  August  12,  1855,  to  Casper  and  Elizabeth 
(Craig)  Williams,  natives  of  Germany,  and  who  after  marriage 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1853  and  located  in  Wood  county, 
AVisconsin,  where  the  father  worked  in  the  lumber  woods,  and 
rafted  logs  down  the  Mississippi  river  to  Dubuque,  Galena  and 
other  points.  He  followed  this  occupation  nntil  1864,  during  which 
time  he  changed  his  place  of  residence  to  near  Kilbourne  City,  and 
there  remained  nntil  1865,  when  he  removed  to  La  Crosse  county 
and  located  in  Farmington  township,  and  there  cleared  up  and 
improved  two  farms,  which  he  brought  from  a  wild  state  to  one 
of  cultivation  and  productiveness,  and  there  made  his  home  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  His 
wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  passed  away  in  1900.  Robert  is  the 
second  child  of  a  family  of  six  children.  The  others  are,  Ahart, 
who  resides  on  the  homestead  farm  in  La  Crosse  county;  Lizzie, 
wife  of  Henry  Storandt,  of  Little  Falls  township ;  Mary,  now  the 
wife  of  James  Troy,  resides  at  Groton,  S.  D. ;  George,  of  Farmers 
valley,  Monroe  county,  and  Anna,  wife  of  John  Dahl,  of  Burr 
Oak,  La  Crosse  county. 

Mr.  Robert  Williams  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  twenty-seven  years 
of  age.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  commenced  operating  a  thresh- 
ing machine,  which  he  ran  for  twenty-five  years,  covering  in  his 
operations  La  Crosse,  Monroe  and  Jackson  counties.  His  first 
venture  at  farming  on  his  own  account  was  on  a  rented  farm, 
where  he  continued  for  three  years.     In  1885  he  purchased  his 


924 


IIISToliV  OK  .MONROE  COUNTY 


present  t'rii'iii.  consist  illy  of  four  forties  in  sections  eitilit  and  nine, 
to  wliicli  lie  h;is  since  added  eiyhtx'  acres  in  section  seventeen.  172 
acres  in  section  seven,  and  anotlier  forty  in  seel  ion  nine,  wliich 
with  UiO  acres  in  La  Crosse  eounty.  makes  liis  landed  holdinus  (il2 
acres.  Tlic  Ikhiic  l';ii-ni  is  iitidci-  a  uood  stale  of  cull  i\at  ion.  is  well 
stocked  and  iiii|iid\c(l  with  a  u(mmI  class  of  buil(lin«rs.  lie  carries 
on  general  lai'iniiiL;  and  dairyiiii;-.  and  is  cxieiisixclx'  eiiL;aL;i'(l  in 
breedinji' and  raising  reuistered  J\'relieroii  horses.  .Mr.  Williams  is 
a  man  of  hiiih  standing'  in  tlie  conuiiiiiiity.  and  has  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  and  he  lak'es  a  coninieiidahle 
interest  in  the  all'airs  of  his  town  and  coiinly.  and  f(U'  two  terms 
has  serx'ed  a.s  a  nieinhei'  of  the  side  ixiard.  (  )ii  .Jul\-  22.  ISSl. 
^Ir.  Williams  anms  uni1e(l  in  marriaiic  with  .Miss  .\melia  Sidileiyer, 
daughter  of  Georo-e  and  .Maruarel  (  Younji)  Schlei«i'er.  also  natives 
of  Germany.  ]\Irs.  AVillianis  was  horn  in  La  (  rosse  county.  AVis., 
in  LS."),').  and  is  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  seven  children. 
Mv.  and  Mrs.  Williams  have  two  datighters,  Edna  Amelia,  horn 
.March  27.  1SS2.  and  .Mary  (Jrace.  hoi-ii  .\iiunst  Iti.  L'^S.").  hi  addi- 
tion to  these  two  daimhters.  .Mr.  and  .Mi's.  Williams  have  eiveii  a 
home  to  a  younL!'  man  hy  the  name  of  liichard  ^'oulll:■  until  he 
becomes  of  av.('- 

George  Schleijier.  ileceased.  one  of  the  best  known  early 
Gei-iiian  settlers  of  La  Crosse  county,  father  of  Mrs.  Iioix  rt 
AYillianis,  was  a  resi(h'nt  of  that  coiintx'  from  .\pril  17.  IS.").!,  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  .January  2.  1!H)().  at  the  aj^e 
of  ei,ulity-two  years.  His  wife,  the  moiher  of  .Mrs.  Williams,  died 
November  18.  1898,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eiizht  years.  Mr.  Sehlei.trer 
was  born  at  Saxony,  Germany.  Se])tember  !).  LS22.  and  was  a  son 
of  Henry  and  Eve  (Storandt)  Schleiger.  lie  was  the  youngest  of 
a  famil.\'  of  tliree  sons  and  f<uir  dauuhters.  and  was  but  tliree 
years  of  a.uc  when  his  nmthcr  died.  He  attended  school  until  he 
was  f(mrteen  years  old.  and  I  hen  was  an  cveniim-  Mipil  for  a  time: 
took  iiji  the  trade  of  a  mason  and  served  an  ap|iren1  ieeship  i'nv 
several  years.  His  lallier  was  a  master  mason,  and  had  charge  of 
a  lar</e  immher  of  men.  He  died  in  his  nati\c  land  at  the  aiic  of 
seventy-three  years.  When  .Mr.  Schleiger  was  lweiit\-1wd  years 
of  a'.ic  lie  saile(|  t'l'oiii  iJreiiieii  I'or  the  port  ol'  New  ^'ork.  believiuL;' 
that  the  opjioi  t  unit  ies  affordeil  in  tiie  Inited  States  excelled  those 
ol'  the  old  worhl.  .\fter  a  \"oyau('  i>f  tifty-eiuht  days  lie  reached 
America,  continued  his  joiiriie\  to  ^lilwaukee.  Wis..  b_\  the  way 
of  the  .ii'reat  lakes,  thence  iie  went  to  Walworth  county.  Wiscousin. 
and  settled  at  Lake  Geneva,  where  he  secured  employment  as  a 
hostler  in  a  hotel.     lie  was  one  of  the  tirst  settlers  in  this  plaee. 


BIOGRAPHY  925 

there  were  no  roads  except  Indian  trails,  and  game  could  be  had 
in  abundance.  Fortune  did  not  first  smile  on  Mr.  Schleiger,  but 
being  M-ell  endowed  with  that  ])luek  and  perseverance  which  so 
strongly  characterize  his  nationality,  he  overcame  many  obstach^s 
and  became  the  owner  of  one  of  the  fine  farms  and  homes  in 
La  Crosse  county. 

Mr.  Schleiger  Avas  united  in  marriage  Fchi-ujiiy  2f).  1848,  at 
Lake  Geneva,  to  Miss  Margaret  Young,  also  a  native  of  Saxony, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Adam  Young,  who  settled  in  Wisconsin 
in  1847.  To  Mr.  and  J\Irs.  Schleiger  were  born  seven  daughters: 
Mary,  deceased;  Amelia,  wife  of  Kobert  Williams;  Orpha, 
deceased;  Anna  Elizabeth,  wife  of  0.  D.  Robinson,  of  AVest  Salem, 
Wis. ;  Lydia,  wife  of  Dell  Quiggle,  of  Burr  Oak,  AVis.,  and  Sarah, 
wife  of  Ed  Radcliflfe,  of  Farmington  township.  La  Crosse  county. 

William  D.  Williams  Avas  born  in  LaFayette  townshij),  where 
he  still  resides,  on  March  31,  1877.  the  son  of  Richai'd  Williams, 
who  was  born  in  Wales,  and  INIartha  W'illiams,  also  Ixii'u  in  Wales, 
where  thej'  married  fifty  years  ago  and  came  to  America,  locating 
in  LaFayette  township,  IMonroe  county,  W^isconsin,  on  a  tract  of 
wild  land.  The  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  the 
remainder  of  his  life  experiencing  the  usual  difficulties  of  the  pio- 
neer, and  died  in  1879  at  the  early  age  of  forty  j^ears.  His  wife, 
mother  of  our  subject,  passed  away  in  1883.  They  raised  a  family 
of  children,  viz.:  ]\Iaggie,  wife  of  E.  A'anorman,  Sparta;  Mary, 
wife  of  Oscar  Damman,  of  Sparta ;  Roger,  deceased ;  John  lives  in 
Little  Falls  township ;  Katherine  is  Mrs.  Al  Gibbard,  and  resides 
in  Milwaukee,  and  William  D.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Being 
but  six  years  old  when  his  mother  died,  Mr.  Williams  made  his 
home  Avith  Thomas  Richards,  of  Little  Falls  toAvnship,  until  he  was 
old  enough  to  work  out.  He  was  given  a  conmion  school  educa- 
tion by  Mr.  Richards,  and  started  life  on  his  own  resources  by 
Avorking  at  farming  for  various  people  until  1900,  Avhen  he  had 
accumulated  sufficient  means  Avith  which  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  120  acres  from  Mrs.  C.  A.  Cross,  and  has  since  l)uilt  a 
comfortable  and  commodious  residence,  made  additions  to  the 
barn,  erected  a  berry  house,  machine  shed,  silo  and  granary  and 
has  otherwise  improved  his  place  until  he  noAV  has  an  ideal  farm 
home.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying,  and  makes 
a  specialty  of  raising  berries  and  small  fruit  at  Avhich  he  has  been 
one  of  the  most  successful  in  his  toAvnship.  He  has  ahvays  been 
interested  in  the  affairs  of  his  community  and  has  served  as  super- 
visor of  his  town  and  is  a  member  of  the  school  board.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


926  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

ill  1!)()()  .Mr.  Williams  was  united  in  marriage  wilh  .Miss  ^laud 
A.  AVilcox,  daugliter  of  Wellington  AVileox.  now  a  resident  of 
Sparta.     They  have  one  eliild.  -lesse  Roger  Williams. 

William  G.  Williams,  a  pioininent  Ijanker  and  business  man  of 
Sparta,  was  Ixirn  (ni  l^'i'liniary  1(5,  1848,  in  the  town  of  Kingston, 
Green  Lake  eonnt\ ,  Wis.  His  parents  were  Robert  and  ]Margaret 
(GritTfith)  AVillianis,  avIio  came  to  this  state  from  AVales  in  1845, 
and  settled  in  Green  Lake  county,  where  they  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  the  father  was  a  local  clergyman.  They  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  that  section  of  the  country.  ]\Ir.  AVilliams 
died  at  the  age  of  tifty-three  years,  and  Mrs.  AVilliams  is  now 
living  in  Milwaukee  in  her  eighty-third  year.  Five  children 
survive  them,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  our  subject  being 
the  eldest  of  the  family.  Mr.  and  i\lrs.  Williams  were  residents 
of  both  Milwaukee  and  Monroe  county,  "Wis.,  for  many  years. 

William  G.  AVilliams  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Dodge  county  and  in  IMilwaukee,  and  in  1859  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Angelo  tow^nship  in  Monroe  county,  and  has 
since  been  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  connnunity,  his 
energy,  enterprise  and  persevering  industry  having  gained  for 
him  a  degree  of  success  of  which  he  may  justly  be  proud,  lie 
served  the  position  of  register  of  deeds  of  ]\Ionroe  county  for 
many  years,  and  also  held  the  position  of  clerk  in  the  land  office, 
resigning  the  latter  position  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  was 
afterward  appointed  assignee  for  Al.  A.  Thayer  &  Company, 
both  from  Sparta  and  Tomah,  and  a  year  later  he  assisted  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Monroe  County  Bank,  of  which  he  was  made 
vice  ])resid('nt  at  the  opening  in  1894,  and  as  such  has  since 
continued.  Although  he  is  a  thorough  business  man,  ]\Ir.  Williams 
stands  well  in  social  circles  of  Sparta,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge. 

On  November  2,  1875.  he  nuirried  Aliss  Anna  Jones,  daughter 
of  Stephen  Jones,  of  Adrian,  ]Monroe  county.  Their  children  are 
Everett  L.,  Ethel,  Ralph  S..  and  Eunice.  Margaret  T.  (Ii(>d  Api-il 
17.  1897. 

William  J.  Williams,  a  well  known  farmer  of  Leon  township, 
was  l)()ni  ill  Wank'csha  coiinly.  Wisconsin,  Alarch  12.  18()1.  son  of 
William  1'.  and  :\Iartha  T.  AVilliams,  both  natives  of  AVales.  The 
father  came  to  America  in  1852  and  located  in  AVaukesha  county 
where  he  married.  He  later,  with  his  wife  and  three  I'hildren, 
went  to  Bangor,  La  Crosse  county,  making  the  trip  ovei-land  by 
ox  team.  lie  acquired  100  acros  of  land  and  there  made  his 
home  niilil  1873.  when  tlun-  moved  to  the  Leon  \all('\-  in  AFonroe 


BIOGRAPHY  927 

county  and  purchased  324  acres  three  miles  south  of  the  village 
of  Leon,  and  there  lived  for  thirty  years,  when  he  went  to 
reside  with  his  son,  who  had  purchased  a  farm  close  to  Leon. 
Here  they  passed  the  balance  of  their  long  and  useful  lives; 
the  father  died  November  21,  1907,  in  his  seventy-fourth  year; 
his  Avidow  survived  until  January  23,  1910,  Avhen  she  passed 
aiWRx  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years  and  eight  months.  They 
were  married  in  1857  and  raised  a  family  of  five  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now  living,  viz. :  Richard  Thomas,  born  June  15,  1859 ; 
William  J.,  subject  of  this  sketch,  born  March  12,  1861 ;  Martha 
Jane,  born  July  30,  1864;  Lizzie  Ann,  born  November  5,  1867, 
and  Sarah  Ellen,  born  February  19,  1873.  At  the  time  of  their 
marriage  their  finances  were  limited,  but  by  hard  work,  industry 
and  economy,  they  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  substantial  for- 
tune in  due  time  and  Mr.  Williams  was  recognized  as  one  of 
Leon's  most  successful  farmers,  a  man  of  quiet,  unassuming 
manner,  public-spirited,  charitable,  and  a  devoted  Christian.  He 
and  his  most  estimable  wife  were  members  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  contributed  liberally  to  its  support.  He  was  a  close 
student,  and  practically  knew  the  Bible  by  heart.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  polities,  but  never  sought  political  preferment, 
and  being  a  man  of  good  judgment,  he  served  for  twenty-five 
years  as  school  clerk  and  for  fifteen  years  as  supervisor.  During 
his  active  lifetime  he  was  a  successful  breeder  and  raiser  of  good 
cattle,  horses  and  hogs,  with  which  his  farm  was  plentifully 
stocked.  Mrs.  AYilliams,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  one  of  a 
family  of  fourteen  children,  all  of  whom  are  deceased.  Her 
father  emigrated  from  Wales  and  also  located  in  AVaukesha 
county,  where  he  spent  liis  life  a  successful  and  influential 
farmer. 

William  J.  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  and 
assisted  his  father  on  the  farm.  In  1899  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
140  acres,  where  he  no^v  resides,  paying  for  the  same  $45  per  acre. 
Since  making  his  substantial  improvements  he  has  refused  $100 
per  acre.  From  a  small  beginning  in  raising  a  few  colts,  our 
subject  has  developed  into  a  successful  horse  breeder  and  trader. 
Some  years  ago  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  John  L.  Jones, 
and  under  the  firm  name  of  AYilliams  and  Jones,  did  an  extensive 
business  in  buying  and  selling  cattle,  shipping  some  years  as 
high  as  100  carloads  of  cattle  to  Eastern  markets.  Air.  AYilliams, 
with  his  brother  Richard,  owns  600  acres  of  land  in  Alinnesota, 
where   the   brother   conducts   a   large   logging   camp,   lie   having 


928  JllSTOin'  OF  .MONROE  COUNTY 

been  a  successful  luinbernian  and  contractor  for  thirty  years,  and 
now  resides  at  Duluth,  jMinn. 

John  J.  F.  Winters,  who  is  one  of  tlie  Avide-awake  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  Sparta  township,  was  born  at  Burlington, 
Racine  county,  Wis.,  April  28,  1859,  son  of  John  and  ]\linnie 
(Benson)  "Winters,  of  Baden,  Germany,  and  Berlin.  Prussia, 
respectively.  The  father  was  born  in  18:}0,  and  when  a  young 
boy  came  to  the  United  States,  stopping  first  at  ^Milwaukee. 
When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  moved  to  Burlington,  where  in 
1857  he  was  married,  and  in  1860  moved  to  ]\[onroe  county,  Wis- 
consin, and  settled  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  he  purchased 
in  section  twenty-four,  Sparta  township,  wliich  was  at  that  time 
but  a  wilderness  inhabited  by  Indians  and  wild  game.  To  his 
original  purchase  he  continued  to  make  additions  until  he 
acquired  360  acres.  He  carried  on  general  farming,  and  for 
fifty  years  made  this  his  liome,  until  1910,  when  he  removed  to 
the  city  of  Sparta,  Avhere  he  now  resides,  enjoying  the  well- 
earned  fruits  of  his  years  of  toil.  ^frs.  Winters,  mother  of 
J.  J.  F.,  was  born  in  1840  and  died  May  4.  1910.  She  was  a 
woman  of  strong  personality,  brilliant  and  intellectual,  well 
versed  in  matters  of  ancient  history,  on  Avliich  she  was  considered 
an  authority,  was  often  consulted  on  the  subject,  and  made  her- 
self felt  in  the  community  in  which  she  resided.  She  was  promi- 
nent and  active  in  religious  circles  and  assisted  in  the  building 
of  the  Advent  church  at  Sparta.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
George  Winters,  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  America  in  the 
early  fifties  and  located  at  Burlington.  Racine  county.  The 
maternal  grandfather,  Frederick  Benson,  who  was  a  native  of 
Berlin,  Prussia,  came  to  America  in  1852  and  also  setth'd  in 
Burlington,  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  there  died  in  1859. 

John  J.  F.  Winters  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and 
attended  the  district  schools.  He  helped  to  clear  the  home  farm 
with  his  own  hands,  and  has  l)eeu  a  hard  worker  since  boyhood. 
In  1912  he  purchased  the  old  homestead,  Avhich,  added  to  iiis  • 

original  purchase,  makes  him  a  farm  of  560  acres,  of  which  270  i 

are  improved  and  under  the  plow,  the  balance  being  in  Avooded  '* 

land  and  pasture.  The  comniodious  residence,  large  barns  and 
outbuildings,  including  the  silo,  have  all  been  erected  by  Mr. 
J.  J.  V.  Winters,  and  for  twelve  yeai-s  last  past  he  has  been 
engaged  in  raising  Guernsey  cattle,  both  registered  and  grades, 
being  the  first  breeder  of  this  stock  in  the  town  of  Sparta.  He 
also  makes  a  speialty  of  Poland-China  hogs  and  Brown  Leghorn 
chickens.     !Mr.  Winters  is  the  eldest  of  a  familv  of  three  children. 


t 


I 


i 


BIOGRAPHY  929 

The  others  are:  Eliza,  widow  of  Daniel  Evans,  of  Oswego,  Ore., 
and  George,  of  Sparta.  Mr.  Winters  has  ahvays  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  atfairs  of  his  town  and  county.  He  lias  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  chairman  of  the  town  board 
and  treasurer  of  his  town,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
For  twenty  years  he  has  been  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  is  a 
member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and  the  Knights  Templar. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  There  are  few 
men  living  in  Monroe  county  whose  early  experience  were  equal 
to  those  of  Mr.  Winters.  Coming  to  this  county  when  but  one 
year  old,  he  grew  up  in  that  part  of  the  county,  which  was  then 
in  a  wild  state,  and  relates  that  some  of  his  early  playmates 
were  Indian  boys  and  girls,  and  how  he  joined  with  tlictn  in  their 
sports.  The  Indian  children  were  trained  to  the  use  of  the  "bow 
and  arrow,"  Mr.  Winters  joining  them  in  target  practice,  and 
soon  became  efficient  in  their  use. 

Albert  W.  Withers,  the  son  of  William  and  Martha  Withers, 
was  born  in  New  York,  on  January  16,  1847.  His  parents  were 
both  natives  of  England,  where  the  father  Avas  born  in  1795. 
He  emigrated  to  America  in  1844,  and  located  in  Ncav  York,  and 
remained  there  until  1854,  when  he  came  west  to  AVisconsin 
and  located  in  Monroe  county,  and  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  Ridgeville  township,  and  settled  on  an  eighty-acre  tract  which 
he  purchased  for  $100,  which  was  all  the  money  he  had  at  that 
time,  and  immediately  set  to  work  to  clear  and  improve  it,  and 
finally,  by  hard  work  and  perseverance,  established  the  family 
home,  and  cultivated  the  land  to  a  point  where  they  were  able 
to  realize  quite  a  comfortable  livelihood.  During  those  pioneer 
days  in  Monroe  county.  La  Crosse  was  the  nearest  trading  point, 
and  Mr.  Withers  often  walked  there  to  purchase  provisions  and 
clothing  for  the  family.  He  was  the  father  of  sixteen  children, 
five  of  whom  are  now  living  (1912).  Besides  general  farming, 
Mr.  Withers  made  somewhat  of  a  specialty  of  stock  raising.  After 
years  of  labor,  his  farm  was  made  one  of  the  most  productive  in 
the  county.  He  w^as  a  broad-minded,  energetic  man,  and  highly 
esteemed  as  one  of  the  best  class  of  pioneers.  He  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  contributed  liberally  to 
its  support.  The  little  church  which  he  built  on  his  farm  in  those 
early  days  still  stands,  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation.  His  death 
occurred  December  10,  1876.  His  widow,  mother  of  our  subject, 
is  still  (September  30,  1912)  living,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-nine  years,  much  esteemed  by  the  citizens  of  the  locality 
in  which  she  lives. 


930  llLS'l'OKY  OK  .MoNKUE  COUNTY 

Albci-I  \V.  was  raised  on  liis  father's  farm  until  liis  scxcuteenth 
year,  receiving  a  thorough  training  in  farm  work,  and  attending 
the  district  schools.  He  then  came  to  Tomah  and  apprenticed 
himself  for  three  years  to  h-arn  the  wagon-making  trade.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Sparta  and  worked  at  his  trade 
one  year,  then  moved  back  to  Ridgeville  and  established  a  wagon 
shop  of  his  own.  He  later  purchased  a  farm  near  Oakdale,  which 
he  successfully  carried  on.  engaged  in  general  farming  until 
1901,  when  he  returned  to  Tomah  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Crossette  ^Manufacturing  Company,  Avhere  he  has  since  been 
engaged. 

On  October  9,  1872,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Dora 
M.  Kolster,  of  the  town  of  Tomah.  They  have  had  four  chihlren, 
three  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Ida,  ]\Iyrtle  and  Cora. 

In  politics  Mr.  AVithers  affiliates  with  the  Repul)lican  party, 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  its  councils.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  in  religious  matters 
belongs  to  the  Congregational  church. 

Herbert  Wood,*  one  of  the  energetic,  enterprising  and  wide- 
awake farmers  of  Monroe  county,  came  from  a  prominent  New 
England  family,  his  ancestry  on  the  paternal  side  coming  to  this 
country  shortly  after  the  landing  of  the  Mayflower  and  settling 

in  New  England.    His  parents,  F and  Mary  (Pierce)  Wood, 

were  natives  of  Massachusetts,  where  they  resided  until  1856. 
In  that  year  they  came  west  to  "Wisconsin,  and  settled  at  Tomah, 
where  our  subject  was  born,  November  23,  18 — -.  The  father 
purchased  from  the  government  640  acres  of  land,  three  and 
one-half  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Tomah.  The  farm  was 
unbroken  and  practically  a  dense  wilderness,  and  largely  popu- 
lated by  Indians  and  wild  beasts.  There  were  no  roads  in  the 
county  and  traveling  was  difficult,  and  he  immediatel.v  set  to 
work  to  clear  aiul  subdue  the  land  and  establisli  tlie  family  home. 
By  hard  work,  thrift  and  economy,  the  land  was  improved  witli 
a  good  residence  and  outbuildings,  and  soon  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  besides  successfully  carrying  on  general 
farming,  he  made  a  specialty  of  high-grade  cattle  and  hogs. 
There  were  five  boys  in  the  family,  three  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing, viz.:  Herbert,  Milton  C.  and  Leonard  A.  'Mr.  AVood  was  a 
strong  anti-slavery  man,  was  a  AVhig  until  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  part.v,  and  forever  after  was  a  member  of  that  i^olit- 
ical  party.  He  was  a  high-minded,  public-spirited  man.  a  devoted 
Christian,  and  for  over  tAventy  years  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist 
church,  and  occupied  a  prominent  place  among  the  citizens  of 


BIOGRAPHY  031 

the  eommiuiity.  lie  died  DeceiiibiT  5,  I89}!,  and  his  wire,  mot  her 
of  0111-  siil).)ect,  February  15,   1907.     The  maternal  gr eat- <>•  rain I- 

fathin-. KuHcr,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Eevolutionar\'    War. 

and  served  nnch'r  Washington,  and  was  Avilh  his  coniiiiaud  at 
Valley  Forge.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  cap- 
tured liy  the  British  at  Saekett's  Harbor  iu  th(>  AVar  of  1812,  and 
held  a  prisoner  by  them  for  twenty-two  months.  He  held  the 
rank  of  orderly  sergeant,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  owned  HiO 
acres  of  land  iu  IMonroe  county. 

Herbert  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm,  and  alleiided  thi; 
district  schools  u\)  to  liis  twentieth  year,  and  then  taught  school 
one  winter.  He  remained  on  the  farm  with  his  parents  until 
their  death,  succeedjng  his  father  on  the  homestead,  which  he; 
acquired  l)y  purchase.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  political  sentiment, 
and  takes  au  active  part  in  the  councils  of  his  party;  he  has 
held  the  office  of  clerk  and  treasurer  of  the  township,  and  on 
August  1,  1911,  Avas  chosen  secretary  of  the  Tonuih  Creamery 
Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  T'ongregational  church,  and 
of  the  E.  F.  U. 

Mr.  AYood  was  married  November  28,  1891,  at  Tomah,  to  ]\Iiss 
Ida  A.  Glaede.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  them,  three  of 
whom  are  now  (1912)  living,  viz.:  Gladys,  born  November  23, 
1903;  Edwin,  born  ]March  22,  1906.  and  Rogers,  born  January 
29,  1910. 

Nelson  M.  Woodworth,  who  has  lived  in  ]\Ionroe  county,  Wis- 
consin, for  more  than  half  a  century,  was  born  Decendier  28,  1848, 
in  the  town  of  New  Lyme,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio.  His  father, 
Story  Woodworth,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  August  14,  1809, 
and  in  1838  married  IMiss  Candace  Jyne,  in  Ohio,  who  was  born 
in  New  York  state,  December  14,  1816.  They  had  a  family  of 
six  children,  viz. :  Luther  J.,  Sarah  M.,  Mary  L.,  Nelson  M., 
Phila  E.  and  Abel  AYoodworth.  In  1855,  when  our  subject  was 
a  boy  of  six  years,  the  family  moved  to  Jefferson  county,  where 
they  remained  for  a  time,  then  came  on  to  Sauk  county,  where 
they  remained  four  years,  thence  to  Monroe  county,  locating  at 
Cataract,  where  the  father  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  expe- 
rienced the  hard.ships  of  pioneer  life  for  a  great  many  years; 
they  came  here  when  the  country  was  practically  a  wilderness, 
and  thus  struggled  the  while  against  the  difficulties  they  encoun- 
tered until  as  a  result  of  their  hard  work  and  perseverance  they 
passed  their  last  days  in  a  comfortable  and  happy  home. 

In  1891  Mr.  Nelson  M.  WoodAvorth  moved  to  Little  Falls 
township    and   purchased    a    farm    of  170   acres   in   section   two. 


932  HISTORY  OF  :M0NR0E  COUNTY 

Avhere  he  has  since  carried  on  general  farming  and  dairying,  and 
is  considered  one  of  the  most  thrifty  and  prosperous  farmers  of 
the  county  and  an  influential  and  wide-awake  citizen.  He  has 
been  lavish  in  his  expenditure  of  time,  energy  and  money  in 
improving  his  farm,  erecting  commodious  and  substantial  build- 
ings, with  the  most  modern  appliances  and  equipments,  making 
it  one  of  the  most  attractive  homes  in  the  country. 

^Ir.  Woodworth  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Ida  Moseley, 
daughter  of  Alonzo  and  Eunice  (Hunt)  Moseley,  She  was  born 
January  16,  1861,  and  has  spent  her  entire  life  in  Monroe  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  AVoodAvortli  have  an  interesting  family  of  eight 
children,  viz. :  lilanche.  Wade  H.,  Bertha  E.,  Spencer  W.,  Bessie 
I.,  IMildred  E.,  AVallace  M.  and  Rachel  M. 

Samuel  Wruck,"  who  was  born  June  28,  1865,  is  a  native  of 
Sheldon  township,  and  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Euphraseno 
(Krugor)  Wruck,  both  natives  of  Germany.  They  came  to 
America  in  Ihc  early  fifties,  witli  a  family  of  five  children,  and 
first  located  in  Sauk  county.  Remaining  there  but  a  short  time, 
they  moved  to  INIonroe  county  and  settled  in  Sheldon  in  1854, 
and  homesteadcd  a  quarter-section  of  wild  land  in  section  five, 
Avhere  the  father  established  a  home  for  himself  and  family. 
He  cleared  the  land  and  brought  it  to  a  good  state  of  culti- 
vation. In  those  early  days  there  were  plenty  of  Indians,  and 
even  after  the  massacre  in  Minnesota  the  Indians  often  camped 
on  their  farm,  but  always  treated,  them  kindly,  never  subjecting 
them  to  any  kind  of  cruelty.  Wild  game  Avas  plentiful,  and 
venison  Avas  the  principal  means  of  subsistence;  the  father  had 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  Avhile  living  on  the  home-  : 

stead  he  Avorked  at  his  trade  for  a  man  at  Sparta,  receiving  from  I 

$8  to  $10  per  month  for  his  labor,  and  used  to  carry  a  sack  of  f 

meal  on  his  back  Avhen  returning  from  Avork.  Mr.  Wruck  used 
scA'eral  ox  teams  in  carrying  on  his  farm  Avork,  as  Avas  usual  in  « 

those  days,  and  Avas  considered  an  authority  on  many  points  of  ^ 

agriculture.  When  the  CiA'il  War  broke  out.  he  enlisted  in  the 
Eighteen  Wisconsin  InfantrA',  and  Avas  killed  in  service  Avhile  in 
line  of  duty.  He  Avas  a  AVhig  in  politics  until  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  ever  after  Avas  a  staunch  sup]>orter  of 
the  principles  of  that  party.     He  Avas  tAviee  married,  having  no 

issue  by  the  first  marriage,  and  his  second  Avife  Avas  ]\Iiss  E 

Kruger,  to  Avhom  eight  children  Avere  born,  scA'en  of  Avhom  are 
now  (1912)  living. 

Samuel   Wruck,    our   subject,   Avas   reared    on    the   farm    and 
attended  the  district  schools  up  to  liis  eighteenth  year,  but  Avas  a 


f 


BIOGRAPHY  933 

practically  dependent  npon  his  own  resources  at  the  age  of 
fifteen.  He  was  first  employed  at  farm  work  and  received  the 
sum  of  fifty  cents  per  week ;  he  later  went  to  Madison,  Wis.,  for 
a  time  and  afterwards  to  Montana,  where  he  herded  cattle  on  a 
ranch  for  one  year.  From  there  he  went  to  North  Dakota,  and 
for  nine  years,  off  and  on,  was  engaged  in  running  a  threshing 
machine.  His  next  employment  was  in  a  grain  elevator  at  Castle- 
ton,  N.  D.,  but  subsecjuently  he  returned  to  Monroe  county  and 
purchased  220  acres  of  wild  land  in  sections  twenty-six  and 
twenty-seven,  in  the  town  of  Sheldon,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
In  1898  he  built  a  large  and  commodious  barn,  and  in  1900  erected 
a  modern  residence;  he  has  a  flowing  spring  which  furnishes  an 
abundant  supply  of  pure  water  for  his  house  and  stock ;  his 
place  is  always  w^ell  stocked  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farm- 
ing, he  carries  on  quite  an  extensive  dairy  business.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  promoting  the 
interests  of  his  party.  In  1900  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  his 
town,  an  office  he  has  held  for  twelve  years,  and  for  several  years 
has  been  a  school  director.  He  is  one  of  the  public-spirited  and 
influential  citizens  of  his  town  and  en.joys  the  confidence  of  all 
who  know  him. 

On  October  5,  1892,  he  was  married  in  the  town  of  Wells,  to 
Miss  Anna  Herzberg,  and  they  have  had  four  children,  viz. : 
Ruth  A.,  Grace  L.,  Earl  S.  and  Taft  Claud. 

Lucian  D.  Wyatt,  who  has  resided  in  section  seven,  Tomah 
township,  since  1874,  is  a  native  of  Streetsboro,  Medina  county, 
Ohio,  Avhere  he  was  born  March  6,  1813.  He  is  a  son  of  Ezra 
and  Mary  (Whipple)  Wyatt.  Ezra  Wyatt  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  moved  in  an  early  day  to  Ohio,  in  which  state  he  died. 
Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years  he  came  with  a  sister  and 
her  husband,  David  Olds,  to  Oconomowoc,  Wis.,  where  he  resided 
for  a  time,  later  making  his  home  with  another  sister,  ]\Irs.  H. 
Campbell,  in  the  town  of  Wellington,  in  Monroe  county,  attend- 
ing the  district  school  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he  returned 
to  Oconomowoc,  where  he  was  employed  at  farm  work.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen,  August  26,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  First 
Wisconsin  Cavalry,  and  served  three  years  in  the  army,  and  was 
discharged  in  1864.  His  regiment  operated  largely  in  ]Missouri 
and  Arkansas,  and  was  afterwards  sent  to  Tennessee,  where  it 
participated  in  several  sharp  skirmishes  and  engagements,  at 
Chickamauga,  Knoxville  and  other  points.  At  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  service,  Mr.  Wyatt  returned  to  Monroe  county,  and 


934  IIISToin'  OK  ,MOXKOE  COUNTY 

bouglit  an  t'igiit y-ac-rc  farm  du  whal  is  known  as  the  Ridge.  It 
was  in  1874  that  In-  bought  100  acres  of  land  in  section  seven, 
Mln're  lie  now  lives,  and  later  bought  a  forty-acre  tract  in  the 
town  of  Wellington.  To  llic  lioiuc  farm  he  has  added  many 
valuable  and  lasting  improvements,  including  a  fine  residence, 
connuodious  barns,  two  silos,  granary,  and  other  outbuildings, 
lie  is  an  extensive  raiser  of  thoroughbred  stock,  Jersey  cattle  and 
Perclieroii  horses.  Cattle  raising  has  ix'cn  his  specialty,  and  he 
is  now  chiefly  engaged  in  llic  dairy  business,  lie  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Farmers'  Co-operative  Creamery  Company;  and 
the  Farmers'  Insurance  Company. 

On  -Tidy  •>,  1S7").  in  the  town  of  La  (Jrange,  ^Ir.  Wyatt  Avas 
mari'ied  to  ^liss  Vicjhi  liurdicl:.  a  da\ighter  of  Ezra  and  .Mary 
Burdick.  The  children  of  tliis  union  are  Ernst  E.,  Vera  ^M., 
Ray  L.  and  Ethel.  ]\lr.  AVyatt  is  a  man  well  posted  on  the  events 
of  the  day,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  and  liis  esti- 
mable Avife  affiliate  Avitli  the  Baptist  church. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  AVilliam  Whipple, 
served  in  the  Revolutioiiai-y  AYar  under  AVashington. 

John  J.  Youngman,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Sparta, 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Barbara  Youngman,  born  at  ^Milwaukee, 
AYis.,  April  15,  1854.  His  ])arents  emigrated  to  America  from 
Germany,  settling  in  Alilwaukee  in  the  early  fifties,  where  they 
Avere  married  and  raised  their  family.  He  Avas  a  butcher  by 
trade,  and  after  I'ollowing  this  occupation  for  some  time  in  Alil- 
Avaukee.  the  family  moved  to  NeAv  Lisbon,  Avhere  the  father  met 
an  untiiic'ly  death  l)y  accident  with  a  I'unaway  fejuii  of  jiorses 
in  1865,  at  the  ;ige  of  thirty-nine  years. 

John  J.  Avas  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Alihvankee,  and 
brought  up  in  the  butcher  business  Avith  his  father.  After  the 
death  of  the  lattei'.  he  Avas  employed  for  a  time  by  Samuel  Ilolzer, 
at  NeAv  liisbon.  then  Avent  to  Mauston,  in  Juneau  county,  Avhere 
he  Avas  emi)loyed  by  Thomas  Jennings.  afterAvards  to  Tomah.  and 
Avas  employed  l)y  I'ldward  AVaggonei'.  and  it  Avas  in  1S70  that  he 
first  came  to  S|>;ii'ta  aiul  entered  the  chiijIox'  of  Benjamin  Stevruis 
&  Son.  ^\•llo  then  conducted  a  meat  market  on  Oak  street.  His 
next  emi)loyment  Avas  Avith  l*ottei'.  Audis  &  Palmer,  Avhich  posi- 
tion he  hebl  for  two  years.  Avhen  he  purchased  the  interest  of 
Potter  and  associated  Avith  Tlii'ani  DaA-enport  by  disposing  of  a 
half  interest  to  him.  with  the  lirm  name  DaviMijiort  &  Youngman. 
This  continued  for  about  three  y(>ars,  Avhen  Air.  Davenport  sold 
his  interest  to  ]\Ir.  Youngman,  Avho  later  sold  to  N.  P.  Lee.  the 
style  of  the  firm  then  changing  to  Lee  &  Youngman,  and  at  the 


BIOCRAPHY  935 

eud  of  two  years  William  i'.  iMcycrs  pureliasctl  an  Jntiu'cst,  and  a 
year  later  Mr.  Yoiingman  acquired  entire  control  and  associated 
with  his  brother,  Louis  -J.  Youngnian,  under  the  name  of  Young- 
man  Brothers,  and  under  this  name  tlie  business  was  carried  on 
from  1892  to  1901,  when  John  J.  sold  out  to  his  brother  and 
retired  from  the  business  after  a  long  and  successful  career.  AVe 
next  find  Mr.  Youngnian  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  han- 
dling principally  farm  lands,  and  this,  together  with  looking 
after  his  own  extensive  property  interests,  has  since  given  him 
ample  employment  to  occupy  his  time.  In  1907  he  rebuilt  his 
old  home,  where  he  has  lived  for  the  past  twenty-seven  years, 
with  a  beautiful  modern  residence,  No.  316  Pine  street,  where  he 
enjoys,  with  his  family,  the  fruits  of  his  past  labors. 

On  October  8,  1874,  Mr.  Youngnian  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  Fitzgerald,  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Mar- 
garet (Lynch)  Fitzgerald,  of  Herseyville,  Wis.  Mrs.  Youngnian 
is  the  fifth  child  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  viz. :  Patrick, 
deceased ;  Mary,  now^  the  wife  of  AA^illiam  C.  Hoffman,  of  Sparta ; 
Nellie  is  the  wife  of  Irvin  Childs,  of  Sparta ;  John  resides  in 
Chicago;  Catherine,  wife  of  Eobert  McGrath.  of  Great  Falls, 
Mont.,  and  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  who  resides  in  Canada.  The  par- 
ents of  Mrs.  Youngnian  were  natives  of  Ireland,  and  came  to 
Canada,  where  their  family  was  born.  They  moved  to  Herseyville, 
Wis.,  during  the  Civil  War,  wdiere  both  parents  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-five  and  seventy  years,  respectively.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Youngnian  are  IMary,  wife  of  James  ]\IcCabe.  of 
Sun  Prairie,  Wis.,  and  Jessie,  wife  of  Joseph  Milligan,  of  Proc- 
tor, Minn. 

Mr.  Youngnian  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  four  children,  the 
others  being  Louis,  of  Sparta;  May,  wdfe  of  James  Zimmeler,  of 
Washington,  and  Flora,  deceased,  wdio  was  the  wife  of  Henry 
Barrett.  The  family  was  reared  in  the  Catholic  faith,  Mr.  Young- 
man  being  a  member  of  St.  Patrick's  church,  of  Sparta. 

Joseph  Zastoupil,*  an  Austrian  by  birth,  is  one  of  the  substan- 
tial and  successful  farmers  of  La  Grange  township,  where  he 
resides  on  his  farm  of  100  acres  in  section  thirty-one.  Ilis  par- 
ents, Frank  and  Agnes  (Plobulick)  Zastoupil,  w^ere  natives  of 
Austria,  and  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1867,  and  first  located  in 
Watertown,  Dodge  county,  where  they  remained  for  two  years, 
and  came  to  Monroe  county  and  located  in  Oakdale  township, 
wdiere  the  father  was  successfully  engaged  in  farming  sixteen 
years,  and  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1885,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.     His  widow,   mother   of  our  subject.   surviv(Hl 


936  HISTORY  OF  MONROE  COUNTY 

until  1903,  -when  slie  died  in  La  Grange  township,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  They  reared  a  family  of  six  children;  of  the 
others  besides  our  subject.  Trena  married  John  AValrath,  of  La 
Crosse  county ;  Agnes  is  the  wife  of  A.  Rehberg,  of  Toniah  ;  Anna 
is  deceased;  Barbara  is  the  wife  of  Theodore  Rehberg  and  lives 
in  Oregon,  and  ]\Iary  married  John  i'rohasky,  of  La  Grange 
townshiji. 

Josei)h  Zastoupil  was  l)oi-n  in  Austria.  ]\Iarch  18,  1856;  his 
educational  opportunities  were  limited,  the  farm  duties  i-equiring 
his  attention  from  ])oyhood  :  lie  remained  on  the  home  farm  in 
the  town  of  Oakdale  until  he  was  lliirty-three  years  DJd.  then 
went  to  Wilton  township  and  ])ur('liase(l  a  farm  of  120  acres,  and 
remained  there  for  eleven  years;  lie  then  moved  to  his  i)resent 
farm,  which  he  has  continued  to  improve  and  bring  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  His  l)uildings  are  commodious  and  well 
constructed,  and  in  his  farming  operations  he  uses  the  most 
modern  methods. 

In  1882  he  was  married  to  Miss  Kathryn  Brouch,  daughter 
of  George  Brouck,  a  native  of  JeflFerson  county,  and  wlio  when 
but  two  years  of  age  moved  Avith  his  parents  to  ^Monroe  county. 
To  3Ir.  and  ]\[rs.  Zastoupil  have  been  born  eleven  children,  viz. : 
]\Iary,  wife  of  John  Gasper,  of  Adrian  townshiji;  Anu^lia  married 
Barnett  Ilerricks,  and  lives  in  Barron  county,  AVisconsin  ;  Knniui ; 
Joseph;  Clara;  Henry;  John;  Irene  and  Agnes  reside  at  home; 
and  three  died  in  infancy. 

Charles  Ziegler,  \vli()S(^  ])arents  were  both  natives  of  ^Viscou- 
sin,  was  born  November  1.").  1882,  and  is  the  fourth  cliihl  of  a 
family  of  eleven  cbildi-en  boi-n  to  John  and  Belle  f  Fairbanks ~) 
Ziegler.  The  father  was  born  in  Dane  county  and  the  mother 
in  Burlington  county.  He  attended  the  connnon  schools  until 
his  sixteenth  year,  and  lived  at  home  with  his  parents  until  he 
Avas  twenty-one.  He  commenced  the  life  of  a  farmer  on  a  rented 
place,  and  although  a  young  man.  he  has  been  successful,  and  is 
now  managing  and  conducting  the  large  farm  of  Fi-ank  Taloc, 
which  is  considered  one  of  the  licst  improved  farms  in  the  town 
of  AVells.  This  place  is  well  stocked  Avith  horses,  cattle  etc..  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  owned  by  Mr.  Ziegler.  He  also  carries 
on  a  ])rofitable  dairy  business  in  addition  to  his  general  farming. 

Tn  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
])ai-ty  aft'airs.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  the  town  for  two  years 
and  is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  overseer  of  pulilic  highways. 

On  November  15,  1911.  Mr.  Ziegler  was  nuirried  to  ]\Iiss  Dora 


BIOGRAPHY  037 

Johusoii,  daughter  of  Matt  Johnson,  wlio  is  a  resi(h'nt   of  Leon 
township. 

Arno  William  Zimmerman,"  who  belongs  to  the  younger  class 
of  energetic,  enterprising  and  wide-awake  l)usiness  men  of  Xoi-- 
walk,  Wis.,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Ridgeville  townsliiji,  .Moin'oc 
county,  October  19,  1879,  the  son  of  AVilliam  and  Adelia  (Hoff- 
man) Zimmerman,  of  American  and  German  descent.  The  fatlier 
of  our  subject  came  to  Wisconsin  in  the  early  fifties,  stopping 
first  at  Watertown.  After  remaining  there  for  a  short  time,  he 
came  to  Monroe  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  100  acres  in 
Ridgeville  township,  which,  by  economy,  hard  work  and  thrift, 
he  improved  and  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  here  in  general  farming.  He  is  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  his  locality  and  prominently  identified  with  the 
affairs  of  his  community.  He  has  served  as  township  treasurer  and 
member  of  the  school  board.  He  has  one  brother,  who  also  came 
to  this  county  and  located  on  a  farm  near  Norwalk.  His  father 
was  Carl  Zimmerman,  who  early  came  from  Germany,  his  native 
land,  and  bought  a  farm  in  ]\Ionroe  county  and  established  the 
family  homestead,  where  he  lived  until  his  deatl),  at  the  age  of 

eighty  years.     The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  

Hoffman,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  county. 

Arno  AV.  is  the  eldest  son  of  a  family  of  eight  children ;  the 
others  are:  Benjamin,  a  resident  of  Norwalk;  Edward  A.  lives 
in  Ridgeville  township ;  and  Esther  AY.,  Raymond,  Grace,  Reu- 
ben and  "Werner  live  at  home  with  their  parents.  Our  subject 
w^as  reared  on  the  home  farm,  attending  the  district  schools, 
and  helped  with  the  farm  work.  During  the  years  1901-02  he 
attended  the  commercial  department  of  the  Northwestern  Col- 
lege at  Naperville,  111.,  receiving  a  thorough  business  training. 
Returning  to  AYisconsin,  he  was  employed  for  a  time  in  the  Cash- 
ton  creamery,  then  went  to  Cross  Plains,  AYis.,  and  was  engaged 
at  the  same  occupation.  Returning  to  Norwalk  in  1908,  he  took 
charge  of  the  Norwalk  creamery  as  buttermaker  and  operating 
manager,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  village  affairs,  and  is  now  serving  his  Ihird  term  as  clerk 
of  Norwalk. 

Mr.  Zimmerman  was  united  in  marriage  November  5,  1908, 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Noth,  daughter  of  Anthony  Noth,  of  Nor- 
Avalk  village. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Austin,  Eugene  F 592 

Bank  of  Sparta 302 

Beebe,  Dr.  DeWitt  C.  . . 488 

Bush,  AVilliam  1 516 

Davis,  Hiram  S 644 

Ducklow,  Charles 658 

Eddy,  Edgar  II 664 

Esch,  Hon.  John  J 442 

Gage,  Dr.  Martin  R 486 

Hanchett,  George  E 698 

Hanshaw,  Calvin,  residence 702 

Hill,  Oliver  M.,  and  family 722 

Holmes,  Sylvanus 728 

Jenkins,  Thomas 744 

Jones,  Hon.  John  R 754 

Lee,  Joseph  J.,  residence 774 

Leonard,  Capt.  M.  E 169 

Maple  Grove  Farm 204 

McCoy,  Bruce  E 796 

McCoy,  Hon.  Robert  B . 480 

Monroe  County  Court  House 60 

Monroe  County  Insane  Asylum 240 

Mooney,  Fred  J 808 

Morrow,  Hon.  Joseph  M Frontispiece 

Morse,  Leonard  C 810 

Oakley,  Nehemiah,  and  family 826 

Purdy,  John,  and  family 842 

Richards,  Randolph  A 268 

Richards,  Thomas 852 

Rogers,  Richard  H 856 

Schultz,  LeAvis  J .' 872 

Stevens,  George  P 884 

Superior  Avenue,  Tomah 364 

Talbot,  Truman  R 76 

Teasdale,  Howard 456 

Teasdale,  John    896 

Tomah  Indian  School ,. 370 

939 


f 


INDEX 


Aas,    Lars   Olesoii,    ;')S2. 
Abel,  Thorwaia  P.,  470. 
Acreage   of  Farm   Crops,   207. 
Adams,    Edward    M.,    582. 
Adrian,  Town  of,  503. 
Affeldt,    Eudolph,    584. 
Agriculture    aud    Dairying,    204. 
Allen,    Alexander,    585. 
Allendorf,  Edward,  585. 
Allingham,    John,    586. 
American  Cigar  Co.,  322. 
Anderson,    Andrew,    587. 
Anderson,  John,  463. 
Anderson,  Thomas  E.,  588. 
Aney,  Warren  A.,  589. 
Angelo,  Town  of,  504. 
Apple    Industry,   209. 
Ascott,  William  H.,  590. 
Athletics,   292. 
Attendance  Law,   235. 
Austin,   Clifford  E.,   591. 

Fred   E.,   593. 

Ernest,    596. 

Eugene  F.,  592. 
Austin,  William  J.,  594. 
Avery,   Ealph   H.,    136. 


Austin, 
Austin, 

Austin, 


Bank,  Citizens '  State,  304. 

Bank,  Farmers'  &  ^Merchants',  39L 

Bank,   Monroe   County,  304. 

Banks   of   Sparta,   301. 

Bank,  State,  of  Tomah,  391. 

Banks,   Tonuih,   389. 

Bank   of    Tomah,    390. 

Bank,    Warren's,    389. 

Barber,  William   A.,   596. 

Barney,   Arthur    W.,   597. 

Bartels,   Gustav,   598. 

Battalia,   Henry  W.,   599. 

Battalia,  John,  600.. 

Baxter,  Walter,   136-601. 

Becker,  George  G.,  601. 

Beebe,  Dr.  Carl  M.,  496. 

Beebe,  Dr.  DeWitt  C,  488. 

Beebe,  Dr.  Spencer  D.,  498. 

Bell,   Dr.   A.   E.,  498. 

Behrens,   Ernst,   602. 

Bennett,  Eouse,  137. 

Benson,  George,   603. 

Berdan's  Sharp  Shooters,  131. 

Bergman,    Edward,    604. 

Bernett,  A.  W.,  605. 

Berries,    212. 

Berry   Culture,   411. 

Betthauser,  Joseph,  606. 

Biography,    582. 

Black   Hawk   War,   45. 


Blake,   Albert   H.,   135. 
Blake,  Levi  E.,   133. 
Blake,   William   L.,  607. 
Bleekman,    Adelbert    E.,    451. 
Bliss,  Albert  A.,  608. 
Bloomingdale,   Frank   IT.,  453. 
Blyton,   William    11.,   135-609. 
Bolton,   James    A.,   611. 
Bolton,  Westley  E.,  612. 
Boomer,  William  H.,  613. 
Bowler,  E.  E.,  466. 
Bowlei',   George   J.,   468. 
Bowler,   James  J.,  467. 
Bowler,  T.  M.,  467. 
Bradley,    George,   614. 
Brainard,   Darwin   L.,   615. 
Brandon,  Barthold,  616. 
Brandt,  Fred   A.,    615. 
Breunan,   William   J.,   617. 
Bridge  Works,  Tomah,  386. 
Broadwell,  J.  E.,  618. 
Bronson,  Hans,  619. 
Brooks,   George,   620. 
Brownell,  Arthur  F'.,  620. 
Brunner,   John   B.,   621. 
Bunn,  C.  W.,  460. 
Bunn,  Hon.  Eomanzo,  202. 
Burdick,  Adelbert  H.,  622. 
Burke,  Dennis.  623. 
Button,  Seth  W.,  476. 
Byron,  Town  of,  506. 

Caufield,  Lee,  624. 

Carnahan,   Andrew  J.,  625. 

Carnahan,    Archiliald,    136. 

Carpenter,    Eobert,    133. 

('ashton,  Village  of,  398. 

Castle  Eock,  Legend  of  79. 

Chandler,   John   A.,   133. 

Chapiewsky,    Anton,    627. 

Chase,  Myron   P.,   135. 

Cheney,   David    D..    628. 

Christopherson,  Milliam,  629. 

Church,   Baptist,    Sparta,    331. 

Church,   Baptist,   Tomah,   372. 

Church,  Catholic,  Sjiarta,  326. 

Church,  Catholic,  Tomah,  374. 

Church,  Congregational,  Cashton, 
400. 

Church,  Congregational,  Sparta,  325. 

Church,  Congregational,  Tomah,  374. 

Church,  Episcopal,  Sparta,  332. 

Church,   Episcopal,   Tomah,   373. 

Church  Fish  Creek,  Norwegian,  579. 

Church,  Frieden's,  Little  Falls,  560. 

Churches,  German  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran, 543. 


941 


942 


INDEX 


Church,   (uTiiiaii   ,M.   J^.,  Toniah,  Mo. 

Churrh,    Iiiiniamu'l  "s,    Cliftou,   oOG. 

Chiireh,   liiiiiiiimial,    Xoivvcjjiaii.   580. 

Churches  ol'  Keuihill,  403. 

Churcli.   Lutheran,   Wiltou,  408. 

Church,  .Motliodist,  373. 

Church,  Metliodist,  Sparta,  330. 

Churches,  Xorucgian,  579. 

Churdi,  Xorwegian  Ev.  Luth.,  5S1. 

Church,  Porthiud,  561. 

Churcli,    Porthmd     Xorwegiau    Luth., 

580. 
•Churches  of  .Sjiarta,  325. 
Churches  and  Societies,  Toniah,  372. 
Church,  St.  Jacob's,  Xorwalk,  556. 
Church,    St.    John's    Baptist,    Wilton, 

407. 
Church,  St.  John's,  Kendall,  573. 
Church,  St.  John's,  Kidgeville,  543. 
Church,  St.  John  's,  Shcrmington,  576. 
Church,  St.  John's,  Sparta,  553. 
Church,  St.  Luke's,  Glendale,  577. 
Church  of  St.  Mary 's,  512. 
Church,  St.  Matthew's,  Lincoln,  558. 
Church,    St.     Matthew's,    Wellington, 

568. 
Church,  St.  Paul's,  Tomah,  547. 
Church,  St.  Paul 's,  Wilton,  571. 
Church,  SS.  Peter  and  Paul's,  514. 
Church,  St.  Peter's,  Clifton,  563. 
Circuit  Judges,  188. 
Classifications  by  Grades,  236. 
Clements,  John,  630. 
Clerks,  County,  75. 
Clerks  of  Court,  76. 
Clifton,  Town  of,  506. 
Closing  Campaign,  53. 
Club,  Civic  Improvement,  381. 
Cole,  Ben,  631. 
Cole,  Edward  C,  632. 
Collins,  John  J.,  634. 
Commercial  Interests,  Kendall,  402. 
Commissioned  Officers,  132. 
County  Court,  473. 
County  Surveyors,  76. 
Countrv  Schools,  227. 
County  Seat  War,  214. 
Coroners,  77. 
Coome,  Henry,  635. 
Creamery  Farmers,  387. 
Cressv  Post,  G.  A.  K.,  147. 
Crop  Report,  206. 
Crossette,  Fred  H.,  636. 

Dairy  Statistics,  205. 
Daly,  William  L..  637. 
Damman,  Joromiah  D.,  133. 
Davenport,   Elijah,  638. 
Davis,  Capt.  Martin  W.,  640. 
Davis,  Tlal  J.,  640. 
Davis,  John,  137. 
Davis,  William  E.,  643. 
Day,  Alvin,  645. 
DaV,  Calvin,  646. 


DeLaiiev.  James,  138. 
Desks.  228. 
DeWitt,  Eric,  647, 
Dickenson.  Samuel  N.,  449. 
Dinger,  (ieorge  E.,  648. 
District  Attorneys,  76. 
Doane,  Archie  L.,  649. 
Doane,  Ciiarles  A.,  650. 
Doane,  Ernest  T.,  651. 
Donskey,  Theodore,  651. 
Dorwin",  Orville  J.,  652. 
Dorwin,  Sidney  X.,  653. 
Drawver.  Ben  A.,  657. 
Driggs,  Jobe  S.,  135. 
Drowatzky,  Albert  E.,  655. 
Ducklow,  Charles,  658, 
Dunn,  George  D.,  659. 

Earle.  L.  M.,  662. 
Early  Settlements,  63. 
Earlv  Settlement,  517. 
Eddy,  Edgar  II.,  663. 
Edwards,  Samuel  D.,  665. 
Eighteenth   Infantry.   104-123. 
Eightli   Regiment,  121. 
Eleventh  Kegiment,  122. 
Ellis,  George  M.,  136. 
Ericksou,  Martin,  668. 
Erickson,  Martin  A.,  136. 
ErrJckson.  Louis,  666. 
Esch,  Hon.  John  J.,  457. 
Evenson,  Albert  E.,  669. 
Evenson,  Leo  B.,  670. 

Farnaham,  Charles  S.,  135. 
Farnsworth,  James  B.,  133. 
Ferries,  W.  J.,  670. 
Fetkenheuer,  August,  671. 
Fifteenth   Kegiment,  123. 
E'iftieth  Keginieut,  109131. 
Fifty-First   Regiment,  131. 
Fiftv-Second  Regiujent,  131. 
Fifty-Third  Regiment.  131. 
First  Batterv,  Light  Artillerv,  119. 
First  Cavalry.  116. 
Fisk,  George  A. ,132. 
Flock,  Herman  M.,  672. 
Flour  and  Feed  :\Iill.  388. 
Flume,  Charles  L.,  673. 
Foote.  Oscar  E.,  135. 
Ford,  Dr.  William  B.,  497. 
Forrest,  X'elson  J.,  674. 
Forty-Eighth  Regiment,  108-130. 
Forty-Fourtii  Regiment,  130. 
Forty-Xinth  Regiment,  130. 
FortV-Sixth  Regiment,  130. 
Forty-Third   Infantry,  107-129. 
Foster,  Fred  M.,  675. 
l''ourteenth  Regiment,  122. 
l-\)urth  Cavalry,  112-118. 
Fox.  Benson  S.,  677. 
Fox.  .Mrs.  Louise  B.,  676. 
Fox  AVars,  18. 
Free  Tuition,  237. 


INDEX 


843 


Freui'h,  (apt.   Frank   L.,  ()7il. 
Frishy,  Wiliiam  R.   V.,   13G. 
Flog   SliojiM,   Toinah,   387. 

Gasper,  Joseph,  (iSo. 

Gage,  Ur.  Martin  K..   i;'.7-4S{;. 

Gerke,  Kinil,  6.S4. 

Gerke,  Henry  F.,  US;'). 

Gerke,  William  11.,  (i,s(i. 

Getniau,  Arthur  N.,  tJSG. 

Gilbertson,  George,  687. 

Gillett,  James  N.,  457. 

Gilliland,  .John  II.,  688. 

Gilliland,  JNlis.  Lizzie,  690. 

Glaeser,  Eev.  .John  G.,  690. 

Glendale,  Town  of,  507. 

Goodyear  Lumber  Co.,  386. 

Gould,  William  C.,  691. 

Government  ^lilitary  Reservation, 

Graham,  Edward  C,  69li. 

Graham,  George,  480. 

Graham,  .John  G.,  470. 

Grain  Separator  Co.,  S[)arta,  322. 

Grant,  Town  of,  508. 

Grapes,  212. 

Graves,  Charles  W.,  465. 

Graves,  Dr.  Lewis  S.,  497. 

Graves,  L.  W.,  446. 

Graves,  Eay  B.,  469. 

Greenfield,  Town  of,  508. 

Grill.  Albert,  693. 

Gross,  Fred,  694. 

Guthrie,  John  L.,  695. 

Guy,  Charles  N.,  697. 

Guv,  Harrv  W.,  698. 

Guy,  Walter  E.,  698. 

Guy,  Williem  N.,  696. 

Hal:)its  and  Domestic  Life,  29. 
Hall,  Joseph,   133. 
Hanehett,  William  H.,  698. 
Haney,  Michael  M.,  700. 
Hansen,  Sever,  701. 
Hansliaw,  Calvin  L.,  702. 
Hastings,  Orlando  H.,  703. 
Hawes,  Lewis  M.,  138. 
Heath,  Lyle  H.,  704. 
Heating  and  A'entilating,  237. 
Heffernan,  M.  O.,  704. 
Heintz,  Adam  J.,  706. 
Heintz,  Herman,  707. 
Heintz,  .John,  708. 
Heiser,  William,  709. 
Helmke,  C.  C,  710. 
Helms,  AluTon  A.,  463. 
Hemstock,  David,   711. 
Hemstoek,   William   A.,   712. 
Henry,  George  A.,  713. 
Herald  Advertiser,  95. 
Herbst,  George  L.,  714. 
Herring,  John,  717. 
Herrman,  F'red  B.,  7L5. 
Heser,  Fred,  718. 
Hesselgrave,  E.  Glenn,  719. 


■  licks,    Henry  .V.,    137. 
High.   Andrew    I).,    137. 
Hill,   Kber  H.,   137. 
Hill.  Ira  A.,  720. 
Hill.  Merle  W.,  721. 
Hill,  Olixcr   .Mason,  722. 
Hoard,   William,  723. 
HotHman,  (ieorge  A.,  730. 
Hoffman,  .lulius  H.,  731. 
Hoffman,  William  ('.,  732. 
Hoitomt,  Hans  C,  724. 
Holden,   I'^r^Ml  A.,  725. 
Holdeii,  William  A.,  726. 
llollister,  .Vlbert   E.,   150-72: 
Hohn,  Eeuben,  724. 
Holmes,  Sylvanus^  728. 
Hoveland,    .Mathias,  730. 
Hubbard,  ICdwin  S.,  733. 
175.        Hughart,  Walter  W.,  734. 
Humphrey,  Kvan,  735. 
Hutson,  Andrew,  736. 
Hutson,  Benjamin  F.,  737. 
Hutson,  Fred  G.,  738. 
Hutson.  Roliert   W.,  739. 

Invprovements  of   Teaching, 
Insane  Asylum,  240. 

.fackson,  Maitin,  739. 
-Jackson,  William  W.,  474. 
dankel,  .loseph,  741. 
.Jefferson  Tobacco  Co.,  323. 
.lefferson.  Town  of,  509. 
.refferson,  William  T.,  742. 
Jenkins,   Mrs.  Anna,   743. 
.Tenkins  Family,  744. 
Jenkins,  Thomas,  745. 
.lewett,  Zeno  Kent,  746. 
.Johnson,  Chester  W.,  136. 
.lohnson,  (ieorge  A.,  749. 
.Tohnson,  John  L.,  749. 
.Johnson,  Julius  P.,  750. 
.lohnson,  Leonard,  133. 
.Johnson,  Lewis  C,  751. 
.Jones,  David  F.,  Atty.,  452. 
.Tones,  David  F.,  752. 
.Tones,  Mervin  E.,  757. 
Jones,  John  L.,  753. 
.Tones,  .Tolm  E.,  754. 
.Jones,  Thomas  R.,  758. 
Judges,  County,  75. 

Kelk,  George  W.,  759. 
Kendall,  Village  of,  401. 
Kendall,'  Keystone,  97. 
KenyoH.   Ransom,   759. 
Isenyon,  Webster,  7(H. 
King,  (ieorge  A.,  762. 
Iving,  Thomas  H.,  763. 
Kirst,  Albinus,  764. 
Kirst.  William  ('.,  765. 
Knorst,  ^iathias,  766. 
Koopman,   Xicolaus,   767. 
Koitiiein,  Carl,  768. 


944 


INDEX 


Kroeger,  Anton,  769, 
K  ion  berg,  George  P.,  770. 
Krotznian,  Irvin  A.,  771. 
Kiukuck,  George  ¥.,  772. 

LaFayette,  Town  of,  516. 

LaGrango,  Town  of,  .315. 

Lane,  Laurence  A.,  772. 

Lee,  Joseph  J.,  774. 

Legal  Profession,  440. 

Leis,  J.  B.,  775. 

Leon,  Town  of,  521, 

Leonard,  ('apt.  ]\L  E.,  169-776. 

Lconaid,  Mortimer,  134. 

Library,  Tomah  Public,  379. 

Library,  Sparta,  312. 

Liddle,  Gothern,  777, 

Li.^lit  and  Teleplmnc,  Tonvali,  387, 

l^illie,  George  F.,  779. 

Lincoln,  Joseph  A.,  780, 

Lincoln,  Town  of,  523. 

Link,  William  W.,  781. 

List  of  Graduates,  368. 

Little  Falls,  Town  of,  525. 

Lodge,  Eastern  Star,  Sparta,  308. 

Lodge,  Eastern  Star,  Tomah,  376. 

Lodge,  Tomah  Camp,  "M.  W.  A.,  376. 

Lodge,  L  O.  O.  P.,  Tomah,  376. 

Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  310. 

Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  Tomah,  376. 

Lodge,  Masonic,  Tomah,  375, 

Lodge,  Sparta  Camp,  M,  W,  A.,  310. 

Lodge,  Sparta  Chapter,  307, 

Lodge,  Sparta  Commandery,  308, 

Lodge,  Sparta  Encampment,  309, 

Lodge,  Sparta,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  309. 

Lodge,  Sparta,  Eebeccas,  309. 

Lodges,  Societies.  Sparta,  306. 

Lodge,  Tomah  Chapter,  375. 

Lodge.  Valley  No.  60,  306. 

Loonier,  Charles  E.,  784. 

Lowrie,  Alexander,  134. 

Lucas,  John  J.,  785. 

Ludeking,  Ilernran,  786. 

Liielichnw.  AU^ert  W.,  787. 

Luethe,  Fred  E.,  788. 

Lynn,  .John  W.,  134. 

Lynn,  .Tohn  W.,  Post,  162. 

Lynn.  James  H.,  136. 

Making  a  County,  66. 
Maltby,  Appleton  N.,  788. 
^rannfacturors,    Business   Enterprises, 

S|.arta,  319. 
Manufacturing,  Tomah,  386.  ' 
:\larten,  David  C,  790. 
Mashak,  Frank,  791. 
IMashak.  .Tohn  W..  792. 
:\Iasliak.  Vincent,  792. 
Markgraf.  F.  E.,  789, 
Masters,  Charles  M.,  475. 
Masters,  Harry  J.,  470. 
Matteson,  Ellis  E..  793. 
McCann,  E,  M.,  794, 


McCann,  .Tohn,  795, 
McCaul,' William  R.,  456. 
McConnell,  Thomas,  795, 
McCoy,  Bruce  E.,  796. 
McCoy,  Robert  B.,  479. 
McCray,  David  G.,  799. 
McGarv,  Eugene,  799. 
McMilian.  William  F.,  137. 
McWithey,  Lucian  A.,  801. 
Meadows,  Charles  W.,  464. 
Medical  Fraternity,  482. 
Mee,  B.  W.,  803. 
Melgard,  Oluf  C,  804. 
Members  of  Assembly,  77. 
Menominee  Tribe,  9. 
jNlickelson,  Einil,  805. 
.Miles.  Stephen  C,  134. 
Militaiv   ('()in|(aiiies.   429. 
Miller, 'Chri.stopher  C,  134. 
Milligan,  Dr.  George  W.,  489. 
Mitby,  Peter  E.,  806. 
Modes  of  Punishment,  231. 
Moen,  George  J.,  807. 
Mohring,  John,  808. 
Monroe  Citizen,  91. 
Monroe  County  Branch,  31. 
Monroe  County  Democrat,  92. 
]\lonroe  County  in  Civil  War,  99. 
^Montgomery,  Milton,  132, 
Mooney,  Fred  J,,  808, 
Morrow,  Hon.  J.  M.,  188. 
Morrow,  Hon.  .J.  M.,  450. 
Morse,  Leonard  C,  810. 
Moseley,  Arthur  G.,  812. 
Morton.  James  IL,  811. 
Mullenberg,  Winand,  813. 
Murphy,  Dennis  M.,  813. 
IMurray,  Dr.  George  O.,  498. 

Naset,  Abel  B.,  821. 
Naylor,  William  B.,  Jr.,  454. 
Nelson,  Anton,  814. 
Nelson,  J.  C,  815. 
Nelson,  Peter  E.,  816. 
New  Lyme,  Town  of,  528. 
iVewspapers  of  Cashton,  96. 
Newspapers  of  Monroe  County,  91. 
Newton,  George  :\r.,  817. 
Newton,  Harry  M.,  818. 
Newton,  Orin  1.,  818. 
New  York  Indians,  26. 
Nichols.  Joseph.  820. 
Nicke,  Robert   G..  821. 
Nineteenth   Infantry,   105-124. 
Niculet  Comes  to  Doty  Island,  17. 
Norwalk  Sentinel,   97. 
Norwalk  Star,  97. 
Norwalk,  Yilla-re  of,  409. 
Noth.  August  H..  822. 
Noth.  Fred  W..  823. 
Novotny,  George,  824. 
Noyes,    Luther  B.,   136. 

Oakdale,  Town  of,  528. 


INDEX 


945 


Oakley,  Nehemiah,  825. 
Officers  and   Kiilisted  Men,  IIG. 
Olesoii,  Mrs.  Jeus,  826. 
Oster,  Frank  F.,  460. 
Oswald,    Godfrey,    827. 
Other  Border  Wars,  21. 

Palen,  Nicholas  F.,   828. 
Palmer,  Dr.  Horace,  494. 
Palmer,    Irvin   N.,    829. 
Palmer,  William  P.,  830. 
Parsons,   William  F.,   832. 
Peterson,   Erick,   834. 
Peterson,   Oscar,   835. 
Phillips,  Dr.  C.  E.,  495. 
Phillips,   Dr.    Crawford   E.,   495. 
Phillips,   Enos   M.,   138. 
Phillip,  William  J.,  137. 
Pier,   Frank,   836. 
Pierce,  Carl  N.,  837. 
Pike,   Anson   A.,   136. 
Pingel,  John   C,  837. 
Pollock,  Louis,  840. 
Portland,   Town  of,   529. 
Poss,  Jacob  L.,  841. 
Powell,  M.  E.,  463. 
Prescott,   Albert   G.,   838. 
Price,    Irving,    839. 
Prielipp,  Frank  F.,  840. 
Progress  Fiftj'-four  Years,  744. 
Purdy,  John,   841. 

Quigg,  Dr.  Charles  E.,  493. 
Quinn,   Thomas,   842. 

Radke,   Louis,   843. 
Railroads,    82. 

Railroad,  C.  M.  &  St.  P.,  82. 
Railroad,  A'orthwestern,  84. 
Railroad,  West  Wisconsin,  87. 
Randall,  W.  H.,  844. 
Rath,  Fred  C,  845. 
Recollections  of  the  War,  157. 
Recruits,  121. 
Registers  of  Deeds,  76. 
Rehberg,  Frank  J.,  846. 
Reich,  John  W.,  847. 
Rhyme,  John,  848. 
Rice,  Edward  C,  849. 
Rice,  Zelotus  S.,  471. 
Richards,  David  R.,  850. 
Richards,  Dr.  John  F.,  496. 
Richards,  Randolph  A.,  461. 
Richards,  Thomas,  851. 
Richardson,  Clyde  C,  853. 
Richardson,  Eli  A.,  853. 
Richardson,  George  A.,  453. 
Richgruber,  William,  854. 
Ridgeville,   Town  of,  531. 
Riordon,  Dr.  E.  J.,  499. 
Robertson,  George  H.,  855. 
Robinson,  William  W.,  132. 
Rogers,  Richard  H.,  856. 
Rogge,  Ernst,  857. 


Rogge,  William  F.,  858. 
Rondorf,  WJlliani,  859. 
Root,  Ephraim  G.,  860. 
Root,  William  IL,  861. 
Rosecrantz,  Clark  M.,  462. 
Russell,  Alonzo  H.,  134. 

Sacred  Heart,  Order  of,  329. 

Sarles,  Dr.  Wilbur  T.,  491. 

Sash  and  Door  Factory,  387. 

Sawyer,  William  F.,  469. 

Scantleton,  John  T.,  861. 

Schaitel,  Joseph,  862. 

Schaller,  Paul,  863. 

Schlaver,  August,  865. 

Schlaver,  Otto,  866. 

Scheurich,  Dr.  L.  G.,  500. 

School  Board  Convention,  234. 

School  Houses,  227. 

School,  St.  Mary's,  328. 

Schools,  Sparta,  287. 

Schools,  Spelling,  233. 

School,  State  Public,  395. 

School,  Tomah  Indian,  392. 

Schools,  Tomah,  363. 

Schmitz,  P.  W.,  864. 

Schroeder,  Henry  F.,  867. 

Schroeder,  Robert  F.,  867. 

Schultz,  Adolph  H.,  869. 

Schulte,  Charles  H.,  868. 

Schultz,  Henry  W.,  871. 

Schultz,  Lewis  J.,  871. 

Schultz,  William  H.,  873. 

Schwaiz,  ]\Ielchor,  874. 

Scott,  Town  of,  538. 

Senators,  77. 

Serrurier,  Theodore  A.,  875. 

Settlement  Days,  27. 

Seventeenth  Regiment,  123. 

Seventh  Regiment,  121. 

Sheldon,  Town  of,  533. 

SherifPs,  75. 

Sholes,  Charles,  875. 

Simpson,  Charles  E.,  877. 

Sixteenth  Regiment,  123. 

Sixth  Infantry,  100-120. 

Sizer,  Samuel,  877. 

Slayton,  Mrs.  Cecillia,  879. 

Sloggy,  Peter,  134. 

Smith,  Charles  W.,  880. 

Society,  Helping  Hand,  377. 

Societies,  Kendall,  404, 

Societies,  School,  295. 

Soda  Water  Factory,  Tomah,  387. 

Soldiers'  Monument,  171. 

Sonnenburg,  Emil  C,  882. 

Sonnenburg,  Fred  P.,  882. 

Spanish-American  War  Veterans,  438. 

Sparta,  Citv  of,  244. 

Sparta  Eagle,  92. 

Sparta  Fair  Association,  316. 

Sparta  Herald,  91. 

Sparta  Rifles,  433. 

Sparta,  Town  of,  534. 


946 


INDEX 


fSparta  Tiibiiue,  9-1. 
S|):ut:i  lion  Works,  323. 
Spaiilding,  llenry  (j.,  451. 
Steele,  Saiiuiel  M.,  883. 
Stevens,  CJeorge  P.,  884. 
Stiles,  Dr.  Fred  P.,  490. 
Stiles,  Dr.  VxMnon  W.,  501. 
Storkel,  Louis,  885. 
Stratni'an,  Charles,  886. 
Strozinskv,  Will  F.,  887. 
Sulijeits  'and  Methods,  228. 
Sullivan,  .lolm  .}.,  888. 
Sullivan,  Thomas,  889. 
Superintendents  of  Schools,  76. 
Sweet,  Arthur  L.,  890. 
Sweet,   Hdgar  (.'.,  892. 
Sweet,  Levings  N.,  890. 
Sweet,  Norman  E.,  891. 

Talbot.  Truman  R.,  893. 

Taylor,  Robert  J.,  894. 

Teai-liers   Boartling   Around,  229. 

Teachers  and  Wages,  230. 

Teall,  Fred  W.,  895. 

Teasdale,  Howard,  455. 

Teasdale,  .John,  896. 

Ti'lojihone   Co.,   Monroe    <i)untv,   321. 

Tenth  Battery,  120. 

Tenth  Regiment,  121. 

The  Spartan.  293. 

Third  Regiment,  120. 

Third  Cavalry,   109-116. 

Thirtieth  Regiment,  128. 

Thirty-Second  Regiment,  129. 

Thirty-Sixth   Infantry,  106. 

Thirty-Sixth  Regiment,  129. 

Those  Who  I)i<'d  in  the  Service,  139. 

Thurston,  ilrs.  .leddie,  898. 

Todd,  Charles,  899. 

Tomah  Chief,  94. 

Tomah,  City  of,  339. 

Tomah    Isnterprise,  96. 

Tomah  Herald,  98. 

Tomah  .lournal,  94. 

Tomah,  Menomonee,  Chief,  333. 

Tomah   Monitor-Herald,  95. 

Tomali,  Town  of,  535. 

Townshiji   History,  503. 

Township  Libraries,  233. 

Townshij)    Superintendents,    230. 

Treasurers,  County,  75. 

Tuttle,  Herbert  B.,  900. 

Twelfth  Regiment,  122. 

Twentieth  Regiment,  126. 

Twenty  fifth   Infantry,  105-126. 

Tyler.  Thomas  B.,  448. 


X'alley  Advocate,  98. 

V"an   Antwerp,  Capt.   William   J I   901. 

\'andervoort,  Cornelius,  902. 

\andervort,  Frank    E.,  903. 

\'a!idervort,  Rollie,  905. 

van  Loon,   Lawrence  F.,  905. 

\erken,  William  11.,  906. 

Vieth,  Leo,  907. 

\'illages  of  County,  398. 

Ninrt-nf,  Dr.  Ceorge  R.,  494. 

\'iiicen/,,  Henry  (.;.,  90S. 

Wallace,  Levi,  909. 

War,  Spanish-American,    414. 

Warren,   (ieorge    H.,  911. 

Warren  's  1  ndex,  98. 

W.  C.  T.  U.,  Sparta,  539. 

Webb,  Franklin,  913. 

Welch,  Thomas,  914. 

Wellington,  Town  of,  537. 

Wells,  Simon  J.,  915. 

Wells,  Town  of,  536. 

Wells,  Will  N.,  916. 

Weudorf,  Herman,  917. 

West,  Ansyl  A.,  137. 

West|)hal,  Merman  A.,  918. 

Whiting,  Sarah  A.,  919. 

WiJlgrubs,  lienrv  ,1.,  919. 

Willgrnbs,  Jib  f.,  920. 

Willgrubs,  William   U.,  921. 

Williams,  (ieorge,  922. 

Williams,  Dr.  Hugh  IL,  498. 

Williams,  Robert,  923. 

Williams,  William  D.,  925. 

Williams,  William  G.,  926. 

Williams,  AVilliam  .J.,  926. 

Wilson,  DeWitt  C,  134. 

Wilton  Herald,  97. 

Wilton,  Town  of,  537. 

Wilton,  Village  of,  404. 

Winnebago  Chiefs,  33. 

Winnebago  Tribe,  12. 

Winters,  John  J.  F.,  928. 

Wisconsin  Greenback,  93. 

Withers,  Albert  W.,  929. 

Wood,  Herbert,  930. 

\Vood  Working  Plant,  Tomah,  388. 

Woodworth,  Nelson   M.,  931. 

Wruck,  Samuel.  932. 

Wyatt,  Lucian  D.,  933. 

^'()ungln;nl,  Jiilni  .1.,  934. 

Zastoupil,  Joseph  J.,  934. 
Zeigler,  Charles,  936. 
Zimmerman,  .-\rno  W..  937. 


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